The Power of Faith

Every now and then there comes a time in our life when God calls us to reach out of our comfort zone and trust that He knows our abilities and has our best interests in mind. At those moments, it doesn’t do us any benefit to look back at our failures but ahead to God’s glory and promise for a blessed future. Too often our fears and lack of confidence take control and we refuse to trust that God indeed knows what He is doing.

 When Jesus commanded some fishermen to “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch,” (Luke 5.4) He knew what was about to take place. At that moment these average fishermen had a choice to make. Trust the Master or dwell on the past. One of them stood up and said, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” (Luke 5.5) He was willing to trust in the power of his faith in the master.

 If the fishermen remained in the past they would never have been able to realize the blessings of God. If they had remained in the past they would never have witnessed the power of faith. If they had remained in the past, they would have remained mere fishermen. But thankfully they didn’t remain in the past. Thankfully they didn’t dwell on the lack of fish in their nets from the night before since it wasn’t the only time they had gone fishing. They had many successful nights in the past. Thankfully they put their trust in God’s wisdom and launched out into the deep.

 The deep water of life can be a frightening experience. Without the safety of known and shallow water our comfort zone can be shattered. Without the comfort of familiar surroundings fear tends to cloud our judgment and decision-making abilities, and we rarely make sound choices based upon fear. Fear limits our talents and we remain standing still rather than moving ahead in life. But the fishermen knew their abilities to navigate the sea, and refused to allow fear to control them.

 Because the fishermen were able to trust in God’s Wisdom, they caught a huge number of fish, so many their nets were about to break and their boats were about to sink under the heavy weight of the catch. Then God said, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." (Luke 5.10) and they dropped everything. From that moment they trusted in God’s Wisdom to guide them.

Here’s the point. When you put aside your fear, and put your trust in God’s promise and protection, great things will happen for God’s glory. Great things are on the horizon for our Community. The only thing that stands between today and our great future will be our ability to trust that God knows where we are headed, and His willingness to direct our path and fill our nets with blessings for our Cathedral Community.

Dear St. Nicholas Cathedral Family,

 Last week we introduced the topic of “I am the light” from the Gospel of John where Christ says, “I am the light of the world.” As part of any scripture we read we must find what the lesson is for us as Orthodox Christians to put this into a practical lesson for us. Sometimes that means doing to exploring in the Bible and utilizing some biblical studies practices/tools.

  When one studies the Bible and in specific look at the Synoptic Gospels (Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) there are differences in the texts. The order of events might be different. Details of what happened might be the same. When you study an excerpt of one Gospel it is important to see what the other Gospels might have said because you will get a greater picture of what happened. This is what is called finding the parallels between the Gospels. Remember you are reading different accounts of the one event that you are studying in the ministry of Christ.  Imagine 4 people telling a story from memory. Some might remember some parts, some might forget, some might have heard or seen more but when you put it all together it creates one great story that flows and makes sense.

  If you look at the parallels for this section we are discussing in John, you will find a parallel in the Gospel of St. Matthew Chapter 5. In this parallel you will see that Christ says he is the light of the world but Christ also said to the people that “‘You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.’ With this new information, We are all called to serve Christ and share the light of God and His love no matter what point you are in your life you can do this. Whether we are a bishop, a priest, an adult, a young adult and even a child we are all called to share the light of Christ within us.

  If you look at the beginning of the Christian Faith, this is how it spreads like a wild fire. Jesus walked on this earth. He shared His light with His disciples and after His Resurrection, they went and shared it with the world. It started with one light - Christ - then the women who were at the empty tomb told the disciples, and the news of Christ’s resurrection from the dead began to spread throughout the world. That continues today

 With Love in the Lord,

 Rev. Fr. Sampson N. Kasapakis

Memorials

8:15 AM Divine Liturgy

Katherine Lecourezos - 9 Days 

Sevasti Kouremetis - 9 Months

Pantelis Koulianos - 1 Year

Petros Psaras - 1 Year

Ekaterine Papas - 2 Years

Kaliope Skourellos - 7 Years

Michael Fontotos - 8 Years

Della Pappas-3 Yrs., Themis Tsaoussis-4 Yrs.; John S. Pappas-15 Yrs.

11:00 AM Divine Liturgy 

William Joseph Clark - 1 Year; Vivian Marie Clark - 7 Years 

   Today's Coffee Hour is being hosted by St. Nicholas Greek School! We would like to encourage other ministries in hosting the Coffee Hour, so please contact Chris Palaidis at 727-808-3895.

  *THE DEADLINE IS MONDAY 5PM FOR ALL BULLETIN INFORMATION*

  Memorial & Artoklasia Service Planning