Tag Archive for: Christmas in July

Now add Palms to the Mix

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Armodoxy for Today: Palms at Christmas

Madison Avenue, is a street in New York City where many advertising agencies have offices and in the past, much of what we consumed was dictated by the cues sent to us from Madison Avenue. Today more elite methods are used, methods that melt us down to mathematical formulas governed by algorithms. And we react. Christmas, we know is a season for shopping. It’s a season where sales are permissible. And so, if they tell us it’s Christmas in July, much like Pavlov’s dogs, we begin salivating at the chance to bite off some bargains. Amazon Prime Days is happy to oblige, I’m sure.

And since we’re celebrating Christmas in July, I won’t hesitate to draw from another period on the Church calendar, namely Palm Sunday, for today’s lesson. At the first Palm Sunday, that is, when Jesus entered Jerusalem to meet his appointment with the Cross, he saw a scene in the temple which infuriated him. We read in Matthew 21:12-13: Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of thieves.’” This event is sometimes referred to as “Jesus cleansing the temple” because he “cleaned out” all that did not belong there.

The temptation here is to use Jesus’ example and clean house. We may look at Christmas in July and rebel – how dare they use the word Christmas to disguise the promotion of merchandise sale. And certainly, the temptation is an inviting one. The phrase “cleansing the temple” is a description someone gave the story. Turning the tables, is the action Jesus took, which he, and only he, had the right to do. When we come to defend the Christian message or even Christ himself, the first action is not to turn over the table of the other guy, but rather to take a look at ourselves – turn over our own table – self-introspection – and ask, am so clean that I may presume to condemn another? When we view a situation, whatever it may be, our ego stands in the way of a clear view.

Armodoxy is the study of the ancient faith as it pertains to our lives today. Armodoxy is not a rejection of this life, but an understanding to allow us to work in harmony within this life. Jesus did not reject life, but rejected the hypocrisy that arises from self-assurance. He criticized because he could. He is sinless and pure. He pointed to something higher that could be attained in the here-and-now.

Instead of the Pavlovian conditioning of buying and spending at the sound of the word Christmas, let us turn our attention to the One for whom the celebration of Christmas originated. Let us listen to his words, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Matthew 7)

Christmas in July begins with the acknowledgement that it’s about Jesus. Once acknowledged, we then need merely to listen to his words.

We pray, Jesus, only you are sinless. As such you are able to place your finger on the cancer that plagues humankind. Remove the disease of egotism from our sight so that we may have a fresh and clean perception of what is truly important for our lives. Amen.

Cover: Palms at ChrisTmas, Fr. Vazken 2013

Paying Back Mad Men

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Armodoxy for Today: Christmas in July

The ad came by mail, with my home address on label, though my name was shortened to Occupant. It was one of the few things that still came to me by mail. Red and green writing over a picture of a big poinsettia plant. The writing was in block letters, “CHRISTMAS IN JULY – SALE!” it said. I smiled briefly and thought so little of it that I tossed it in the trash without a second thought. Later that day the same ad caught my eye while scanning through the TV dial, a big candy cane with the words, “Christmas in July – SALE” in beautiful script.

The following day, I couldn’t avoid this ad. The words were popping up on my social media pages, letting me know this was not only being promoted by old-school media, but this was a full-blown campaign to bring the old-yuletide cheer to businesses wanting to scoop up some extra funds in mid-summer.

Imagine that I thought to myself, marketers are bringing the Christ name-brand, that is Christmas, to our local neighborhood to sell made-in-China wares to a sympathetic public. To be sure, the economy here in the US is dependent on year-end, holiday shopping. So, some entrepreneurs are capitalizing on the popularity of Christmas and exploiting it by creating an extra season of holly, candy cane stripes and jolly merriment to collect the financial rewards that comes with this new Christmas season. Imagine that I thought.

And then it hit me: This was the Armodoxy formula: The Christian celebrates Christmas every day of the year! This was the goal we set out to achieve when we said celebrate on December 25 and January 6. Christ is born and revealed every day when a Christian lives his or her life according to the tenants of love. The Christian keeps the message of Christmas alive and in focus all year long! Of course, no one is fooled by this Christmas in July campaign. The object is simply to make money. But that doesn’t mean we can’t use the opportunity to focus on the Christmas message in July, just as we should in August, October, March and May.

