The Source Code

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Armodoxy for Today: Religious Scams & the Weakest Link

We have all become familiar – too familiar – with this word, scam. We have heard of Internet scams, financial scams, email and telephone scams, and try to exercise some degree of caution against them. Banks, financial institutions, even health care foundations issue warning about the threat of being scammed. But when it comes to religious scams, we are certain that it could never happen to us. After all, we think, I’m a Christian, born and raised a Christian, and I know what I believe to be true. In that statement we find the weakest link in what protects us from religious scams.

These days we have everyone and their uncle professing authority in all matters concerning Christ, Christian faith and Christianity. Quote a few Bible verses and do it loud enough on a social media account, and anyone can proclaim just about anything with some degree of authority by virtue of the platform. Fake news gets tagged; but anything goes when it comes to religion, especially Christianity. With wars and talk of wars escalating, the field is open for end-of-world predictions that have to do with a battle called Armageddon.

Because religion is a personal matter, people don’t really care to know the background story. For instance, the Armenian Church, being an Apostolic Church, that is from the time of the Apostles, has a unique spot in the Christian world and speaks with authority when it comes to Christian concepts and dogma. Still, it’s easier for people to believe what they want, as hideous as things may be, rather than educating oneself.

So, in the interest of passing along some information which you may not know, here are a few things to keep in mind as you read through the scary predictions which are being made in the name of Christ and Christianity.

1 The Old Testament is not salvific. Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of the law and the prophets.

2 Jesus is the Son of God and therefore His ethnicity transcends our understanding of ethnicity. He belongs equally to everyone and to all ethnic groups.

3 The word Israel means the “people of God.” After baptism in the Armenian Church, we proclaim the person a member of the “New Israel” which is not to say they belong to the Jewish state in the Middle East.

4 Jesus will return. His return is imminent, but it has been imminent since the 1st century. For this reason, Jesus says, “About that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36)

5 The location of Jesus’ return is not disclosed. It’s his business. He asks us to love and care, not to predict places. Despite what you have read or heard, if Jesus decides he wants to come back in Puerto Rico or in Armenia, you can site all the pages in the Bible and all the preachers that you’ve heard, he doesn’t have to go by those rules. Again, He asks us to love and care, not to predict places.

6 Anyone who predicts Jesus’ return on a specific date or place is running a scam.

7 The Book of Revelation was written by St. John, one of the 12 disciples. He was imprisoned on an island writing to the Christian’s of the time. He wrote in a code that they, the people of the time, would understand. The message is simply: endure the sufferings and persecution, God’s victory is guaranteed in the end.

8 Who goes to Heaven is God’s business. Ours is to love and care for one another and leave the rest to God. Our prayer – your prayer – should be: Lord have mercy.

These are just a few items I wanted to share with you considering all the scary religious misinformation that’s being pumped out in the name of Christianity. There’s much more and that’s why we created Epostle and hope you follow the ancient teachings.

Pray the Prayer that our Lord Jesus taught us: Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Like the Pepsi / Coke Challenge?

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Armodoxy for Today: The Pepsi – Coke challenge

Since 1975, the Pepsi company has been challenging cola drinkers to taste test Pepsi next to the top seller, Coke. Yes, since 1975 – over fifty years now – people are stopped in public arenas and asked to taste Pepsi and Coke in unmarked glasses and state the taste they prefer. It makes for great advertising and marketing. It’s simple, understandable by all. The characters are relatable, because the man-on-the-street is the “average joe.” He’s the layman in the world of colas.

I often receive questions about Armenian Orthodoxy in a very simplistic manner. Armenian Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestantism, it’s it just Coke and Pepsi? Which do you prefer? In a sense it is, they all profess to be Christian, but the differences are not as simple as a formula for Pepsi or Coke. In the cola wars, it is a matter of taste and opinion, and in fact, there are several other brands that can also be placed in the competition. They are all colas. In the case of Christianity, not all brands are alike. In the two thousand years since Christ, many wars, acts of intolerance, bigotry and killings have been waged in the pure name of Jesus Christ. Many have been judged and sentenced for not believing in the same doctrines as the ruling class.

