Feast of the Transfiguration (Vardavar)

Ինչպես արդեն մաղթեցի բոլորիդ, այսօր կմաղթենք բոլորդ ուրախ Վարդավառ մը, Պայծառակերգության տոնը՝ ուրիշ անունով, որովհետև ասիկա, ինչպես մենք պետք է միշտ հիշենք, մեր եկեղեցվո հիմնական տոներեն մեկն է:

Good morning, beloved faithful, and God bless you, and we wish you a beautiful Sunday morning, for God is good. Today is the feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, one of the main feast days in the life of the Armenian Church. We mark different feast days in different ways. We celebrate Christmas in so many beautiful traditions and customs. We celebrate Easter. I’m sure all of us who are here are familiar with the customs that we have in our families and in our community and in our church surrounding Easter. On the feast of Astvadzadzin, or the Assumption of the Holy Virgin Mary, we have blessing of the grapes. So many customs associated with these major feast days in the life of the church. What do we do on this day? On Vardavar, on the feast of the Transfiguration? Well, if you were in Armenia right now, you would find it very hard to stay dry because it’s on this particular feast day that people have taken it to the extreme in the sense that they take every opportunity to throw water on one another. And why not? Because in Armenia, on a hot July day, how refreshing and exciting would it be to throw water on one another? Here in San Francisco, that would be cause for an assault charge, but also it would be unhealthy, as I checked my thermometer on the way in and it was fifty-nine degrees on this July seventh morning. So we do not get to celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration or Vardavar in this city in our traditional ways, unfortunately. I was driving back from Southern California yesterday, and within the span of about an hour in my car, the temperature, the exterior temperature dropped forty degrees. So unfortunately, I have to say we get the short end of the stick when it comes to celebrating Vardavar here in San Francisco.

Բայց դուք ներկա եք այսօր, այսօր Վարդավառն է և ներկա եք, և չնայած որ հաճելի է իրար ու չերել այդպես, ինչպես մենք կ’ընենք Հայաստանում, այսօր մենք կրնանք հիշել տոնին բուն իմաստը՝ այն է, երբ որ պայծառակերգությունը տեղի ունեցավ, և այդ օրվա մասին պիտի խոսենք։

We’ll talk about in our message today the true meaning of Vardavar, or the feast known as the Transfiguration, in our message today.

Սուրբ երկրի մեջ լեռ մը կա, Թաբորի լեռն է, և այս լեռն է, ուր որ Հիսուս հրավիրեց երեք իր աշակերտներեն, որոնք իրեն հետ բարձրացան լեռը և այնտեղ հրավիրված էին Հիսուսին հետ քիչ մը հանգստանալ, քիչ մը հանգստանալ։ Սակայն այնտեղ տեղի ունեցավ հրաշք մը, որ իրենք չէին սպասեր։ Եվ Հիսուս այդ պահին, երբ որ ինքը խորհրդածություն կ’ըներ և աղոթքի մեջ էր, սկսավ պայծառակերպվիլ, այսինքն՝ ինչպես կարդանք Ավետարաններու ներս, իր արտաքին տեսքը փոխվեցավ այդ ձևով, որ այնքան պայծառ դարձավ, որ աշակերտներուն համար դժվար էր իրեն նայել։ Այսինքն՝ նայելու իրեն համար իրենց համար նույնիսկ ցավալի էր, որովհետև այդքան պայծառ դարձավ Հիսուսը, պայծառակերպվեցավ։ Իր հագուստները այդքան ձևով լուսավորվեցան, որ անտանելի էր իրեն տեսնելը։

Եվ հաջորդաբար իրենք տեսան, որ Հիսուսին կողքը երկու անձեր կան։ Մեկը Մովսեսն է, մարգարեն, մյուսը Եղիան է։ Այս երկուսը իրենքովն էին։ Եվ ապշած էին, բնականաբար, ինչպե՞ս պիտի ըլլային այսպիսի երևույթին առջև։ Եվ վախցան, ինչպես շատ անգամներ իրենք կըվախնան, երբ որ կտեսնեն ինչ-որ բան չեն կրնար հասկնալ։ Եվ մոտեցան, և Պետրոսը կըսե Հիսուսին. «Քանի որ երեքդ միասին եք»՝ այսպիսի մի հարցում կուտա, որ խեղճ մարդը կըսե. «Ձեզի համար երեք վրաններ սարքեմ, որ հանգստանաք, արևին տակ չըլլաք»։ Իբր թե իրենց համար էին, չհասկցավ՝ Մովսեսը ուր տեղեն եկավ, Եղիան ուր տեղեն եկավ, երեքը միասին են։

