Armodoxy for Today: Children to brighten up our Advent
The holiday season is a joyous season and a stressful one. For families who have suffered loss, the stress level is compounded with feelings of longing, sadness and depression.
In 1997, then President Clinton, established a national memorial day for children, to be commemorated annually two weeks before Christmas. At the time, I was serving as Parish Priest of the Armenian Church in Pasadena. A year earlier, a young girl in the church family and a student at the church school named Cathia Hamparian had died in a car accident. She was 13 years old. Her loss had devastated family and friends and had shaken up the community.
With Cathia’s family, we organized the first Children’s Memorial that year dedicated it in memory of her sweet soul. And we have continued with the tradition of remembering children, as an annual event during Advent. Sadly, through the years, the list of names has increased, with children of all ages, who have passed before their time.
It is a very special evening, because it offers an outlet to parents who try to make sense of the senseless. These children are the most innocent of God’s creation. They didn’t have a chance to live a full life. But on this one night they find a group of people who deal with the same questions and queries, they have. Together they support one another to stand once again.
The great power of the Church is in its ability to create community – a safe place for people to share without fear or worries. Jesus sets the ground rules for the church: judge not, lest you be judged, love and embrace the brokenhearted, shower one another with unbridled love and care. It’s actually the formula for a successful church. And why not? The Church is the Body of Christ, and that formula of no judgement, embracing the brokenhearted and loving others, describes Jesus Christ. He’s perfect and his Holy Church is set up to be perfect. It is in that environment that God, that is Love, is present and active.
The Children’s Memorial is part of our Advent journey, pointing to the importance and necessity of the Church in the life of the Christian. Even more, it points to the Resurrection because children continue to live in the hearts of their loved ones, and within our community their presence is never far away.
We pray this simple prayer today, from the Children’s Memorial, No heart breaks alone, for I know that You, my God, are always nearby. And when I whisper a prayer, hear me. When sorrow is overwhelming comfort me tenderly. I know You are always there to hear, for not a single tear will fall that You my God don’t see. I turn to You always. Amen.
Cover photo: At the end of the 2025 Cathia Hamparian Memorial Service, participants placed candles around an angel figurine.
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In our encounter with Jesus’ commandments, one in particular stands out from the rest, the commandment to not resist evil. We are to understand that opposition to evil cannot come by adding evil to the equation. Evil + evil will never equal an absence of evil. We can’t fight fire with fire when it’s only reasonable (and preferrable) to fight it with water.
“Whoever slaps you on your right cheek,” Jesus instructs, “Turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.” (Matthew 5:39-41)
Absence of evil is love and so “love your enemies” is a natural next step, and a necessary step on the road to peace.
Within the Armenian Church, the phrase “Peace unto all” is repeated often in its seven hours of worship, and most notably during its Divine Liturgy. Imagine that, a people that have not known peace, and at the same time have possessed no military power or elaborate military strategy, and yet they proclaim and offer peace.
We pause today with an invitation and an Advent challenge, in preparation for Christmas, can you imagine an alternative to evil to resolve evil? Jesus’ call to “Be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect,” (Matthew 5:48) implies that there are means that require us to use our God given talents to overcome the tragedies we identify as evil.
The Advent Journey is about preparing ourselves for the great Theophany, the Revelation of God. That preparation is through the struggle to understand – “imagine,” if you will – our existence as children of God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
We pray a prayer by Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. O God, the Creator and Preserver of all mankind; in whom to dwell is to find peace and security; toward whom to turn is to find life and life eternal, we humbly beseech Thee for all sorts and conditions of men; that thou wouldst be pleased to make thy ways known unto them, Thy saving health unto all nations. We also pray for Thy holy Church universal; that it may be so guided and governed by Thy Spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life. Finally, we commend to Thy Fatherly goodness all those who are in any way afflicted or distressed in mind or body. Give them patience under the suffering and power of endurance. This we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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Triggers come in all shapes and sizes. On a gun it’s the devices that releases the mechanism to shoot. Flowers or furry animals may trigger allergies in people. And a good actor interpreting his or her parts may trigger emotions that will soften the hardest of hearts.
