Second Sunday after the Octave of Theophany

Sunday Messenger

THE SUNDAY MESSENGER
January 27, 2019

Second Sunday after the Octave of Theophany

Have Faith and Look to the Cross

John 3:16 says, whoever believes, or has faith in Jesus Christ, will not die but have eternal life. James the Just, the first bishop of Jerusalem, in his New Testament letter, teaches us about the harmony of faith and works, that invisible faith is no faith at all, that faith without works is a dead faith, and does not save. He makes a distinction between faith that is alive, working itself out, and a false version of faith that only adheres to a creed or set of beliefs. He writes, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder.” (James 2:19) What do we think of when we hear the word “believe” or “faith?” Clearly, to agree to and recite a set of beliefs is not much more than what demons do. So faith must be more than mental assent to the Creed or teachings of the Church. Perhaps it’s helpful to look at living examples of demonstrated faith.

In His dialogue with Nicodemus, Jesus refers to an event in the Old Testament in order to shed light upon what has prefigured His crucifixion on the world-saving Cross. While in the wilderness, following their escape from Egypt, the Israelites became impatient and complained to Moses and spoke against God. As a result of their sin (a murmuring tongue resulted in a poisonous tongue, i.e. their own sin was their death), poisonous snakes began to bite and kill many people. Repenting for their sin against God, they asked Moses to pray to the Lord to remove the serpents. The Lord instructed Moses to “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it shall live.” (Numbers 21:4-9) To this day, the serpent entwined on a pole is used by medical organizations as a symbol of healing. St. Cyril of Alexandria commenting on the bronze serpent that Moses lifted in the wilderness writes,

The serpent signifies bitter and deadly sin, which was devouring the whole race on the earth…biting the Soul of man and infusing it with the venom of wickedness. And there is no way that we could have escaped being conquered by it, except by the relief that comes only from heaven.

Moses lifted the bronze serpent in the desert so people could have something to see, believe, and live, Jesus was lifted on the Cross so that everyone bitten by the disease of sin, which was brought into the world by the serpent in Eden, would have someone to whom they can look with faith and have life eternal.

By Dn. Eric Vozzy

TODAY’S BIBLE READINGS:

1 Timothy 4: 12-5:10 (page 190) New Testament
John 3: 13-21 (page 86) New Testament – (Please follow the Armenian Reading in your Bible)
Isaiah 58: 13-59:7 (pages 734-735) Old Testament

REQUIEM SERVICES: Karasoonk (40th Day memorial Service) today will be for:

– RICHARD WEINSHEIMER on the 40th Day of His eternal life requested by the Paretchan, Garibian, and Javardian Families.

Hokehankist today will be for:

– ARCHBISHOP PAPKEN VARJABEDIAN, HAGOP & MIRIAM VARJABEDIAN, KEGHAM & SONIG VARJABEDIAN and SHAHE VARJABEDIAN requested by the Paretchan, Garibian, and Javardian Families.
– HAYARPIE & CHARLIE GARIBIAN and NIAZ KARABIAN requested by the Paretchan, Garibian, and Javardian Families.
– SOOREN & MARY PARETCHAN requested by Robert & Diane Paretchan, Donald & Judy Paretchan, Michael & Tanya Paretchan and Families.
– ANTRANIK & VIRGINIA JAVARDIAN and ANDRE JAVARDIAN requested by Greg & Maria Javardian and Family.
– EVELYN WEINSHEIMER requested by the Paretchan, Garibian, and Javardian Families.

ALTAR FLOWERS AND CANDLES: are donated today by the Paretchan, Garibian, and Javardian Families in loving memory of .

“I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.” (Romans 15:30) Prayers are requested for Rev. Fr. Shnork Souin, Alice Charles, Armenoui Aznavuryan and Pearl Jamgochian for a return to better health and to feel the presence of God in their lives. Pray for our country and her leaders so that peace and kindness will prevail; for our children in their schools – that they may continue their education in a safe environment. As we approach a new year, pray that the “goodwill toward men” that is shown during the Christmas season will carry over into 2019 and beyond.

COFFEE HOUR: This year we are looking for individuals or families, to run a Coffee Hour each Sunday. (Those who have been running it, are overloaded with doing more than one job on Sundays.) There are sign-up sheets for the next 4 month of Sundays. Anyone wishing to sponsor a special Coffee Hour (Birthday, Anniversary, 40 Days or more, etc.) other than the normal Coffee Hour must contact Merle Santerian 215-205-1507, to make arrangements 2 weeks ahead of time. Under the new scheduling, if a Sunday has no one signed up on the Board, to run the Coffee Hour, there will be no Coffee Hour that Sunday. So, please volunteer and let’s fill all the Sundays in on the Schedule. It is not that involved, and Merle will explain what you have to do to run one. Any questions just see her on any Sunday or call her at the above phone number. Thanks, for your cooperation! We know how much everyone enjoys the Fellowship Hour and we would like to keep it going.

