Pentecost Establishment of the Body of Christ In This Issue Acts 2:1-21 Pastors Points of Light……….…………………………………….…….. 1 Luke 1:26-28 ~ April 7, 2019 Index………………………. …………………………..……………………... 1 2 Publication Information…………………………………………….……… 1 When the day of Pentecost had Sunday School Graduation……………………………………………….. 3 come, they were all together in one Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church ….……………..….…….…. 4 2 place. And suddenly from heaven Gift From Armenia………………………………………………………….. 4 there came a sound like the rush of a Hye M'rtsoom Sports Weekend in Watertown………………………… 4 violent wind, and it filled the entire Parish Council Corner………..…...………………………………………. 5 nd house where they were sitting. 3 Divided 32 Ararat Open……………………………………………………………. 5 tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested Sunday School Graduation Essays…………………………………….. 6 4 Annual Golf Tournament Hole Sponsors………………………………. 6 on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit Request A Service ……………………………………….…..……………. 6 and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them Coffee Fellowship Hour Donations……………………………………… 6 ability. 50th Charles Yaghoobian, Jr Memorial Sport Banquet……………… 7 5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under Women’s Guild New Slate of Officers………………………………….. 7 heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd Thank You…………………………………………………………………… 8 The Year of the Family-Family of the Month…………………………... 8 gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them Save The Date....………. …..……………………………………………… 8 7 speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and Food Drive……………………………………….….………….……………. 8 astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Photo Section……………………………………………………………….. 9 Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own Photo Section…………………………….………………………………… 10 native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents Photo Section………………………………………………………………. 11 Ad Section…..………………………………………………………………. 12 of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Annual Armenian Festival……………………….……………………….. 13 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya Home is Where the Heart Is - Service Project June 2020…………… 13 belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and Journey to Armenia…………..………………..………….……………… 14 proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we Meet the Doctors…….……..………………………………………………. 14 hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” 12 All were Women’s Saints Day………………………….. …….…………………... 15 amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this First Saint Nersess Adult Conference………………………………….. 15 13 Letter of Condolence from His Holiness KAREKIN II ……………… 15 mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with Annual Armenian Festival Donation Options..….…………………… 16 new wine.” Baptisms, Chrismation, Marriages, Funerals……………….……….. 17 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and Father Shnork's Mission Statement……………………………………. 17 addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, Remember the Church in your Will…………………………………….. 17 let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, Hokehankist/Memorial/Requiem………………………………………… 17 Save: the Date Bishop’s Visit……………..………..…………………….. 17 these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock Membership / Stewardship……………………………………………….. 18 16 in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the Newsletter Committee / Advertise in the Paros ………………..……. 19 17 prophet Joel: ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I Administrati ve Information………………………………………….….... 19 will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your Calendar of Events………………………………………….…………....... 20 daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see “Paros” visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.18 Even upon Issued June 30th, 2019 my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out 19 Published 4 times a year my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and Issue 19-02 – FREE – Print Edition fire, and smoky mist. 20 The sun shall be turned to Saints Sahag and Mesrob Armenian Church darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the 70 Jefferson St, Providence, RI 02908-4923 21 Lord’s great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. This section of the New Testament, in describing the appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. beginnings of the early church after the Ascension of our 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to Lord, describes the inauguration of the Holy Church, the Body speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.”4 of Christ comprised by the Holy Spirit’s descent, indwelling, The church’s establishment is therefore very much the story inspiration, charisms and the works and missions of the early the church’s birthday. It is the establishment of the Church and the Acts of the Apostles. This watershed moment supernatural assembly5 of God’s people, comprised of those in the history of humanity is known as the Pentecost. who believe in Christ. Pentecost is the annual celebration of the fiftieth day following From the day of the Pentecost, her work has remained the Resurrection and 10 days following the Ascension of the unchanged and continues to our day, as she’s moved along by Lord. Following His glorious resurrection, our Lord appeared the Holy Spirit6, and will persist until the coming again of our to his apostles and disciples for 40 days when He ascended in Lord. As in the time of the Apostlic church, the Body of Christ great glory1 to receive His Kingdom established before the assembles on the Lord’s day and is devoted simply to the creation of the world. “apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to The book of Acts describes in some surprising detail the the breaking of bread and to prayer.”7 Pentecost therefore miraculous events that marked the “birth” of the church. always falling on a Sunday, 50 days following Easter, is Written by Saint Luke, his meticulous record of the church’s another foreshadowing of the New Creation and the early history describes the descent of the Holy Spirit, the expectation of the ultimate Second Coming and our eternal accompanying phenomena, Saint Peter’s speech, and tells of salvation! the effects produced by this event and how it transformed the No other “practice”, especially staying away from church, group of frightened disciples, who were filled with sadness , replacing it with other activities, “false” spiritual practices, remorse, regret, uncertainty and fear, and filled them with the philosophy searching for “wisdom” outside or apart from the Holy Spirit who empowered them to fearlessly and Divine Revelation of God in Christ, or avoiding the assembly confidently establish the beginnings of the Body of Christ! of the faithful, disregarding its spiritual benefits, can possibly This event, known as Pentecost, a Hellenic version of the replace the “gathering” of the faithful on the Lord’s Day. A Jewish Feast of Weeks, is very much a fulfillment of the Christian cannot remain or imagine that they can remain in a promises that Israel looked toward in the Messianic age, state of grace and be saved apart from their presence at and in where “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour the assembly of the Body of Christ. A person can only remain out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall in the gracious Communion of the church in the Holy Spirit prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men and in the apostolic practice of the church where the Holy shall see visions. 29 And also on My menservants and Spirit, “the fountain of life and source of mercy”8 is on My maidservants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days.2” confirmed. Like our souls, and our redeemed flesh, it is On the day of Pentecost, the disciples were gathered equally true also that our “mind is taught by the Spirit”9, together, rather “assembled3”, as both commanded by Jesus which is given to the church, and to each of the baptized and also, not coincidently, fulfilling that which was individually through Baptism and Chrismation. Each is given prophesied in the prescription by the law of God given to the promise of the divine sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit Israel in the Pentecost (Feast of Weeks) of the Old Covenant, who is sealed mysteriously in our person, body and soul and where they too were called to “assemble” before God and places us in communion with the divine, filled with all the gathered where “And suddenly from heaven there came a grace sufficient for salvation. Like the consummation of the sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire Holy Spirit at Pentecost, we too are grafted into the living house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, Body of Christ and given all the spiritual fruits as a precious and eternal gift. This gift is 9-fold comprised of love, joy, 23 peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 1 Acts 1:30 1:3 To the same apostles also, after his suffering, he gentleness and self-control. While the gift is manifest in these presented himself alive with many convincing proofs. He was seen nine, they are all only made possible and present only through by them over a forty-day period and spoke about matters concerning constantly returning to the body in repentance and a desire for the kingdom of God. renewal within the life in Christ, by purity, by knowledge, by 2 Joel 2:28-29 long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere 3 15 Leviticus 23:15-21 “‘From the day after the Sabbath, the day you love.10 brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full The gift of baptism comes with the promise of such 16 weeks.