Ու ստեղ եկեղեցու հայրերը կըսեն, որ Եղիան այստեղ կընշանակե մարգարեությունը և Մովսեսը կընշանակե օրենքը, և մեջտեղը Հիսուսը կա։ Այս երեքը երկնքեն Հիսուսին հոգեպես ներկա էին և իրենք կըներկայացնեին վկաներուն, որ կա օրենքը և կա մարգարեությունը, և մեջտեղը կա փրկությունը, որ է Հիսուս Քրիստոս։ Եվ Հիսուս նույնիսկ պատասխան չտվավ։ Ինչպիսի՞ պատասխան պիտի տա Պետրոսին այդպիսի ապուշ հարցին։ Եվ ինչ եղավ, Աստծո ձայնը լսվեցավ երկնքեն, ամպերեն, և ձայնը կըսե. «Ասիկե իմ սիրելի որդին է, որով ես հաճեցա, որով հպարտ եմ»։

Եվ այստեղ պայծառակերպությունը տեղի ունեցավ, և տեսանք ներկայությունը Սուրբ Երրորդության՝ և՛ Սուրբ Հոգին, և՛ Հայրը, և՛ Որդին, երեքը միասին։ Եվ այս հրաշքը մեզի համար մեր բուն տոներու դեպքերեն մեկն է, որովհետև այնտեղ տեղի ունեցավ մեծ ամփոփումը ամբողջ փրկագործության պատմության, որ եկավ օրենքը, եկավ մարգարեությունը, այս երկուքով մենք ապրած էինք, մինչև Հիսուս եկավ և մեզի համար դուռը բացավ, որ մոտենանք մեր Տիրոջը, Հայրը և Սուրբ Երրորդությունը միասին կ’աշխատին մեր փրկության համար։ Եվ Պետրոսին պես, աշակերտներուն պես մենք կրնանք ներկա ըլլալ իրենց միջև, չնայած որ արժանի չենք, չնայած որ ապուշ ենք, չնայած որ կսխալվենք և կմեղավորենք, բայց երբ որ հավատարիմ ենք Աստծուն, կրնանք իրենց հետ ներկա ըլլալ։

Today being the Feast of the Transfiguration, we look back at the events of that occasion that we celebrate until today that took place on Mount Tabor during the life of Jesus Christ. Of the events surrounding or the themes surrounding all of the major feast days of the Armenian Church, I’m sure for some the Feast of the Transfiguration is the least familiar. If you recall the story that took place, Christ brings his disciples, three of his disciples with him to an isolated place on top of a mountain called Mount Tabor, and there he invites them to rest with him. Why just these three, by the way? Peter, James, and John. Why does he bring these three alone? Well, the church fathers tell us he brought these three because they had proven themselves to be exceptional even amongst the disciples. And so as to show them to both the disciples and to us as examples of followers of Jesus Christ, he sets these examples up for us as those who could be counted amongst the witnesses of something very, very special that’s about to take place.

And so, they go to the top of this mountain to rest for a few days, Mount Tabor. And there at the top of this mountain, after a time of rest and reflection and prayer, something miraculous happens. This is the Transfiguration, or in Armenian, the Baidzarager Butun, which in English would be translated to the taking on of a luminescent form or of a bright form. That’s literally what takes place to Jesus Christ. They witness him becoming so bright, so splendorous, so dazzling. Specifically, the word white is used, a white which is beyond any white that can be achieved by bleaching. This white, this splendorous, luminescent white is the form that Jesus Christ takes on to the degree that it is hard for them to witness. They can’t perceive him anymore because so bright is it. And then after that, they see that in the presence of Jesus Christ are two what would be superstar figures to the disciples of Jesus Christ at that time. One of them was Moses and the other was Elijah. And Moses and Elijah, they recognized them immediately, though they would have never seen them during their lifetimes because they had lived centuries and centuries before the disciples. But somehow they knew that’s Moses and that’s Elijah. And all of a sudden, they’re hanging out with Jesus Christ.

Now, what these figures represent to the disciples would have been immediately obvious. Moses is the embodiment of the law. Moses is the one who gave us the Ten Commandments. He is the one that gave us the structure, the framework by which we live in, gave them to the people of God, to Israel, but also to those who would follow. And then you have Elijah, who himself is a representative of the power of prophecy, of the story of God’s will for humanity, that he is going to lay out for us a path that will give us a way to return to paradise, that will give us a way to return to salvation, to peace, to harmony. That is the essence of prophecy, that there is a vision for the future of creation, which ends in redemption for all of it. And so that’s prophecy. And so you have the framework and you have the story. And in the middle of that is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ who is the key to it all, the key that opens the door that allows us to, through these means, with mercy, approach God.

