"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Matthew 24:9-14

 

Dear faithful,

 

When I was a child, I gave up bubble gum.

This is one of my earliest Lenten experiences.  One of the worst I ever had.  Needless to say, I loved bubble gum.   Worse, I had to give it up during hockey season…playing hockey without a wad of gum?  Absurd. 

Another Lenten Journey is about to begin.  What will we be giving up? 

While it is time to think about what we’ll give up, about refraining from meat and animal products, about almsgiving and helping the poor, about looking inward and trying to amend our sinful ways, looking to God for His mercy in repentance, it is most importantly about preparing for Christ’s return when He will come again to judge the living and the dead in the glorious last day, the day of resurrection and judgment. 

In a sense, the Lenten journey summarizes the battle that every Christian wages throughout their lives in this world, struggling for the ultimate prize of attaining to the surpassing glory of Christ and the resurrection that He promises on the last day.  Yes the 40 day journey is a sort of boot camp, a time for preparation for the bigger fight, the fight of life over death.  The Armenian church is tough on her soldiers, she asks for more than bubble gum, she asks for it all….

Do we recognize that we are in a spiritual battle field?  Do we perceive the fight that Satan is putting up, trying to lull us into denying our faith and denying the power of Christ in our lives?  It is not always easy.  The problem is that it becomes tougher and tougher to recognize our separation from God on a daily basis.  What are the weapons?  Where are the enemy soldiers?

We need to be introspective, we need to be sly like foxes.  The signs are clear.  This spiritual battlefield is leaving all sorts of casualties.  People are turning to their own devices, becoming hardened, families are being destroyed, the morality of our society is in ruination and large groups of “Christians” throughout the world are in apostasy[1] rather looking for a less harsh a less dogmatic “form” of religion.  In some cases people who were formerly Christian have turned to false gods and pagan philosophy.

As Armenians, we need to be brave, and strong, prepared to fight the good fight until the end, ready to give up not gum, not chocolate, not dairy products, but everything!  We need to draw a line in the sand and be ready to give it all up, our very lives. 

It is our duty and our privilege to give up everything for Christ our God.

It is not a surprise that our Lenten journey each year begins with the observance of Sts. Ghevontiants[2] and Vartanants.  These 2 feast days, remind us of the bravery and the fortitude with which Armenians defended the Christian faith and put it before any enemy trusting Christ even unto death. 

In 451 AD, the Armenian Nation fought the first battle in defense of Christianity against a powerful foe that not only outnumbered[3] the Armenians, but had previously all but stripped the Armenians of their resources to wage battle, subjugated them and persecuted them for their Christian faith and declared the allegiance to the religion of Zoroastrianism for all subjects.

The Armenians’ reply to the order of King Hazgerd II was at once simple and direct, yet of such profound importance, it shaped the entire course of Armenian history.

Their response following a summary and exposition of the One Holy Orthodox Faith of the Armenians included these now famous words which ought to be etched into the souls of every Armenian, if not literally, idealistically and morally:

"From this faith no one can shake us, neither angels nor men; neither sword, nor fire, nor water, nor any, nor all other horrid tortures. All our goods and possessions are in your hands, our bodies are before you; dispose of them as you will. If you leave us to our belief, we will, here on earth, choose no other master in your place, and in "heaven choose no other God in place of Jesus Christ, for there is no other God. But should you require anything beyond this great testimony, here we are; our bodies are in your hands; do with them as you please. Tortures from you, submission from us; the sword is yours, the neck ours. We are no better than our forefathers, who, for the sake of this faith, surrendered their goods, their possessions, and their bodies.”

 

As you can see, the Armenian were willing to be good citizens, obedient to the ‘pagan’ rulers but never willing to deny Christ.  Today we have the similar challenge.  We are being asked, albeit indirectly, to put Christ and the worship of Christ aside.  We are being taught to be ashamed of being outward with our confession and practice of Christianity.  In the guise of tolerance, we are being told to keep Christ out of the society in which we live. 

As your pastor, I am inviting each of you, mothers, fathers and grandparents, aunts, uncles, and Godparents, to make a commitment with the spirit of Sts. Ghevont and Vartan, to arm your children and to fight the good fight, being very single-minded in your Christian calling, willing to give up everything for Christ.  With the spirit of the battle of Avarayr, we will mold and galvanize another generation of Armenians in the spirit of our forefathers. 

May God empower each of you this Lenten season, so that making sacrifices, He might strengthen you in your commitment and zeal for Him, Amen.

 

In Christ’s love, I remain prayerfully,

Der Shnork