Calvin Synod Herald, 1990 (90. évfolyam, 2-6. szám)
1990-03-01 / 2. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD — REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA- 4 — MAGYAR EGYHÁZ - MAGYAR CHURCH Bishop Zoltán Szűcs’s Easter Message Bishop A. HarsányVs Easter Message Dear Friends in Christ, As the evangelist Matthew retells it, the first words of the Risen Christ to Mary of Magdala and the “other” Mary were “Fear not” and “Go, tell my brothers.” These words changed the lives of the people of Jesus. They meant that to believe in the Master and to follow him was not a lost cause, that death inflicted by evil men had not triumphed after all. All Jesus had said received a new meaning: all was true, valid, this was the way human life should be lived. Because the Lord who had said all that was alive. The same goes for us and it should change our outlook of the world we live in. It need not be a world of crime but of goodness; it need not be a polluted world but a clean one; it need not be a world of hostility and revenge but a world of reconciliation and forgiveness. Just make the life-style showed and commanded by Christ be real. Jesus also said, “Go and tell...” Nothing will happen unless we go and tell about this Jesus, what he did, what he commanded, and about the power behind it; his resurrection meant that the life-style of those who killed him was dead. But he was alive. Let us again anew to be witnesses to this life-style, the christlike life. Do we call our world an evil one? We do. But we must add: it can be made into a good world, beautiful and wonderful with Christ. Let us give thanks for Christ and let us rejoice in Christ this coming Easter season in the congregation — and all days thereafter. “It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory.” (RVS I.Corinthians 15:43a) “When the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with joy.” (NEB John 20:20b) This sentence from I Corinthians was bothering me for a long time. I never quite understood why are we human beings labeled as “dishonored"? I somehow never could pass that word without some disappointment and look beyond the seemingly insulting expression. Then suddenly it came to me that every creative writer knows the ending of his story. Yet, at the same time the reader is mesmerized and excited, as the story unfolds, anxiously going on to find out of what is going to happen to the hero or the heroine and how the story finally ends. In this light, how can we think that the creator of all, God Almighty, the writer of the greatest story of humanity, would not know the end of the story of us all? One of the oldest symbols of the Christian church is the butterfly. Yet do you know that this beautiful creature of God comes from an ugly insect or larva? Do insects or larvae appear pretty or honorable to you? Now this unseemly and dishonorable creature of God will spin a silky web around himself and becomes a totally lifeless, unmoving, even dead cocoon. If you look at it, it appears dead and not very pretty. After a certain period of time there suddenly appears movements, action and glorious life again and the ugly larva emerges as a colorful, magnificent butterfly! This is what Easter is all about. We are celebrating and are even filled with joy like the disciples, who saw the living Lord, because the lifeless cocoon became the very cradle of the glorious butterfly, because the tomb became the very womb of new life. Undoubtedly it was “sown in dishonor”, and ‘‘it is raised in glory”. Yet many of us like Thomas, the doubter, who is the unsurpassable patron saint of a long line of Christians, in the family of believers, who have lost faith, miss being “filled with joy”, because in our pain and frustration and doubt we stay away from the community of the faithful. When we are hurt, our faith shaken, full of doubt, our toes trampled on, not getting our ways or disappointed, instead of going for support and reassurance to our fellow disciples, we like Thomas stay away, crying by ourselves. Yet these are the times when we need the support, reassurance and uplifting of our fellow Christians. Imitate Thomas if you please, but then imitate him all the way. In spite of his doubts and pain, he returns to the upper room, to the community of the faithful, and by returning he did perceive the dark tomb as a womb of new life. He did see the ugly cocoon, but he could see the end of the story, that is the glorious butterfly. Rejoice, like the disciples, for the end of the story is the gorgeous butterfly, is the rising in glory. My fellow cocoons, let us rejoice together, for Easter means that we all will be glorious butterflys. Wishing you a glorious and joyful Easter with love... Zoltán D. Szucs, Your Bishop Calvin Synod’s Annual Meeting will be held in Ligonier, PA on the days of May 22, 23 & 24, 1990. The Bishop’s Council Meeting, for the purpo's^ofpreparing the Agenda for the Annual Meeting, is called to meet on March 22 & 23 in Cleveland, Ohio.