Celestial events, such as solar or lunar eclipses often trigger discussions of a religious variety. Because the movements of the players, that is the Moon and Sun, have their own rhythms and patterns, some people ascribe mystical explanations to the entire event. On closer look, the only mystical element of these movements is that they are unusually precise and perfect. Dare we say, they point to a designer, who is often noted as God.
At a solar eclipse a person who noted my interest in the event asked, if the eclipse is mentioned in the Bible? Now, if you’ve been a priest long enough you know where this is leading (or misleading) –somehow this is being a precursor to end times. I’ve read in the Bible about darkening-sky events, but in the case of eclipses which last only a few minutes, there is nothing apocalyptic about them. But look at it in another way, MRI’s and Xray’s are not mentioned in the Bible either, but we use them to diagnose a wide variety illnesses. Jets aren’t mentioned in the Bible, but they sure help get you around.
Armodoxy challenges you to look at nature as an extension of God’s wonders. They are all around. Rather than allowing the unknown and the un-understood to trigger thoughts of end times, celebrate the majesty of God, and all the beauty of His Creation.
We end with this prayer from the Book of Sirach, “The glory of the stars is the beauty of heaven, a glittering array in the heights of the Lord.On the orders of the Holy One they stand in their appointed places;they never relax in their watches. Look at the rainbow and praise Him who made it; it is exceedingly beautiful in its brightness.It encircles the sky with its glorious arc;the hands of the Most High have stretched it out. (chapter 43)
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This week of Advent begins with a scriptural reading from Hebrews chapter 1. It reads like an essay, explaining that God speaks to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. The scripture reads, “Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.”
This introduction to the book we have landed on today, namely Hebrews, has a cosmic flavor to it. Interestingly enough we read it in the Church during the week of the Winter Solstice.
The author of Hebrews continues his writing setting apart the Son of God from the angels, “For to which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you’? Or again, ‘I will be his Father, and he will be my Son’? And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, ‘Let all God’s angels worship him.’” For the author of this scriptural treasure, it is important to set Jesus apart from all of creation.
When we talk about the Apostolic Church, we are speaking of the Church at the time of the Apostles. There was no Bible at the time. There was only the community of believers that assembled together to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to be encouraged by one another. The Apostolic Church, and later the early Church, understood the Church and the Christian expression as part of a rhythm of the universe that began at Creation and then experienced the Fall because of our actions against the rhythm and harmony of the universe.
Christ is set apart. Christ comes to put us back into harmony and in rhythm with the universe, that is all of creation.
We are traveling through the period of Advent in preparation of welcoming the Nativity and Revelation of God in our lives. Today, we stop and hear the message of harmony and rhythm. We are a day off of the Winter Solstice. We look within at our lives and we look without at the patterns of nature. Christmas is near.
Let us pray a prayer that comes to us from Holy Scripture for the Book of Sirac, (43) The beauty of the celestial height and the pure firmament, heaven itself manifests its glory. The sun at its rising shines at its fullest, a wonderful instrument, the work of the Most High! Let us praise Him the more, since we cannot fathom him, for greater is He than all his works; Awesome indeed is the LORD, and wonderful His power. Lift up your voices to glorify the LORD as much as you can, for there is still more. For who has seen him and can describe him? Who can praise him as he is? Beyond these, many things lie hidden; only a few of his works have I seen. It is the LORD who has made all things; to those who fear him he gives wisdom.
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Armodoxy for Today: Advent Series – Christmas on Las Lunas St.
There is a house on Las Lunas, less than a mile from our home, that decorates for Christmas. We discovered it when we first moved to Pasadena, and since then it has been one of my favorite Christmas stop.
