Calvin Synod Herald, 1990 (90. évfolyam, 2-6. szám)

1990-03-01 / 2. szám

CALVIN SYNOD HERALD - REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA-3 MAGYAR EGYHÁZ - MAGYAR CHURCH We Have This Ministry In the Gospel of St. Matthew chapter 13 verses 53-58 we find Jesus worshipping in his hometown synagogue of Nazareth at the very beginning of His public minis­try. As was often the custom in those days in the jewish religion, since there was not as strong a distinction between the or­dained and the lay as there is today, Jesus was given the opportunity to be the one to offer some reflections on the reading for the day from the Scripture. The passage which Jesus read and reflected upon that morning in that synagogue, provided the theme for his entire ministry from his baptism in the Jordan through his resurec­­tion from the dead. It was a passage from the book of the Prophet Isaiah. Jesus used this passage to proclaim to his hearers in his hometown: “This is Who I Am, and This Is what I have come to this earth and been anointed by the Holy Spirit of God to do.” It is a very important thing for all of us to think about, what we, who have been called into the community of the faithful, have been anointed by the Holy Spirit are to do, in carrying out in our Christian life. A while ago, I have seen the following sign on a church bulletin board: “Minis­ters... all the people of God”, and under this was listed the name of the clergy. The note that struck me was, who came first on the sign. Who were the ministers in that parish. Important therefore us to learn, that no one in the community of the faith, or saying it in another word, in the church who has not been by this very fact ordained to be a minister of Jesus too. The clergy is nothing else but people who have been called, set aside to perform certain sacramental ministries in the church, for which they have been educat­ed, prepared by the theological schools of this day... but the real work of the mi­nistry has been is now and will be always something in which the whole congrega­tion must share. In our confirmational instruction book, called “Cathecism” there are two significant questions about the ministry in the church. The first ques­tion is found in the section on the minis­try: “Who are the Pastors?” Question 158. And the answer is “The pastors are ser­vants of God, who preach His word, ad­minister Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and take care of the spiritual metters of the Church. The second ques­tion is: “what is the ministry of the laity? And the answer is. The ministry of the lay person is to represent Christ and His Church, to bear witness to Him wherever they may be; and according to the gifts given them, to carry on Christ’s work of reconciliation in the world; and to take their place in the life, worship and gover­nance of the Church.” The ministry of the laity, we read in this Cathecism, is first and foremost, “to re­present Christ and His Church”. The meaning of this ministry becomes even more clear if we try a slight variation in pronounciation and say “the ministry of the laity is to re-present Christ”, to make his life and ministry present again in the world in which we live. People should be able to look at us; at the kind of people we are, at the kinds of things we are doing, and say, “so that’s what Jesus is all about.” Our job is to re-present Christ... to make Him present... “to bear witness to Him wherever we may be.” Well, let’s return to that synagogue in Nazareth, and let Jesus, in His own words, tell us just what our ministry is... the ministry which we took on, when we became followers of Christ, or in the words of the Apostle Paul were clothed with Christ and became one with Him and His ministry on this earth. First, says Jesus “the Holy Spirit of God has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor.” Job number one, then for those of us who have been anointed — or called to the following of Christ is the ministry of preaching and proclamation. Now, unfor­tunately, preaching has gotten a bad name in our modern world. It kinds of hurts my feelings when somebody says — There he goes preaching again. Somehow I just know that observation is not meant as a compliments. When used in this way, the word “prea­ching” has the connotation of smug right­eousness... It smells of “Holier-than-thou­­ism.” Preaching in this sense is been as something which divides the preacher from those to whom he is preaching... that puts him on some sort of “unmerited pinnacle” from which he looks down upon a great mass of unwashed below. “Preaching” in this sense, also has the air of scolding... telling us where we have messed up... telling us what lays in store for us, at the hands of a judgemental vengeful God because we have. This kind of preaching, of course, is a of little help for anyone. Most of us don’t need a lot of assistance in discovering the ways we have messed up in this world. We are quite experts in putting ourselves down. Give any one of us a sheet of paper with a line down the middle and ask us to write down our shotcomings on the right and our personal strength and assets on the left, and the right column will almost assuredly win “hand down”. I don’t need anyones help in knowing my sins and shortcomings. Tam a living authority on them. If you feel anointed to preach bad news of sin, and moralism, and judgement to me, people would say, find another con­gregation. But Jesus calls us to be preachers of “Good News”. He calls us to plop our­selves down in the midst of a world that is already sick with the feelings of guilt and unworthiness; inadequacy and self-depre­cation; depression and hoplessness and all the other seeds of negativity that Satan has sown in our heads, and to say to all who will hear; “God doesn’t make junk, and you are no exception to that rule! You are accepted and loved just as you are, there’s nothing you could ever do that would keep God from loving you.” God is like the Father in the Parable of the Pro­digal Son, running down the road with outstreched arms to embrace you again each time you mess up, and to say, “O.K. my son, my daughter, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and let’s get doing again! What I have waiting for you is not the hell fire of judgement but the songs of celebra­tion... some bread, some wine, some brothers and sisters to join in the Feast... some words of good cheer, some embrac­ing arms of peace, some prayer and con­cern for each other. All I’ve ever wanted for you is life, life in abundance and for­ever.” That’s the Good News we as a con­gregation, and each one of us individually are called to share with a hurting world, not only by word but by example. “Second”, says Jesus, “the Holy Spirit has anointed me to proclaim the release to the captives and to set at liberty those that are oppressed.” Job number two, then, for those of us who have been anointed to be Christ’s ministers on this earth, is the ministry of liberation. We are called to be people who, in the words another book “are to make no peace with oppression.” And, like the ministry of preaching, it is a mi­nistry to which we committed ourselves. What are the things in this world which oppress people... which keep them down... which tie them up... which keep them from realizing their freedom and fullness of life as the children of God? What about prejudice? What about the extremes of (Continued on Page 8)

Next

/
  • Layout
  • Zoom
  • Rotation
Thumbnails
Contents