Christ The Good Shepherd Orthodox Mission

04/19/2026

Blessed Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle!
Join us for Orthros at 12 and Divine Liturgy at 1pm!
Orthodoxconcord.com

And a Happy Name Day to our beloved priest Fr. Thomas!

On the Sunday after Pascha, we remember Saint Thomas. Most of us know him as the one who doubted Christ, and we thank him for his doubt, for it gave us a powerful proof and a profound statement when he cried out to the Lord, after realizing that it was indeed Him, saying, "My Lord and my God!"

Let us learn from him that the Lord is my Lord, not just the Lord of others! This possessive pronoun in "my Lord" signifies that my Lord is a part of me, and I am a part of Him. Thomas cried out to Him, "My Lord and my God," meaning he turned to Him completely. Therefore, through Thomas, the good news of Christ reached the ends of the earth, and he died a martyr for Him.

Are we ready to be like him, ready to forget that we are children of this earth and of a life that lasts no more than a hundred years, and to realize that we are children of eternal life? After all this, will we forget that this loving Lord, who has given us so much, must be known through the Holy Spirit, not through our intellect or logic? Should we not ask Him to reveal Himself to us through the Holy Spirit, so that we may know Him personally, truly, and thus understand His worth, and consequently, our own?

We are called, beloved, to a glorious life, a life far superior to the life we imagine and see around us. The importance of monasteries, in our Christian faith, lies in their reminder of the vocation to which we are called, drawing us away from this world so that we may return to Him bearing God and illuminating Him with divine light.

May the Lord always grant us this faithfulness, and may we never forget—lest we be disappointed or despair—that our spiritual fathers teach us that faithfulness and truthfulness in striving for the Lord are the criteria by which He will judge us, far more so than the results and fruits we attain. To labor in faithfulness is what is most important, and what is required. My prayer is that we may all be faithful in this way, so that we may glorify God, and God may be glorified in us.

By Metropolitan Saba

04/15/2026

Christ is Risen! Blessed Pascha and Bright Week. ☦️

04/12/2026

Christ is Risen! Blessed Feast of our Lord’s glorious resurrection!

04/11/2026

Psalm 23 (24 in western bibles)

The King of Glory

A Psalm of David.

The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.

Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
He will receive blessing from the LORD
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Lift up your heads, O gates!
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O gates!
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
he is the King of glory!

04/11/2026

Christ’s body is in the tomb but He is not waiting. Come celebrate His Harrowing of Hades with us this morning at 10am and then at 10pm this evening join us for celebrating His glorious resurrection!

04/06/2026

Happy Palm Sunday!

04/04/2026

Don’t miss the Divine Liturgy this morning for Lazarus Saturday as we commemorate the raising of St Lazarus of Bethany from the dead! This is the event which politically convinced the Jewish rulers to put Jesus to death, set up His triumphal entrance into Jerusalem the following day, and was the first signal to the powers of Hades that their end was near. Read the following passage from the Canon of the Raising of Lazarus:

"Though I lie in bonds, O Savior," Lazarus cried from below to Thee his Deliverer, "yet shall I not remain forever in the depth of Hell, if Thou wilt only call to me, 'Lazarus, come out;' for Thou art my Light and my Life."

"I implore thee, Lazarus," said Hell, "Rise up, depart quickly from my bonds and be gone. It is better for me to lament bitterly for the loss of one, rather than of all those whom I swallowed in my hunger."

Shaking the gates and iron bars, Thou hast made Hell tremble at Thy voice. Hell and Death were filled with fear, O Savior, seeing Lazarus their prisoner brought to life by Thy word and rising from the tomb.”

"Though I lie in bonds, O Savior," Lazarus cried from below to Thee his Deliverer, "yet shall I not remain forever in the depth of Hell, if Thou wilt only call to me, 'Lazarus, come out;' for Thou art my Light and my Life."

04/04/2026

In the Orthodox Church, our Paschal Feast (meaning “Passover”, and called Easter in the West) does not always line up on the calendar with Easter. This year Easter is one week early, so tomorrow will be Palm Sunday for us. Please join us for Orthros at 12 and Divine Liturgy at 1!

04/04/2026

We enter Holy Week tomorrow. Here is a fantastic guide from the archdiocese on Holy Week, the purpose of each day’s services, and a guide for any inquirers on what to expect this coming week.

https://www.antiochian.org/regulararticle/328?fbclid=IwdGRleAQ93k9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEew8Mq16OlG5OhcZbh6C4Cz392MLCPY5RLxwbOCHIPwdgKa7dob5MfOypQKOQ_aem_r5bvheXp8-NhTfz8e2n3-A

​Great Lent and Holy Week are two separate fasts and two separate celebrations. Let's explore the meaning of these solemn days.​​

03/25/2026

Celebrate this Festal Divine Liturgy with us at 10am!

“In the midst of our Lenten journey, in this time of contrition and repentance, a proclamation of great hope and expectation is heard throughout the Church. Even as our struggles in Lent confront our sin and our powerlessness to overcome it, God sends a messenger to assure us that because of His love and mercy, salvation has been bestowed upon us if only in faith we will receive it.”

"Rejoice, O bridge leading to the heavens! Rejoice, O lofty ladder whom Jacob did behold! Rejoice, O jar of divine manna! Rejoice, O dissolution of the curse! Rejoice, O recall of Adam! The Lord is with thee."

03/22/2026

On the fourth Sunday in Lent we commemorate St. John Climacus, the great seventh-century ascetic and author of The Ladder of Divine Ascent. As we continue the Lenten fast, we recall St. John's account of the labors necessary to approach God, and we take comfort in the Lord's words: "he who endures to the end will be saved" (Mt 24:13).

On the fourth Sunday in Lent we commemorate St. John, the great seventh-century ascetic and author of The Ladder of Divine Ascent. As we continue the Lenten fast, we recall St. John's account of the labors necessary to approach God, and we take comfort in the Lord's words: "he who endures to the end...

03/02/2026

Happy Sunday of Orthodoxy!

It felt like spring in Gold Hill, NC today. ☀️