So welcome to Christmas in July, courtesy of Madison Avenue. What a nice treat in the middle of the hot sweltering dog days of summer? We can imagine snow, sleighs and the cold of winter. And while we’re at it, let’s remember the babe in the manger, the hope for peace on earth and goodwill toward one another. This is the best payback for all the years business capitalized on Christ’s birth, now we have a chance to spread the message of hope and love on the coattails of this ad campaign. Merry Christmas in July!

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of your Son at the stable in Bethlehem and once again today in my heart and in your world. May the joy of Christmas never be without Christ today, tomorrow, in December and January, and always. Amen.

Christmas in July

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Armodoxy for Today: Christmas in July

The ad came in the mail. It’s one of the few things that still comes by mail. Red and green writing over a picture of a big poinsettia plant: “Christmas in July – SALE!” I smiled and moved on. Later that day it caught my eye while scanning through the TV dial, a big candy cane with the words, “Christmas in July – SALE” on the QVC in-home shopping channel. The next day, I couldn’t avoid it. The words were popping up on my social media pages, letting me know this was not only being promoted by old-school media, but this was a full blown campaign to bring the old-yuletide cheer to businesses wanting to scoop up some extra funds in mid-summer.

Imagine that, I thought to myself, marketers are bringing the Christ name-brand, that is Christmas, to the your local neighborhood to sell made-in-China wares to a sympathetic public. To be sure, the economy here in the US is dependent on year-end, holiday shopping. So some entrepreneur or entrepreneurs are capitalizing on the popularity of Christmas and exploiting it by creating an extra season of holly, candy cane stripes and jolly merriment and collect the financial rewards that comes with this new Christmas season. Imagine that, I thought.

And then it hit me: This was the goal we set out to achieve when we in the Armenian Church celebrate Christmas on December 25 and January 6. This was the Armodoxy formula: The Christian celebrates Christmas every day of the year! Christ is born and revealed every day when a Christian lives his or her life according to the tenants of love. The Christian keeps the message of Christmas alive and in focus all year long! Of course, no one is fooled by this Christmas in July campaign. The object is simply to make money. But that doesn’t mean we can’t use the opportunity to focus on the Christmas message in July, just as we should in August, October, March and May.

So with that introduction, welcome to our Christmas in July podcast, Armodoxy for Today. We begin with the very pronounced message that haunts us at Christmas time, namely that there was no room in the Inn for Jesus. The King-of-kings, the Son of the most high God, was humbly born in a stable and placed in a manger instead of a crib. There was no room for him, not in the Inn and not in the world. People did not want to be bothered with a young Mary who was going through her labor pains, away from her family and on the road in Bethlehem, God opened this small window of possibility for His Son to be born.

Enter Fr. Gregor Gregoryan of Yerevan, 2000 years after the birth of Christ. We recently met him at the Holy Asdvadzadzin “Zoravor” Armenian Church. A few years back, he and his wife had a child. They named him Monte. He was soon diagnosed with Down syndrome. Fr. Gregor looked for help and found none. Monte had come into a world that wasn’t ready for him, in fact, there was no room for him. People didn’t want to be bothered with him or with the struggle of his parents.

Fr. Gregor, a man of deep faith, leaned on God. He found other parents who had the joy of a Down syndrome child but were left out of the joy of parenthood because of the various stigmas attached to Down syndrome children. He brought together families and with the help of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Catholicos of All Armenians, a small center was established for these children. We went there and met with these children. They sang for us, played music and danced for us.

This is Christmas in July. In the next few days, we will be meeting Fr. Gregor, his children and the “Arev” children center he’s established. You’ll learn of the miracle that is taking place. You’ll be at one with the Christmas message: There was no room at the Inn, but this night, God made room in the hearts of men and women throughout the world.

The meditation comes to us from the Gospel Reading for the Sunday after the Transfiguration, Matthew (18:10-14), wherein Jesus says, “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.

“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.