Sermons on Lent

Becoming a Burning and Shining Light: Self-Denial and Lent (Matthew 3:1-4)

The Christian life is built not on self-indulgence, but on self-denial. How does God form the Christian into a burning and shining light in a dark generation? In this Lenten sermon, Fr. Toms points to John the Baptist as an example of a life formed in the desert through years of austerity, prayer, and communion with God. John did no miracles and possessed no worldly advantages, yet multitudes flocked to hear him. Why?  He had learned the virtues of holiness in the school of self-denial. In this message, Fr. Toms calls believers to enter their own desert during Lent and grow into steadfast, radiant witnesses for Jesus Christ.

Repairing the Breach: Fasting that Restores the Church (Isaiah 58:6-12)

In this Lenten sermon on Isaiah 58, the prophet’s call to true fasting confronts the church with a sobering question: What kind of fast does God actually desire? Far more than abstaining from food, the fast God chooses is moral—ceasing from cruelty, slander, injustice, and selfish indulgence, while giving ourselves in love to serve those in need. Where such repentance is found, God promises light in darkness, healing for hearts, answered prayer, and the rebuilding of ruined places. In this message, Fr. Toms calls the church to the kind of fasting that restores the church to its true glory.