The Church as the Boat: Christ Comes to Us Despite All Obstacles

Վստահ եմ, ովքեր, մանավանդ այս վերջին տարվա ընթացքին հաճախում են եկեղեցի, նկատի պիտի ունենան, որքան ենք շեշտել պահքի պահեցողությունը։ Մենք անընդհատ դրա մասին խոսում ենք՝ հույս ունենալով, որ ի վերջո այդ հատիկը, այդ սերմը պիտի սերմվի մեր հոգիների մեջ՝ ցանկությամբ, որ մենք ավելի մասնակից դառնանք մեր եկեղեցվո պահքի ավանդության։ Եվ ուրախ ենք, որովհետև վաղը պիտի սկսի միշաբաթական պահք, որ կոչվում է Առաջավորաց պահքը։ Առաջավորաց պահքը յուրահատուկ է, որովհետև գոնե անունով աննման ավանդություն կա, աննման է, կարող եմ ըսել ուղղափառ եկեղեցիների մեջ որպես պահքի շրջան։ Սակայն ընդհանուր գաղափարը յուրահատուկ չէ, որովհետև բոլոր ավանդական եկեղեցիներ ունենում են այս ժամանակի մեջ, երբ որ մենք պատրաստվում ենք մեծ պահքի սկզբի համար, այսպես նախապատրաստություն կա շաբաթական պահքով, ինչպես մենք անում ենք։ Ուրեմն ինչ որ պիտի սկսի վաղվանից, այս անգամ մինչև հինգշաբթի, որովհետև ուրբաթ Տյառնդառաջն է, որ մեծ տոն է, և այդ օրը պահք չենք պահել։ Ուրեմն պիտի լինի շաբաթ, երբ որ մենք փորձի պես պատրաստվում ենք մեծ պահքի համար, որ պիտի սկսի մոտ երեք շաբաթից։ Ուրեմն, այսպես մենք առիթ պիտի ունենանք տեսնել՝ ինչպես կարող ենք մեծ պահքը լիարժեք կերպով պահել այս կարճ չորս օրով, չորս օրվա պահքով։ Եթե դուք չգիտեք՝ ինչպես պահք պահել, սա կարևոր է և էական սովորություն է։ Եվ հոգևոր եկեղեցում, ուր որ դառնում ես, մենք շեշտում ենք պահքի կարևորությունը։ Եվ իմ նպատակն է համեստորեն մի ձևով վերականգնել այս սովորությունը մեր ժողովրդի մեջ, որ իրապես արժեքավոր մեզի համար, յուրաքանչյուրիս համար արժեքավոր գործնեություն է, որովհետև պահքը աղոթքի հետ և Սուրբ Գրության ընթերցման հետ մեր երեք սյուներն են, որի վրա մեր հոգևոր կյանքը հիմնավորված է։ Եվ անկայուն կդառնա, երբ որ մեկը հանում ես, երբ որ չես աղոթում, երբ որ Աստվածաշունչը չեք կարդում, և երբ որ պահք չեք պահում։ Գոնե եթե այդ երեքից մեկը չեք հանում առնվազն, ուրեմն արդեն անկայուն և անշարունակական կդառնա մեր հոգևոր կյանքը։ Երեքը, ըստ մեր կարողության, պետք է փորձենք անդադար պահել մեր առօրյական կյանքի մեջ։

Beloved faithful, the passage today that we encounter from the Gospel of John is remarkable. It’s remarkable for, on one level, for us as Christians who are familiar with the stories of the Gospel. It’s remarkable for its mundanity. There are a handful of miracles that are essential in the life of Jesus Christ that somehow for us, in their expression on the surface of them, seem to be less majestic or grand than others. There’s no doubt Christ himself being resurrected or resurrecting Lazarus is an awe-inspiring miracle that is done as he causes the blind man to see or the paralyzed man to walk. Undoubtedly, if you were to witness these things, you would say this is the work of somebody who was truly spiritually powerful. There are other miracles that have an underlying and essential importance for us to understand the nature of God and our relationship with him, that when we witness them or we read about them in the Gospel, we say, “Okay, that’s interesting.” But if we don’t understand why it really matters, then somehow we’re missing the story.

Amongst them, for example, was a miracle that we recently discussed, which is the changing of the water into the wine. This is for especially our church fathers, like a quintessential, crucial moment in the life of Jesus Christ and the miracles that he does to understand who is Jesus Christ and what does he mean to us, that for some people it kind of seems like a party trick. He changed one substance into another. He got the party going.

