Jesus

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas! As I unwrap the Christmas decorations every year, I reflect upon these words and admire all the ornaments, especially those shaped like candy canes. Candy canes are such a delicious treat, one we enjoyed every year as children while trimming the tree. Although I grew up in a Christian home, I never knew the meaning behind the candy cane until I was an adult. I am sure many of you know this tale, but it’s always nice to remind ourselves of the candy cane legend and reflect upon why we celebrate Christmas as Christians and remember why Christ was born into this world in the first place — to die for our sins.

Hundreds of congregants packed into St. Kevork Armenian Apostolic Church on Tuesday to celebrate Christmas with the blessing of the water. A holy cross that symbolizes Jesus was dipped in holy water and “Holy Muron,” or oil, during the ceremony. The holy oil was boiled and blessed in Armenia and sent to Glendale for Tuesday’s ceremony, Deacon Tigran Garibjanyan said. “It is about clearing us from our sins, and we are also feeling Jesus coming into us,” Garibjanyan said.

I, for one, am sick of hearing the debate over prayers in the council chambers. Should there or shouldn't there be? Should we invoke the name of Jesus or not? The simple answer to these questions is no. I seem to recall a matter of separation between church and state. Am I alone in that recollection? I am a firm believer in God and Jesus. Still, even as a believer, I have to admit the possibility that I may be wrong about what I believe. Further, what I believe may not be what other people believe and, therefore, I have no right to force those beliefs upon individuals or groups who may not want to hear them.

John 12:3 tells us, "Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume." (Holy Bible, New International Version) Mary's act of devotion to our Lord was expensive and unusual. Not only was perfume typically poured upon someone's head, Mary used her hair to wipe Jesus' feet ? and a reputable woman in those days did not unbind her hair in public. What can we learn from this act of devotion?

Next week, we celebrate Palm Sunday, five days later, Good Friday; and then Easter. As Christians, these are pinnacle events for us. They represent the means to our salvation, and the One who came to die, resurrect and conquer sin for us as fallen humans. Palm Sunday is the day we remember Jesus as Messiah and reflect on His triumphal entry. Palm branches are a declaration of victory (John 12:13, Holy Bible). On this day, Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of a King riding on a donkey from the Old Testament (Zechariah 9:9)

I love the story in Mark 2 where Jesus calls a man named Levi to follow Him. They go to Levi's house and end up eating dinner with many tax collectors and "sinners" who had been following Jesus. It happens in this story that the Pharisees see Jesus eating with these so-called "sinners" and they ask His disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" (Mark 2:16b; Holy Bible, New International Version). I appreciate this portion of Scripture because it gives an accurate portrayal of how Jesus lived His life and why He came to this earth.

Get a grip. All Irv Rubin was objecting to was using the name Jesus in a prayer at a government proceeding. Church, state ... remember? How did you get from there to no more picnics in the park, a ban on bumper stickers, no pray in the air, no more last rites, a prayer police patrol, lynch mobs and prostitution? I can't even imagine what a far-off place you would go in your mind had the council used the word Yahweh. Talk about being wrapped too tight.

Were early Christians really persecuted for their beliefs? The popular image is of them being thrown to the lions and having to meet in secret, but an author is challenging what she calls the "myth" of Christian persecution. Candida Moss, who is Professor of New Testament and early Christianity at the University of Notre Dame, has written a book called "The Myth of Persecution: How Early Christians Invented A Story of Martyrdom. " Dealing with the 300 years following the death of Jesus, she sets out to debunk what she calls "the Sunday school narrative of a church of martyrs" and claims that instead of three centuries of continual suppression, there were perhaps only 10 or 12 years during which it happened with any frequency.

This year, perhaps more so than in any other in recent memory, people can relate to the desperation of Mary and Joseph as they searched frantically for shelter on the eve of Jesus' birth. No assets, poor, and completely dependent on the generosity of others, they came to rest in a stable, beaten back by the harsh realities of even the small town of Bethlehem. As the economy continues to weigh heavily on households — lost jobs, cut hours, lost health insurance — and with little hope for improvement in the near term, more and more people have had to settle into their own stables and accept the humility and frustrations that come with it. It's the range of impact that makes it all so staggering.

?2012? was at the top of the box office last week. The movie?s plot revolves around the end of the world, supposedly predicted by the end of the Mayan calendar, which expires on Dec. 21, 2012. The movie is described as ?an epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors.? The supposed end of the world in 2012 continues to be a hot topic by believers and nonbelievers alike. Does your faith reveal anything specific about the end of the world or how it might look like?

This past weekend, I attended the funeral of a man whom I knew only as an acquaintance. He and his wife were close friends of my parents. The man was a great asset to our parish, where he volunteered thousands of hours over the 40 years he and his wife were parishioners. I last saw him reading the Sunday scriptures during the Spanish Mass about three weeks ago. His deep voice and slow pacing made him an excellent lector. I did not know that would be the last time I would see him alive.

Do you ever consider that Paul, whom the Holy Spirit used to write a majority of the New Testament, was actually persecuting Jesus before he was called to serve him? I have heard people say that they are not worthy to serve Jesus, that if I knew what they had done, I would be disgusted. I often tell people in my therapy office that I have probably heard it before or it is within the realm of what I have heard before ? and that I will never look at them in a way that brings shame.