THE SUNDAY MESSENGER
January 13, 2019

FEAST OF THE NAMING of OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

In Line With Christ We Are Saved

The message is echoed repeatedly in the Liturgies blessing services of Theophany in the Armenian Church. Just look for a moment at the rocks, the flora, the symbolic geometric shapes, the angels attending the Lord, the rays of light shining upon Christ, the hand of God pointing to Him, the Holy Spirit of God in the form of a Dove resting upon Him. All are arranged in a single line from top to bottom, affirming the truthfulness of this message. These are all important components placed here to help us better understand what the image is revealing to us about the heavenly persons of Father, Son, The Holy Spirit [the ONE TRUE God]- that through The Holy Trinity- one in essence, all is made complete as we stay in line with the Lord.

On January 6th both the birth and baptism of Jesus Christ our Saving Lord become one as we call the feast Asdvadzahaydnootiun, or the Revelation of God, a Greek word we still use – Theophany [the shining forth of God].
St. John Chrysostom, a most important and much-revered saint of the Universal Church, tells us that the birth of Jesus, as Messiah was only the beginning of God’s revelation in the world, and that with Him everything is included for a life never-ending.

St. Basil’s prayer read during the Blessing of the Water service affirms – Today the Triune Godhead has revealed Himself on earth and the entire world is full of his glory. The Father testifies from heaven saying, “this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”. And the Holy Spirit comes down upon Him in the likeness of a dove.
This Good Tiding shines eternal, as Christ God as Son of the Creator, steps into the Jordan River and with words personifying the Jordan River as a human says, O River [ whom I have created] don’t be afraid of me, I am your Creator and have come to be baptized and I wash away the failures of man, called sin… ‘Ked mi zarhourhir, ko araritch yem yes, yegyal mgrdim, yev lvanum uzmeghs’

Thousands of words in prayer and song speak and sing to us through this icon giving us the same message, the same hope, the same confidence, and spiritual energies, dispelling fear and giving endurance and conviction to us in this world where human failures, weaknesses and sin seem to wear us down. But we take heart because in Christ, Emanuel GOD WITH US IS everything is made possible, everything that humankind needs for Salvation, everything is here to get us up and running in full swing- a blessing indeed!

May Our Father the God of Love, His never-ending presence in Jesus Son and by His power from the Holy Spirit assure us that with Christ ‘everything is included.

Fr. Garabed Kochakian

TODAY’S BIBLE READINGS:

COLOSSIANS 2: 8-15 (Page 182) New Testament
LUKE 2:21 (Page 53) New Testament – (Please follow the Armenian Reading in your Bible)

Altar candles are being donated by Jeanette Der Hagopian and Family in loving memory of Albert Santerian on the 40th day of his Eternal Life.

“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, Annabelle Alexanian, 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.

A Day of Remembrance: At the conclusion of Badarak today, there will be a short candle-lighting ceremony and hokehankisd to honor the memory of those in our community who passed away in 2018. Through this humble gesture—now in its fifth year–the entire Holy Trinity parish shares in each family’s loss and remembers all the departed with love, gratitude and consoling prayer.

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.

FAMILY WORSHIP MONTH—The Sanctuary becomes a Classroom: Today, and for the remaining Sundays of January, the faithful of Holy Trinity—from the youngest to the oldest—will become students. Our Church school has prepared a few teaching “worksheets” for families, but you can pick up a copy in the narthex to test your knowledge. We have been encouraging parents to bring their children to Liturgy during Family Worship Month, and we hope our faithful will relish the innocent sounds of our children!

Understanding our Sharagans—A Simultaneous Translation: Today, our faithful will hear the English translation of selected hymns from the Divine Liturgy. While Dn. Albert Keshgegian offers the lyrics in English, our choir will sing acapella in Armenian. The effect will touch your heart! The sharagans—intended to be sung by the people—contain some of the most profound teachings of our faith. We hope you will listen and learn.

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.
Mark Your Calendars to attend a concert on January 27 by the EAST WEST TRIO, international artists, who will perform 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. No reservation necessary.

FAR UPDATE: FAR recently helped to distribute food to low-income families and children in Lori Province. Ninety-six needy families received 50-kilo packages of food rations, among other items. Vachagan Antonyan, 67, who came to the distribution with his 4-year-old grandson also named Vachagan, reiterated the fact that people from rural communities are often left destitute because they have little to no access to certain necessities. “I used to work all my life; agriculture and animal husbandry traditionally have been the only opportunities for us here. However, you can’t afford much on such a living, and children often can’t have what they need or want. So, a big thank you to your patrons for making our day!” To read more, go to: http://farusa.org/2018/12/11/far-partnerships-far-distributes-winter-ration-boxes-to-communities-in-need/To support FAR’s programs, go to: http://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

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

CHURCH CALENDAR (please mark your calendars)

January
Sunday Jan 13 Simultaneous Translation of Selected Hymns and Day of Remembrance
Sunday Jan 20 Tour of Sanctuary with Fr. Hakob
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.