APRIL 24 IS THE DAY THAT LIVES IN INFAMY IN THE ARMENIAN SOUL. In the annals of man¹s inhumanity to man, the massacre of an entire people is indelibly etched by the blood of our martyrs. Anger and rage refuel our pain because cruelty and injustice are rewarded with impunity.

This year we commemorate April 24 shortly after Easter. As I reflect on all that is said and written about the Armenian genocide. I am faced with a dilemma. I am a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ - not a perfect one, mind you, but average. I am also a minister of the gospel, a preacher, a pastor. I have studied the Bible all my life. I am supposed to say what Christ wants me to. I am up against Jesus¹ teachings which I find them hard to swallow. "Turn the other cheek. Let them have your coat as well. Do not resist evil. Go the second mile. Love your enemies. Forgive them." Do these words sound familiar? Of course! They are the words of our Lord and Savior who died for the sins of the world. My dilemma is how to preach the good news and, at the same time, commemorate April 24.

One might say, "April 24 is mundane and temporal. Let us commemorate it here. However, once we go to heaven things will be quite different. There cannot be April 24 in heaven." But because my grandmother made me read the Bible through and through, I know that there is April 24 in heaven as well. It is found in "the fifth Seal." (Revelations 6:9-11) It depicts a vision about the Armenian martyrs, together with those "who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne." Their place in heaven is "under the altar," because they were sacrificed for their faith in Christ. They commemorate April 24 as they "cry out with a loud voice," their cries ascending to the throne of God." O sovereign Lord," they cry, "holy and true, how long before thou wilt judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?" If there is such a loud cry in heaven, can I do any less here on earth? Should I not join our martyrs under the altar and cry out for justice?

Can I still preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and commemorate April 24? Yes, indeed! The martyrs in heaven are not given a new or direct answer - they are given white robes and told "to rest a little longer, until the number of their . . . brethren should be complete." In other words, more of the same is expected here on earth. The real answer has already been given. It is the Word of the Cross, which is folly to the Greeks and a stumbling block to the Jews. But to us who have accepted its message and believed in the crucified Lord, it is our healing, our salvation and our resurrection.

We shall continue to cry out for justice and righteousness. We shall also continue to preach the good news preached to us. We shall preach it by word and deed. We shall preach it to Armenian and to Turk. It is only at the foot of the cross that we can meet face to face with our tormentors and receive the reconciliation and peace that the risen Lord can give to us all.

Apparently all is not done and finished even in heaven. That is why God intends to create a new heaven and a new earth. Until then, we shall commemorate April 24 with the saints above, and preach the gospel to friend and foe alike!