The principal liturgical service of the Armenian Church is, as its name implies, the Divine Liturgy (in Armenian, Badarak). The Badarak is not merely one of the things the Church does. It is the most important expression of the Church's faith and identity. On the last night of his earthly life, Jesus Christ gathered his followers together for one final meal with them, a traditional Jewish ritual meal that included prayers, psalms, breaking bread and sharing a cup of wine.

The accounts of this incident in the New Testament tell us that the meal was progressing normally until Jesus took the bread into his hands and having blessed it and broken it — just as he always had — he unexpectedly proclaimed, “This is my body which is for you.” We can only imagine the confusion in the minds of Jesus’ disciples. It must have seemed like a scandal to deviate from the usual course of this traditional meal. Later, having blessed a cup of wine, Jesus held it in front of them saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” St. Paul adds, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes” [1Cor 11:23-26].