Tag Archive for: Good News

Evangelism Evolved

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Armodoxy for Today: Evangelism Evolved

In the week following the feast of the Holy Evangelists, yesterday we examined the word evangelize in the Armenian Church, which has the same root as the word for Gospel, the Good News. The Resurrection of Jesus was the first Gospel, the first good news: Christ has risen, was the message heralded after Jesus survived a horrid torture, crucifixion and physical death. So impactful was this event in the lives of the people who witnessed the events from Palm Sunday to Easter that the only thing they could talk about was the Resurrection. Christ has resurrected. He lives.

That Gospel evolved as the Church grew, in that Christ opened the door to immortality with a guarantee that eternity was within everyone’s grasp, rich and poor, with no bias or favoritism paid to the class, race or ethnic background. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand said St. John the Baptist (Matthew 3) and with Jesus the Kingdom was now accessible to all. The fact that God is the author of all life, that He is “our” Father (and not “your” father or “my” father) makes us all brothers and sisters, under the sun. There are no special people, there is only us – humanity. God’s Kingdom is not accessed as a birthright, or because of a person’s DNA, but by a conscious acceptance to Christ’s invitation to love.

Christian evangelization evolved from Christ has risen to understanding that we all – all of humanity – may rise with Him. In eternity we find transcendence. And humanity may find peace on earth and good will toward one another.

We pray today from the Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church, in holiness let us taste of the holy, holy and precious Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who, having come down from heaven, is distributed among us. This is life, hope, hope of resurrection, expiation and remission of sins. Sing psalms to the Lord our God, sing psalms to our immortal heavenly king, who rides in chariots of cherubim. Amen

Evangelists and Evangelism

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Armodoxy for Today: Evangelists and Evangelism

I would be remiss if I didn’t address the celebration of the Holy Evangelists here on Armodoxy for Today, considering our tag line is Apostolic Evangelism for an Electronic World.

Over the weekend the Armenian Church remembered the Holy Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. This celebration is on the Armenian Church calendar during the month of October following the celebration of the Holy Translators, a week earlier.

An evangelist is someone who actively spreads a message. I remember when Apple computer first entered the personal computing market, they had positions on their marketing team, known as Apple evangelists, whose job it was to persuade people to purchase their brand of computer. At the time, companies picked up on the term and assigned evangelists to combat the competition. Today, the term evangelist it primarily used in reference to the spread of Christianity.

The Armenian word for Evangelist is Avetaranich, coming from the word Avetis, which literally means, “Good News.”  And a collection of the “Good News” is called Avetaran, which is the Gospel books – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Hence, in the Armenian language there is no separate word for Evangelist, is directly connected to the authors of the Gospels. A Christian evangelist is charged with spreading the good news. The first good news was and is, “Christ has risen!” The fact that Jesus died, compounded by the horrific manner of his execution by asphyxiation during his crucifixion, and his subsequent survival – that is, his Resurrection, was the first Good News, Avetis. The impossible happened. Certainly, it was news, and it was good news because death was now conquered, opening the door to eternal life to all.

Evangelism in the Apostolic times was built on the good news, the spreading of the Gospel.

In Apostolic tradition we will build on this thought tomorrow, by the invitation of St. Francis of Assisi is to preach the Gospel at all times and use words if necessary. For today we pray, a prayer of St. Francis, Lord, help me to live this day, quietly, easily; to lean on your great strength, trustfully, respectfully; to wait for the unfolding of your will, patiently, serenely; to meet others, peacefully, joyfully; to face tomorrow, confidently, courageously. Amen.

Celebrating with God

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Armodoxy for Today: Celebrating with God

Jesus’ words should never be confined to the Church audience nor should they be restricted to any limit imposed by the boundaries of space or time. In other words, Jesus’ words are relevant at all times and to everyone. This, in fact, is another testament to his divinity, but that is the topic for another day. Today we’ll focus in on the topic of celebration within the Church.

