POKROV Russian Orthodox Church Melbourne

Orthodox theology regards the sacraments as sacred actions through which the encounter between God and the human person takes place. In them our union with God, in so far as it is possible in this earthly life, is realised. What this session will focus on is a brief overview of the main sacraments of the Orthodox church, also known as mysteries, with particular focus on Baptism and the Eucharist. We will delve into how the sacraments are not only spiritual, but also a bodily communion, as the human person enters the divine mystery with their whole being, their soul and body become immersed in God. We enter into these mysteries not as individuals, but as a collectivity of people in the pursuit of true existence.  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1280171/support]

The Church is a divine and human organism, the Body of Christ. The words at the beginning of the Creed apply to the Church: “I believe in ... Church’. Because we embrace the Church with our faith it is misunderstood by those who rely entirely on their reason. In this session we look at every word of this article of the Creed to come to some understanding of what the Church is and how we live the life of the Church. The accent in the Church is on life, an existential experience, not an intellectual activity. There is a concreteness in being an Orthodox Christian. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1280171/support]

The Holy Spirit can easily be overlooked in discussions about God. The role of God the Son – Christ – is so central that it cannot be missed, and His discussions about His relationship with His Heavenly Father throughout the Gospels means that we do not overlook the Father.  However, while the presence of the Holy Spirit as described explicitly in the Bible is smaller, we can see the work of the Spirit more clearly both by exegeting certain texts deeper, as well as by examining the theology of the Spirit – or Pneumatology – that was laid out by the Church Fathers in councils and dogmatic treatises. In this session, we will investigate how the Spirit interacts with believers in the Church and the world as a whole, especially focusing on His role as “Paraklete” or Comforter. We will also look at the ways in which the Spirit relates to the Trinity, especially in seeking to combat ideas that subordinate the Holy Spirit to either of the other Persons of the Trinity. To end this discussion, we will look at why the Orthodox Church refused to accept the insertion of the fililoque in the Creed.  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1280171/support]

This session will focus on the last things to come – The end of history, what happens to the soul after death, judgment, and an Orthodox understanding of heaven and hell. We will explore the NT and patristic understanding of eschatology, which is one of hope and assurance, Christ-centred rather than Antichrist-centred.  We will delve into judgement and the second coming of Christ, and how there is no person who will be deprived of God’s love; heaven and hell a reflection of the state of the soul, a choice to deliberately embrace good instead of evil. It is a journey that does not start after death, but starts now, as we struggle to attain the kingdom of heaven during our earthly life.  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1280171/support]

The Resurrection of Christ is central in Christianity. We assemble every week on the day of the Resurrection. Yet the Resurrection cannot be understood without the whole story of our salvation, especially from the time that the Word becomes flesh. We look at our relationship with God based on the gift of free will and see how this makes it possible for us to fall away, then reconnect with God and Christ’s Redemption. This opens to us eternal life and great mercy of His Ascension in our life – now and forever.  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1280171/support]