His Presence in Our Wilderness
- Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan
- 2 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Today, the Armenian Church celebrates the Feast of the Ark of the Old Covenant and the New Ark—the Holy Church.
In the Book of Exodus, God commanded Moses to build the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:10–22). It was a wooden chest covered with gold inside and out. Above it stood two golden cherubim, and within it were placed the tablets of the Ten Commandments, a vessel containing manna, and Aaron’s staff that had miraculously blossomed.
The Ark was called the “Ark of the Testimony” because it witnessed to God’s presence. The Lord said to Moses, “There I will meet with you… and I will speak with you” (Exodus 25:22).
Our Church Fathers saw the Ark as a foreshadowing of the Holy Church and her altar. Upon the altar we find the new law—the Holy Gospel; the new manna—the Body and Blood of Christ; and the blossoming staff—the life-giving Cross.
The mystery is astonishing: the God whom heaven and earth cannot contain chooses to meet us in a place built by human hands. The eternal God enters time. He humbled Himself and dwelt among His people as they wandered through the wilderness. Through it, God strengthened and guided them, reminding them that they were never alone.
In the New Covenant, God came even closer. He entered our world in the person of Jesus Christ. Saint Paul writes that Christ “humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). He entered our suffering, our sin, and our fear of death so that He might lead us into eternal life.
Today, we do not carry the Ark through the wilderness. The Church carries us through the wilderness of life. Within her, God speaks to us through the Gospel. He feeds us with Holy Communion. He strengthens us through the Cross and surrounds us with the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Every time we enter a church, light a candle, hear the Gospel, stand before the altar, or receive Holy Communion, we are reminded of one powerful truth: God is here. He is still speaking. He is still feeding His people. He is still leading us toward the Promised Land.
