As we will see, Abgar’s path to Jesus came when he had reached the limits of his own power, and looked beyond himself to God. Only in laying down his crown, could Abgar finally find The King. And what an important witness this is to all of us self-made and self-sufficient moderners on the threshold…

The post Sermon: Crowns Down first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church.

However I feel about tattoos, they aren’t going away.  And rather than waste time trying to ban them, I am just going to try and make them better.  My role is to stop a kid before he gets an Armenian tattoo with a typo; true story!  My role is to stop tattoos of people who…

The post Sermon: Tattoo Typos first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church.

Like many aspects of God, hope is hidden on the surface, but by faith in times of trial, it rises up with great strength and blessing.  In the readings from this season of Advent, Jesus gives us hints on uncovering this hidden power of hope in God, with a series of parables.  He encourages us…

The post Sermon: The Power of Hope first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church.

‘The soul grows not by addition but by subtraction,’ said German Theologian Meister Eckhart. I used this theological catchphrase to frame Wednesday’s Advent reflections, and find they work much the same for today’s Scripture reading and upcoming feast day.  ‘The soul grows not by addition but by subtraction.’ This ancient eastern wisdom is so needed…

The post Sermon: Learning Subtraction first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church.

t’s that busy time of year again, and I am feeling a bit anxious. All this year’s finances and contracts and campaigns need completing; and next year is filling up fast with events, meetings and deadlines.  My google calendar looks like Nora playing with a box of crayons!  I used to think that better time…

The post Sermon: It’s About Time first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church.

A pig and a chicken were walking through the barnyard one day, whispering about a birthday plan for their master Farmer Bedros. ‘What do you think we should get Farmer Bedros for his birthday?’ the pig asked the chicken. ‘Well maybe we could go in on something together,’ replied the chicken. ‘We could make him…

The post Sermon: Bacon & Egg Breakfast first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church.

I have a drawer full of letters, and maybe you do too, that I can’t bear to throw away because of the spirit of love and gratitude that is captured within them. It should not be too surprising then to find that  the worldwide Christian church also has a drawer full of letters that it…

The post Sermon: Drawer Full of Letters first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church.

Shouldn’t the mystical power of music to evoke the true, good and beautiful, be used to move us toward something more true, good and beautiful? Our house plants seem to understand this, even if we don’t. You’ve surely heard of all the studies demonstrating that potted plants grow more robustly if Mozart’s music is playing…

The post Sermon: Music for Plants first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church.

Alysia Ekizian shares her journey as a long-time member of St. Hagop with Fr. Hovnan. A recurring theme of their conversation is also the theme of our Advent Dinner and Diocese; 'Leaning into Hope.' For many, a most powerful reserve of hope is discovered in the depths of our spiritual journeys and Armenian Christian tradition.

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Music by Haig Yaghoobian. Voiceovers by Janae Kamajian.

The post Conversation: Leaning into Hope-Alysia Ekizian first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church.

You might say that the Armenian way of celebrating all saints, breaks the fourth wall of holiness. Like when an actor on stage starts talking directly to the audience and breaks the invisible wall separating drama from reality, The Feast of All Saints; Old and New, Known and Unknown breaks down the invisible wall separating…

The post Sermon: Breaking the 4th Wall of Holiness first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church.