Tragically these bigoted ideas continue to exist in the world, “in the name of Christ.”

Armenian Orthodoxy goes to the beginning and shares the Apostolic message, which is the message of Christ: to profess the Gospel, bring comfort to the broken hearted and set at liberty those who are captives and oppressed.

If a metaphor is necessary, think of the refreshment that Jesus offers: Out of you heart will flow rivers of living water, he says, Whoever drinks of this water will never thirst. (John 5,4)

A prayer for St. Nersess Shnorhali (18) Fountain of immortality, cause the tears of repentance to flow from my heart, like those of Mary Magdalene, so that before I depart this world, I may wash away the sins of my soul. Amen.

Continuum of Life

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Armodoxy for Today: Continuum of Life

Life progresses along a continuum, with a defined starting point and an inevitable conclusion. On the day Jesus ascended to Heaven, the Disciples asked him, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”  And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1)

As people, we are temporal creatures. We define our life years, we define years by months, and months by days. We seek order out of chaos. And the uncertainty of life’s end can be mind boggling and time consuming, if the purpose of life is misunderstood. Here Jesus, under no uncertain terms, directs the Apostles to focus on their mission.

The Apostolic Church has purpose and mission, and which is not to be consumed with end-times. God demonstrates that He has a timetable and only asks that we trust Him.  Three days after the Crucifixion, the Resurrection took place. Forty days later, the Ascension, and just a few days ago, fifty days after Easter, it was the Pentecost. His timing is perfect.

So as we are taught by our Lord, Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  (Matthew 6)

The Church, which is born on Pentecost with the Reception of the Holy Spirit, is the dwelling place of God. With that in mind, I leave you today with words upon which to meditate. They come from great theologian and early saint of the Church St. John Chrysosdom – Hovhaness Voskeberan (John the Golden Mouth), who says, “If you cannot find Christ in the beggar at the church door you will not find him [inside] in the Chalice”. 

Pentecost: Technology and Language

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Fifty days exactly after Easter the Christian world celebrates Pentecost, or what we in the Armenian Church refer to as hogegaloust, which literally means, “the Coming of the Spirit. As the Book of Acts records, it was this day that, with the reception of the Holy Spirit, the Disciples of Jesus received the gifts by which they became, Apostles – Arakyal – the ones who were sent. In more conventional terms – it’s the Birthday of the Christian Church. The Sacred Body of Christ, which Jesus set up to preach the gospel to the poor; to heal the brokenhearted,  proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, and to set at liberty those who are oppressed…” (Luke 4)

One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is that of communications – to be able to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, to share the Gospel message with the world. As the earliest and most ancient of Tradition we are thankful to be able to accomplish this by the use of the latest language, that is technology. Today, on Pentecost, we celebrate our ability to engage in Apostolic evangelism in an electronic world. Our audience is expanding daily. We thank you for listening to our podcasts and broadcast, and sharing these messages with your family and friends. You’re plugging into new productions of podcasts, video lessons, daily messages, multiverse virtual presentations, virtual tours and much more, which are all spreading the message of peace and harmony through love as expressed and exemplified by Jesus Christ.

We take this opportunity to thank Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, the Diocesan Primate of the Western Diocese for his steadfast encouragement of this venture. In his words, Epostle is the future of the Church, available today! We will always strive to engage with new and innovative means by which to share the Gospel of love and hope. We thank you for taking this journey with us. May the blessings of the Holy Spirit be with you all, along with that of the Father and Son, now and always. Amen.

 

 

Pentecost: Lesson of Life

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Armodoxy for Today: From History to Sermon

The sermon begins “Today is Pentecost” followed by a story from the pages of the Book of Acts. We hear the story of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Disciples, turning them into the evangelists for Christ’s Holy Church. What’s our take-away from this sermon? There was an event, on the 50th day after the Resurrection – pente, 50 – and with the reception of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles embarked on their sacred mission to evangelize the world.

