He cannot deny himself - 2 Timothy 2:13

I noticed a quotation scroll up my Facebook newsfeed this morning. It stood out because not only had the Scriptural verse being referenced been taken out of context, but it had been so completely abused that it was being made to say the very opposite to that which the Apostle Paul had intended.

This would not matter so much if it were simply a verse describing which town in Asia Minor St Paul was intending to visit, or if it involved an edited list of Christians that St Paul was addressing his letter to. But in fact in this instance it was a matter of great importance to our very understanding of God and salvation, and the misuse of the passage could very easily cause those embracing it to hold an entirely erroneous view of their relationship to God.

Orthodox Christology - Second Edition

Orthodox Christology

A new, second edition, of this collection of papers by Father Peter Farrington of the British Orthodox Church within the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate is now available for purchase as a paperback.

This new edition contains additional papers, and one paper which has never been published elsewhere before. The volume has now increased to over 350 pages of interesting and useful content.

These papers are of significant interest to those studying Orthodox Christology, and those interested in understanding the perspective of the Oriental Orthodox communion of Churches.

A Homily on the Parable of the Vineyard

Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time. Luke 20:9

I would like us to briefly consider a few points from the Gospel reading we have just heard. Our Lord provides a parable to teach a spiritual lesson to his disciples. A parable is a story with a meaning, a way of graphically communicating a truth which might be much harder to grasp. What is this parable all about? It is a description of the history of mankind’s rejection of God’s tender and loving approaches. The Old Testament records for us what happened as God gave his people, Israel, opportunity after opportunity to turn to him, to be faithful to him, and to become truly his own people, a witness for the whole world.

Orthodox Mission Report - 28th July

Through the prayers of many faithful people it was made possible to travel quite extensively last week. It's very warm here in the UK at the moment, and driving in busy traffic can be draining, although I have found myself granted concentration and alertness by the involvement in mission which God grants me.

The Orthodox Way of Prayer - New Book

The successful Orthodox Way of Prayer is being organised in a further three locations over the next few months. To support this study day programme Father Peter Farrington is researching and writing a book, The Orthodox Way of Prayer, which is an accessible introduction to the Orthodox spiritual life, ideal for Orthodox and those exploring Orthodoxy.

The volume will be published on December 1st, 2014 in a paperback and a hardback edition.This book will contain a complete course in Orthodox Prayer directed at the ordinary Orthodox Christian and those interested in learning about Orthodoxy. It will be serious and comprehensive without being overly technical or complicated.

The Prayer of the Heart

Father Peter Farrington

Let us now consider together the unceasing prayer of the heart which is the object of Orthodox spirituality, representing as it does that perpetual living in the presence of God which is our life and salvation. Within Orthodoxy the heart is the place where each of us may meet God within us. It is the centre of our being and to pray with the heart is to pray truly. The prayer of the heart is unceasing prayer since it is not the action of the mind or will but the disposition of one’s whole being towards God.

Homily for Sunday 7th July - Who is the greatest?

At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Matt 18:1
Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven? What sort of question is that for any followers of Jesus to ask? Of course I am sure that the disciples understood that our Lord Jesus Christ is the Lord of he Kingdom of Heaven, but they meant to ask ‘which of us is most important?’ The had their eyes on each other. Who seemed closest to Jesus? Who did he talk to? Was there any way of working out in which order of importance Jesus thought of them?