St. Vartan Armenian Church of
Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan,
Pastor
Telephone (905) 549-2711
stvartan@cogeco.ca
(905) 617-7888
Immanuel He is With us
Christmas is not just the birth of a baby; it was the birth
of God in human flesh. Philippians 2:6-8
explains that in order to redeem mankind, God chose to humble himself in the
person of Jesus Christ, voluntarily laying aside his glory as almighty Sovereign
of this universe, so that he could be born physically like any other baby. Being conceived of the Holy Spirit, he did
not inherit the sin nature and was therefore able to offer himself as the
acceptable, perfect sacrifice our sin-debt required.
Jesus was God at his conception, in his childhood and
throughout his manhood. He always has
been, and forever will be, the eternal God of this universe. Jesus was born into this world for the
purpose of dying in your place and mine:
he placed his body upon the cross by an act of his own will.
Had he not been almighty God, his death would have been no
more noteworthy than that of the two thieves crucified alongside him. His incarnation made it possible for us who
live here on earth to live there in heaven with him eternally. That is what makes Christmas so
significant. There would be no
salvation, no hope and no future for anyone who has ever lived--if Christ did
not come to die for our sins.
Before his crucifixion, Jesus said he would ask the Father
to send the Spirit of Truth, who “abides with you and will be in you” to teach,
remind, comfort and guide us every step of the way. (John 14:17, 26) Far better than God simply being with me, is
God being in me, for me, to me, and through me.
And that is his promise to every believer—the incomparable,
supernatural, immeasurable God will take up residence inside us and be
everything we need.
In light of the wonderful promise of God’s redemption and
presence, believers should be confident and courageous—what cause have we for
worry or fear when the sovereign, almighty God is with us? We should be reassured because he is adequate
to calm us through any trial that comes our way. And we should feel at peace because there is
no storm that he is powerless to calm.
Taken together, these two names encompass what we need our
entire life: Jesus, the pardoner of our
sins, and Immanuel, the divine presence within us to help and guide every
moment of every day. The names and the
promises inherent in them are the foundation for every facet of the Christian
life. Immanuel He is with us.
Divine Liturgy @
And if Christ was not
raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your trust is God is
useless. And we apostles would all be
lying about God, for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave, but
that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. If there is no resurrection of the dead, then
Christ has not been raised…But the fact is Christ has been raised from the
dead. He has become the first of a great
harvest of those who will be raised to life again. 1 Corinthians 15:14-20
Welcome to St. Vartan Armenian Church
If you are a newcomer to St. Vartan,
it is a pleasure to welcome you to our Soorp Badarak
this afternoon. Thank you for making
time in your busy schedule to be with us. We believe that you will sense God’s
Spirit among us as we worship together today.
Requiem services can be requested for the next church
service by calling Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan.
What is religion?
Religion is a sacred and mysterious bond that unites a man
with his Creator.
What does religion teach us?
To know God, to love Him, to worship
Him and to obey Him and thus become worthy of His love and of the beatitude of
eternal life.
Where is the knowledge of true religion found?
In the Doctrine of our Saviour Jesus Christ, which the Church delivers to us, in
accordance with the teachings of the Holy Apostles.
Under what heads may the doctrine of our Saviour Jesus Christ be divided?
The doctrine of our Saviour may be
divided into three headings, namely; Faith, Sacraments, and Duty.
What is the Orthodox doctrine respecting the Person of Christ?
The orthodox faith is that there is but one person in
Christ, that of God, and that this Divine person took
manhood in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
What is the Holy Bible?
The Holy Bible is that wonderful creation of books, which
were written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, one after another, by
different prophets and apostles. The whole collection also is called the Holy
Scriptures and the Word of God.
Are You New to St. Vartan Armenian Church?
At St. Vartan, we understand how
being a newcomer can be a bit intimidating.
It is our goal to make your time with us comfortable and enjoyable. Immediately following the service today
please join us in the parish hall for refreshments. We’re glad you’re here and
we hope to see you again! Our next
service is Friday, Jan. 5 at
Are You On Our Mailing List?