Yes, there was the Balian mansion. Many happy memories were made there, taking visitors from out of town to see the elegant display of lighting in this upscale Altadena neighborhood. Lights hung in an orderly manner with some traditional colored statues, such as the manger scene, angel singers, wise men, and the rest of Nativity seekers found in the Gospel of Luke. Kids loved going for the added attraction, the vendors who lined the streets with electronic gadgets, bright lights that lured the kids and their parents to fork over a few bucks for these plastic sparkly lights that lasted just long enough to make it home. In the hands of the kids they broke down rather quickly. But even with all the lights hanging from the mansion, the glow sticks and sparkly lights were fun because they contrasted so brightly against the dark surroundings of the neighborhood.
And then there is the house on Las Lunas… no additional lights are needed. Here you’ll find a house decorated with lights on top of lights. Different sizes and shapes of bulbs. Statues of the Holy Family, the wise men and Santa Claus, yes! You expect those. But also, here to you’ll find lit plastic statues of cartoon carolers from Mickey Mouse to Looney Tunes, with a variety of superheroes like Batman and Spiderman, all assembled to greet the newborn Babe in the Manger. Electrical outlets and wires throughout the front yard power the lights that roll off the roof and stretch to the curb, like a technicolor electric blanket. The house on Las Lunas is a celebration of Christmas both religious as well as secular. And I love it.
It is obvious that this is an amateur production, but… so was the First Christmas in Bethlehem. (I mean, making do with a manger for a crib?) It is also a labor of love, as was the First Christmas in Bethlehem.
Through the years I’d take our boys to see the “House on Las Lunas.” More than the house itself, I’d love to watch their expressions as they looked at the lights. Their expression were the definition of “Christmas Magic.”
A few years back, I knew it wasn’t right to enjoy this to this extent without offering something in return. So that year, and the years following, I’d carry some extra cash with me when we’d visit the house, with the hope that I’d see the owner, thank him and offer something to, at the very least, help with the electric bill for all these bulbs, many from the incandescent era. I never saw him. Even in the off-season, whenever passing by on Las Lunas I’d glance over on the chance I’d see someone in the yard. But no such luck.
A few years ago, it was time to introduce our grandsons to the magic on Las Lunas. My wife and I bundled them up, put them in the car and took them over to give them their first glimpse of Christmas on Las Lunas. I took some cash along with me again, on the possibility, and hope, that we might find the artistic director of the light show. This time, we were in luck.
We arrived at the house and helped our grandsons out of their infant seat harnesses. They walked out with wide eyes, taking it all in. Big smiles, not knowing in which direction to go first. Christmas music was playing loud. And then… there he was. The owner of the house and creator of the light show was there with a drill in his hand and an assortment of tools. He was working on a small “Santa’s house.”
The kids went in and out of all the lights and arrived at the barn where the Holy Family, wisemen and animals were circled around the manger with the Christ child. Our older grandson looked in and we explained what was happening. His younger brother who has to copy everything his older brother does, came and listened attentively. We went walking through the lights and different statues and of course, the kids were excited to find Batman and Spiderman peeking through some well-lit shrubs.
The owner was busy with the lights, but this was my chance to show my appreciation for the years of happiness he had given our family and make an offering of assistance. I approached him and introduced myself and our grandsons. I told him that I had been coming to his house for years with my sons and now, it was the next generation’s turn. I choked up as I reminisced. “I just want to thank you for all the happiness and joy you’ve brought to my kids and now my grandkids.”
He smiled and appreciated being appreciated. He gave me a brief history. His father lived in this house until his death 20 years ago. As a tribute to his father, he decorated the house every Christmas because one of his fondest memories was visiting the Balian mansion as a kid. We exchanged memories under the cold December sky. I was surprised to notice through all this light down here, the twinkling of stars high up above in the sky.
I reached into my pocket and began, “I know this costs a lot of money to maintain. I’d like to participate with a small offering to at least take care of the electricity.” He looked at me. I was in the shadow of the light, and he probably didn’t notice a couple of tears swelling up in my eyes, but he probably heard it in my voice.
He said, “I can’t take it. It’s not about me. It’s about him.” He pointed to the manger and the baby Jesus laying in it. “I know what he would want you to do with that money. Please give it to the homeless. There are so many on the streets,” and he pointed to the main street at the end of the block, with cars and buses rolling by.