This is what’s known as a history lesson in the guise of a sermon. The purpose of a sermon, unlike a history lesson, is to preach a lesson to the listener, a lesson which applies to their lives today. It was for this reason that Jesus promised the Disciples to send the Holy Spirit, so that they would not merely present Jesus as a figure of history, but as the Living God that affects and interacts with His children in their lives today, as He did 2000 years ago. Pentecost is the event that invites us to the holiness of the Church. It is in His Sacred Church, where that message is revealed.

When Jesus began his ministry, he invited the Disciple to “Come and follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19) At the end of his ministry on Earth he said to them, “Go and make disciple of all…” (Matthew 28:16-20) “Come” says Jesus to learn as my Disciples, “Go” says Christ to teach as my Apostles.

A simple but powerful prayer by St. Nersess Shnorhali reminds that the Holy Spirit has touched the Disciples and purified us by working and acting within us all. Today is a day to be receptive to the joy that fills our lives with godliness.

Spirit of God, true God, who descended on the river Jordan, and into the Upper Room; who enlightened me by the baptism of the Holy Font, I have sinned against heaven and before you. Purify me again with your divine fire, as the fiery tongues purified the Holy Apostles.
Have mercy upon your creatures, and on me, a sinner. Amen.

Non-Denominational Closeup

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Non-Denominational Closeup

As a kid I remember a commercial on television featuring a nice-looking building. A voice asks, “Nice building, huh?” Then the camera zooms in to reveal cracks and chips that were painted over, and without skipping a beat the voice would divulge the truth, “…until you look up closely!” The body of the voice would then come on screen to plug some kind of texture coating that hid the scars of the building.

Usually things look nice from a distance, but upon a closer look the cracks start showing. Religion is also included in this rule. We will stick our discussion today to the Christian religion. One of the popular designations of Christianity that needs to receive a closer look is the term “non-denomination.” It is fairly popular these days because it is presented as a free-spirited version of Christianity. “Generally, non-denominational churches believe that the Bible is the sole authority that dictates every aspect of the church, with scripture shaping their beliefs and philosophies. They are also self-governing entities, with elders often overseeing the church’s organization, structure, and traditions.” (source: https://christianministryedu.org)

Before we take a closer look, let’s remember the course we have travelled to get to this point in Armodoxy for Today. We went through a period of preparation called Lent. We celebrated the Resurrection, and then continued with the formation of the first Christian communities. Currently we are in that period between Ascension (40 days after Easter) and the Pentecost (50 days after Easter).

There is a reason the Church asks you to take this journey. The Bible does not exist as a Book unto itself. When Jesus was crucified, there was no Bible. When he resurrected, there was no Bible. When he ascended, there was no Bible. In fact, there was no formal Bible for a few hundred years! However, at all those same events – crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and on into the formation of the communities –there was the Church!

Those who claim to be non-denominational say that they accept the Bible as the sole authority in matters of their faith. By their own admission, they have excluded themselves from a major part of Christian history and development.

God’s greatest gift to humanity was not the Bible. Much more important than the Bible is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God the Father. Jesus’ gift to humanity was not the Bible, rather it was his holy and precious Body, namely the Church. And it was the Church that compiled the books together to give us what we refer to as the Bible.

The Armenian word for Bible is Asdvadzashunch, which literally means the Breath of God. The Armenian Church refers to it as the “breath” because it guides us as spirit, not as a book of laws and regulations, along the paths of Truth, Hope and Love.

I understand the appeal of non-denominationalism, especially in our world today when everyone is given a platform to interpret, or even worse, to create a derivative of Christ’s holy and sacred message. In other words, within the non-denominational category, you can have a few million or billion derivatives of the faith. This is why when we speak of the Armenian Apostolic Church, we are grounding ourselves in a Tradition that dates back to the time of Christ, that is, before there was a Bible. We are not a Bible-centered community of believers, we are Christ centered.  Non-denominationalism is very nice looking, and appealing, but when you look up closely you notice the chips and the holes. Jesus set up his Church and it is guided by the Holy Spirit. In his unfailing words Jesus says, “The gates of Hell will not prevail against it!” (Matthew 16:18)

We conclude with a prayer from the Holy Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church: We thank you, Father almighty, who did prepare for us the holy Church as a haven, a temple of holiness, where the name of the holy Trinity is glorified. Alleluia. We thank you, Spirit of Truth, who have renewed the holy Church. Keep her without blemish through the faith in the Trinity forevermore. Amen.

