Words have always played a supporting role in the Armenian Apostolic Church as compared to the post reformation churches.  Thus, my sermons are short and I work hard to make them so.  If you don’t believe me, let’s look at the data. Pew Research Center analyzed 50,000 sermons in 2020 and here is what they… The post How to be Apostolic (in 9 minutes or less) first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church ..read more

So what is lament?  The shortest definition of lament is a prayer in pain that leads to trust.  The Psalms are full of Laments. Our Ter Voghormea is a lament. Beating our breast and saying Vay Indz, Vay Indz during Confession is a Lament.  Gregory of Narek wrote an entire famous Book of Lamentations.  Lament… The post Pain Killers first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church ..read more

This increase in renaming original things when a new version comes out isn’t that surprising to see in our ever-changing technological society, but we might be surprised to observe the same process (albeit at a slower rate) in our understanding of God through history, the Scriptures and the church.  In fact, you could say that… The post The Ultimate Retronym first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church ..read more

A man is incomplete until he is married, and then he is finished.  A woman is incomplete until she is married, and then she is finished.  I sometimes begin marriage homilies like this to open hearts with humor and open up the profound sacrament of marriage.  The humor is in the double meaning of ‘finished.’ … The post It is Finished first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church ..read more

To get to the lost meaning of palms, you might go to your trophy case if you have one, or imagine one if you don’t. Think of these gold-painted golfers, or soccer balls or gymnasts.  Picture the Lombardi trophy (a golden football) or the Stanley Cup (a silver wedding cake?).  2000 years from now people… The post Trophy Life first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church ..read more

You are going to a funeral and discover that you are the person who passed away.  Three people are going to speak:  A family member, someone from your church, and a friend from work/school.  Write out what you would wish for them to say.  Now plan your life! The post Attending Your Own Funeral first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church ..read more

Thomas Edison is famous for his inventions of the light bulb. We forget that he attempted the lightbulb 1,000 times unsuccessfully before prevailing. When a reporter asked him, “How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” Edison said, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”  Our Lord and… The post Who’s the Judge & Who’s the Widow first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church ..read more

The problem with ‘original sin’ is that it starts the greatest story ever told in the middle, not the beginning.  We did fall and allowed evil into the world, true, but that is chapter three of Genesis. Chapter one is when almighty God made everything before us, galaxies, earth, oceans, whales, quarks and leptons and… The post Giving Up Original Sin for Lent first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church ..read more

So if you want true Lent summed up in 250 characters or less, don’t go to twitter, go the beautiful and inspiring words of the Prophet Joel and go to them often. ‘Even now, says the lord, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; rend your hearts, not your… The post Giving Up Lent for Lent first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church ..read more

This, hints Jesus, is how a life of faith works. We can drink up our blessings, take our life for granted and then fall short, or we can trust that in offering our blessings to God and others he can multiply them…and sharing our trials with others and God, he can help overcome them. Jesus… The post Don’t Drink the Water first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church ..read more