Doing the Work of God: Believe in Jesus Christ

Այսօրվա Ավետարանի մեջ Հովհանու Ավետարանում պարզ հարցում կա, և այդ տեսակ հարցում է, որ երբ լսես, պետք է անմիջապես զգաս, որ պետք է ուշադիր լինել։ Այս պատասխանը ինձ համար, բոլորիս համար շատ կարևոր է լսել և հասկանալ։ Եվ այսպես հարցուցին Տիրոջը. «Ի՞նչ պետք է անենք, որ ընենք Աստուծո գործը»։ Ի՞նչ պետք է անենք, որ ընենք Աստուծո գործը։ Շատ պարզ հարցում է, բայց շատ կարևոր է։ Բոլորս կուզենք այս տիպա գիտնալ։ Եթե պարզապես իմանայինք, կանենք, շատ հանգիստ, խաղաղ կապրեինք, չէ՞ Ասում ենք՝ անենք Աստուծո գործը, չի՛ կարա սխալ լինի, չի՛ կարա սխալ լինի։ Եվ Հիսուս ո՞նց է պատասխանում։ Այսպես ըսավ. «Աստուծո գործը կատարելու համար ինձ պետք է հավատաք»։ Վերջակետ։ Այդքան է։ Ինձ պետք է հավատաք։ Բայց ի՞նչ գալիս է այդ հավատքի հետ, այդ գործի հետ։ Այսինքն էլ հետևյալ հարցն է, որ պետք է ունենանք մեր մտքի մեջ։

Շարունակելով այսօրվա Ավետարանի մեջ, կխոսինք կենաց հացի մասին, որովհետև այս մարդիկը, որոնք այս հարցում կուտային Հիսուսին, կուտային, որովհետև իրենք մասնակցած էին այդ հրաշքին, երբ որ Հիսուս հինգ հազարին կերակրեց, բազմությունը կերակրեց, տեսան այդ հրաշքը, և իրենք կերան այդ հացը, և կերած լինելով ավելի ոգևորված ձևով կփնտրեին գնալ նույն հացով։ Եվ փնտրեցին Հիսուսին և գտան և այդպես հարցուցին։ Բայց հետևյալ հարցումը հեռակրկիր է։ Ուրեմն, կարծես թե պիտի հարցնեին՝ ո՞նց հավատանք, ինչպես այլ տեղեր հարցուցին աշակերտները, կամ արդյոք, որ հավատանք, ի՞նչ պետք է անենք։ Հավատանք, բայց հետո ի՞նչ անենք։ Այսպես հարցուցին. «Ի՞նչ նշան կարող եք մեզ ցույց տալ»։ Ի՞նչ նշան կարող եք մեզ ցույց տալ, որ հավատանք, այսինքն։ Նշան կփնտրեին։ Այս մարդիկը, որոնք արդեն Հիսուսի հրաշքին ականատես եղած են և իր հացը կերան և անօթի էին այդ հացի համար, կպահանջեին հրաշք մը, որ հավատան։ Հեռակրկիր է, չէ՞ Եվ ինչպես պետք է ընե, Հիսուս զսպեց անոնց, որովհետև իրենք ըսեին. «Ա՜, Մովսեսը, երբ որ հրեաները անապատի մեջ էին, Աստված Մովսեսի միջոցով մանանա տվեց ժողովրդին, որ չանօթիանան և այլն։ Ի՞նչ կընես մեզ համար»։ Ի՞նչ մանանա կըսե, ի՞նչ Մովսես կըսե։ Այդ մանանան Աստուծմե էր։ «Եվ ես տվի ձեզի այդ հացը, այդ կենաց հացը, որ արդեն ձեր մեջն էր և փնտրում եք»։ Այսքան է։ Մի շփոթեցեք, մի բարդացրեք հարցը։ Դուք կշտացաք ինձմով և ինձ հավատալով շարունակաբար պիտի կշտանաք»։ Վերջակետ, վերջակետ։

