Uncongenial reporting

Vaհe H Apelian

 

The reporting I am alluding to is the one I read yesterday in the Armenian Weekly. It is titled “Armenian prisoners in Baku: A political inconvenience for Yerevan?”. It cites a brief incident that happened with the FM Ararat Mirzoyan.  I quote, “The incident unfolded in Vardanants Square during a campaign appearance by Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan. As reporters pressed him on whether the issue of Armenian prisoners of war would be raised during high-level diplomatic meetings with Washington, the minister responded not with reassurance, urgency or even caution — but with irritation. “Ա՜ դե, ծընգլ արիք,” Mirzoyan snapped at journalists, using a slang expression that roughly translates to, “All right already, enough,” or, more bluntly, “You’re getting on my nerves.”

Of course, the reporter knows that the Armenian government has brought the issue of the Armenian prisoners at highest level. The PM  Nikol Pashinyan brought the issue of the Armenian prisoners to the attention of president Trump. 

If you doubt my assertion, that the Armenian government has raised the issue of the Armenian prisoners, ask the all-knowing AI. I did. This is the response I got. I quote. “Yes, the Armenian government consistently raises the issue of Armenian prisoners of war and detainees held in Azerbaijan with the U.S. For example, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan reaffirmed that securing the release of detainees in Baku remains an active and permanent topic in their dialogue with American counterparts. The issue has also been discussed at the highest levels, including engagement with the U.S. administration and during visits by U.S. officials to the region.”

But YES, the Armenian government has NOT made the prisoners issue contingent to its peace negotiations in pursuing its crossroad for peace strategic initiative.

Given that what is public knowledge for all those concerned in the Armenian prisoners, I found the reporter pressing the issue to the FM Ararat Mirzoyan, inhospitable, hostile and absolutely uncaring.

Attached is my response to the article I forwarded to the Weekly, as my comment. I wanted to archive it, for all its worth. “I saw the incident Hoory Manoyan reported. Apparently Hoory Manoyan did not. It does not surprise me that FM Ararat Mirzoyan had the same reaction I did upon reading her reporting, in the manner she did. It irked me greatly. It must have irked the FM as well. It irked me, as it must have irked the FM, simply because the person who asked the question and Hoory Manoyan who reported the incident, do not have more at stake than the rest of us have about being held captive in this manner. Of course, I am not alluding to the agony of their family members who bear and will continue to bear no other can possibly feel, and alleviate. It is very obvious that the person who asked the FM, and Hoory Manoyan who reported to readers, are interested in needling to elicit a response of annoyance to make their day as reporters, in this day and age of reporting.

It is highly unlikely that Hoory Manoyan and that reporter had any suggestion for Armenia do, to have the prisoners released. As far as I am concerned, their release is contingent upon of Armenia finalizing the peace deal with Azerbaijan, for which Armenia has to remove the Declaration-Hrchakagir – from its Constitution or annul it.

That Hrchagakir is falsely reported as Declaration of Independence. Hrchagakir simply means an important declaration, a manifesto. Check any Armenian dictionary. There is nothing mentioned in it from whom or from what Armenia is declaring independence and why it is declaring independence.  There is no British Monarch or crown like mentioned there abusing its power, from whom or from which the Americans declared Independence. Or, there is no Spanish Colonialism like doing Mexicans wrong, from which Mexicans declared of Independence. The Armenian Declaration is a call to unite with Artsakh and remedy historical wrongs. Armenia cannot live up to what it declares, lest it resorts to another catastrophic losing war.”

I attached a copy of my comment awaiting moderation:

John Armenian a true centrist candidate

 Vaհe H Apelian

John Armenian is running for election to the U.S. House to represent California's 30th Congressional District. He is on the ballot in the primary on June 2, 2026. He is running as a centrist and not as a party affiliate.

