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 27, 2025
Parish priest (name not specified in transcript)
On the Feast of the Transfiguration (Vardavar), the preacher delivers a bilingual homily exploring the events leading up to the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor. Beginning with Peter's confession of Christ as the Son of God and Jesus's declaration that upon this faith he will build his church, the sermon examines Peter's subsequent rejection of Christ's prediction of his crucifixion and Jesus's sharp rebuke — "Get behind me, Satan." The preacher explains that Jesus was not rejecting Peter himself but the doubt and evil in his heart, drawing a pastoral lesson: we must love the person while rejecting the sin within them. The Transfiguration, six days later, is presented as Christ revealing his divine light to strengthen his disciples for the difficult path ahead, and as a continuing revelation to all believers that the same divine light dwells within us, sustaining us through our own struggles and doubts.
Matthew 17:1-9; Matthew 16:13-20; Matthew 16:21-23; John (referenced regarding light)
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