THE SUNDAY MESSENGER
January 3, 2021

Seventh Sunday of Advent

The Feast of Theophany: Wednesday, January 6

While much of the Christian world celebrates the birth of Christ on December 25, the Armenian Church celebrates the birth and baptism of Christ on the feast of  Asdvadzahaydnootyoon on January 6. Surprisingly to us today, the birth of Jesus was of little interest to the Early Church. The nativity of Christ was not viewed as the “birthday” of Jesus Christ the same way we tend to view birthdays; rather, the reverent emphasis was on Christ’s death and resurrection (beautifully demonstrated in Armenian miniatures where the baby Jesus is always shown with a cross embedded in His halo). Yet looking back at His birth from the perspective of His death, the nativity takes on deeper meaning, not as the birthday of a person, but as the coming of salvation into this world in Jesus Christ. Reflection: Think back on Advent and your Christmas preparations. Were you once again caught up in the extraneous secular hubbub? Make concrete plans to do things differently next year, focusing more on prayer, service, Scripture reading, and simpler living (less spending and more charity). 

Christ was born and revealed! Blessed is the revelation of Christ! 

Department of Christian Education/Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)elisea@armeniandiocese.org

TODAY’S BIBLE READINGS:

Hebrews 13: 18-25 (page 205) New Testament
Luke 22: 24-30 (page 79) New Testament – (Please follow the Armenian Reading in your Bible)
Isaiah 51: 15–52:3 (pages 728-729) Old Testament

 “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night….” (Nehemiah 1:5–6).   Prayers are requested for Ethel Terzian, Taron Poghosyan, Alice Charles, Theodora Mirakian & Leslie Movsesian.

LIVE STREAMING: This is to inform you that the Divine Liturgy will not be live-streamed today, but will be streamed on January 10 in celebration of Armenian Christmas and the Blessing of Water Service.

ADULT CHRISTIAN EDUCATION (ACE) Upcoming Events in January 2021

• Thursday, January 14 – Exploring God’s Love: Theology of the Armenian Church. Guest Presenter: Rev. Fr. Stepanos Doudoukjian, Pastor St. Peter Armenian Church, Watervliet, NY
• Thursday, January 21 –The Bible in the Badarak: Psalms Here, There and Everywhere. Presenter: Deacon Albert Keshgegian
• Thursday, January 28 – Holy Trinity Book Club: “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. Facilitator: Nancy Basmajian

All sessions will be conducted via ZOOM from 7 – 8 pm. To receive the ZOOM link, register @ nancybasmajian@verizon.net.

FAR: We cannot allow those from Artsakh to lose hope this Christmas – This Christmas season, FAR is doing everything it can to support those from Artsakh who have lost their homes, their family members, and their livelihoods due to the war. From providing temporary shelter, food, healthcare, and education and livelihood opportunities, FAR is doing everything it can to meet the immediate needs of those from Artsakh. By making a donation to support FAR’s work this year you will be giving the gift of hope to those in need, allowing them the opportunity to look forward to rebuilding their lives, either back in Artsakh or in Armenia. To support FAR’s work on this humanitarian crisis, go to: https://www.farusa.org

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.

DIVINE LITURGY IN YOUR HOME

Since we do not stream services at our church every week, we invite you to click on one of the following links to partake of Badarak at any of the following:

http://www.stleon.org (St Leon Live Stream)
https://www.facebook.com/stvartancathedral (St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral)
http://www.holy-martyrs.org (Holy Martyrs Live Stream)