There are six other candidates on the ballot. Four of whom are running as Democrats, and two are running as Republicans The favored candidate appears to be the incumbent, Laura Friedman (D). John Armenian is the only candidate who is running as a centrist. The general election will take place on November 3, 2026. Two candidates who attained the highest votes during the June 2 primary, will be running in the general election. It is expected that it will be Laura Friedman and another.

John Armenian whom his classmates and close friends, know by his endearing name Ohan, studied physics at the American University of Beirut. After receiving his undergraduate degree in physics, he did graduate work at Tufts University in Boston. Not long after graduation, he moved to California where he was first employed in aerospace engineering. He later established his own very successful aerospace consulting firm. 

In his congressional election campaign brochure John wrote: “For 40 years, I solved complex problems for America's national defense—developing cutting-edge aerospace technologies, holding top-secret DoD clearances, founded my own R&D firm, and earned NASA recognition for contributions to the Hubble Space Telescope. I didn't build aerospace systems by picking political sides. I built them with data, logic, and rigorous problem-solving.”

John Armenian is a true centrist. In this heightened polarization of American politics, he represents an independent fresh air, who will strive to solve issues on their own merits. John Armenian is financing his campaign. In an interview he clarified that the is not running against the incumbent Laura Friedman or any other candidate for their party affiliation, he is running to bring his experience and knowhow to solve problems. NASA has recognized his special problem-solving capabilities.

When it comes to Armenia, he will continue to support that government the citizens of Armenia will elect on June 7, 2026.  

I urge all those who happen to read this blog, and live in his electoral district, to consider casting their votes in his favor. True to his spirited Independence to be his own person, in work as well – he founded his own aerospace consulting firm -  John Armenian has not sought the endorsement of any Armenian organization be it ANCA or Armenian National Assembly.

I urge all those who happen to read my blog and live in his electoral district, to vote for him. It is indeed rare to come across a true centrist person who will work for the people, not a party; and for common-sense solutions and not politics.

 . 

 

 

 

 

May 28, 1918 born during the Great War (World War 1)

 Vaհe H Apelian

Tomorrow is May 28. It is a public holiday in Armenia, one of the 13 non-working holidays. It is called Republic Day and is celebrated to observe the founding of the first Republic of Amenia on May 28, 1918, after being stateless for the previous 543 years, since the fall of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia in 1375.

The Armenian Republic was born in war time. It was born as the Great War or World War I was raging. The war had started on July 28, 1914 and ended on the 11th hour on November 11, 1918.

It is called World War, because the conflict was between major global coalitions. The Allied Powers, consisted of France, Great Britain, and Russia, warring the Central Powers consisting of Germany and Austria-Hungary of the day, allied with the Ottoman Empire (Turkey). The Americans joined the Allied forces in 1917, to help them reverse the losing tide.

The Armenians participated in the World War I, siding  with the Allied Forces and fought both on the Western and Eastern or Caucasian fronts to help the Allied forces defeat Turkey and to have the Armenians establish a state of our own.

On the Eastern Front or Caucasian Front, the  Armenians fought under the Imperial Russian command, until the abdication of Tsar Nicholas in March 1917. Several months later, in October 1917, the Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, took over the Russian government. The immediate goal of the Bolsheviks was to exit from the devastating war. In December 1917, the Bolsheviks formally ended Russia's participation in the war by signing the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918. 

The tsar's abdication and Bolshevik Russia’s exit from the Eastern Front of the Great War became catastrophic to the Armenians. It gave the Turks a free rein to commit the Armenian Genocide and to cleanse the surviving Armenians from the Armenian highlands, forcing the rag tag survivors of the Armenian genocide flee to Eastern Armenia.

But as Russia withdrew in 1917, Armenian battle hardened volunteer combatants, filled the void and halted further Ottoman advances in 1918 at the decisive Battles of Sardarabad, Bash Abaran, and Karakilisa, paving the way for the Armenians to establish the first Republic of Armenia on May 28, 1918. 

