Tag Archive for: Advent

Advent Ends, the Revolution Begins

/0 Comments/in , /by

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

/0 Comments/in , /by

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

/0 Comments/in , /by

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

/0 Comments/in , /by

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.  

New Year: Marking Time with Jesus

/0 Comments/in , /by

Armodoxy for Today: The Advent Series – Marking Time with Jesus

On the sixth day of Christmas your true love may give you six geese a-laying, but for most of us, we will be receiving a turnover on the page of the calendar. It’s the end of the old year and the beginning of a new one. In the interest of religious neutrality, the convention for identifying time is BCE and CE (Before the Common Era and Common Era). Some will remember when another convention was used, BC, Before Christ and AD, Anno Domini, that is, in the year of the Lord. The majority of the planet marks time in reference to the Birth of Jesus Christ.

The New Year celebration is a mark in time, a convenient point to reflect on the past and plan for the future. You have done this many times before at this turning point of the old year into the new one. But this year you are on a journey through Advent. You have been awakened to the Teachings of Jesus. As you reflect on the past, include your preconceived notions about Jesus which may have fallen by the wayside as you’ve come in a closer relationship with his words and teachings. Use your journey journal and reflect on how this new understanding moves you into the new day and the New Year.

We end with the final verse, the 24th hour of St. Nersess Shnorhali’s Confession of Faith, Glorious Lord, receive the prayers of your servant and fulfill my requests that are deemed good. Through the intercession of the Holy Mother of God, and St. John the Baptist, and St. Stephen the first martyr, and St. Gregory our Illuminator, and the Holy Apostles, Prophets, Doctors of the Church, Martyrs, Patriarchs, Hermits, Virgins, and all your saints in heaven and on earth. Unto you, indivisible Holy Trinity, be glory and honor, forever and ever. Amen.

Gate to the Present

/0 Comments/in , /by

Armodoxy for Today: The Advent Series – Gate to the Present

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

This passage is often misinterpreted by connecting it to some future existence, that is, to an afterlife. It is taught in a way to suggest that the “gate” leads to rewarded afterlife, let’s call it heaven. But today you have been through the Advent journey and are nearing the end of these lessons about Christ’s essential teachings. You are taking this passage in context of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has enacted the Kingdom of Heaven. Now you are listening carefully to what the Lord is saying here, as well as throughout the Sermon on the Mount, and you find that Jesus steers us to a life lived in harmony and purpose in the here and now. The warning in this passage is to avoid destruction which is the characteristic of a life lived without purpose, a life void of meaning.

The narrow gate, indeed, is a more difficult path, but it leads to life. Jesus tells us that he has come so that we “may have life and have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

We near the end of the Advent journey understanding that life finds meaning by the life we live, by good we do, and the love we share.

Let us pray, Lord Jesus Christ, you have given us the gift of life and the ability to share its goodness with our fellow man. Forgive me my sins so that I may forgive others. Let me enter my new life free from the weight of yesterday and allow me to build my life on a new and fresh foundation. Amen.

 

Pearl & Swine

/0 Comments/in , /by

Armodoxy for Today: The Advent Series – Swine & Pearls

Immediately following his exhortation to not judge others, Jesus seems to be giving us the responsibility to make some judgement calls regarding possessions.

“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.” (Matthew 7:6)

With this violent metaphor, Jesus asks us to honor the intrinsic value of our treasures. He is asking us to contemplate what is valuable in our life and in so doing, to designate those things as sacred, special, and holy. Far from a judgement call, Jesus is asking us to look inward to find those treasures.

Earlier Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) Apply the rule of symmetry and where your heart is, there you will find your treasure. Taking an inventory of those treasures will give you a list with health, relationships, love, time, compassion claiming the top spots. It is your heart manifesting this list. Let this list fill your journal with the goodness that God has bestowed upon you. Don’t rush through this process, for you will find treasures where you did not expect.

With this short statement, “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine,” Jesus mandates that we take the sacred seriously, to keep it holy. Care and protect those treasures from enemies visible and invisible. As you visualize a treasure such a health and counter it with the enemies that attack it, you understand that once again Jesus has invited you to take on personal responsibility.

We are growing spiritually during this Advent journey. Let us pray, Christ, protector of the faithful, protect me under the shadow of your holy and precious Cross in peace. Deliver me from enemies visible and invisible so that I may always glorify you with the Father and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Cover: Aghtamar, Fr. Vazken 2014

Not Worry? Really?

/0 Comments/in , /by

Jesus’ statement regarding worry seems childish, naïve and, well, unrealistic. What does it mean don’t worry about tomorrow? In a world that’s defined by long-term strategies, investments, and future payouts, the idea of living for today is absurd. With homelessness on the rise in every major metropolitan city, the idea of not worrying about what to eat, drink or clothing seems to contribute to the ever-growing problem.

At the beginning of this Advent journey, I suggested that you keep a journal of your travel toward Theophany. Reflect on the earlier teachings from the Sermon on the Mount. This statement on trusting our Heavenly Father is merely the logical follow up and conclusion to what Jesus taught earlier. Yes, if God feeds the birds of the air and clothes the flowers of the field which today are and tomorrow are gone, how much more will he take care of you?

