Dear Friends,

January 13 marked the end of the octave of Armenian Christmas. Although this year’s celebration was challenged by the weather, I am thankful that we were able to remain faithful to the Holy Tradition of our Apostolic Church by conducting the appointed liturgies in solemn celebration of the Birth and Baptism of our Lord.

Today we offer a special thanksgiving prayer for our sanctuary and for the many faithful, who sacrificed and donated so generously to make our sanctuary restoration possible. In our human experience, often it seems that until we are deprived of something we do not fully realize its importance.

A little over a year ago due to safety issues with our sanctuary ceiling, we were deprived the use of our house of prayer. For six months we were forced to conduct our holy Badaraks, baptisms and funerals in the Egavian Hall. Needless to say we were greatly inconvenienced by being without our Temple.

Yet, my hope is that this experience made us all the more aware of the importance of having a beautiful place to be inspired, to worship and express our love to our awesome creator; and receive the holy sacraments.

I came upon the following short story, which touches upon the idea of awareness, which can be extended to thankfulness:

A man sat at a metro station in Washington D.C. and played his violin. It was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for 45 minutes. And since it was the rush hour it is estimated that thousands of people passed him by on their way to work.

It took three minutes before anyone stopped to take notice. A middle-aged man slowed his pace and listened for a few seconds, but then hurried on. A woman threw some money in his open violin case but didn’t stop. A young child wanted to stop but was hurried on by his mother. In the 45 minutes he was there the violinist collected about $32. And when he finished playing, silence took over but nobody noticed.

No one knew the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played some of the most beautiful and intricate pieces ever written and he did it on a violin worth $3.5 Million. Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at the Symphony Hall in Boston to a crowd that paid upwards of $100 per seat.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and people’s priorities.

I wonder, if we don’t have the time or the awareness to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, what else are we missing?

Friends, this day we are giving thanks because so many of you were aware of the importance of our church. May this day be an opportunity for each of us to rededicate ourselves to awareness of God’s blessings and regular participation in the sacred Badarak for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

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With prayers.
Hayr Simeon
January 18, 2009