. A week after the founding the Republic of Armenia, the Ottoman Empire and the newly independent First Republic of Armenia, signed the Treaty of Batumi on June 4, 1918. Turkey recognized Armenia's independence but the treaty forced Armenia to cede large territories and submit to a significantly reduced military and restricted sovereignty.

The Great War continued on the Western Front. The Americans had joined the allies in 1917 and on May 28, 1918, U.S. forces fought its first major offensive in Cantigny,  France. This first major American offensive came to be known as the Battle of Cantigny. After the war was over, a memorial was elected there.

Armenian Americans served directly in the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in Europe. Among them notable were Brigadier General Haig Shekerjian, who later became the first general of Armenian descent in the U.S. military, and Major Varaztad Kazanjian, who pioneered reconstructive plastic surgery during the war, and became known as the Miracle Man of the Western Front. 

Armenians from the U.S. also served in The French Foreign Legion. The  French called the formation La Legion Armenienne. These volunteer Armnenian combatants came to be known as Gamavors, the Armenian name for volunteers. The Gamavors fought crucial battles in the Middle  East and helped secure Allied victories in the region, notably the Battle of Arara on September 18, 1918.

The Armenian volunteer combatants, especially on the Western Front of the Great War, were motivated by a French and Diaspora Armenian pact which promised that in return for Armenian military support to the Allied Forces,  against the Ottoman and German alliance, the French and their allies would help the Western Armenians lay the foundation for home rule in Cilicia. But that was not to be.

The First World War ended in  Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920) to establish the formal peace terms and redraw the global map following World War I. Diplomats from victorious Allied nations gathered in France to penalize the defeated Central Powers, establish new national borders, and create the League of Nations to prevent future conflicts. 

The Armenians were also invited to the conference. The conference came with the Treaty of Versailles, that severely punished Germany, and had a portion of Turkey under the mandate of the United State 

Treaty of Versailles, required Germany to accept responsibility for the war, relinquish territory, drastically reduce its military, and pay heavy financial reparations, that crippled the post war German economy and rendered the Germans destitute and gave rise to the Nazis, two decades later.

The victorious powers however were much more lenient to Turkey, although it was complicit with Germany. The Treaty of Sèvres promised Armenians an independent state encompassing vast historic territories on the historic Armenian highlands, recognized the Republic of Armenia and held Turkey accountable for the Armenian genocide. However, the treaty was never ratified.  On the contrary, it was superseded by the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, which cemented modern Turkish borders and for all practical purposes legitimized the Great Armenian Dispossession because of the Genocide. 

From our tumultuous history, there remains of course the Republic of Armenia and us, as the descendents of the Armenian Genocide survivors turned into a global nation. Tomorrow, the citizens of Armenia will take a day off to attend the festivities marking the 108th anniversary of the founding of the first Republic of Armenia. The rest of us will join them in one way or another.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Symbols of the Republic of Armenia

 Vaհe H Apelian

May 28, is Republic Day in Armenia. It is a public holiday to observe and celebrate the founding of the Democratic Republic of Armenia in 1918. The PM announced that that there will be a military parade as well along with other festivities. A tent platform is being constructed in the main square, the Republic Square. The tricolor waterproof outer shell that covers the tent body against the elements, consists of a multi peaked white dome over the tricolor tent body. It is claimed that the multi peaked white dome represents the Aragats mountain range, the highest peaked mountain range in Armenia and that  Mount Ararat is not being displayed. 

The citizens of Armenia have enshrined the symbols of the Republic of Armenia in the Article 21 of the Constitution, and display them on Armenia’s coat-of-arms. That article in the Constitution reads as follows:

“Article 21. Symbols of the Republic of Armenia

1. The flag of the Republic of Armenia shall be tricolour, with equal horizontal stripes of red, blue and orange.

2. The Coat of Arms of the Republic of Armenia shall be as follows: in the centre, a shield with the representation of Mount Ararat with Noah’s Ark and the Coats of Arms of the four kingdoms of historical Armenia. The shield is held by an eagle and a lion, whereas a sword, a branch, a corn sheaf, a chain and a ribbon are depicted under the shield.

