Finding Hope When - I am Forgotten
from St Mark Sermons Hosted by St Mark Coptic Orthodox Church
This sermon, part of a Lenten series called "Finding Hope When...," addresses finding hope when we feel forgotten. It centers on the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda, who waited 38 years because "I have no one" to help him into the healing waters. Fr Thomas highlights how, for nearly four decades, no one stopped to help this suffering man, and uses this as a call to action: we are all created in God's image and are responsible for loving and caring for one another in practice, not just words. Drawing on Psalm 121 and the story of David sparing Saul, the sermon explores what it means to feel forsaken while still choosing love over vengeance or bitterness. It outlines three steps toward change and healing: patience, cooperation with God's grace (the "synergy" of saying yes to His command), and trust (surrendering our free will to God, exemplified by St. Francis of Assisi's prayer). Fr Thomas warns against blaming external circumstances instead of confronting our own sin honestly, as Lent calls us to do. Quoting St. Basil the Great, the message affirms that nothing escapes God's notice or care. The sermon closes with a practical charge: since God never forgets us, we must not forget others, urging listeners to reach out to someone who may be suffering quietly.
Embed this episode
No transcript yet.