The Divine Liturgy – the Holy Pataraq – the central act of worship in the Armenian Church is a celebration. It is never performed, rather it is celebrated, with the officiant being referred to as the “celebrant.”

Tragically, life conditions in the Armenian world left very little to celebrate, especially during the last couple centuries. The Armenian experience has been filled with disasters and war which have led to heartbreak. Armenians sought and found refuge in their church. Church became a place where the poor, the maimed, the brokenhearted and the mourners found comfort. Understandably, the word “celebratory” was hardly the descriptor of the feelings they harbored.

Furthermore, the atmosphere in church is often filled with a sense of reverence and awe, as congregants gather to worship and reflect on their faith. This can be felt through the quiet moments of prayer and the solemnity of rituals. Unfortunately, reverence or sacredness is often interpreted as somber, a state void of positive emotion.

We refer to Jesus’ message as the Gospel – in Armenian Avetaran. It literally means “Good News” – in Armenia Avetis. The Good News should be greeted with joy and festivity – hence the expression of celebration for our community worship. The words of the Divine Liturgy – the hymns and prayers all point to celebration. The Good News is God’s love for each and every one of us, rich or poor, tall or short, black or white, male or female, old and young, and fill in all the blanks you want. They all apply. God’s love is expressed through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Celebrate with song, dance and excitement.

We end with the celebration that our Lord describes when he says,
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Amen. (Matthew 5)

Background

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The Universe is an ordered system of bodies, forces and interactions. The Armenian Church organizes its liturgies and events according to a calendar. The post-Theophany period counts of 40 days to the event of “Dyaruntarch” or the Presentation, described in Luke chapter 2. It may seem a bit odd and backward, but during this post Theophany period, the events leading up to the Theophany are examine in Holy Scripture.

Often the Nativity of Christ, commonly referred to as Christmas, is considered as the first of all celebrations of Jesus Christ’s life. In fact, the Nativity, as well as every other celebration, is defined by the Resurrection, that is, the Easter celebration. In Jesus’ resurrection, death was conquered. “Christ has risen from the grave” was the first “gospel” of the Christian Church. Gospel means, the “Good News.” You might imagine that after the Resurrection, the early Christian community was completely baffled and in shock. They had witnessed the violent death of Jesus, an execution so heinously delivered that nobody would have believed that anyone could have possibly survived that death. And there was no reason to even consider Jesus’ survival because they removed his breathless body from the Cross and placed his body in a tomb. Resurrection was not even considered. But early that morning, Holy Scripture tells us, the visitors to the grave were surprised to find Jesus’ tomb empty.

The Christian Community, which became the Church, was defined by the Resurrection of Christ. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16) finds its meaning because of the Crucifixion and Resurrection. It was because of the Resurrection that people began to inquire about Jesus and his history, that is, who is he? Where did he come from? Who are his parents? And so on…

The Gospel narratives were written to share the Good News. The Good News was contained in the person of Jesus Christ. The Nativity narratives in St. Matthew and St. Luke’s Gospels were presented to answers questions people had about Jesus’ background: What were the circumstances surrounding his birth? Where was he from? What was the connection with Joseph the Carpenter?

As you recall, in preparation for the Theophany (the Advent period we just concluded) we focused on our spiritual growth to accept the power of the Theophany. Now, we too, like the early Christians, will look a back at the stories that come from Jesus’ childhood. For this reason, the Armenian Church assigns the Nativity narratives to the days following Theophany. The stories we are all familiar with peripherally, will be the focus of our next journey on the road to the Presentation or Diaruntarch.

We begin tomorrow with the stories that lead to the Birth of Christ, from the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke. Each day, we will read the Scripture and find the threads that tie the Birth of Christ, and to our lives today.

Let us pray, Lord Jesus Christ, we are in the joy celebrating your Nativity and Revelation. We stand in awe of your presence in our life. Open our hearts and our minds to all that is You, as we begin in our Scriptural study of the Nativity narratives. May your holy name be glorified today and always. Amen.

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