3. The detailed description of the flag and Coat of Arms shall be prescribed by law.

4. The anthem of the Republic of Armenia shall be prescribed by law.”

 

There remains for all of us as Armenians, to abide by the constitutional provision. Any comment to the contrary to what has been adopted and prescribed in the Constitution is driven by disruptive partisanship. Given the heightened election mood in Armenia, I accept with reluctance the possibility of such disruptive partisanship in Armenia, as long it is not unlawful.

But when it comes to Diaspora, there cannot possibly be any room for partisanship simply because Armenians in the Diaspora cannot vote and have no say other than wish that there will be an orderly exercise in Armenia of the fundamental for democratic governance, election; to have the citizens of Armenia safely, and orderly, exercise their right to elect the government that will govern them with their consent.

 

SEROP ANTIKIAN (1890s–1960s) - THE ARMENIAN WHO DROVE AMMAN INTO THE MODERN AGE

 Reproduced from Kegham Papazian’s Facebook page. Հայերէնը կցուած է ներքեւը։

Courtesy Kegham Papazian

"SEROP ANTIKIAN (1890s–1960s) - THE ARMENIAN WHO DROVE AMMAN INTO THE MODERN AGE: Սերոբ Անդիկեան, Ամմանի Առաջին Վարձակառքը": In the early decades of the 20th century, as Amman was transforming from a quiet town into the beating heart of a new nation, one Armenian immigrant became part of its story in a way few could have imagined. His name was Serop Antikian, and in 1925 he became the owner and driver of the very first taxi in Amman, Jordan — a modest vehicle that would help carry a growing city into the modern era.

1) A New Beginning in a New Land:

Like many Armenians of his generation, Serop arrived in the Middle East carrying the weight of loss and the determination to rebuild. Amman, still young and full of possibility, became a place where he could begin again. With hard work, skill, and the quiet discipline Armenians were known for, Serop earned the trust of local families, merchants, and officials. In 1925, he purchased a car — a rare sight in the city at the time — and registered it as Amman’s first taxi. What he created was more than a business; it was a lifeline for a community on the rise.

2) The Taxi That Became a Landmark:

People in Amman remembered Serop’s taxi not only because it was the first, but because it became a familiar and comforting presence on the city’s dusty roads. Residents would say “If you needed to get somewhere safely, you called Serop.” “He knew every street before the streets had names or he treated every passenger with respect as if they were family.” His taxi carried teachers to schools, merchants to markets, travelers to the train station, and families to celebrations. In a city that was learning to move, Serop helped it move with dignity.

3) A Bridge Between Communities:

Serop was more than a driver. He became a symbol of the Armenian community’s contribution to Jordanian society; a community that brought craftsmanship, honesty, and a deep sense of responsibility wherever it settled.

He spoke Arabic with an Armenian accent, greeted passengers with warmth, and became known for his reliability. Jordanians trusted him. Armenians were proud of him. And newcomers saw in him a model of how to build a life with integrity.

4) Legacy of a Quiet Pioneer:

Serop Antikian did not seek fame. He did not imagine that his simple taxi would one day be remembered as a piece of Jordan’s urban history. But his story lives on because it represents something larger: the courage of a survivor of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, the determination of an immigrant, the contribution of Armenians to the Middle East and the power of one individual to shape a city’s memory

His taxi may no longer run, but the road he paved; a road of service, trust, and community, remains part of Amman’s heritage.

5) A Life That Still Speaks:

Today, nearly a century later, the story of Serop Antikian reminds us that history is not only written by generals and kings. Sometimes it is written by a man behind the wheel of a single car; a man who carried a city forward, one passenger at a time.