Well, another miracle I feel like most people probably put in that category is when Christ walks on water. It is absolutely something that neither you and I can do. But if you were to encounter somebody that could do that, would you immediately assume that this is the incarnation of God? You would wonder, “What is this? This is strange.” But for our church fathers, this miracle was once again another miracle in the witnessing of the life of Jesus Christ that reveals to us essential and deep truths about who Jesus Christ is to us.

First and foremost, in that instance, we have to remember that Christ coming to the disciples, meaning encountering them in the water, for him to cross the Sea of Galilee to encounter them, as we’ve spoken about many times as we’ve discussed this event from the Gospel, is one in which Christ is bringing with him profound peace and reassurance. And furthermore, for our church fathers, it conveyed not only his deliverance of peace to his disciples, but also his authority over the created as well as uncreated world, over the physical as well as the spiritual. This distinction between the physical and the spiritual is one that our early church members really struggled with to try to understand the nature of Jesus Christ. We spoke about this during last week’s Coffee with Der Hayr and the early struggles of the church to understand the nature of the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ, how much of him was spiritual and how much of him was human. And the answer is all and all. But for them to see that he has control over the physical world as well as the spiritual world, to have complete dominion over this, is another expression of how it is that we can understand Christ as the incarnation of God.

However, there’s another element that was profound for our church fathers, and today I believe even more so, because this miracle which takes place as it is expressed in the Gospel of John is one wherein we see a prefiguration of the church itself, the church that we find ourselves in right now. The church that we are sitting in, in this very moment, is an expression of the boat that the disciples were sitting in as they were crossing the Sea of Galilee. In fact, for our early church fathers, the church itself, as I’ve often reflected, but I’ll say again in case you haven’t been here, is referred to as the boat, the nave. In the nave of the church, we are sitting in something that is the metaphysical expression of the boat. The vessel by which we are transferred from one place to another, and in this case, from the struggles of the material world to the grace and beauty and salvation, and the eternity of the kingdom of heaven.

And I’ve said it before, but if you haven’t seen it before, if you look on the exterior of that wall on the outside of the church, you look up to right about the other side of where that cross is, you’re going to see a relief of a sailboat. As the founders of this church understood well the theology associating the church with the boat, that one and the other, spiritually speaking, are interchangeable. As we all gather together in the midst of this vessel, in prayer, in worship, and in fear, in respect of the Lord, and we ask Him to guide us unto the peaceful heavenly harbors of eternal life. That this is the boat, the same boat that the disciples all gathered into to cross from one side to the other.

And in the midst of that journey, Christ came to them, regardless of the conditions. If it meant that He would have to walk across the sea, He would walk across the sea, and there He would be with them, all of whom who are gathered together in His name. And so too, as we are worshiping together and encountering the sacrament of the Eucharist, as we receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ, He has come to us despite all conditions, independent of every obstacle. Whatever the case is, wherever we may be in our lives, Christ comes to us, and He is with us, and He brings with Him peace, and He brings with Him salvation, until ultimately we find ourselves on the other end of that journey in the loving embrace of our heavenly Lord.

This power for Him to encounter us despite all obstacles is one that has to be, I hope for you as it is for me, one that is comforting, and one that helps me to move forward with courage and confidence in my life, that no matter what happens, I am not alone. Loneliness is an epidemic in our society. Feelings of isolation and separation from our brothers and sisters in the world. A feeling, a longing to be a part of something that is bigger than us, that we cannot access. Knowing that we can be someplace where we belong and where we are accepted. These things, or the absence of them, are what our peers in society around us struggle with the most.

However, when you come into the holy sanctuary, particularly in this moment when we are meant to encounter Christ, who is coming to us despite all obstacles, then we are reminded of one very important thing. That just as the disciples belonged in that boat, so too do all of you belong in this one. No matter where you’ve come from, no matter what you’ve done, you belong here right now. And by virtue of your belongingness, regardless of your age, regardless of what doubts or struggles you have in your life right now. From our youth who are here with us today, to our elders, every single one of us belong in this place right now. And all we have to do is accept that invitation and be where we belong, and Christ is in our midst.

We give thanks and glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that He has called each and every one of us to this belonging that we share in this moment. And by virtue of all belonging to Jesus Christ, so too do we belong to one another. As the prayers of the Armenian church proclaim, we commit ourselves and one another unto the Lord God Almighty. And so, I give thanks to God. You are here today, and I am here today, and Christ has traversed space and time and our own sinfulness to be in our midst, so that we should receive Him and His peace. Amen.