December 20, 2020

Faith is an Action
Sunday Sermon

- Fr. Gregory Edwards Ph.D - Dean -


Today in the Orthodox Church is known as both the Sunday before the Nativity and the Sunday of the Genealogy. The Gospel lesson taken from Matthew 1:1-25 and the Epistle from Hebrews 11:9-10,32-40 both account for us the genealogy of Christ and all those who came before Him. Father Gregory shares with us an inspiring message about how faith is an action, beginning with Abraham and the faith he had in God and His promises. He focuses on the Epistle reading of the day and chooses the story of Gideon from the book Judges as an example of a man who put his faith into action making it tangible and seen. The Apolytikion of the day says that magnificent are the accomplishments of faith and from the Epistle we hear that faith suffers great things, as in temptations and trials, which is tangible proof of our faith as we suffer in the hope of God’s promises. Faith lives as if the things it hopes for are more real than the things of this world.



The Rev. Fr. Gregory Edwards, Ph.D., was raised in Virginia and eastern Pennsylvania, and became a member of the Orthodox Church while studying for his Bachelor's degree

307 19th Street South, Birmingham, AL 35233 | Fr. Gregory Edwards, Dean | 205.716.3080

Photography Credits: Beth Hontzas - Music: Presbytera Katerina Makiej





close


The Rev. Fr. Gregory Edwards, Ph.D., was raised in Virginia and eastern Pennsylvania, and became a member of the Orthodox Church while studying for his Bachelor's degree in Religious Studies at Brown University. After completing a Master's Degree in the New Testament and early Christianity at Florida State University, he conducted doctoral studies in Greece at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, graduating summa cum laude in 2012. Ordained in 2007, he served parishes in Thessaloniki and Volos for 9 years. He and his wife Presvytera Pelagia lived in Greece from 2006-2016, where their four children were born. He has served as Assistant Professor of Missiology at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Seminary in New York since 2014. Before coming to Birmingham in March 2019, Fr. Gregory served St. George Greek Orthodox Church in New Port Richey, FL from 2016-2019.