His legacy endures in the streets of Amman, in the memories of families who rode with him, and in the pride of Armenians who continue to build, contribute, and uplift every place they call home.

Prepared by Kegham Papazian

                                            ***

ՍԵՐՈԲ ԱՆՏԻՔԵԱՆ — Ամմանի Առաջին Վարձակառքը (1925)

1920-ականներուն, երբ Ամմանը կը փոխուէր փոքր քաղաքէ՝ զարգացող մայրաքաղաքի, հայ մը դարձաւ անոր նոր ժամանակներու խորհրդանիշը։ Ան էր Սերոբ Անտիքեան, որ 1925-ին ունեցաւ Ամմանի առաջին վարձակառքը՝ դառնալով քաղաքի շարժման եւ արդիականացման անբաժան մասը։

Սերոբը, որպէս ցեղասպանութենէն փրկուած եւ նոր կեանք որոնող հայ գաղթական, Ամման եկաւ աշխատասիրութեամբ ու արժանապատուութեամբ։ Անոր գնած վարձակառքը՝ այն օրերուն հազուագիւտ տեսարան մը, շուտով դարձաւ քաղաքի վստահելի ուղեկիցը։ Ամմանցիներ կը պատմէին, թէ Սերոբը կը ճանչնար քաղաքի բոլոր ճամբաները՝ նոյնիսկ երբ անոնք անուն չունէին, եւ թէ անոր վարձակառքը միշտ ապահովութիւն ու հաւատք կը ներշնչէր։

Սերոբ Անտիքեան միայն վարորդ մը չէր։ Ան կամուրջ մըն էր համայնքներու միջեւ՝ հայի մը ազնուութեամբ, Արաբի մը ջերմութեամբ եւ մարդասիրութեամբ։ Անոր վարձակառքը ծառայեց ուսուցիչներու, վաճառականներու, ընտանիքներու եւ ճամբորդներու՝ դառնալով Ամմանի առօրեայ կեանքի անբաժան մասը։

Այսօր, մօտ մէկ դար ետք, Սերոբ Անտիքեանի պատմութիւնը կը մնայ Ամմանի եւ Միջին Արեւելքի հայութեան համեստ բայց հպարտ ժառանգութիւններէն մէկը։ Անոր վարձակառքը այլեւս գոյութիւն չունի, բայց անոր թողած ճամբան՝ ծառայութեան, վստահութեան եւ մարդկային արժէքներու, կը շարունակէ ապրիլ։ 

Պատրաստեց Գեղամ Փափազեան

At this Memorial Day Sunday: The need for comfort.

Rev. Avedis Boynerian graciously forwards me his Sunday sermon ahead of time. This Sunday May 24, 2026, Rev. Avedis Boynerian’s sermon pertained to Memorial Day, which is a solemn federal holiday dedicated to honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces, and also to remember and honor our dear family members, relatives, friends who have departed from us for good. Vaհe H Apelian

“The need for comfort

On this Memorial Day weekend, we gather to remember those who gave their lives in service to this nation, who left behind their families, dreams, and futures so that we might live in freedom and peace.

Memorial Day reminds us that freedom is not free.

Memorial Day comes with a price - with an expensive price.

Jesus said: “(Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).

The greatest way to honor those who gave their lives is to live lives worthy of their sacrifice—to pursue security, peace, justice and love of neighbor.

So today we remember the fallen and honor their memory and pray for grieving families, for veterans, and for peace in our world.

The loss of a loved one is probably the most difficult time in life.

I lost my mother when she was in her early sixties.

I lost my brother when he was 42 years old. 

I tell you. These were not easy times for my father, my siblings and me.

On Memorial Day Sunday we grieve for 

Grief is never comfortable for any of us. Sometimes it can seem unbearable. 

Please, listen: The Bible does not say, “Not to grieve.” 

It says, “If a Christian dies, we do not grieve as those who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13). 