Please fill out the forms you can find on clipboards at the
doors of the church today. The Parish
Council needs your help to keep its mailing list up-to-date. Sign up to receive church news by email.
What to Give Year-round: Eight Gifts That Do Not Cost a Cent
1.
The
Gift of Listening … But you must really listen. No interrupting, no
daydreaming, no planning your response. Just listening.
2.
The
Gift of Affection … Be generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back
and handholds. Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for family
and friends.
3.
The
Gift of Laughter … Clip cartoons. Share articles and funny stories. Your gift
will say, "1 love to laugh with you."
4.
The
Gift of a Written Note … A brief, handwritten note may be remembered for a
lifetime and may even change a life.
5.
The
Gift of a Compliment … A simple and sincere, "You look great in red,"
"You did a super job," or "That was a wonderful meal" can
make someone’s day.
6.
The
Gift of a Favor … Every day, go out of your way to do
something kind.
7.
The
Gift of Solitude … There are times when we want nothing better than to be left
alone. Be sensitive to those times and give the gift of solitude to others.
8.
The
Gift of a Cheerful Disposition … The easiest way to feel good is to extend a
kind word to someone. Really it’s not that hard to say Hello or Thank You.
Quotations From Mother Theresa
Mother Theresa is revered for her lifelong dedication to the
poor, most notably the destitute masses of
·
We
can do no great things—only small things with great love.
·
I
am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to
the world.
·
I
do not pray for success. I ask for
faithfulness.
·
Loneliness
and the feeling of being unloved is the most terrible poverty.
·
If
you judge people, then you have no time to love them.
·
Every
time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a
beautiful thing.
·
There
is more hunger in the world for love and appreciation than for bread.
·
Do
not wait for leaders; do it alone, person-to-person.
·
I
see God in every human being. When I
wash the leper’s wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?
Keeping Christmas Alive
“When Christmas is over,” said a merchant to a minister, “it’s
over, and it’s our job to rid this store completely of the signs of Christmas
in a day.”
“Well,” said the minister.
“I’ve a bigger job—that is, to keep the real signs of Christmas in the
hearts of my people for a lifetime, those signs that only Christ can give
us—Peace, Love, Hope and Joy.”
Space for Rent
If you would like to advertise in our Sunday service
booklets, please call Ani Shalvardjian
(905) 826-6319 or Heranush Hamblin (905) 820-1329 or email
us at anijan2@gmail.com . Advertisers receive a church donation
receipt.
Did you know?
News Stories and Photos Now Available on St. Vartan’s Website: www.stvartan.ca, and the Canadian Diocese
of Armenian Apostolic Church’s Website: www.armenianchurch.ca.
How many books are there in the Bible?
In the whole of the Holy Scriptures (Old and New Testaments)
there are 66 books, which were written in a period of 1500 years extending from
the time of the prophet Moses to that of the Apostles.
How many books are there in the Old Testament?
In the Old Testament there are 39 Books written in the
Hebrew language, which the Jews had before the coming of Christ and which they
preserve and honor to this day.
How many books are there in the New Testament?
The New Testament contains 27 books all written by Apostles
and disciples of Jesus Christ, transmitting to the Christians knowledge of the
earthly life, death, resurrection and teaching of the Heavenly Master.
Christianity has accepted and recognized this collection from the beginning as
the books of the New Testament in greater honor than the Old Testament and as
being its crown and completion.
What is the Church?
The Church is the assembly or unity of orthodox Christians,
who though they are spread throughout the world, form the same society and
brotherhood, under the supervision of lawful Bishops.
Who established the Church?
Christ our Lord established the Christian Church,
therefore He is also the Head and Rock and Foundation of the Church.
Schedule for January 2007
DIVINE LITURGY
Christmas
Eve
Christmas
Day
Our next Soorp Badarak, will be
celebrating Christmas Eve, on Friday, Jan. 5, at