January is designated FAMILY WORSHIP MONTH!
Under Fr. Hakob’s leadership, our Church School and our Adult Christian Education ministry have partnered to plan a month of educational opportunities for children and adults designed to enrich understanding of the faith. The sacred space of our sanctuary will become a classroom, and EVERYONE is invited! Each Sunday will provide a different experience – we’ll hear a translation of selected sharagans, receive a guided “tour” of the sanctuary, and see the Badarak interrupted with commentary that promises to deepen our knowledge of the Liturgy. You won’t want to miss this! You can pick up a flyer in the narthex or the lobby.

ANNUAL PARISH ASSEMBLY: Scheduled for February 10, 2019 with alternate snow dates of February 24 or March 10, 2019.

REMINDER: According to the Diocesan Bylaws, membership dues are to be paid no later than December 31st each year in order to be a member in “good standing” and to be eligible to vote at the annual assembly. Any monies received after that date will be applied to the new year. For any questions regarding your status, please call the church office.
Join us today for a concert by the EAST WEST TRIO, international artists, who will be performing a variety of works from many different genres and cultures. Their most recent performance took place at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City and their performance with us is sure to entertain. Concert will be held in our Sanctuary beginning at 2 pm.

FAR UPDATE: For 15 years, Liana Pakhdigian dreamed about opening her own fitness center. Six months ago, her dream came true when she launched FitnessMix-Jumping. Now, she trains everyone from toddlers to seniors at her own facility. “I have created everything—the studios for dance classes and yoga, the strength-training classes—everything. It took time and money, but now I have my dream workplace,” she said. Liana was able to improve her newly-launched business with the help of a grant from FAR’s Small Business Assistance Program (SBA). She is among six other Syrian-Armenian entrepreneurs who were most recently chosen by FAR to receive support to kickstart and/or develop their own businesses in Armenia through SBA. To read more, go to: https://farusa.org/2019/01/18/far-economic-programs-small-business-assistance-grant-helps-woman-to-improve-her-yerevan-fitness-center/To support FAR’s programs, go to: https://farusa.org/donate/

2018 Attendance: Plate/Candle Collection:

December
2 – 68 people $400.00
9 – 75 people $547.00
16 – 120 people $800.00
23 – 115 people $580.00
30 – 94 people $415.00

January
6 – 207 people $1180.00
Weekly Expenses: $6,000.00

CHURCH CALENDAR (please mark your calendars)

January
Saturday Jan 26 – Casino Night
Sunday Jan 27 – East West Trio Concert
Sunday Jan 27 Instructed Liturgy

February
Sunday February 10th: Annual Parish Assembly (snow dates 2/24 & 3/10)
Sunday February 17 – Blessing of Married Couples

Using the Pew Book: In order to enrich understanding of the Divine Liturgy, we encourage our faithful to follow along in the large two-part Pew Book. Part One includes the classical Armenian used in the Liturgy; the facing page is the translation in modern Western Armenian. Part Two contains the transliteration of the classical Armenian; the right-hand page has the English translation. This Pew Book includes the prayers of the celebrant usually offered inaudibly. The prayers offered aloud are indicated in boldface type.

PARKING REMINDER –
> Non-Disabled Persons parking spaces are designated with white lines.
> Disabled Persons Parking spaces are designated with blue lines and are reserved for vehicles with a State-authorized disability placard or license plate.
> No parking is allowed in the driveway nearest to the kitchen door.
THANK YOU for your cooperation!

THE NICENE CREED/ HAVADAMK – This is the Profession of our Faith which is recited every Sunday moments after the Gospel is read from the altar. Sometimes it is sung, but more often it is recited by the Deacons and/or the Choir. We invite you to affirm your own “Profession of Faith” by reciting along with us. God longs for all of us to express our faith and devotion to Him.

THE KISS OF PEACE: After the gifts of the Eucharist are brought to the Altar Table, the deacon proclaims, “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” The person giving the greetings says, Kristos ee mech mer Haydnetsav – Christ is revealed amongst us. The recipient would respond, Orhnial eh Haydnootiunun Kristosee – Blessed is the revelation of Christ.

Anyone who wishes to request any Requiem Services MUST inform the office by 1:30pm Wednesday the week before. If you also want to sponsor the Fellowship Hour you MUST call Merle Santerian at 215-947-3777.

Would you like to:
– receive this Bulletin on Friday via email?
– request a Hokehankist, house blessing or hall rental information?
– find in-depth information on our faith, our parish and our activities?
– sign up for an event online?
– If the answer to any of these questions is YES, please visit our parish website at www.holytrinity-pa.org

WE ASK THAT EVERYONE KINDLY TURN OFF ALL CELL PHONES and all other such electronic devices prior to entering the sanctuary out of respect for the sanctity of our services.