But there is more to this than just not worrying. Anxiety, and the fear that causes it, are the opposites of faith. Fear is the biggest obstacle to your living a productive life. Fear is the opposite of faith. If you have faith you have trust. If you have trust then you diminish the power of anxiety because you completely submit to God. Of course, this all comes together when applied on the foundation established by Jesus earlier in the Sermon on the Mount. For instance, understanding that true treasures are not those on earth or discovering the true blessing in humility, these are the foundations upon which you escape the worry and the fear of this world.

Trusting God means to completely submit to His will. It means to allow God to be Father and for you to be His child. It means to enjoy the life that He gives you, to fly with the birds and to be clothed like the lilies of the field. Remember, in the old covenant God was known as Lord, but Jesus set up a new relationship, unlike any other, so that we dare to call God, “Father.” And not only my Father or your Father, but Our Father who art in heaven… Believe He is our Father. He takes care of every single part and aspect of the universe.

Certainly, you will always have fears and apprehensions of tomorrow, but you need to diminish them and the only way, the only cure for that is faith. To strengthen your faith, to really look at the examples that He gives us, look also at all of the examples that are plainly around you. Alongside the birds of the air and the lilies of the fields are the simple smiles of your children, the warm embraces of your loved ones, the monumental signs of the mountains, the crashing waves, the moon and stars, each of them telling you, as Albert Einstein says, “God does not play dice with the universe.” Life has not haphazardly been caused by an accident. God loves us and takes care of us.

Today we pray Psalm 37 (vs 3-5), Trust in the Lord, and do good, dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. Amen.

 

Choices: The Lure of Riches

/0 Comments/in , /by

Armodoxy for Today: The Advent Series – Riches

To continue with the Sermon on the Mount, today’s statement from Jesus is, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24) The word mammon literally means riches, in Aramaic.

Today’s message is presented in an axiomatic manner, just as were the last two statements he about treasures in heaven and the light of the body. I would venture to say that it is because you have gone through the Advent Journey for the past month that this statement is accepted without contest. You cannot serve God and riches. Still, Jesus provides a brief argument, that given two choices, we will favor one over the other. The lure of earthly riches is so much greater than the spiritual treasures gained from serving God.

The operative word in today’s teaching is “serving.” Introspection will reveal that we often “serve” our riches, that is the creation of money for the sake of having more money.

Money only finds value in its ability to do work. A million dollars in the bank is merely a one with six zeros following it. No matter how much you serve the money and how much it grows it has no value until it is used. A million dollars in action, that is, in use, is education, books, medical care, food on the table, housing, shelter, assistance to others, etc.

To put it another way, serving money is valueless. Using money gives value to riches. Serving God gives value to your life. Using God, demeans the value of your life.

The lure of earthly riches is so much greater than the spiritual treasures gained from serving God because earthly riches are tangible and occupy our reality. Jesus has now moved the spiritual treasures into this life, so that they is tangible by the good deeds and share our reality.

For today, we pray St. Nersess Shnorhali’s 12th hour prayer as he “confesses with faith. Lord, who wills that which is good, and are the director of the will, let me not follow the inclinations of my heart, but lead me to live always according to Your good will. Amen.

 

The Art of Pointing

/0 Comments/in , /by

Armodoxy for Today: The Advent Series – Three Fingers Back

The three elements of Christian faith expression are Charity, Prayer and Fasting. I asked that you make a note of the word hypocrite your Advent journal because Jesus uses this word as the adversary in each of his teachings about the faith expressions. He cautions and warns us, “Do not be like the hypocrites who want their expressions to be noticed by others. And so, their motive is skewed.

In the case of the Charity, Jesus cautions, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. For prayer, he says do not use extra words and make a show of your religion before others. And in the case of fasting, he warns not to disfigure your outward appearance to gain sympathy from others. And in each case, Jesus’ caution is followed with the assurance, that the hypocrite has already received his reward.

Your relationship with God is yours. It is intimate. It is between you and God. In your acts of charity, prayer and fasting, you stand before God and no one else. The hypocrite is identified by Jesus as someone who is more concerned with being seen by others.

Before moving any further, I wish to give you an Armodoxy rule: Jesus has the right to call people hypocrites, we don’t. Jesus is sinless. One of the temptations in Christianity is to join Jesus in his call out of the hypocrites. That is reserved for Jesus. Remember, when you point to someone, there are three fingers pointing back at you.

Jesus is pure and sinless. He can call out the hypocrite. You will notice Jesus tolerates every person, every type of sinner and the manner of their sin. The one person he cannot tolerate, and the only one he calls out is the hypocrite. As we move forward in the Essential Teachings of Jesus, it is necessary remember this rule: Ours is to follow Jesus and to notice the finger which points back to us. In other words, be clean first, and strive for God’s kingdom.

Let us pray from the eleventh hour of St. Nersess Shnohali’s Confession of Faith, Jesus, wisdom of the Father, grant me wisdom, that I may always think, speak and do that which is good in Your sight, save me from evil thoughts, words and deeds. Have mercy upon your creatures and on me a sinner. Amen.