That means we have hope today! 

Knowing that our loved ones are in heaven and we can see them again. 

They were men and women, who loved God, loved their country and loved their neighbor.  

They trusted Jesus, while they were alive, and now Jesus has embraced them in heaven. 

Jesus, in His very first sermon - Sermon on the Mount, made promises to all who have faith and believe in Him. 

He said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).

What an assurance Jesus makes to us in our mourning: He comforts us. 

How do we do justice to these individuals, who meant so much to us?

It seems like they left us too soon. 

Yet, they impacted us. 

They built their lives around the church. 

(Yes, it’s never a good time to lose a loved one. But it’s never a bad time to go to heaven either.

Today we have mixed feelings. 

We sorrow at the thought of not having them with us and the joy that their suffering is over. 

I am confident that God understands what we are feeling and are going through.  

The Bible says, “Jesus was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). 

I am confident that in our own ways, at times like this, we all need the same things. We all need comfort, faith, peace and hope. 

The truth is: all of those things are found in Jesus! 

Jesus said, (“God has sent me to bind up the broken hearted and to comfort all who mourn” (Isaiah 61:1). 

He also said, “As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you” (Isaiah 66:13).

The apostle Paul was a man of many sorrows and each time, Jesus saw him through. 

Paul would say gratefully, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles” (2 Corinthians 1:3). 

God understands the grief we feel at the loss of someone we loved. 

God knows what it’s like to lose a loved one. 

He lost His Son undeservedly at the age of 33! 

But, God does more than just understand us. 

He shares and bears our sorrow. 

That is so beautifully illustrated in the story of Lazarus.

Lazarus, Jesus’ friend, had died. 

How many times his sisters had thought during his illness: “If Jesus would only come before death arrives.”

 

As Jesus arrives, He is met by Mary, one of Lazarus’ sisters. 

She says to Jesus, “It’s too late. My brother is dead.” 

Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25-26).

So, Jesus is taken to the tomb of His friend. 

As He arrives at the grave, we are told that “Jesus wept.” 

(Seeing everyone’s grief and sorrow, Jesus could not but weep. 

Jesus was so moved by their grief and sorrow. 

Just like He’s moved by our grief and our sorrow today.  

Let me end with this story.

A wise Christian mother explained death best. 

Her son developed a fatal disease which progressed quickly. 

At first, he was unable to go to school. Then, he was unable to go outside to play and finally, he was confined to his bed. 

One day the question his mother feared most came.

“Mommy, what’s it like to die?” 

Though she was prepared herself for that moment, but she could not handle it, when it came. 

She left the room. 

There in the bathroom she prayed for strength and wisdom. 

When she came back into the room she said, “Honey, remember when you were little and you would fall asleep in the car? 

The next morning when you woke up you would be in your own bed. 

Do you know how you got there? 

Your father came and lifted you up and gently carried you to your own bed in your own room. 

That’s what it’s like to die.” 

Yes, your loved one fell asleep and God, our Heavenly Father, lifted them up and gently carried them to heaven.

If Jesus were here today, He would repeat something He said, “Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). 

Let us “Cast all our anxieties on Jesus, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7): “"Cast all your care upon Him; for he cares for you."”

 

At this Memorial Day Sunday: The need for comfort.

\Rev. Avedis Boynerian graciously forwards me his Sunday sermon ahead of time. This Sunday May 24, 2026, Rev. Avedis Boynerian’s sermon pertained to Memorial Day, which is a solemn federal holiday dedicated to honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces, and also to remember and honor our dear family members, relatives, friends who have departed from us for good. Vaհe H Apelian

“The need for comfort

On this Memorial Day weekend, we gather to remember those who gave their lives in service to this nation, who left behind their families, dreams, and futures so that we might live in freedom and peace.

Memorial Day reminds us that freedom is not free.

Memorial Day comes with a price - with an expensive price.