Conduit

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Armodoxy for Today: Conduit

Every effect needs a conduit to carry its cause. Jesus brought a message of hope, love and peace. His message was and is that the Kingdom of God is accessible to all. He established the Church to share this message here on Earth. In essence, the Church is the medium by which Jesus reaches us. Through an oral tradition, the Scriptures took form. Languages were created and codified to transmit the message. Icons, paintings and stained glass allowed for visualization in artistic imagery that stimulated imagination. Music, hymns gave a beat and melody to the message. Churches with spires reaching the heavens were erected so that the hands and legs of Christ could reach the poor and the hurting, through hospitals, orphanages and homes. In essence, the Church is the conduit by which Jesus reaches us.

As we approach the feast of Pentecost this coming Sunday, the lessons from Scripture point to the importance of the Church in defining Christianity. The stories of the early Church are recorded in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. Here we see how a small band of diverse people, who the system considered appalling, and even escalating them to enemy status, and whose leaders were sentenced to death, became the ones who carried and delivered the most influential and important message of all human history.

And it all begins with the “Great Commission” at Jesus’ Ascension: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20)

When we refer to the Apostolic Church, we are talking about the Church that links itself to this event and becomes the conduit to deliver the goods. Each of those eleven (and later 12 with the addition of Mathias) went to different areas in the world. Peter went to Rome, Thomas to India, Matthew to Ethiopia, Jude Thaddeus to Armenia, just to mention four of them. Each to carry out the commission. They ended up in areas that were hostile to their message and them, as we know all of them were martyred, except for John who ended up exiled on an Island.

And by the Power of the Holy Spirit, ordination, that is, the laying on of hands, this conduit continues to today, in the deacons, priest, and bishops, entrusted to keep the lines clear to ensure delivery. Yes, you are connected.

A prayer from the Orthodox Tradition to the Holy Spirit, Heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, everywhere present and filling all things, Treasury of blessings and Giver of life: come and abide in us, cleanse us from every impurity and save our souls, O Good One. Amen.

Prepping for Business

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Armodoxy for Today: Business Model

Many clergymen cringe when they hear someone mention the word business next to their church. It is insulting, they think, to refer to the church as a business. Understandably, if the Church is ordained by Christ, and is the dwelling place of God, it should not be tainted with models from the college MBA textbook. God should take care of His Church and speaking of a business model which brings tangible returns can be seen as anathema.

When I was growing up, as I was contemplating the priesthood, I had a conversation with my parish priest, Fr. Krikor Hairabedian (of blessed memory), who shared his understanding of the Church. He said, if Christ is the head of the Church, then he is the “boss.” Why would I worry about any of the tangible matters? God will take care of His Church. And Fr. Krikor proceeded to tell me how throughout his own lifetime, God had always taken care of every one of his needs. Needless to say, Fr. Krikor was a man of great faith. Now, 40+ years into my priesthood, I often think about that conversation with the good priest and can attest the same with my experience in the Church. “The Lord is my shepherd,” says the psalmist (23) and follows up with a declaration, “I shall not want.”

There is a mystical dimension to the Church that overlaps the material Body of Christ. And certainly, it is the formula by which the Armenian Church has “worked” for the last 2000 years. God is in charge, and everything falls into place and is taken care of.

The material Body of Christ is what functions on Earth. It is the legs, the arms, the mouth, the voice of Christ in the here and now. As such, it needs material support. The word “business” refers to the actual mechanism by which the work gets accomplished. Yes, we shy away and cringe at the statement that the church is a business, but in fact it is. It’s goal, however, is not the physical wealth, but the spiritual soul that resides in every human being.

