July 12, 2026
Fr. Mesrop Ash
On the Feast of the Transfiguration (Vartavar), the preacher delivers an interactive children's sermon to the culminating group of St. John's first-ever summer camp. He teaches about Jesus taking Peter, James, and John up Mount Tabor, revealing his divine glory, the appearance of Moses and Elijah, and God's voice declaring 'This is my beloved son, listen to him.' The preacher draws parallels between the disciples' experience of seeing Christ's fullness and the campers' week-long journey of growing in faith. He emphasizes that although things returned to normal after the Transfiguration, the disciples were forever changed by confessing Jesus as Savior — just as the campers will carry what they learned back into ordinary life.
Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9:2-10; Luke 9:28-36; Matthew 3:17; John 1:1-14
July 7, 2024
Unknown preacher
A bilingual homily for the Feast of the Transfiguration (Vardavar). The preacher recounts the events on Mount Tabor where Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, appearing in dazzling light alongside Moses (representing the Law) and Elijah (representing prophecy). The sermon explores the divine light as spiritual perception (citing St. John Chrysostom), the clothing of light as representing the Church which must be worn by Christ (citing St. Augustine), and the importance of encountering God in community, reflecting the perfect community of the Holy Trinity.
Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9:2-10; Luke 9:28-36; John 1:1-14; Genesis 1:3
July 16, 2023
Unknown preacher
On the Feast of the Transfiguration (Vardavar), the preacher delivers a bilingual homily explaining that Christ himself did not change on Mount Tabor — rather, the disciples' perception was transformed by God's grace, allowing them to glimpse spiritual truth. The Armenian sermon emphasizes that transfiguration is continuous and that Christians are called to cultivate spiritual sight in daily life, including through the Divine Liturgy. The English sermon retells a parable of a father and two sons hiking to a vista, illustrating that God's presence is with us all along, not only at mountaintop moments. Both sermons urge the faithful to develop awareness of God's presence beneath the surface of everyday experience.
Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9:2-10; Luke 9:28-36; Hebrews 13:8