January 6, 2025
Christmas Divine Liturgy Sermon – January 6, 2025
Parish priest (unnamed) and Archbishop Hovnan Derderian (Primate's message)
On the Feast of the Nativity and Theophany (January 6), the parish priest explains the Armenian Church's tradition of celebrating Christmas on January 6, tracing it to Saint Nerses Shnorhali's defense of Armenian distinctiveness. Archbishop Hovnan Derderian's Primate's message urges the faithful to walk in the light of the Lord, reflecting on renewal, spiritual values, and faithfulness in challenging times. The priest then delivers an Armenian and English sermon on the inextricable connection between Christ's birth and his baptism (Theophany), emphasizing baptism as the means of becoming members of Christ's body and inheritors of the kingdom of heaven, and urging parents not to deprive their children of baptism.
Isaiah 2:5