What Would You Take?

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Armodoxy for Today: What would you take?

Los Angeles is burning. It might be difficult to call Los Angeles “The City of the Angels,” as flames are about the only thing shooting up to the sky and smell of burnt houses, schools and businesses fills the air and the fear of “Are we next” passes through everyone’s head.

Last Tuesday I got home just before 7 o’clock. My son had called me half an-hour before arriving. He warned me that there was a large fire in the area. That day the winds were blowing like never before in my memory, reaching up to 80 miles per hour, they said. When I arrived, there was smoke and flames just about a mile away. The wind was carrying the sound of sirens and firetrucks that were rushing heroes into the battle zone. The air started getting thick. By 8 o’clock we received a first warning on our phones, to prepare to evacuate. The fire was getting close. By 8:30, the warning had turned into a definitive, “Leave your home” command. And by 9 o’clock sheriff deputies were driving up and down the streets with bull horns ordering, “Evacuate now.”

Between the warning and the order to leave, so many thoughts cross your mind. It doesn’t seem real. Evac orders are common in areas with hurricanes or tornadoes, but in Sunny Southern California? Someone got their plays mixed up. But the order to evacuate was loud and very real.

Quick, you have half-an-hour (and even less when you figure the surprise and initial denial that it’s happening to you) to decide what you’re going to take with you. As you look around at the walls of your house and the room, you think that you may never see any of this again. What do you take with you?

It’s an exercise that I’ve thought about, but it was never as real as it was that night. Pictures, to jar my memory. Those were important to me. But I can imagine so many other things are important for you. What would you take with you if you thought you may never see this reality again? There are no right or wrong answers, but the exercise to question yourself may allow you to understand yourself differently.

Sadly, many people returned to ashes these past few days. Challenge yourself to the exercise of “What would I take with me?” and we’ll continue on this thread tomorrow. For today, we pray from the fifteenth hour of St. Nersess Shnorhali’s Confession of Faith,

Christ, may Your Right Hand shelter me by day and by night, while at home and while away, while sleeping and while awake, so I may never fall into sin. Have mercy on me. Amen.

Detour to Noravank?

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Armodoxy for Today: Unnecessary Detour

From our “consider the source” department I share with you a story from a friend of mine, Aram, who just returned from Armenia.

Aram likes to spend time in Armenia reconnecting to his roots. One of his favorite spots to visit is Noravank, a 13th century monastery, about 70 miles (112 km) outside of Yerevan. It is a favorite spot for tourists for a variety of reasons, among them being the aesthetic beauty it projects, with the sharp lines of the monastery building and its domes contrasted against the jagged peaks that surround it.

The road from Yerevan to Noravank is fairly easy and straight forward. Aram had driven the route many times but still, he punched the coordinates into his phone’s navigator and off they went. On the road Google maps directed him to pull off the main highway and take a route that would add another couple of hours to this trip. He ignored the navigator at first, but as he continued the directions were popping on the screen to pull off and detour. He pulled over and looked at the Google map. It was taking him to Noravank in a direction that went around the monastery and brought him to the other side. His intuition and better senses told him to stay on the road.

He arrived at the destination without any problem, but in the last few miles of the trip, Google maps had identified the area as belonging to Azerbaijan! He was being warned that he was entering another country and should detour. In other words, Google defined the borders of Armenia and turned over this land to Azeri hands under its own decision. An unexperienced driver would have gone around for fear of entering hostile territory. Think of all of the research and papers that are written with this faulty information. Think of how much power we have vested corporations such as Google that it has the audacity to define the borders of a country!

We learned of changes made to Saroyan’s writings after his death. Today we see changes made while the country is alive. How careful we must be when listening to words and directions from so-called experts in the field, especially from an info/data giant such as Google.

When someone says this is what Christianity is, or that is what Jesus said, consider the source. Who is giving you this information? What is their motive for telling you? The term “apostolic” by definition means the source of Christianity is the original source, that is, from the Apostles themselves, Jesus’ inner circle. And so the title, Armenian Apostolic Church, is given because Thaddeus and Bartholomew, from Jesus’ inner circle, came to Armenia in the 4th Decade A.D. to spread the Gospel.

We pray, Through the intercession of the Beloved Disciples, Thaddeus and Bartholomew, the first Enlighteners of Armenia, we pray that we be guided by the Spirit to seek truth and peace always. Amen.

Cover Photo: Noravank, 2023 Luna & Gregory Beylerian

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Jimmy Carter & the Red Letters

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Armodoxy for Today: Jimmy Carter and the Red Letters

The United States is honoring its 39th president with a National Day of Mourning today. Jimmy Carter passed away at the age of 100 a few days before the New Year.

Jimmy Carter was elected president in 1976, during the bicentennial celebration of the United States of America. Historians look back at that time with many descriptors, including turbulent, difficult, uncertain, and the like. For me it was a dawning of a new vision, of a new possibility. We had gone through the 1960s, the assassination of the President, and Civil Rights leaders. In the 1970’s was the unpopular war in Vietnam had just come to an end. The President had resigned from office in the face of a scandal, and religion was finding a new heyday with the Jesus movement, Eastern philosophies and free worship.

Jimmy Carter took the reigns of this 200-year-old country and openly proclaimed his Christian beliefs. And while many things have been said and will be said about his policies and politics, I would like to focus today on his proclaimed love for Jesus and how he applied it to his life, and ultimately to the world he affected.

To the end, Jimmy Carter taught Sunday School at his local church. Yes, that’s right. He was first and foremost a Sunday School teacher who brought the scriptures alive by pointing to applications of faith. He taught by example. For many years he and his wife Roselyn volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, building affordable housing for people, to give them dignity. He was a champion for human rights and understood himself to be an agent – God’s hands and feet – for change.

One of the lines that I heard him speak many years ago has left a mark on me. He called himself a “Red-letter Baptist” meaning he read the Bible, but the words in red-letters were placed above all else. In many published Bibles, the words of Jesus were emphasized by being printed in red letters. Carter was pointing to those words, which became the guiding force for his life.

We join the National Day of Mourning today by praying for his soul and asking for God to continue to bless us with leaders who share the love of Christ with us all.

Christ, Son of God, forbearing and compassionate, through your love as our Creator have mercy on the souls of all them that are at rest, especially the soul of your newly departed servant Jimmy Carter. Be mindful of him on the great day of the coming of your Kingdom. May his memory live on in our actions of compassion and sharing the talents that you bestow on each of us. Remind us, that above all else, the Love of God, and the expression of that love in loving one another is a responsibility that belongs to us all. Amen.

The Third Nativity of Theophany

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Armodoxy for Today: The Third Nativity Narrative of Theophany

The third Nativity narrative I spoke of is quite different from the other two we heard yesterday. Without Wise Men and in the absence of the shepherds we read the narrative from the Gospel of John. It is not a story from 2000 years ago, but from the beginning of all time and eternity. It connects us not to Bethlehem, Egypt or Nazareth. Instead it links us to the first seconds of recorded time, where eternity finds definition, where emptiness takes form and light pierces the darkness. In a sense, it is a cosmic revelation because it defies space and time. Shepherds and wise men, we all understand. But this narrative is for those who have heard the essential truths and teachings of Jesus Christ. Here then, we hear the narrative of the Theophany, the Revelation of God:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ”

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. (John 1:1-18)

 

Nativity Stories Minus One

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Armodoxy Today: Theophany and the Third Nativity Narrative

There are three Nativity narratives. Two of them are the popular stories around which most Christmas celebrations take place.

In the Gospel of Matthew we briefly encounter the conception, and announcement of the virgin birth of Christ to Joseph. Wise men from the East visit Jesus and bring gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Because there are three gifts, most traditions believe there were three men, even though the Gospel does not specify the number of men. Beautiful stories and legends have evolved about the travels of the “Three Wise Men.” Following their visit we read one of the horror stories of the New Testament, “The Massacre of the Innocents” (Matthew 2:16-18). After a stay in Egypt, the Holy Family settles in Nazareth, and Jesus was therefore known as a “Nazarene.”

The Gospel of Luke, where the second Nativity narrative is found, is a bit more descriptive. It begins with the conception of both Jesus and his kinsman John the Baptist. We read about the miraculous birth of both and the meeting of their mothers, Elizabeth and Mary. A precious song sung by Mary the Asdvadzadzin glorifying the Lord. Prophecies are exchanged about Jesus and John. The Birth of Jesus takes place during a trip that Joseph and Mary have taken to comply with a census. Jesus is born in a stable, wrapped in swaddling cloths, and laid in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (2:7) Angels and heavenly hosts sang the praises of God. Beyond the Birth of Christ, Luke records Jesus’ presentation at the temple 40 days after his birth and Simeon’s proclamation (2:22-35). He also recounts a story of the 12-year-old Jesus, who amazes scholars at the temple.

Both Matthew and Luke pick up Jesus’ biographical sketches at age 30 at the River Jordon where he was baptized, the beginning point of his ministry. These are the stories that have inspired Hallmark writers to produce cards and movies for the Christmas season and holiday. Front lawns are adorned with nativity sets and bright lights remind us of the path the Wise Men took. There is one more Nativity narrative which is not often shared, but is the cornerstone for Armodoxy. We will visit that story tomorrow as our Advent season comes to a close.

Today, we read the Song of Mary, sometimes referred to as the Magnificat, in Armenian, Medzadzustseh “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.” (Luke 1:46-55)

Singularity of Theophany: The Laws of Convention Break Down

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Armodoxy for Today: Singularity of the Theophany

Singularity is an expression made popular with the study of Black holes. It is a one-dimensional point where gravity and density become infinite, so powerful that everything is pulled in, and the laws of physics break down.

Theophany is a singular event in human history where the Holy Trinity was Revealed. The laws of convention break down at that point and there is only one force is so intense that it pulls us in. It is the force caused by an immense and powerful love that goes beyond understanding.

The Gospel of Matthew records, Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.  And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”

But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:13-17)

At this one moment Father, Son and Holy Spirit are revealed and in that revelation heaven and earth are united, light and darkness are reflections of each other, and the incomprehensible nature of Love is apparent. Jesus Christ comes to live among us, to bring us the message of hope. It comes from the beginning of time. It is the message that triggered the chain reaction of evolution.

This then is the celebration of Theophany: Christ is born and revealed. Christos dzunav yev haydnetsav.

St. Nersess Shnorhali, the great theologian and head of the Armenian Church, gave us the primer with which to understand that the Name of Love is Jesus.

In Jesus we see the perfection of the Father and are called to strive for that perfection. He gives us the example to love without limits, to sacrifice, care, share, offer kindness in response to hatred, to forgive not only 7 times but 7 times 77 times, to put human understanding – understanding one another, before everything else, tolerating difference, seeing the face of God in everyone we meet, not judging, having compassion for the hurting and poor and realize that poverty and hurt are in all of us.

You have arrived at the Theophany. All laws break down and the only one left is Love. which is the light of the world, the Way, the Truth and the Life, the only way to the Father, the Bread of Life, the Living Water, you will never hunger and you will never thirst. Love, never dies. Love is with us to the end of the ages.

In awe, with open heart and in love we proclaim, Christ is Born and Revealed! Blessed be the Revelation of Jesus Christ!

Cover Graphic: The Baptism of Christ, 18th century, St. Garabed Armenian Church, Kayseri

Advent Ends, the Revolution Begins

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Armodoxy for Today: The Advent Series – The Non Violent Revolution Begins

On the Feast of Theophany, January 6, we celebrate the Revelation of God. The Armenian word for it is a compound word of Asdvadz (God) + haydnutiun (revelation) = Asdvadzahaydnutiun. The English word is a direct translation of the Armenian. Theo (God) + Epiphany (revelation) = Theophany. The Feast was and still is celebrated on January 6 by the Armenian Church. We described the mechanics of the date change earlier in this series but add this sidenote so as not to confuse the Armenian Celebration of Theophany with what is sometimes referred to as the Orthodox Christmas on January 7. That date is merely December 25th transposed from the Gregorian calendar to the older Julian calendar, which has a difference of 13 days. Hence, on the Julian calendar the Baptism of Christ is celebrated on January 19.  The Armenian Church is the only Church that celebrates Theophany and remembers the events in the life of Our Lord Jesus Christ from the Nativity to His Baptism, on January 6.

We began the 50 day cycle of Advent with a promise that when we arrived at the Theophany, saying Merry Christmas would be an inadequate expression considering the awesome event that takes place on that day. The God of the Universe, that which put everything in motion, takes on human form and teaches us to love and embrace one another as an expression of our Faith.

We read the entire Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5 through 7) and the essential teachings of Jesus were disclosed to us. It is a novel message which insists on taking personal responsibility, articulating our Faith as a course of action, to strive for the perfect by exercising Love.

Very simply, Jesus Christ led a revolution, and he did so in a non-violent manner. The Armenian Church’s celebration of Theophany is in recognition of that revolution. It is not connected to all the trappings that come with Christmas celebrations in the West, and yes, even in the East. Theophany is the great mystery, the un-understandable – that which Created life has humbled Himself and taken human form to reveal the wonder of Eternity.

We end with a prayer that comes to us by way of an Armenian hymn on the Feast of Theophany A great and sublime mystery is revealed on this day: the shepherds sing with the angels and give good tidings to the world. A new King is born in the city of Bethlehem, sons of men, praise Him because He became flesh for us. Amen.

 

Winding Up Advent to the Theophany

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Armodoxy for Today: The Advent Series – Winding up Advent/House Building

You have journeyed through the Advent season feasting on the Essentials Teachings of Jesus Christ as expressed through the Sermon on the Mount. We have reached the last verses of His address. He concludes by expressing that His Teachings are the foundation upon which to build your life.

“Therefore,” Jesus concludes, “Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:24-27)

Even in his concluding remarks, Jesus’ emphasis is on doing the work of God – doing the message He preached. There is no escaping the practicality of Christianity when you read the Sermon on the Mount. The words you heard throughout Advent are the starting point of Christianity and appropriately, we read and studied it as the preface to the great Theophany, what we refer to as Asdvadzahaydnutiun, the Revelation of God.

Now, in these last few days of Advent in preparation for the Feast of Theophany, as promised, I will tie it all together, so we understand it is much more than a Merry Christmas, but a time to be in awe at the Wonder of God. For today, we conclude with the final words of narration following the Sermon on the Mount and an opportunity for you to reflect on the entire discourse. Given options, where do you build your house?

And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. (Matthew 7:28)

Recognized by Jesus

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Armodoxy for Today: The Advent Series – “I never knew you”

Jesus begins to bring to a close His Sermon on the Mount with yet one more warning to keep us from self-righteous boastfulness. He says, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

In review, the Sermon on the Mount is about being squared away with God in a manner that calls us to personal responsibility. Over and over again throughout the Sermon we are invite us to a higher calling, and one which was uniquely identified as the Christian imperative. It is not merely a profession of faith but acting on the faith you profess.

Here, once again, Jesus asks us to be open to personal introspection. Do you call Jesus your “Lord’? The question then is, what does it mean to have Jesus as Lord? In a very polite way Jesus is saying, talk is cheap, instead be the one who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Introspection begins with the question, what am I doing to be worthy of that Christian descriptor? Do not rush through this question or be overly anxious to justify yourself in an answer. Take your time. Remember, the Advent season is to prepare us for the awesome encounter with the Revelation of God through is Nativity and Baptism.

Let us pray, from the Sunrise Hour of the Armenian Church, Great and almighty God, receive this my prayer and service into Your heavenly spaces. Make Your Light of Righteousness and Wisdom to shine forth upon us and make us children of light and children of day, so that in godliness we may lead our life and live it without offence. For You are our Helper and Savior and to You is befitting glory and honor, now and forever. Amen.

In His Shoes: Empathy

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Armodoxy for Today: The Advent Series – In His Shoes/Empathy

The scriptural reading for this particular day comes from the Letter to the Hebrews, chapter 13: Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. Remember the prisoners as if chained with them — those who are mistreated — since you yourselves are in the body also. Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

We are only a few days from the end of the Advent season and welcoming Theophany. You find that the Church is directing us, with these words, toward a commitment to Faith that is based on empathy. “Unwittingly entertained angels,” is a reference to opening yourself to the plight of the stranger, the foreigner, the immigrant, the refugee in your midst. The “prisoner as if chained with them” is the call to outreach, but to be empathetic to the sufferings of the prisoner. In other words, the call is to do good to others by walking in their shoes, understanding their pain and suffering. Herein is the application of our faith, and certainly an important reminder as we enter the New Year.

To start off the New Year, here is a prayer from the start of the new day, from the Morning Hour of the Armenian Church: We give thanks to You, Lord our God, who with Your light brings joy to all of your creatures, and with the light of Your commandments You have enlightened all those who believe in You. Strengthen us Lord, during this day and at all times, so that with enlightened minds, we may always do that which is pleasing to You, and may arrive at those good things which are to come along with Your saints, with the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to Whom is befitting glory, dominion and honor, now and forever. Amen.