Բայց այդ հաջորդ քայլը բոլորիս համար դժվար է։ Երբեմն կզգանք, որ պետք է հավատանք և այն բաներ կընենք, որ կարծենք, թե պետք է ընենք կշտանալու, բայց այս գործեր մենք անում ենք առանց հավատալու։ Ասիկա է իրականությունը։ Եվ դուք կըսեք ինձ համար. «Տե՛ր Հայր, ինչու՞ կքարոզեք մեզի հավատքի մասին։ Մենք ներկա ենք այսօր, պատարագին մասնակցած ենք։ Մենք կշտվեցանք Հիսուսի մարմնին և արյամբ։ Ինչու՞ մեզի կքարոզես հավատքի մասին»։ Բայց հավատալը շարունակական գործ է, և նույնիսկ Աստուծո գործերը գործելով՝ խորհուրդ-խորհրդական կյանքը, եկեղեցվո կյանքը, եկեղեցվո կյանքին մասնակցում ենք և ամեն ինչ անում ենք հերթաբար և ռոբոտի պես, բայց առանց հավատքի անում ենք։ Եթե հավատքը չկա որպես առաջին քայլը, այդ գործը մեզի համար չի կրնար հավական լինել։ Պետք է հավատքով սկսի, հավատքով շարունակի և հավատքով ավարտի, կատարվի։

The passage today—first, before I speak about today’s passage, I just want to review what, as a church, we’ve experienced over this past week. It’s an important week in the life of the church. I’ve spoken about it several times, but as a reminder, we just experienced a fasting period unique to the Armenian Church, known as the Fast of the Catechumens. In Armenian, we say «Առաջավորած բակ», which is usually Monday to Friday, but this week was Monday to Thursday, because on Friday was another important feast and celebration in the church, which we call Diarantarad, or otherwise can be called in Armenian «Քրիստոսի Ընզայմանդոնը», or the Presentation of Jesus Christ at the Temple, which always takes place forty days after Christmas. And so because Christmas is always on January 6th for us, then it always happens on February 14th. If you start to see Valentine’s stuff in Target, that means you have to start getting ready for Diarantarad. Those things are going to happen at the same time.

Diarantarad is an important moment in the milestones of Christ’s development from infancy into adulthood, and so of course we mark it in the life of the church. And it’s for that same reason, in the example of Christ’s life in the Gospels, we have our children brought to the church forty days after they are born, just as Christ was brought to the temple forty days after he was born, just as those before him from the time of the establishment of the temple were brought to the temple. So this is an important continuation of our faith and customs to dedicate our children to God. This took place, the commemoration of this took place on Friday. And Saturday is the Feast of St. Sarkis. St. Sarkis is a crucial saint for us. We have an icon—the icon that you see on the right side of the church, the icon of the Forty Martyrs, of the saint carrying the lance on the white horse, is our icon of St. Sarkis. So take a moment to venerate that icon before you leave the sanctuary today, and you can read all about the life of St. Sarkis as well as all of the other things I discussed in our bulletin today. I won’t go into all of them. This is not necessarily a history lesson, but these things happen, and it’s important for us to know that they’re happening and to participate in them, and particularly our fasts. I know I’ve been talking about it nonstop, but by the time I’m done with this, we’re going to be the most fasting church in North America. This is really important. You guys need to get on board with this. It’s essential. It’s essential for us to renew our faith and to renew our belief in Jesus Christ, about which we will speak more soon. And on that same note, in two weeks, we’re going to begin Great Lent. In two weeks’ time, we’ll be Dootan, and then we will proceed with Great Lent, and many things will change in the life of the church, all of which we should be actively participating in as we prepare for the Feast of the Resurrection.

I spoke a moment ago about belief, and we’re going to talk about that today. Now, last week, I believe, we were talking about the miracle of Christ who walked on the water as he approached the disciples who were in the boat upon the Sea of Galilee, and they were in turmoil, and he came, and he calmed the waters. And we spoke about the value of that as representing for us in our daily lives this way that Christ approaches us, all of us who are in the church, who are in this ship, which is moving from one side of life to the other, and he comes to us and he calms the waters. And this is a unifying spiritual experience, one that is an expression of our belonging. And the moment that we’re talking about now in the Gospel, from the Gospel of John, is a continuation of this witnessing, of this moment in the life of Christ. He’s come to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, and there he is eventually sought after by the group of people who were with him the previous time, the previous moment that we hear about before crossing the Sea of Galilee, which is as he is with the multitudes and they are hungry. And so by virtue of compassion, and of course also an expression of us seeking out our needs in Christ and being participants in the Divine Liturgy and the Eucharist, he feeds the multitudes so that they can find what they need with him.

