In this sermon, Fr. Stephen Osburn reflects on Luke 7:11–16, where Christ meets a funeral at the gates of Nain and turns mourning into resurrection. Drawing on St. Cyril of Alexandria’s image of Nain as a “city of death,” he shows how the Lord’s touch is not defiled by death but conquers it. The miracle becomes a preview of Pascha and a sign for every person who feels trapped by grief, sin, or despair.

Fr. Stephen then points to the Eucharist as the Lord’s ongoing touch that raises us to life and sends us into the world with His peace. Citing the counsel of St. Seraphim of Sarov, he calls listeners to acquire inner peace through prayer, confession, and the Church’s worship, and to let that peace overflow in concrete acts of love. The invitation is simple: come to Christ, receive His life, and walk out of the city of death with Him.