Tag Archive for: Good News

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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