So these people saw that, and they wanted to come back to Christ, and they wanted more of that. But they couldn’t find him, and so they got on boats themselves, and they crossed the Sea of Galilee to where they were, and there they found Christ, who they were looking for. And there, having found him, they expressed their need for him to continue to nourish them. And there he challenges this need that they are seeking him out for. And in doing so, they ask this question, which is crucial. And it’s one of those questions when you hear it, you have to say, “This is an important question, and the answer of it is a sort of answer that should really seriously impact my life.” And the question that these people ask Jesus Christ is, “What do we have to do to do the work of God? How do we do the work of God?” Very simple question. For all of us here, Christians in this congregation, we should be asking ourselves that very same question. How do we do the work of God? If we’re not asking ourselves that question, then we have to ask ourselves, are we truly disciples of Christ? Are we truly his followers? Because that is what we are meant to do, to do the will of God. How do we do God’s work, they ask.

And Christ’s answer is very simple. Very, very simple. It’s not long. It’s not a sermon. It’s one sentence. Those who would do the will of God would believe in me. That’s it. Period. End of story. If you want to do the will of God, then believe in Jesus Christ. Everything else flows from that one act. And you may be asking, “Der Hayr, can I just lay in bed all day long and believe in Jesus, and everything’s going to be fine? Is that good enough? I’m just going to believe in Jesus. That’s enough.” And the answer is no. That’s not enough. Because if we believe in Jesus Christ, then everything else that comes along with it is also essential. You can’t believe in Jesus Christ and not do what he tells us we should do. But to do the things that Christ tells us to do without believing in him is of no use to us.

Because you asked me, “Der Hayr, you talk to me about belief and doing the will of God. I’m the one that’s in church this Sunday. I know dozens of other people, hundreds of other people that aren’t in church today. You should tell them to believe in Jesus, ’cause I’m here. Why would I come if I didn’t?” But the truth of the matter is that often we, even as the most devout Christians, are challenged with this duality of experience where often we are rigorous in our participation in the works of the church, but our belief in Jesus Christ wanes. To do one without the other is folly. But then to do the other without the latter, too, does not work. We believe in Jesus Christ, then the actions will follow. We will seek out and desire his presence, just as those who sought out Jesus Christ on the other side of the Sea of Galilee—they were satisfied by him, and they needed to find him because they knew, “I need that satisfaction again. Let me seek him out.” It wouldn’t be enough for them to stay where they were and say, “That was really nice. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” But believing that Jesus is the Son of God and our Savior necessitates that they should go to wherever they could find him. Because he is the Son of God, and what he reveals to us about the nature of our relationship with the Holy Trinity, and about what that means for the sake of our eternal souls, and about what we are meant for, has an impact on everything that we do. But it flows from belief, and action flows from that.

We spoke about this with our Sunday school kids a couple weeks ago. We used the example of the chair, and how belief is a matter of trust, and when we don’t put trust into action, then that belief is unfulfilled. Therefore, it is essential for us, at every moment in our lives, to try and fulfill that belief that we have for Jesus Christ. It is in the fulfillment of it that we find the actualization of the salvation that he has promised for those who believe in him. Very simple: “Those who would do the work of God would believe in me.”

Now today, as we leave from the sanctuary, I want us to challenge ourselves: “How can I act on my belief in Jesus Christ in the week to come?” This is essential. I want you to feel that faith in your heart, and I want you to be proud of that. I can stand before you right now and from the depths of my heart proclaim unabashedly and proudly, Jesus Christ has saved my life, and every moment of the life that I live is for his sake, and the choices that I make and the actions that I do are, at least despite my human frailty and my weakness and all of the things I struggle with, in an attempt to try to live in accordance with that belief. We all fall short, and we all fail, but how are we often trying to reconcile our weaknesses and our choices with that belief that we hold most dearly? This is a challenge that Christ is giving to those who sought him out. “We want your bread, the bread that you gave us.” And he said, “I am the bread of life. You don’t want that piece of wheat or whatever. You need me. Come to me.” And if you come to me, then you will have what you need. So in the week to come, until I see you next Sunday, let us come to Christ and understand that in him and through him, we have whatever is sufficient for us in our life. And if we do that with belief in our heart, then we are doing the work of the Lord. For his glory, for the glory of his Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.