Words have always played a supporting role in the Armenian Apostolic Church as compared to the post reformation churches. Thus, my sermons are short and I work hard to make them so. If you don’t believe me, let’s look at the data. Pew Research Center analyzed 50,000 sermons in 2020 and here is what they…
So what is lament? The shortest definition of lament is a prayer in pain that leads to trust. The Psalms are full of Laments. Our Ter Voghormea is a lament. Beating our breast and saying Vay Indz, Vay Indz during Confession is a Lament. Gregory of Narek wrote an entire famous Book of Lamentations. Lament…
The prologue of St. John’s Gospel-in the majestic story of God that it reveals-is every bit as breathtaking as Mount Ararat and Tampa Bay. And if we are paying attention, we will be stunned by the mysterious beauty of the presence of God in Christ that emerges from it, such that we will want to…
A man is incomplete until he is married, and then he is finished. A woman is incomplete until she is married, and then she is finished. I sometimes begin marriage homilies like this to open hearts with humor and open up the profound sacrament of marriage. The humor is in the double meaning of ‘finished.’ …
Jesus gives his life away through the bread and the wine but this is an applied religion Christianity first and foremost. Even the greatest ritual ever of the eucharist isn’t enough in itself. We have to do what it signifies. We have to act it out in our everyday lives. Love is the way that…
To get to the lost meaning of palms, you might go to your trophy case if you have one, or imagine one if you don’t. Think of these gold-painted golfers, or soccer balls or gymnasts. Picture the Lombardi trophy (a golden football) or the Stanley Cup (a silver wedding cake?). 2000 years from now people…
You are going to a funeral and discover that you are the person who passed away. Three people are going to speak: A family member, someone from your church, and a friend from work/school. Write out what you would wish for them to say. Now plan your life!