I felt the greatest joy at that moment. I couldn’t say much, I was still choked up but I did manage to get out a few words. “I will. I will give this money to the homeless and may God bless you.”
During this Advent Season, the Armenian Church sets its mark on the destination, that is Christmas, by giving the shopping list for the Christ child, the honoree of this Birthday celebration. It is only proper to ask him his choice of gift and give that which he desires. The shopping list is given to us by Jesus himself. It is found in the Gospel of Luke. The Jesus’ words are as follows: When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just. (Luke 14: 12-14)
This is the magic of Christman, a magic we find on Las Lunas Street.
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Armodoxy for Today: The Advent Series – The Jesus Gift
You’re at the Great Banquet (Luke 14). It’s a celebration. It’s a table set in the Kingdom. And now you realize that a banquet such as this must have a purpose. It does. It’s to celebrate the Kingdom of God. And the guest of honor is Jesus Christ.
Imagine being invited to a celebration for the Lord. Actually, you don’t need to imagine anything, the celebration of the Lord’s birth, or nativity, takes place at Christmas, and as we will eventually understand, it’s not limited to the day of Christmas. It is customary, courteous and in good taste to share a gift with the honoree. What gift could you possibly give Jesus? Trust me, there is nothing on Amazon, in a catalog, or anywhere that falls into the Jesus-gift category. Fortunately, Jesus has given us his wish list for to celebrate his birthday. It appears as a preface to the Great Banquet parable.
Jesus says, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
There it is. It’s the Jesus-gift. Once you realize you’re at the Table of the Lord, life and immortality are given as gifts to you. Life and life eternal, is a gift for which you have absolutely no way of putting a price tag on it. It is indeed priceless and impossible to payback, unless you do exactly what Jesus asks us to do, that is, to give a gift to those who have no way of paying you back. Did you catch the specific list of people mentioned by Jesus? He said, to offer an invitation to the poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind. This is the same group which is identified as outcasts by the Parable of the Banquet.
Jesus could not spell it out any clearer, the greatest gift we can give Jesus for the celebration of his birth, is the gift he requests: do good to others, do to those who have no way to pay you back or return the favor.
This goes against everything we’re accustomed to do during the Christmas season, but this is the true gift of Christmas. In this gift we understand that the measure of love for God is based on our ability to love and care for one another. Christmas giving begins with the acknowledgement of Jesus’ Birth as a gift to us, and to share the joy by bringing goodness to others, especially the ones who have no way of returning the favor. The orgins of Christian gift giving stems from this simple understanding that the only way to acknowledge and thank God for the awesome gift of life is to share ourselves with other.
Christmas is now in our sights. Purpose and meaning are now coming into play as we move on with our Advent Journey.
We therefore pray, Lord, we thank you for the gift of life. We prepare ourselves for Christmas by opening our hearts to one another. Help me to share my love with others with no other expectation than the satisfaction of fulfilling Your Will. May I give to others, in the same spirit with which You have given to us and may my gratitude be expressed in the offerings I give to those in need. Amen.
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The Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:12-24) ends with the words, “For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.” And now, you find yourself sitting at the table, and the only reason you are here is because you’ve accepted the invitation. You’re at the Banquet which was referenced as “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” You’re blessed. You’re at the feast. And now let’s take a look around.
Up until now we’ve looked at others who have refused the invitation. The Armodoxy challenge is to put yourself in the Parable. It’s easy to look at the characters in a parable and see the fault of others, but the Christian is called to see him or herself in the parable dynamics. This placement is an exercise in self-evaluation. Hence, we find one of the important reasons for the season of Advent: to be prepared emotionally and spiritually to accept the Creator of the Universe in our midst. Christ is born and revealed, is the Christmas message.
