THE SUNDAY MESSENGER
February 3, 2019

Third Sunday after the Octave of Theophany

The Last Day

Three times in this passage of Scripture, and four times in the whole of John chapter 6, Jesus repeats one particular promise: “And I will raise him up at the last day” «եւ ես յարուցից զնա յաւուրն յետնում:» The repetition alone should catch our attention to inquire of its significance. What is the last day? Should we wait for it to arrive sometime in the future, or is it closer than that?

What is eternal life? We tend to think of it as the life that follows death, and it is in a way, in that we diewith Christ in baptism, but not only do share in the death of Christ at baptism, we also participate in his resurrection. So the eternal life is a matter of a quality of life rather than the life or time that follows our physical death. It is the sharing of the inner life of Jesus, the experiencing of the abundant life which Jesus promised. Eternal life is the life God planned for this world from the beginning, but because of birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus, it is present now and being completed in the age to come. And so eternal life is the resurrected life, and begins in the present when someone believes and has faith in the Son (as someone lives out their baptism in faith), as Jesus said, “Everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

How does the resurrection affect our daily lives? What does it look like to live with confidence in the resurrection? On Monday, February 4, the Armenian Church remembers Sts. Shamouna and her seven sons, an example of this confidence, an example of what St. John Chrysostom means when he says,

Let us take pains to gain by having the Resurrection continually sounded in our ears…Let us continually say to others, and to ourselves, “There is a resurrection”…For there is a Resurrection, and that Resurrection is at our doors, not afar off, nor at a distance…Let us picture these things to ourselves every day. If we are ever revolving them, no care for present things will be able to sting us…This saying is able more than any other remedy to heal our souls.

TODAY’S BIBLE READINGS:

2 Timothy 2: 15-19 (pages 192) New Testament
John 6: 39-47 (page 90) New Testament – (Please follow the Armenian Reading in your Bible)
Isaiah 62: 1-11 (pages 737-738) Old Testament

“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.

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

CALLING ALL MEMBERS: As we approach our Annual Parish Assembly, to be held on February 10 following church, we are seeking parishioners who would like to become more active in the leadership roles of our church. If you are a dues-paying member, we encourage you to consider placing your name on the ballot to become a candidate in any of the following categories which may be best suited to your gifts and skills: Parish Council, Auditing or Nominating. For more details, please contact Janet Jordan: Mobile 215-801-6097~~~ Email jjfjjjfj@comcast.net

TODAY the Church school students from the Armenian language class are going to perform a short winter recital.

SAVE THE DATE!! The Ladies of Holy Trinity will sponsor and commemorate Saintly Women’s Day 2019 on Saturday, March 23. Mark your calendars. Details to follow.

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)

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

March
Sunday March 3rd: Poon Paregentan
Friday March 8th, 15th: Lenten Evenings
Saturday March 23rd: Saintly Women’s Day
Friday March 29th: Lenten Evening

FAR UPDATE: FAR’s programs are incredibly diverse and work to support nearly every facet of society, including the arts. A musical competition at Yerevan State Conservatory made possible by FAR recently brought together 25 young talents to perform the clarinet. Eleven young clarinet students received prizes during the award ceremony and concert, which was held at Armenian State Philharmonic Hall. FAR Gulamerian Scholarship Program alumnus Serob Asatryan, 23, won third prize. FAR Education Programs Director Eduard Karapetyan emphasized the importance of the contest in the framework of FAR and its long-term cooperation with the conservatory and its cultural programs. This was the second time FAR supported the competition, with the first one held back in 2013.To read more, go to https://farusa.org/2019/01/24/far-education-far-helps-young-musicians-showcase-their-talents/

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.