Jesus said: “(Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).

The greatest way to honor those who gave their lives is to live lives worthy of their sacrifice—to pursue security, peace, justice and love of neighbor.

So today we remember the fallen and honor their memory and pray for grieving families, for veterans, and for peace in our world.

The loss of a loved one is probably the most difficult time in life.

I lost my mother when she was in her early sixties.

I lost my brother when he was 42 years old. 

I tell you. These were not easy times for my father, my siblings and me.

On Memorial Day Sunday we grieve for 

Grief is never comfortable for any of us. Sometimes it can seem unbearable. 

Please, listen: The Bible does not say, “Not to grieve.” 

It says, “If a Christian dies, we do not grieve as those who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13). 

That means we have hope today! 

Knowing that our loved ones are in heaven and we can see them again. 

They were men and women, who loved God, loved their country and loved their neighbor.  

They trusted Jesus, while they were alive, and now Jesus has embraced them in heaven. 

Jesus, in His very first sermon - Sermon on the Mount, made promises to all who have faith and believe in Him. 

He said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).

What an assurance Jesus makes to us in our mourning: He comforts us. 

How do we do justice to these individuals, who meant so much to us?

It seems like they left us too soon. 

Yet, they impacted us. 

They built their lives around the church. 

(Yes, it’s never a good time to lose a loved one. But it’s never a bad time to go to heaven either.

Today we have mixed feelings. 

We sorrow at the thought of not having them with us and the joy that their suffering is over. 

I am confident that God understands what we are feeling and are going through.  

The Bible says, “Jesus was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). 

I am confident that in our own ways, at times like this, we all need the same things. We all need comfort, faith, peace and hope. 

The truth is: all of those things are found in Jesus! 

Jesus said, (“God has sent me to bind up the broken hearted and to comfort all who mourn” (Isaiah 61:1). 

He also said, “As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you” (Isaiah 66:13).

The apostle Paul was a man of many sorrows and each time, Jesus saw him through. 

Paul would say gratefully, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles” (2 Corinthians 1:3). 

God understands the grief we feel at the loss of someone we loved. 

God knows what it’s like to lose a loved one. 

He lost His Son undeservedly at the age of 33! 

But, God does more than just understand us. 

He shares and bears our sorrow. 

That is so beautifully illustrated in the story of Lazarus.

Lazarus, Jesus’ friend, had died. 

How many times his sisters had thought during his illness: “If Jesus would only come before death arrives.” 

As Jesus arrives, He is met by Mary, one of Lazarus’ sisters. 

She says to Jesus, “It’s too late. My brother is dead.” 

Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25-26).

So, Jesus is taken to the tomb of His friend. 

As He arrives at the grave, we are told that “Jesus wept.” 

(Seeing everyone’s grief and sorrow, Jesus could not but weep. 

Jesus was so moved by their grief and sorrow. 

Just like He’s moved by our grief and our sorrow today.  

Let me end with this story.

A wise Christian mother explained death best. 

Her son developed a fatal disease which progressed quickly. 

At first, he was unable to go to school. Then, he was unable to go outside to play and finally, he was confined to his bed. 

One day the question his mother feared most came.

“Mommy, what’s it like to die?” 

Though she was prepared herself for that moment, but she could not handle it, when it came. 

She left the room. 

There in the bathroom she prayed for strength and wisdom. 

When she came back into the room she said, “Honey, remember when you were little and you would fall asleep in the car? 

The next morning when you woke up you would be in your own bed. 

Do you know how you got there? 

Your father came and lifted you up and gently carried you to your own bed in your own room. 

That’s what it’s like to die.” 

Yes, your loved one fell asleep and God, our Heavenly Father, lifted them up and gently carried them to heaven.

If Jesus were here today, He would repeat something He said, “Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). 

Let us “Cast all our anxieties on Jesus, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7): “"Cast all your care upon Him; for he cares for you."”