All Things New

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Next Step #29 – December 31, 2008

The New Year’s Eve Edition of The Next Step takes a look at virtual reality as composed by the demise of a household product. Can we hit a rewind button to find out? The Advent season comes to an end with the arrival of Theophany – just in time for the new year! Listen how Christ makes all things new, through His Love! Peace is just waiting to happen as Fr. Vazken weaves the listener through the first week of the New Year.

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Christmas Eve at the Manger

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Next Step # 28- December 24, 2008

The “Christmas Eve” edition of the Next Step, explores the scene at the manger as something greater than its historical components. Drawing on the purest concepts of mathematics, Fr. Vazken makes the case that with Jesus, we find the sick, the hungry, the lame and the suffering wrapped in the swaddling cloth. If A=B and B=C then A=C; can we swap variables and find that even peace has a chance! Digging deep – this podcast even addresses the bigger questions – did the manger smell like baby wipes? Interspersed with an assortment of great carols, this is a Christmas Eve treat for everyone – young and old looking for the magic that can come only from God.

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Sun makes way for the Son

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Next Step #27 – December 17, 2008

Celebrating Christmas before or after the New Year. Does it matter? To some yes, but from the Armenian Orthodox perspective, it’s one of many trappings that skew us from the Truth. What about the Bible? Did it come from God? Dare we say that there are means to God beyond the Bible? And if so, what does that say about the truth of the Bible? Find out in this podcast which explains a bit more than the date of Christmas. Travel back in time to the first thoughts of religion and find out how fact and truth can end up on two different sides of the coin. And all this occurs as our planet takes a spin around the outer rim of its orbit around the Sun. Happy Solstice and a Merry Christmas to all!

Featured Songs: Carols by Joan Baez, Victory by Gor Mkhitarian

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The Ox, House, and Wife on Advent

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Next Step #26 – December 10, 2008

On the Great Banquet, or WWJWFHB = (What would Jesus want for his Birthday?) The answer is given in scripture and in this podcast! What were the Jesus “parents” like? We got a glimpse of them in Montrose, of all places. And what a headache they COULD have had, instead did they take the Advent prescription? Only Mary’s pharmacist knows for sure? This is one of a series of podcasts following the Advent journey to Christmas. At the end of the road is the prize: A new view of Christmas – not in a stable in Bethlehem, but as the only true representation of Christ’s revelation.
Music: Gor Mkhitarian plays the Lord’s Prayer – a new rendition of Jesus’ words. Join in for all the excitement of this Holiday cast.

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Not a dry eye – 20 years later

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Not a dry eye – 20 years later
Fr Vazken
Fr Vazken | 3 Comments |
I’ve heard that expression “Not a dry eye in the house” in reference to a performance or speech well delivered. But I thought it was a cliche and an over-exageration of terms. But it came to pass yesterday at the 20th Anniversary of the Armenian Earthquake.

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy and just before Holy Communion, we stopped the service, precisely 20 years to the minute – 11:41AM when a devastating earthquake hit Northern Armenia and killed 25,000+ people.

The memories are vivid in my mind. And apparently, so too in the minds and hearts of all our parishioners. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when we began our service. With our soloist, Mariam Abrahamian’s powerful, yet soul stirring rendition of Naregatzi’s lament. Followed by two new songs composed and performed by Gor Mkhitarian. I don’t know – I know our church on the corner is magical, but I keep getting these reminders that shock me. Like you could feel the Presence and you could feel the swaying emotions as these songs were sung. And the final rendition of Hayr Mer (the Lord’s Prayer) to guitar music… where else could this magic have taken place?

I know there were dinner dances and ‘Christmas’ parties that were beckoning our people (and us) but for my part – I think we honored the past and truly gave a tribute to the present in this short memorial. Thanks to all of you who made this day a special one.

More to come…
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Anush Avejic
Anush Avejic December 08, 2008

It was a very emotional service… First hearing the power in Mariam Abrahamian’s voice…singing this beautiful haunting melody. Though we remembered our past, it was a testament that we are still alive and strong! Then Gor’s songs. I was moved to tears by the words of his beautifully written songs. So heartfelt, so sincere. I looked over from where I was sitting and there was one of our little medz mairig’s….keeping beat to the music with her being. Like you said in your introduction, the language of music transcends boundaries. We were all ages, all different kinds of “hyes”, and it didn’t matter. The music bound us to our people….and to our church.

