Tag Archive for: Will of God

Winding Up Advent to the Theophany

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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)

Family, the Will

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Armodoxy for Today: Family

A beautiful tradition exists in America, a day to honor mothers and another day to honor fathers. Just before the Summer, on the second Sunday in May and on the third Sunday in June we celebrate Mother’s and Father’s Day.

Biological ties are the first indicators of parental designation. We each have a biological mother and a biological father. As we know, parents come in all forms and types and sometimes the biological connection takes a secondary position to someone who has nurtured, cared and loved an individual.

Jesus identified family not by biological links, but by the love and care we show towards him. In the Gospel of Matthew, we read that, as Jesus was teaching, someone approached and said, “’Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.’ But Jesus answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.” (12:46-50) The other synoptic Gospels also record incidents such as this with the same definition of family tie.

For Jesus, its very clear, family is defined by ties that demonstrate our love. “Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Furthermore, as Armenians our names end in “ian” (or “yan”). The “ian” suffix means “the family of.” Petrosian is the family of Petros, or Peterson. Davidian is the family of David or Davidson. And it only follows that a “Christian” is a person who belongs to the family of Christ. Jesus spells it out very nicely, that to be a Christian means we accept the call, and we do the will of God.

We pray in the Lord’s prayer, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” As children of God, we take it upon ourselves to do the will of God. We become the agents by which God’s will is done on earth.

Let us pray Psalm 40, “Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare. Sacrifice and offering you did not desire… I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.”