Reformátusok Lapja, 1970 (70. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1970-02-01 / 2. szám
10 REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA pastor can bring new light to the problem. In any case he stands ready to discuss the matter in an atmosphere of confidence, friendship, and prayer. WHEN YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS IN NEED OF SPIRITUAL HELP It is a curious fact of human nature that often people are reticent about seeking assistance just when they are most in need of it. It is part of our Christian responsibility to be alert to the needs of others. —Your name need not be revealed if you think it best that this not he done. The pastor’s first responsibility is to the members of the parish church, but he receives many calls to serve people who have no church relationship and he is glad to respond. The New Testament puts this quite clearly: we are “members one of another” (Rom. 12:5). This means that we should be sensitive and responsive to the needs of all people. BEFORE ANYONE ENTERS THE ARMED SERVICES OR WHEN ANYONE RETURNS HOME The pastor would like to call in the home some evening just before the person leaves for the Armed Services. —There will he a chaplain in the service, and of course regular church services will be conducted. However, the pastor wants the person in service to feel an abiding solidarity with his home church, and wants to assure him of the prayers and best wishes of his church friends. One of the happiest days in any family is when the period of service is over and the family reunion is held. The pastor would like to call in the home very soon after the person returns and welcome him back to the fellowship of the church. Some people have had their Christian faith deepened by their service experiences. Others have become indifferent or just drifted away from worship and the fellowship of the church. In any case the pastor wants to welcome the serviceman and remind him that his home church is eager to renew the fellowship. WHEN THERE IS A DEATH IN THE FAMILY For some people this is the only occasion on which they call the pastor, but as we have seen, this is a limited and restricted view of the Christian ministry. If your pastor is not already with you when a death takes place in your family, he should be notified at once so that lie can bring you the strong consolation of the Christian faith and so that he can counsel with you concerning arrangements for the funeral and the interment. You should expect your pastor to conduct a service in which the whole atmosphere and tone color is that cf Christian hope and confident triumph based upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. WHEN THERE IS PROLONGED REACTION TO GRIEF Grief and sorrow at the loss of a loved one are perfectly normal. Jesus made this clear when he said, “Blessed are those who mourn” (Matt. 5:4). The Gospel writer notes that— Jesus ivept at the death of his friend Lazarus. However, when there is prolonged reaction to grief it is an indication that the person needs help. God does not intend us to live in the valley of the shadow of sorrow, hut to pass through it into the sunshine and strength of normal life. The deceased is not forgotten, hut having committed our beloved to the keeping of God, we are to live with Christian assurance and confident hope. When there is prolonged reaction to grief the pastor knows the resources available to the person in need. WHEN YOU ARE SPIRITUALLY DEPRESSED Remember there is help available! The finest Christians who have ever lived testify that they had their “midnights of the soul.”— Don't try to fight it through alone. The pastor understands that spiritual depression can come upon anyone. If God seems far off and religion has lost its reality, you are not the first person to feel that way. Remember the man who said to Jesus, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24.) That’s being honest with God, and honest with yourself. Don’t struggle with spiritual depression alone. Your pastor will not give you pink pills or easy prayers, hut he will understand the depth of your problem and will help you hack to the reality and confidence of Christian faith. Joseph E. McCabe PROPOSED STATEMENT OF PERPOSE, UC BOARD FOR WORLD MINISTRIES: We who reach out with every man for life, who find in Jesus Christ our way to life, take up his mission around the world. We rely on God's informing by his Spirit, the Scripture, the Church friends and enemies. We proclaim that God gives life to those who commit their lives to him, who serve him by serving their neighbors. We seek out love’s ways to life: relieve the stricken, restore the deprived, enlist and equip those who will to service. We listen for what God is saying to us with all men as we work together towards trust and truth, struggle with each other for justice and order. We worship and plan with the committed in the diverse ways of our nations to be more perfectly Christ’s body in the world working for life, for Life, and that abundantly. -—Keeping You Posted
