BUILDING WITH VISION

Last weekend [Nov. 25-26, 2024], I had the blessing to consecrate the Holy Archangels Armenian Church in Hye Pointe, Massachusetts. It was a culmination of years of dedication, faith, and vision. Over the years, I’ve visited this place many times, watching it grow from just a construction site to a sanctuary. I remember standing on that concrete slab with Der Vart, the devoted pastor of this church. He would point with such clarity and say, “This is where the altar will be,” or “This is where the baptismal font will stand.”

If you were there in those early days, you might have looked around and seen nothing but an empty structure—a framework. But Der Vart saw with eyes of faith. Through his vision, the altar, the font, the pews, the aisles—they were already there.

Friends, that’s the kind of vision God calls us to have, a vision that looks beyond what’s visible, that sees the potential in the present. It’s like the story of the three bricklayers at a construction site. A visitor came by and asked each of them what he was doing. The first man said, “I’m laying bricks.” The second said, “I’m building a wall.” But the third, with a smile that lit up his face, answered, “I’m building a cathedral.”

Vision is the lens that enables us to see God’s purpose, even when we’re just standing on bare concrete. It’s what gives us hope in seasons of waiting, what keeps us moving forward when we see nothing but an unfinished structure. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the confidence in what we hope for, and assurance about what we do not see.” That’s what it means to have vision: it’s confidence in God’s promises, even before we see them completed.

So maybe you’re looking at your life today, and all you see are empty spaces. Maybe there are plans that feel incomplete, dreams that seem unfinished, or blessings that feel just out of reach. But remember this: God has already marked the spot where His altar of blessing will stand in your life. He’s already placed the foundation of His grace. Don’t stop dreaming, keep building with vision, trusting that what God has started, He will be faithful to complete.

By Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan
November 1, 2024