Now, Peter asks what was then and is now a really silly question, as he is often wont to do. And he says, “Can I put up tabernacles for the three of you?” That is to say, can I put up a pavilion or a tent so you don’t have to sit out in the sun? He’s seen this amazing, inexplicable miracle take place. And then he says, you know, “Can I set up a tent for you?” And Jesus doesn’t respond to this at all. Instead, the voice of God comes down from the clouds, from heaven. The voice of God says, “This is my son, Jesus Christ, with whom I am well-pleased.” And so in that moment, we see not only these three pillars of the economy of salvation, of the process of salvation that God has destined, but also the machinery of it that is the Holy Spirit, the thing that is driving it, the animus, the Holy Spirit and God in heaven and the Son, the Holy Trinity together are giving life and animus to all of this for the sake of Peter, for the sake of James, for the sake of John, for the sake of you, and for the sake of me, for all of us together. This story is being driven by their love for humanity.

So this miracle, this very unique miracle, is for us the reason why the Feast of the Transfiguration is so important, because it encapsulates and summarizes this very complex and multi-millennial story that brings us from this universal scale to a personal scale of, well, I understand, you know, Elijah’s out there, Moses is out there, and Jesus Christ, first and foremost, is out there, and they’re working for me. They’re bringing me closer to God, who loves me and wants me to be a part of him. All of this is for each and every one of us to find our destiny on that road that leads us to redemption.

But there’s a few things about this story that I wanted to illustrate. The first is the clothing of light. What a unique element this is, the clothing of light that Jesus Christ is donning during this miracle. Why did it appear to us this way? Light has been, from the earliest days and from the Book of Genesis and from the core understanding of God, one of the ways that we experience sanctity and holiness is light. We are in the light. The sons of light are those who are the people of God, the sons of light. And so they found themselves in the presence of that light. But that light is not the light that comes to us from the sun. That light is a very different light. St. John Chrysostom says, “As the sun lightens the world so that our eyes might perceive, so the light that comes from the transfiguration, or the holy light, is the light that enlightens the world so that our hearts may perceive.” We perceive with a different organ, with a different sense, with our soul, by the light that God sends into the world.

When we look at our icons around the church, for example, when we look at this icon of St. Gaiane or this icon of St. Sarkis, or even this icon here of Christ during the baptism on the River Jordan, you see a halo around Christ’s head. That halo is meant to represent that same divine light that emanates and brings the divine love into the world that allows us to perceive spiritual things. This is what the early church is teaching us through our iconography, is Christ brings divine light into the world. And when you perceive through that light, then you can see a spiritual truth and a spiritual reality. This is the light that is emanating from Jesus Christ in an unfettered and unfiltered way that is so strong that the disciples find it hard to even be in its presence.

The clothing itself, the church fathers tell us, St. Augustine of Hippo says the clothing itself represents the Church. The clothing represents the Church because the Church is supposed to be a symbol that radiates this love into the world. It is supposed to be a source or a passage by which divine love comes into the world so that people would know and recognize God, to be able to perceive that spiritual truth. But the clothing itself cannot stand unless it is being worn. The clothing must be worn by something so that it takes form. And so the Church must take form by being adorned upon Jesus Christ. He is within it. He is of it. He gives it the shape, and he gives it its expression in the world. If Christ is taken out of the Church, then the Church collapses. The Church is nothing without Christ wearing it as this glorious robe that brings light into the world.

And lastly, I will reflect upon another key element of this which touches upon the theme of healing that we’re exploring this month, which is community. One of the most fascinating elements of the nature of the Holy Trinity is that God is one expression, but that has three persons within it. It has three members within it. God, the Holy Godhead, the Holy Trinity, is a community that is perfect within itself, ultimately communicating, appreciating, being prideful of, supporting one another in a perfect expression of love and of creation. This is the nature of the Holy Trinity. And then we bring into this encounter with the holy, the triune Godhead, we bring Elijah and Moses, and we’ve got this camping trip happening on a mountain. These things don’t happen in isolation. Experiencing God doesn’t happen with us in isolation. Experiencing God happens in community. It is experienced with others, with Christ first and foremost, but also with peers, with brothers and sisters. We come to Christ in community. It is a personal journey, but it is something that we don’t go on alone. And so perhaps this is also one of the mysteries of Christ bringing not just Peter and not just John or not just James, but he brought all three of them together. Even though one or two or three of them didn’t have a job to do, but they were in community when they came, and they perceived the perfection that is the creator of the cosmos. So, too, must we strive to encounter holiness together in community because that is when it is truly fulfilled, just as God is fulfilled in the Holy Trinity, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.