A business – say a restaurant, insurance company or a department store – has as its ultimate goal the creation of more wealth. It has an obligation to its investors to make a profit, however, along the way, it accomplishes other tasks, which we can call overt goals: the restaurant feeds hungry people, the insurance company provides security for families, and the department store furnishes clothing and goods for people. The Church follows the same model but the ultimate goals and the overt goals are swapped. That is the Church has as its goal the salvation of the soul and accomplishes this by the teaching the message of love that Christ demonstrated. Along the way, needs to take care of electric bills, property maintenance and pay for supplies. Calling it a business does not discount the participation of God, it merely establishes an order, a system by which things get accomplished.

During this period, between Ascension and the Pentecost in the post-Resurrection era, the Church was being formed. The order and the systems were being put into place to accomplish the greatest work of all, functioning as the Body of Christ.

We conclude today and these thoughts with the reading of the first Psalm:

Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper. (Psalm 1)

Photo: Gregory Beylerian, 2014

Heaven Within and Without

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Armodoxy for Today: Heaven all Around

In our last Armodoxy message I mentioned that the Ascension, as described in the Acts of the Apostles, drew the Disciples’ attention upward as they watched Jesus ascend to heaven. Of course, words such as Ascension, ascending, and their derivative, are defined as spatially upward.

But as Jesus teaches, heaven is not merely found up, it is also around, within and without. St. Luke writes, “When Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ’See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

The “Great Commission” as it is called, is the direction Jesus gives to his Apostles just before he ascends to heaven. St. Matthew records the event, remembering that only eleven of the original twelve disciples (less Judas) made up the disciple’s group. We read:

“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20)

Jesus commissions the eleven to continue his sacred work. When we understand Heaven all around us, we appreciate that the Holy Church which Jesus establishes, is reflective of Heaven. We start understanding that the Christian message is projected to the world, to all nations. There is no exception. There is no “favored nation status” for any one or any country. It is a command that his message is universal, and God is of the universe.

When we look up or upward to find Heaven, we miss the Heaven that is around us. We fail to see God’s presence in the flowering petals of a rose, in the miracle of life that is defined by the majestic animals of land and sea, or in the look of hope in the eyes of the child sitting on our lap. We forget that the people we live with and inhabit this planet with, are all created in that same image and carry the God-seed. “Our Father” means we are all brothers and sisters and the natural direction for our attention is to seek peace with one another.

Heaven is peace on earth and good will toward one another.

We pray, Our Father, who is in heaven, open my heart to Your Love, so that I may find You in the people I meet and the relationships I build. Keep me away from selfish desires, so that I may see Your presence all around me, in the Heaven that is within and without me. Amen.

Cover Photo: KTN, 2022

Heavenly directions

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Armodoxy for Today: Heavenly Directions

Forty days after Easter… in Armenian, it is called hambartzoum. This is the Ascension of Jesus Christ.

We read about the event in the first chapter of the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. The author is the Evangelist, St. Luke, whose Gospel narrates Jesus’ earthly life from his Conception to his Resurrection. In the second “volume” he begins with the Ascension, and thus, he chronicles the development of the Christian Church.

St. Luke writes, “In my former book… I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.  On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

“…After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

And so begins the journey of the post-Resurrection community. It begins with them looking up! Up to the sky! And thus begins the notion that heaven is somewhere in the sky, in an upwardly direction, not necessarily North, but up.

Much of our concept of heaven comes from this particular passage. Think of the familiar globe or world you might find in geography classrooms. At the top is the Arctic circle and at the bottom is Antarctica. If you’ve even seen this map flipped, you know how odd it seems. Its oddity is in the fact that we are not familiar with the image.  Likewise, the concept of heaven is engrained in us from images that have been projected in movies, stories, and even in Scripture.

Heaven is not only up, it is also around, within and without. St. Luke marks this occasion, “When Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation;  nor will they say, ’See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

Ascension Day: The disciples were looking up. Where are we looking?

Today we pray from the Armenian Church’s prayers, on by St. Hovhaness Mantakuni, We give you thanks, O Lord our God, who have awakened us from restful sleep by the grace of your mercy. Awaken our minds in righteousness for you, Lord our God, so that our eyes may see your salvation. May your divinity come and abide in us, and may your mercy shelter and protect your servants. By day and by night and at all times make us, your servants, reflect always on the love of your commandments, in thanksgiving to glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen.