One Sunday morning, one of the young altar boys of our church, handed me a small box. On the box was a handwritten gift tag, “To the Church. Open now!” it said. It was wrapped in Christmas paper, though it was mid-July.
The celebration of the Divine Liturgy was about to begin and although I insisted on punctuality for the service, my curiosity got the better of me. Quickly I opened the package. In it was a book of 50 matches. I looked over at Mher, and he didn’t wait for me to ask. He reminded me that last week I looked all over for matches to light the altar candles. So this young boy took the initiative to solve the problem. During the week he went shopping and now provided enough matches to last the entire year.
At eight years old, Mher understood this was his church. He saw a need and took care of it. It’s not more complicated than that, or as Jesus taught, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)
Today’s one-minute for Summertime.
https://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/candle-being-lit-by-book-of-matches.jpg600600Vazken Movsesianhttps://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/final_logo_large_for_epostle_web-300x189.pngVazken Movsesian2026-07-08 00:10:422026-07-07 20:39:25A Box of Matches for the Church
July 7 is a very special day for us at Epostle.net. It was on July 7, 2007 that we organized the first-ever forgiveness day international conference, under the In His Shoes banner, featuring speakers from Rwanda, Armenia and Mexico, events, discussions with scholars and produced a human chain of sevens. The day was numerically written as 7/7/7 which corresponded to Jesus’ answer to Peter’s question, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?”
“I say to you, not seven times,” answered Jesus, “But, until seventy-seven times seven.” (Matthew 18:21-22)
Certainly, the numbers are irrelevant. That is, 7×77 is not to be worked out at 539, but as a code for countless. Jesus puts it out as the Christian imperative: Forgive, without limits. Further, he assures us that our Father in Heaven forgives us our trespasses, by the same scale that we forgive those who trespass against us.
Forgiveness is the hallmark and calling card of Christianity. It is central to understanding the power of Jesus’ message for peace and harmony in the world. The date is merely a pointer, a way of remembering that our only hope – whether for individual relationships, or to achieve global harmony – our only hope is through this ultimate weapon of love.
Today’s one-minute for Summertime.
If you’d like to learn more about the international conference on forgiveness? Visit the links below.
Likening life to a game of cards, French Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire observes, “Each player must accept the cards that life deals him or her. But once in hand one must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game.”
The trick is to take control of what has been entrusted to you. Whether a simple game of cards or a complex life, looking back at the shuffle is a waste of time. Thank God that your eyes are in front of your head and not looking back. Celebrate what you have and take charge of those tools and talents to make a difference. Find the aces or your strongest talents. Play them to the best of your ability.
Today’s one minute for Summertime.
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On the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence a group of clergy and laity assembled with their spiritual leader, Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Diocesan Primate, at the St. Leon Ghevondyants Armenian Cathedral in Burbank California to offer the following prayer of thanksgiving. Happy Independence Day!
Independence Day Prayer
Lord our God, we come in a spirit of thanksgiving and joy on this 250th Anniversary of the United States of America, to mix our prayers with those of people throughout this nation, for the freedoms we enjoy.
O Father, great and merciful, You comfort us in our time of need, You never pull away Your hand from those who call on Your name. You brought forth in this land a country that is founded on the principle of liberty, equality and justice. A country that declared that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are God-given and unalienable rights for everyone. A country that dared to proclaim, “Give me your tired, your poor and your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”
Our forefathers heeded the call to the shores of America. Having escaped persecution, death and even genocide, our forefathers were the huddled masses that embraced America and were embraced in return by this great country. They found peace, and a haven where dreams for a better life for themselves and for their children could be realized.
We assembled back then in our houses of worship, and continue to do so today, to give thanks for the blessings you so abundantly bestow upon us. We thank you for the freedom to pursue dreams and build on those dreams that come from our God-given imagination. Thank you for the safety we enjoy, and the harmony that we can achieve. Let us never be complacent or in contempt of these very special and unique expressions that are part of the American Dream.
Look upon this great nation, the United States of America in your mercy, O Lord. Open our hearts to hear and act upon your call to live in harmony with one another, working together to build for better days and the dreams that reach for the highest heights. Protect and shelter its people from harm. Rest the souls of them that sacrificed for the liberties we enjoy. And keep the spirit of freedom alive in each of us.
Amen.
