Calvin Synod Herald, 1982 (82. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)
1982-04-01 / 2. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD — 4 — REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA instinctively felt a presence behind her, turned, looked, but her eyes revealed nothing to her. It is a striking feature of the resurrection narratives that those to whom the Lord appeared, at first failed to recognize Him. In this respect Mary Magdalene joined the two companions of the Emmaus Road and the disciples on the Lake of Galilee. She had a good guess, but it was still a mistake. The Gardener? Yes and no. She had to be spoken to and her name had to be called before her spiritual eyes were opened. And that is what we call revelation. The recognition of the Living Lord Jesus Christ has ever been through the hearing of the Word of God, personalized by the Holy Spirit, addressed directly to you and me. Mary - Rabboni. This dialogue, brief and personal, surrounded and guarded by holy awe and silence, goes on in every century. John, Margaret, Steve, Betty, Richard, Caroline, George, Martha - can you reply, “My Master!”? He is not talking to someone else, He is talking to you. And when you hear the Word on that sweet familiar voice of the Master addressed to you, that is the revelation of the risen Lord, and that revelation is the reward of love. It is the degree of love we can see, know and understand the spiritual, communicate with God’s messengers, receive the self-revelation of the risen Christ and have eternal relationship with Him. 3. Service Finally, Mary Magdalen’s love was rewarded by one of the most glorious employments in God’s kingdom. She was not only the first to communicate with angels, the first among all humankind to meet the risen Lord, but she also became the first messenger of the glorious news, “go to my brethren and say to them...” (v.17). Her enthusiasm was gently checked, “Do not hold me... ” (v. 17). While Thomas was actually being invited to put his hand into the wounds of Jesus (though we are not told whether he actually did so or not), the Lord did not let Mary cling to Him. His “touch me not” partly sent off on her job to proclaim the good news and partly expressed a more profound truth. Mary had to let go of Jesus and allow Him to ascend to reign, to send the Holy Spirit upon her and upon all of His disciples, including you and me, that we would, all of us, understand the final beatitude of John 20:29, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” On Easter morning, Mary Magdalene and the Church of Jesus Christ arrived at a higher level, at the spiritual level of fellowship with the risen Lord. What a glorious Easter for Mary Magdalene! Looking for a dead body and finding the living Lord; intending to occupy herself by embalming the dead and finding another, the best and foremost job under the bright, brilliant Easter skies of God, spreading the glorious news of Life: the Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! May you have the Easter of Mary Magdalene in 1982 with all the trimmings of magnificent rewards of love - if you return His love as she did. Dr. Eva M. Fabian Jesus Passed Today Jesus passed today Through the word of man And what He saw saddened Him. “1 came here first To show you the way; I suffered and bled So you might be saved The suffering; but the Minute I turned my back you strayed. “1 told you as clearly As I could, ‘Don’t hate;’ Forgive someone as often as it takes To win him. I said, ‘Don’t lust,’ don’t disrupt The harmony of your relations; But you wouldn’t listen. “I told you, over and over The only path for you Is peace: ‘Love one another And live in peace;’ but you Forgot, or misunderstood, or Didn’t believe me—and you Have always refused to do so.” Then Jesus Dropped His weary head And looked away; But before He left He turned and said, “I forgive you.” JAMES POHARIK A Note from the Editor Within the history of the Christian Church there were many people whose views were different from the views of their leaders. In some instances these people were excommunicated, imprisoned and even put to death for expressing different opinions. Many of our Reformers faced threats and physical danger when they expressed opinions that were contrary to the official views of the Church. But in spite of the possible consequences the reformers continued to speak out. Without their persistent truth seeking and outspokenness our Reformed Church would not become a reality. We feel that we should continue to seek the truth and express valuable opinions from which our readers would benefit. If a reader disagrees with some of our articles, or finds statements that need to be corrected, then we would encourage that person to respond with a letter. We are not infallible. We need to be corrected on occasions. We need not only responses from our readers, but also helpful contributions about the major issues of our church life. This year we hope to have the following feature articles: June— Aging And Its Problems, August- Preserving Our Heritage, October— The Role Of Women In The Church, December—Neglected Church Issues. While upholding the integrity of the Calvin Synod Herald, there should be always room in this publication for useful opinions and enlightening articles that come from our readers. Since the last issue we have received many general communications, but in the editor’s opinion none of the letters were specific enough to warrant publication.
