In this sermon, Fr. Stephen reflects on the feast of the Annunciation and why the Orthodox Church gives such great honor to the Virgin Mary. At the center of the sermon is a simple but searching question: what does it really mean to pray, “Thy will be done”? The Gospel of the Annunciation shows the Theotokos receiving God’s will with humility, trust, and obedience. Her yes to God becomes a living picture of the heart of Orthodox Christianity.

The sermon explains that Mary is honored not because the Church worships her, but because she is the clearest example of a human person fully surrendered to God. Her response to the Archangel Gabriel shows what faithful obedience looks like. Rather than reshaping God’s will around her own preferences, she accepts His purpose with trust. That is why the Annunciation matters so much in the Orthodox Churc ...