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Jesus says, “The truth will set you free.” That truth is not an arbitrary bit of fact or evidence. This statement of Jesus is taken from his proclamation: “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” For us, Truth is a person, Jesus Christ, who boldly proclaimed, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”
Before Christ, during his earthly ministry, in the centuries since, people have struggled for freedom and have tried to “be free” by fighting, whether with sword, gun or bomb, based on the illusion that violence will bring about peace, and therefore, people will be free.
Jesus put out distinctly, you are free in him. The past is behind you. No more guilt. You are forgiven. You have hit the reset button on life with Christ. It’s a new slate. You are free. St. Nersess Shnohali (12th Century) gave the primer: “The name of Love is Jesus.” Love is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Find true freedom in that Love.
All things are connected to one another in a universal network of life. Economics gives us the resources to buy the Bible, which defines sin, which psychology attempts to diminish. Physics explains the movement of the building blocks which chemistry and biology exploit into physical realities; art presents in forms that express ideas that form ideologies that philosophy dissects and analyses. Politics creates systems that organize those ideologies, and religion is there to ensure the equity of distribution, claiming to have a connection to a higher understanding of fairness. At least, that’s the Armodox understanding of what the religion, primarily Christianity, should be.
In a free society, the separation of church and state is indeed necessary so that conscience can be expressed, however the separation of church and state does not mean that clergy should not and cannot comment on political realities. Quite the contrary, they are the ones who might align those realities to higher understandings of selfhood and responsibility. The call and consecration to priesthood is a sacred one not because it is aligned with God, but because it is service of humanity.
Today’s one minute for summertime.
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On this third day of our dive into ideas of freedom, it’s important to understand that we take this dive without regard to political ideology. Sure, we offer this series in anticipation of the Fourth of July celebration, and we live in political realities, and each of us comes to the mix with our own persuasions, but freedom is in itself a God-given and considered the birthright of the human soul.
The Armenian Church has lived within monarchies, kingdoms, dictatorships, oppressive and barbaric regimes, and even through atheistic Soviet society. The Gospel Message of Christ is greater than any political ideology and within the expression of the ancient Apostolic Church, that Message maintains its integrity despite the political climate of the age.
Declaring these truths is only half of the story. Living out the dream with our actions is the other half. The Independence Day celebration grants us an opportunity to reflect on our responsiveness to freedom and liberty, to the declarations we make, and to how those declarations are played out. Contemplate true freedom and independence as we continue tomorrow. This is today’s one-minute for Summertime.
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Questions to More Questions (On Freedom & Independence part 2/5)
The United States of America celebrates its 250th Anniversary of declaring independence from England on the Fourth of July. For a quarter of a millennium, this country, a nation of states, has wrestled with the concept of freedom and its limits. The Declaration of Independence signed on July 4, 1776 expressed that equality among men was self-evident as an unalienable right given to these men by their Creator.
Which men? All men? Define “men”. Does that include women? Questions that have been asked and answered, and have provoked new questions along the way, have tested and continue to test the boundaries defined in the Declaration and subsequently in the Constitution of the United States. Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
This week, we are looking and listening to that voice… today’s one minute for Summertime.
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For years, part of my office decor has been a framed copy of the Declaration of Independence. This is the document that was signed on this day, the fourth of July in 1776, by a group of men who were expressing their dream of freedom and independence. They proclaimed that there were “self-evident” truths, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” And with these words the experiment in democracy, the United States of America, was born.
I find these thoughtful and beautifully crafted words to be sacred, because they express the inner dreams of humankind. In the Declaration of Independence can be heard the cries of the human soul for rights and equalities. Certainly, true religion has and always must advocate for those rights.
Join me this week as we take an Armodoxy dive into freedom and independence, in one minute for summertime.
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I had an interesting conversation with a young girl the other day, about the number of fingers on certain drawings. This 10-year-old had come with her mother to volunteer for the food distribution at the shelter. She had brought with her some paints and brushes for the kids there and we began to discuss the intricacies of drawing the human hand. I noted that cartoon characters have four fingers, and she was quick to one better me, by telling me about a character who had three fingers on his hand.
I asked who was the character? She answered, “It’s science fiction. It’s not real, yet.”
Indeed, that “yet” implied hope and faith in the future. That “yet” is what keeps people dreaming, believing, and creating.
We haven’t visited another planet yet. They haven’t discovered the cure, yet.
Our world hasn’t achieved peace, yet. Dream, believe and create. Today’s one-minute for Summertime.
“Out of the mouth of babes hast thou ordained strength,” cites Jesus. (Matthew 21:16)