I can’t wait til Gor’s concert. We just heard a preview of his new music yesterday….I’m anxiously waiting for the new CD.

Thank you for organizing this beautiful service in a way that only our church would. In humilty and in memorium of our loss, but in encouragement of our present and our future.
Suzie
Suzie December 09, 2008
I second the reference to ‘not a dry eye in the house’. Sunday’s special remembrance service was very moving and I found myself wiping away tears. Anush, I agree – Gor’s words and singing was truly heartfelt and sincere – hence bringing us to tears. They were both tears of sorrow for our losses in the past as well as tears of joy from being lifted from that devastation and continuing to build a life filled with the power of hope and love.
Fr Vazken
Fr Vazken December 09, 2008
You know – in preparing for the Christmas SPIRIT concert I’ve been thinking a lot about change in our Church.Obviously, the Gor music is pretty radical change when you think of the Armenian Church, or any ‘traditional’ church for that matter. Anush – your comments about the mayrigs – made me think about all of the changes and differences that I’ve tried to bring into the Armenian Church during my years as a priest. I never thought of it until now – but its always been that older generation who got it. Maybe its the years, maybe its the futility that they see in preserving something that doesn’t speak to the people. But, among the younger ones there is this false sense of clinging to something that makes for a warm security blanket. (Yes, I saw Charlie Brown’s Christmas last night… poor Linus, he needs all the security he can get with that dew of his.) And they fight for that security which gets them through the years, but in the end, there’s nothing in it.This weekend we’re in for a treat – because Mariam Matossian arrives and will be singing at our church (and of course, at the concert). She’s going to be leading a special class for our Sunday School students this Sunday and it should be interesting because we’ll be uniting the past tradition with the more radical change.

Suzie, I believe you told me about one of our visitors this Sunday who mentioned that our church really had that unique balance of old and new, or traditional and contemporary. That’s what its all about, right? I mean, none of us are for abandoning our traditional worship and our Badarak, BUT on the other hand, we know that those are not the END we serve. I think that perspective – that traditions are the means, and Jesus is the end – has been our working platform. And it shows in every project we do.

On top of it all – did you catch this week’s Gospel passage? It was the story of the Great Banquet. As I was sitting through Gor’s playing and Mariam’s singing and subsequently the hokehankist – I had the great banquet in mind. This is not Burger King – you can’t “have it your way!” We are a church that is led by the Holy Spirit and the Pastor – the Parish Priest – is ORDAINED by the mark of the Holy Spirit. When he points the church in a particular direction, its because of his prayer life, his knowledge of the communities and the needs of the parishioners. The Holy Spirit guides the pastor to leadership. And as the Pastor, this direction that we have steered our ship on – I will tell you in no uncertain terms – is the path and direction for the Armenian Church today. Because its the same path we’ve been on through the centuries. This is the orthodox path.

Critics point to orthodoxy as something ancient and connected to the fathers of the church. They forget that those fathers were humans guided by the same Spirit! The Orthodox Church is alive today, not just in some history book.

The banquet passage is too close to my heart to let pass by. I’m going to use it as the theme for tomorrow’s podcast and will return to it next Sunday at church (since this past week, we had a musical sermon). I keep thinking about Nersess Shnorhali or Krikor Naregatzi. We love their works today – I wonder how they were received in their time? They were people like you and I, certainly with a gift for touching the soul with their words and tunes – a gift which Gor has. And their message was the same from the time of Christ.

Looking forward to a great couple of weeks of Christmas cheer.

Shaking Christmas Vampires

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Next Step #25 – December 3, 2008

You’ll find this episode filled with “Happy Holiday” cheer, and here’s a hint: it’s not because Fr. Vazken wants to be politically correct! Christmas is coming and with the season of Advent, you’re invited to look within and at how the Christ child is being born around you and then within.

Also, in this episode we look at Vampires and the undead. As crowds line up to watch “Twilight” and emotions heat up, we compare it with the undead in the church, namely the saints, both those with a capital and a small ‘S’. The last segment of the podcast is dedicated to the 20th Anniversary of the earthquake in Armenia (December 7, 1988) and the formation of Armenian electronic multimedia through sain.org and the foundation for In His Shoes Ministries.

Featured song: “About Light” by Gor Mkhitarian

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