THE SUNDAY MESSENGER
January 19, 2025

First Sunday after the Octave of Theophany

Scripture and Feast Day Notes

From Today’s Readings

Luke 4:14-30 Jesus is in Galilee teaching to the delight and appreciation of his listeners. But in a synagogue one day, as He preaches the purpose of His mission for the poor, the sick, and the oppressed (again to an admiring congregation), He challenges their understanding of this mission, proposing that outsiders often grasp it better than they do. They are enraged, ready to drive him out of town and even kill him.

John 2:1-11 In the Gospel of John, the miracle at the wedding of Cana is the first “sign” of Jesus’ sovereignty over all Creation and that He was indeed the Messiah. So much of note in this renowned story: The very first words “on the third day” call to mind Jesus’ glorious resurrection; the servants know who it was who turned the water into wine but not the “higher ups;” the wine steward confides in the bridegroom thinking he is responsible for the new wine when it was actually Jesus, the true bridegroom; the jars are filled “to the brim” pointing to God’s abundance.

1 Timothy 1:1-11 Paul urges his protégé Timothy to be diligent against the “myths and genealogies” that so distracted people of that time (we have our own infamous distractions). In addition, an emphasis on the law has many losing sight of the simple Gospel doctrines of love and sincere faith.

Isaiah 54:1-13 What a bold declaration of love from God to His people! The Lord foresees His return to His beloved spouse, Israel, and her descendants overflowing into neighboring nations and cities. Never again will His covenant with her be broken and He will rebuild Jerusalem (54:11- “O afflicted city!”) with precious stones.

Saturday January 18, St. Antony the Hermit
St. Antony was one of the most beloved and well-known of the “desert fathers and mothers” who in the 3rd century chose to live in prayerful solitude or in small communities in the desert wilderness in the Middle East and, primarily, Egypt. By the time St. Antony had died in the mid-4^th century, thousands of faithful had been drawn to this lifestyle following his example. Another revered saint of the Armenian Church, St. Athanasius (who is remembered on January 25^th this year), wrote in his famous life of St. Antony that so many had followed him “the desert had become a city.” This astounding movement was the early foundation of Christian monasticism.

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 greeting 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.

The Nicene Creed/ Havadamk (Page 18 in New Divine Liturgy Book) – 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.

Requiem Services: Hokehankist Today Will Be For: Lolita Ter-Simonyan requested by Sergey Ter-Simonyan, Elona Semerjian, Nerses Semerjian and Family.

With Love, We Remember – Please join us today for our annual Day of Remembrance. At the conclusion of Badarak today, there will be a brief candle-lighting ceremony and hokehankisd to honor the memory of those in our community who passed away in 2024. Through this humble gesture, the entire Holy Trinity parish shares in each family’s loss and remembers all the departed with love, gratitude, and consoling prayer.

Fake Emails – We wanted to let everyone know that someone is spoofing Der Hakob on email.  The email will say it is coming from him, but if you look at the email address, it will be from some fake address that is not his.

So please be careful and make sure you read and RE-READ any emails from him to make sure it is really him.

If you’re ever in doubt, please DO NOT reply to the email, but rather call the church office to confirm.  As we all know, our beloved pastor will always call you if he ever needs something, no matter how serious it could be.

Scheduled for February 16, 2025 with alternate snow dates of February 23 or March 9.

Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR), the charitable arm of our Eastern Diocese, works in partnership with our parish to run impactful and transparent programs that empower Armenians. To better understand the needs of our community and gauge public awareness of FAR’s initiatives, they are conducting a brief survey. We encourage you to take five minutes to share your thoughts and help FAR advance its mission via the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FARSurvey24

Your feedback is important to us as we strive to create and promote programs that reflect our organization’s pillars and ultimately empower our friends and family in Armenia. The survey should take about 5 minutes. Please answer as many questions as you can. For more information about FAR, please visit our website at www.farusa.org

Thank you for participating in the FAR Community Survey – Your input will help us shape our future.(01/19)

Armenian Sisters Academy – The best way to learn about ASA is to experience it for yourself! Visit our campus to see how our deep appreciation for the Armenian language and culture empowers our students, promotes self-respect, and prepares future role models. All visitors must have a scheduled appointment and may not freely enter the building without prior notice. To schedule your private tour contact Legna Santerian at Lsanterian@asaphila.org or (610) 687-4100.

Seeking Part-time Organists – the Choir of Holy Trinity continues to seek multiple talented musicians who would be seriously interested in playing the organ for the Sunday morning Divine Liturgy (Badarak) on a rotating schedule. Organ lessons will be provided to the interested candidates, along with one-on-one direction from a senior choir person.  For further information, contact Karinne Andonian at karinne.hov@gmail.com.

Did you know that when we participate in Soorp Badarak (Divine Liturgy), we are also being invited to a meal (communion) offered by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?  As such, we should dress in a manner worthy of that invitation.  We ask our faithful to dress appropriately for worship.  Please, no very short dresses, shorts or bare shoulders. Thank you

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.

~~~~~~~~~~TODAY’S EVENTS~~~~~~~~~~

Day of Remembrance
Jan 22        Weekly Bible Study
Jan 23        Zoom Book Club
Jan 26        Church School Spring Semester Begins
Feb 16         Annual Parish Assembly
Mar 02        Poon Paregentan Party
Mar 05        Lent Begins