August 23, 2020

Christian Math
Sunday Sermon

- Fr. Gregory Edwards Ph.D - Dean -


Today on the eleventh Sunday of Matthew the Gospel lesson comes to us from Matthew 18:23-35 and it accounts for us the parable of the “Unforgiving Servant”. Peter asks Jesus how many times should he forgive others who sin against him, and using human calculations Peter says; up to seven times? Jesus' answer to Peter is Christian Math and He says seven times seventy, indicating forgiving others an infinite number of times. In this parable a king has compassion on his servant and forgives him a debt he could never repay. This servant quickly forgets the compassion shown to him and is not transformed by his encounter with the king. He is missing gratitude which leaves his heart cold and he does not forgive a fellow servant whose debt to him is incomparable to the debt he has been forgiven. Father Gregory shares with us that even though God has given us, His ungrateful servants, an infinite number of works and gifts, He bestows yet an even greater gift on us; forgiveness. We as Orthodox Christians should never be asking questions like Peter out of obligation, but instead we should practice philotimo, earnestly desiring to repay any small kindness with even more kindness from our hearts.



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.