You’re now at the Table. Take it further by asking yourself, in what ways have I answered the invitation to be seated? The true invitation is to the Kingdom of Heaven. God asks us – invites us – to value life, we value our cars, our homes, our business, to the point we put our children on hold while we go chasing material wealth. God asks us – invites us – to seek peace. We build bigger and better weapons. We eliminate options of working together to find harmony and find only ways of building borders and barriers. God asks us – invites us – to love one another and care for others. We say not everyone. We set our standards so that love is not unconditional.
In other words, the invite to the Banquet is an invite to the Kingdom of God. Responding to the invite is a chance for each of us to truly listen carefully to the answers of our heart.
The Parable is to share God’s love and God’s kingdom with everyone. Everyone has equal access. Today we sit at the Table and look around, thankful that we are here and increase our awareness of the love, tolerance, peace-seeking, life-loving, that has brought us here. God’s grace and mercy have given us access to this beautiful opportunity, tomorrow we’ll look at the price for sitting at this Table. It steep but its also a lot of fun.
Join me in prayer, All benevolent and almighty refuge and hope of the weak and the troubled, my Lord and my God, who created everything from nothingness. Draw closer to me with Your unspeakable mercy, for you show compassion to those who yearn for You and heal them through Your benevolence. Make me worthy of the Table of Immortality, to join in prayer those who adore You, for to You is befitting glory, dominion and honor, now and always, Amen.
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The guests who were invited to the Great Banquet, Jesus tells us, all had excuses to refuse the invite. (Luke 14). There is no reason to question the sincerity of the invitees, and we can assume that each excuse was a legitimate reason not to attend. It is possible that some came up with an excuse only to stay away, while others truly had another event to attend. Either way, in the end, they did not attend the gathering.
An old Armenian tale has a man approaching his neighbor to borrow his neighbor’s rope. The neighbor says, “I’m sorry, but I’m using my rope to tie the water.” Puzzled, the man asks, “How can you possibly tie water with a rope?” To which, the neighbor replies, “If I don’t want to lend you my rope, I can use any excuse that I’d like!” Indeed, each person has an excuse. The point of the parable is not to question the reasons, only to note that they each refused.
None of the invitees even tried to attend. Their excuses were all before the banquet began. It would have been quite another story had they entered the banquet and then made the decision to leave or not attend. Perhaps the hors d’oeuvres were not tasty. Or the aroma coming out of the kitchen was not pleasing. Or, even worse, they tasted a sample of the food and they realized they made a mistake. They had all made their decision to not attend on information they had that wasn’t pertinent to the banquet itself. Jesus, sets up this scenario where the invitees refuse before attending or tasting the meal. They didn’t even get to the hors d’oeuvres, they just refused to attend.
Issues of faith are personal. We can all chose to accept or reject an invitation to faith, to a religion, to Jesus or to God. More often than not, rejecting faith comes about because of preconceived notions that we have about God, and faith. It is popular to dismiss these items by saying, I am spiritual, not religious, but in fact, this is merely a play on words. Taking some time to delve into faith, as you are doing by following this series, gives you a fresh look at things. Armodoxy is about the ancient Christian Faith, but through the lens of our lives today. Armodoxy is about celebrating the life that God has given us by understanding our relationship to a loving and caring Creator. We begin to realize that God is not as is presented in the movies, but God is one who is interacting with us, because we are interacting with Him. That is, until you accept the invitation, you are outside of the Banquet. You can’t possibly partake of the meal if you’re not there. The invitation is given by God. While you may have your doubts and fears because of what you’ve been told God is, Armodoxy offers you a seat at the table to witness for yourself the beauty of the Kingdom.
At the Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church, just before partaking in the Holy Communion, an invitational hymn is sung, ճաշակեցէք և տեսէք զի քաղցր է Տեր = Partake and see that the Lord is sweet. Tasting and finding the sweetness of the Lord can only be experienced when sitting at the Banquet.
We continue on our Advent Journey tomorrow, as we look at what happens after we have participated in the Great Banquet. I hope you’ll join me.
