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PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Chris Zakian
Tel: (212) 686-0710
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: http://www.armenianchurch-ed.net
December 17, 2013
___________________
CHRISTMAS MESSAGE of Archbishop Khajag Barsamian
Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
Behold, I Make All Things New
So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying
in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told
them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the
shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered
them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising
God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. (Luke
2:16-20)
On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and
they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure
chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And
having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for
their own country by another road. (Matthew 2:11-12)
These are the most celebrated visitors of all time: the shepherds and
the Magi who fell on their knees before the manger bearing a miracle,
the very Son of God. Of all the scenes in the Christmas pageant,
these are the two reenacted again and again. Over the centuries, how
many children, themselves swaddled in shepherds' robes, crowns and
headdresses askew, have marched to the crèche where Mary and Joseph
stiffly pose before a baby Jesus?
The audience holds its breath, transported for a moment by the
comfortingly familiar sight, by the reverence, by the joy. The visits
associated with Christmas - the angel Gabriel to Mary, the shepherds
to the manger, the wise kings to the King of Kings - are so
emotionally and psychologically compelling that they continue to be
re-imagined in art and music and literature two thousand years later.
Yet we rarely reflect upon the moments that follow. What was the next
chapter of Mary's life, Mary the mother of Jesus, the one who
treasured the angels' words and pondered them in her heart?
In what way did the shepherds `glorify God' when they returned to
their fields, praising him for all they had seen and heard?
After the Magi offered their gifts and left for their own country, by
another road, how was life different? What did they find in that
country and on that road that they would not and could not just a day
before?
All the rest of the New Testament teaches us that no encounter with
God leaves a heart unchanged. The bleeding woman who touched Jesus'
robe; the leper who returned to his Lord in gratitude; the widow of
Nain whose only child was raised up from his funeral bier by the
compassionate Christ - all were `reborn' into a deeper faith that
translated into a different life.
The twelve disciples became gifted preachers; the vengeful Saul became
St. Paul, the greatest Christian missionary; the prosperous merchant
Lydia decided, despite the danger from the Roman authorities, to open
her home to Christian fellowship; St. Gregory endured thirteen years
of imprisonment to enlighten Armenia. An endless chain of saintly
believers have devoted their lives to the poor and the marginalized ,
or were martyred for their faith, or walked with love and faith in the
Spirit, bearing God's gracious and abundant fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).
The history of our own people - down to the present day - is a record
of those changes, great and small, wrought by the human encounter with
Jesus Christ.
Christ is the miracle that gives birth to the greatest miracle: hearts
of cold stone turned into hearts of warm flesh (Ezekiel 36:26); human
beings empowered to live the freest, fullest life in Christ.
In this year devoted to the Diocesan theme of `Living the Gospel of
Christ,' these Christmas visits are precious reminders that all people
who hear the Good News and believe - who worship the Savior with heart
and soul - have not simply been invited to follow Him. No, it is not
so much an invitation as it is an invasion: God already dwells in our
hearts and has claimed us as His own - and there is no going back to
the way things were.
That was the truth exemplified seventeen centuries ago, in the
transformational conversion of the Armenian people. And the same
truth can shine forth in our own individual lives, when we are changed
- made new - by our encounter with Christ.
And in the manner of the shepherds and the Magi, we turn from the
manger to take `another road,' glorifying God with every word,
thought, action, and breath. Truly, we have already embraced an
entire way of life when, in one glorious yearly moment, we join the
angelic chorus to exclaim:
Krisdos dzunav yev haydnetzav! Orhnyal eh haydnootiunun Krisdosee!
Christ is born and revealed! Blessed is the revelation of Christ!
With prayers,
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian
Primate
###
From: A. Papazian
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Chris Zakian
Tel: (212) 686-0710
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: http://www.armenianchurch-ed.net
December 17, 2013
___________________
CHRISTMAS MESSAGE of Archbishop Khajag Barsamian
Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
Behold, I Make All Things New
So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying
in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told
them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the
shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered
them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising
God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. (Luke
2:16-20)
On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and
they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure
chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And
having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for
their own country by another road. (Matthew 2:11-12)
These are the most celebrated visitors of all time: the shepherds and
the Magi who fell on their knees before the manger bearing a miracle,
the very Son of God. Of all the scenes in the Christmas pageant,
these are the two reenacted again and again. Over the centuries, how
many children, themselves swaddled in shepherds' robes, crowns and
headdresses askew, have marched to the crèche where Mary and Joseph
stiffly pose before a baby Jesus?
The audience holds its breath, transported for a moment by the
comfortingly familiar sight, by the reverence, by the joy. The visits
associated with Christmas - the angel Gabriel to Mary, the shepherds
to the manger, the wise kings to the King of Kings - are so
emotionally and psychologically compelling that they continue to be
re-imagined in art and music and literature two thousand years later.
Yet we rarely reflect upon the moments that follow. What was the next
chapter of Mary's life, Mary the mother of Jesus, the one who
treasured the angels' words and pondered them in her heart?
In what way did the shepherds `glorify God' when they returned to
their fields, praising him for all they had seen and heard?
After the Magi offered their gifts and left for their own country, by
another road, how was life different? What did they find in that
country and on that road that they would not and could not just a day
before?
All the rest of the New Testament teaches us that no encounter with
God leaves a heart unchanged. The bleeding woman who touched Jesus'
robe; the leper who returned to his Lord in gratitude; the widow of
Nain whose only child was raised up from his funeral bier by the
compassionate Christ - all were `reborn' into a deeper faith that
translated into a different life.
The twelve disciples became gifted preachers; the vengeful Saul became
St. Paul, the greatest Christian missionary; the prosperous merchant
Lydia decided, despite the danger from the Roman authorities, to open
her home to Christian fellowship; St. Gregory endured thirteen years
of imprisonment to enlighten Armenia. An endless chain of saintly
believers have devoted their lives to the poor and the marginalized ,
or were martyred for their faith, or walked with love and faith in the
Spirit, bearing God's gracious and abundant fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).
The history of our own people - down to the present day - is a record
of those changes, great and small, wrought by the human encounter with
Jesus Christ.
Christ is the miracle that gives birth to the greatest miracle: hearts
of cold stone turned into hearts of warm flesh (Ezekiel 36:26); human
beings empowered to live the freest, fullest life in Christ.
In this year devoted to the Diocesan theme of `Living the Gospel of
Christ,' these Christmas visits are precious reminders that all people
who hear the Good News and believe - who worship the Savior with heart
and soul - have not simply been invited to follow Him. No, it is not
so much an invitation as it is an invasion: God already dwells in our
hearts and has claimed us as His own - and there is no going back to
the way things were.
That was the truth exemplified seventeen centuries ago, in the
transformational conversion of the Armenian people. And the same
truth can shine forth in our own individual lives, when we are changed
- made new - by our encounter with Christ.
And in the manner of the shepherds and the Magi, we turn from the
manger to take `another road,' glorifying God with every word,
thought, action, and breath. Truly, we have already embraced an
entire way of life when, in one glorious yearly moment, we join the
angelic chorus to exclaim:
Krisdos dzunav yev haydnetzav! Orhnyal eh haydnootiunun Krisdosee!
Christ is born and revealed! Blessed is the revelation of Christ!
With prayers,
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian
Primate
###
From: A. Papazian