The Good Shepherd | Sermon Topics

August 3, 2025

The Lost Sheep: Being Found by Christ

Unknown preacher

On the first Sunday after the Feast of the Transfiguration, the preacher shares two personal stories of being lost—one from his childhood at Disneyland and one about his young son getting separated in Japantown—to illustrate Christ's parable of the good shepherd seeking the one lost sheep. He connects these experiences to Matthew's Gospel, emphasizing that Christians cannot be indifferent to the lost and vulnerable. He then traces three Gospel examples of Christ seeking the lost: Zacchaeus, the Samaritan woman at the well, and Peter after his denial. The sermon concludes with the invitation that Christ's question to Peter—"Do you love me?"—is the same invitation offered to each of us to be found and restored to the flock.

Matthew 18:12-14; Matthew 18:6; Luke 19:1-10; John 4:1-42; John 21:15-17; Matthew 16:16-18

January 28, 2024

Saints, Spiritual Cleanness, and the Courage of Saint Sarkis

Unidentified parish priest

Addressing the Sunday school children, the preacher explains Armenian customs of blessing, the meaning of church icons, and what makes a person a saint. Using baptismal cleansing and the Armenian relationship between “surp” and “srpel,” he describes saints as people with spiritually clean souls who remain faithful through hardship. Saint Sarkis is presented as a courageous Christian warrior, protector of youth, enduring hero, and heavenly intercessor who prays that believers may be brave, strong, and trusting in God.

Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan; The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus; The Good Shepherd