Amerikai Magyar Reformátusok Lapja, 1913 (14. évfolyam, 1-50. szám)
1913-11-08 / 45. szám
2 AMERIKAI MAGYAR REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA 45. sz. November 8. I to the Lord’s Supper as often as you could and you were liberal in the financial support of the church. Are you retaining these excellencies? The right answer is of the utmost importance for here in America it is more difficult than in Europe for the people to do all these things. At home most of the immigrants lived on the farm cr in the country village, here you live in the city or in the mining or manufacturing town; there you live among your relatives and friends here you are among strangers and in a strange land. At home you remained for years living in the same community here you rove about following the chances of work and better wages. There you worked 6 days of the week here you work too often 7 days of the week. There you were encouraged to save you money; here the saloon and the liquor agent who comes to your very door for orders tempts you to spend your evenings in drinking and wasting your money. How have you been standing against the strain? How can you stand against it unless you remain very loyal to the Church and her teaching? and very devout to your God? It affords me pleasure to testify fcr those who have been in our Hungarian congregetions that you have done very well in retaining your faith and your loyal obed ience to the Lord and his Church and that you are retaining your good qualities brought from Europe. But, a’as, how many there are in every foreign community who have not thus heM to the Lord and His Church! But to held to the old good customs is not enough. You live in new surroundings and new conditions and in every respect a new life both in society and in the church. There are seme excellencies in American church J’fe and worin and in religious life of American Christians that are not found in European churches This is necessarily so becouse cf these new conditions. More of our life is lived avav from home, firm the family and away from organized associations. American life is therefore mere individualistic and American Christianity becomes more individualistic too. Here more than in Europe the Christians must care for his own personal religious life. He can not rely so implicitly on the formalities of the church as an institution. He looks to the church as the great institution from whom comes his help, but he feels that he must carry his religion out from the hour of devotion and prayer and sacrament into his daily life. His religion must be for every day as well as for Sunday; it must be for all the relations of life as well as for his direct relation with God. His religion must be with him in his work and in his pleasures as well as in his prayers and praises on Sunday. It mut lead Him to a clean strong life amidst all the new and nore trying conditions in which we all live and move. Another and a prominent characteristic of American Christian ife in the missionary impulse. Evereywhere in America there are hundreds and thousands of people who are either negligent and indifferent followers of the Lord or they have never professed their faith in Christ Jesus at all. Such men and women too are found among the immigrants as well as among the native born. The true Christian must be concerned for such persons not only because they may belong to your own family but also because they belong to your own nationality or other natoinalities with whom you work in the same mill or mine.. What are you doing to make them good earnest, active Christian men? This is one of the great problems of the American church. Are the Christian immigrants helping to solve the great problem? Are you trying to get all your countrymen :nto the churches to which you belong? Again a prominent mark in our American churches is the importance of our Sunday Schools or Bible Schools as they are now “nore frequently called. We American Christians believe that in ad- d’t'on to a’l the parents can do for the religious education of the children we need the help of the schools. Now since there are so “■'»any people of differing faiths and reMgions and as every men has free choice in matters religious we can not give such instrut- tions in our free public schools and therefore have our Sunday Schools, our Young People ’* Society of Christian Endeavor and other associations. We f:nd them helpful in making earr°ri active Christians. Are the members cf our Hungarian church o* a a active as they could be in attendin'’- Sunday School and in he’p’vg to <*o ’ts werk? No one can evc”se h'v’- °e1f or herself from doing so, unless either they know all they should know about the word of God or else because they can not find the time to* come to the school. Here again I can make good, report of progress in the work of our Hungarian congregations during the last ten years. All of them I think have Sunday School for the study of the Bible and for devotion. I have .attended .these schools and while I do not see many adults in the school, I notice an increasing number of men and women there; the fathers and mothers of the children. Some of our congregations too have young men’s societies and young women’s societies for study prayer and praise. Let me encourage the people old and young to take part in Sunday School whenever they can. One phase more of American church activity should claim the attention and the liberality of Hungarian Christians in America. Never before was there so much interest shown and so much giver "*r Foreign Mission as now and n this work the Hungarian chris- nns in America should take part, ’-lever in mv life do I feel so deep- y the fact that “the Lord hath made of cne blood all the nations the Earth” as when I am worshipping with you in the Hungarian church, when I do not unterstand the words that are spoken but I feel that you and I are worshipping the same God for the same blessings which He bestows a1 ike on all mankind wether American, Hungarian, Chinese or Japanese. Are we not all one? Where in the world can th’s ler- sonn be learned as in America where all the narions of the earth meet in the same community? Among all the liberal offerin'— ; • h'ch vei’ give for the welfare of the chvr~h ar.d the kingdom of the Lord shall there not be several each year for the sending of the gosnel to the heathen nations of Asia and Africa? A free-will-offering let it be. Looking therefore into the future let me conclude with some Schripture passages: “Hold fast the pattern of sound words * * * in faith and lőve ’’■hie1! w -n Christ Jesus’’ (see II Timothy 1:13). “Let us hold fast the confessirn of orr hope that it waver not; for He is faithful that promised; and let us consider one another to provoke rnto love and good works (Hebrews 10:23 to 25.). “Remember therefore from thou hast received and didst hear and keep it.” (Rev. 3:3 and following verses.) ‘ ‘ Press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore as many as are perfect be thus minded.” (Philipians 3:13- 17.) D. A. Sounders. Irwin, Pa., Oct. 24, 1913. -----o----Megújulás. Szivem szúró tövistől vérzett. Tátongott rajta sajgó, mély seb. Reám borult a bánat árnya S befedte vérző szivemet. Azt hittem: e fekete bánat Engem örökre eltemet. Azt hittem, hogy meghal a lelkem; Hogy már remélnem sem lehet; Azt ihttem: a sivár jövendő Nem hoz rám mást, csak zord telet... Mindenvek véve, azt hittem, S kezdett lankadni a hitem. .. . . És jött egy áldott, égi pillanat: \ sötéten fénysugár tört át, > láttam fe1 tűnni a Golgotát. . . Krisztus keresztjét cipeli, S a durva nép rut szitvait Nyugodt lélekkel vise’i. .. Egyet intett az Isten uj ja S megnyilt a menny számomra újra: Hetem. reményem újra ébredt* Ovóvynlni kezdett a sajgó seb; Szivembe égi béke szállott, S teremtett ui, csodás világot... Szemem az égre felemeltem, S a mindenségnek nagy Istenéhez Imát rebegtem. Doktor Dezső. Sok ember annál a parázsnál melegíti a kezét, melyből mással kapartatta ki a gesztenyét. ** * Mennél magasabban hordja valaki az orrát, annál könnyebben vezethetik. ❖ * Nagy emberek nem a jelennek, hanem a múltnak a szülöttei. s* Magunkra csak akkor hallgassunk, ha okosabb tanácsadónk nincsen. * * * Az oroszlánnak könnyű dolga volt az osztozkodáskor: nem kellett előbb bebizonyítania, hogy ö legerősebb; anélkül is elhitték neki. * ❖ * Viszontlátáskor élesebb a szem- mint látáskor.