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The Great Banquet Parable (Luke 14:12-24) is the topic of this week’s Advent Journey. Jesus presents a scenario where a man invites friends and relatives to participate in a huge banquet he has organized. One-by-one the invitees come up with excuses. In response, the organizer of the dinner party goes ahead and extends to the invitation to the those who are considered “outcasts” – to the poor, the lame, the maimed and the blind. And still yet, he invites everyone from the four corners of his town to participate in the banquet.
In the time of Jesus, and still today, there was a general feeling that there are people that are “chosen” by God. This parable is a simple way of expressing a reality at the time, that Jesus, the Banquet, had come and people who were invited, that is the “chosen ones” found excuses to stay away. Instead, the banquet – the goodness the “the prize” which was assumed to be limited to a small group was accessible to everyone. The invitation was to all.
Often in religious circles, ego dominates our understanding of salvation to the point that we forget that life and the consequences of life – eternal life – are gifts from God. In the time of Jesus there were people who were certain that God and His Kingdom were accessible only to them. It’s a type of elitism that Jesus spoke against, and in fact, his outright expression might have even been the reason for his execution. This elitism could be delineated on along ethnic lines, socio-economic grounds, or even around beliefs. In other words, there are those who feel that unless you belong to a particular tribe, ethnic group, class, understanding, or even religion, you cannot access the fullness of God.
One of the tenants of Armodoxy is that we understand that God is God and we are people, that is, He is the Creator and we are the creation. If God is Father of all then we are brothers and sisters with everyone. In matters of life, whether here in earth or in heaven, the final word belongs to the Author of Life, God. For this reason, we shy away from proclamations such as “I am saved.” Salvation is the decision of God and Christ is very clear about us following, rather than setting standards and degrees of justification. To the Parable, Christ tells us those who think they are invited to the banquet, in the end, are left out with their places being taken by people they never would have assumed would be let in.
In the sight of God, there is no ethnicity, boundaries, or borders, rather we are all his children. For this reason, Francois de Salignac de La Mothe-Fenelon once said, “All wars are civil wars because all men are brothers…”
The Great Banquet Parable teaches us that all are invited to be part of God’s banquet and each of us can accept or reject the invite. It’s based on that acceptance or rejection that the banquet is filled. Tomorrow, we’ll look deeper into acceptance and rejection of the invite. I look forward to having you join us on this Advent Journey through Armodoxy.
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Armodoxy for Today: Advent – an Invite to the Banquet
This week of Advent is dedicated to a parable offered by our Lord and recorded by St. Luke (chapter 14:12-24).
Suppose you wanted to celebrate your daughter’s birthday with a party on the 20th of the month. You send out invites to your relatives, friends and even neighbors. “Help us celebrate our daughter’s birthday” says the invite. “On the 20th at 5PM, in our backyard, join us for a bar-b-que,” finishes off the invite. You send them off and start receiving responses: the first one says, “I’m sorry, I can’t make it on the 20th can you change the date to the 19th?” Another says, “I don’t like bar-b-que, too bad you’re not serving baked foods. I won’t be coming.” The next one complains that the outdoors, your backyard, is too cold. “I wish you had the event in a hall. I won’t be attending.”
Such a scenario would be humorous at the least, and downright rude on the courtesy scale. Jesus shares the following parable with us. His intention was not to be humorous, nor to get a rise out of us. Instead, he speaks of the lessons that is part of our Advent Journey on the road to Christmas through Armodoxy.
Jesus said, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’ And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’”
This story, the Parable of the Great Banquet, has many dimensions to it. It speaks of the invitation to Christianity and Christian living in particular and talks about the call to humanity, to living in harmony with and within our world, in general. It points to the essence and the purpose of Christmas. For this reason, the Armenian Church has prescribed this parable as the theme of this week in Advent.
We have heard the parable. We dive into to tomorrow, as we continue our Advent Journey. I look forward to having you join us.
Let us pray, Heavenly Father, you have invited me to our Kingdom. From the day of my baptism from the holy font until today, I have tried to follow your ways. Sometimes I wonder off the path, and I find excuses to justify my missteps. Today, I put those excuses to one side and I look to you to keep my feet on the path you have opened for me. Amen.
