- araratchurch
- Dec 27, 2025
- 2 min read
”He was in the beginning with God.“
John 1:2 NKJV
What many people fail to grasp is that the Word, Jesus, did not come into existence in the womb of Mary. He has eternally existed. Indeed, in the beginning of this creation, the Word, being eternal, already existed.
What happened in Mary’s womb is that the Word, Jesus, took on the form of our flesh, becoming—though already fully God—fully Man.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.“
John 1:14 NKJV
John also tells us:
“No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.“
John 1:18 NKJV
Consider, all through the Old Testament are accounts of people physically interacting with God. Yet, Jesus says that NO ONE has seen God. How can this be so?
You see, God, being immeasurable, unlimited, unsearchable, is made manifest through the Word (Jesus), referenced in the Old Testament as the Angel of the Lord, Commander of Heaven’s armies, and other titles.
Consider what Jesus said when Philip asked Him to show them the Father:
“Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”
John 14:8-9 NKJV
Indeed, through Jesus, and only through Jesus, we see the Father, the eternal God!
Jesus is eternal! And best news ever: He shares His eternal life with us!
“For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.””
Hebrews 7:14-17 ESV
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Dec 27, 2025
- 2 min read
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.“
John 1:1 NKJV
As we have discussed, there is no prescription in the Bible for how/when to celebrate Christ’s birth; as well, there is also no prescription concerning what has come to be called, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” But—seeing we believe that more observances celebrating Christ’s birth is a good thing—we will jump on board with celebrating another 12 days!
The 12 days of Christmas have been celebrated for hundreds of years. However, the dates observed as the 12 days, vary. For our purposes, we will use December 26 through January 6. Indeed, Armenia, the first Christian Nation, has always celebrated Christmas on January 6.
[As you may know, our Patriarch, Harry Ararat Mushegan, was a first generation Armenian American, his family having escaped the Armenian genocide in which millions of Armenians were martyred because of their devotion to Christ. Yes, a warning from a Russian boy prophet, prompted his mother and father to flee to the United States as young people. No sooner had they settled here, the genocide commenced.]
For our observance, we will look to the first 12 verses of John’s Gospel for our meditation on each of the 12 days. Our consideration will be brief, but can be used as a source of reflection for those who would like to have a better understanding of the Gift born in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago.
On this first day let us meditate on the truth that Jesus is God.
Don’t struggle with understanding what we call “The Trinity,” God in three Persons. For now, let it suffice that God expresses Himself in three distinct ways, but is not a “committee” of 3 people.
Yes, Jesus, though fully man, was also/is also, fully God. Considering this fact, how should this truth inform our consideration of that manger scene?
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Dec 25, 2025
- 2 min read
“They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.”
Luke 2:16-20 NLT
Here we are on Christmas Eve!
I pray that our time together preparing for the celebration of the Lord’s birth, and for His soon return, has been a blessing to you.
Remember, even if you are reading this on a day that is not Christmas Eve or Christmas Day by the calendar, because of what Jesus did, it can be Christmas every day in our hearts.
On occasion I have sung the old song, “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” and that is just what the shepherds did after seeing that divine baby lying in a manger all those years ago. They could not contain their excitement; nor could they contain the story of what the angels had told them about that precious Child.
I pray we never lose the zeal for telling others about that Holy Child Who has become our Savior and Lord.
A while back the Lord put it in our hearts to reference Ararat Church as “The Mountain.” The Lord told us that Ararat Church is indeed an outpost, a representation of the Mountain of the Lord in these Last Days before the coming of Jesus Christ.
Yes, the Lord Himself has built a representation of His Holy Mountain here at Ararat Church, to serve as a witness of His soon coming Kingdom! As such, we will spend every day, in every way, telling the world that as sure as Jesus was born to a virgin on that holy night in Bethlehem, He will also soon return to rule and reign as our forever King. And, even now, through faith, we can live under His eternal rule!
Merry Christmas and God’s peace to you and yours! Now, go tell someone else about the Good News!
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!