Meaning of the Feast & Application for Today
Today on the exaltation of the Cross-through mid November-we remember the cross of Christ. Human beings are forgetful creatures. If we don’t regularly remind ourselves of what we have been through, who we have known and what we have become, we are bound to forget. One of the oldest and best ways of remembering who we are and who we have known is to have keepsakes in our possession that belonged to people in our past, I am sure you all have your own. God, who made us and knows us well, also gives divine keepsakes to remind us who we truly are and to whom we belong. He gave the Jews the ark of the covenant and Passover. He gave Christians the cross, a keepsake to remember the love of his only begotten son, stronger even than death. In our difficult history, Armenians have seen poverty, persecution and even genocide, but by Christ’s cross, we have also found the way through death unto new life. This way through trouble is still open for all who believe today.
So may today’s feast of the Exaltation of the cross help us to ever be mindful of its great power. When we cross ourselves in church, let this be a reminder that Christ is with us. When we wear our cross over our heart during the week, let it be a reminder that we must act like followers of Christ. And as we sing and raise the cross over the four corners of the world today- let us remember that St. Hagop itself is in the shape of a cross, a public statement that Armenians have always treasured Christ and his cross above all else.
Lesson Plan Prepared by Diocesan Dept. of Children & Family Ministries
Sunday School Bulletin Prepared by Children & Family Ministries
Selected Bible Reading
No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. ‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. -John 3:13-17