Calvin Synod Herald, 1994 (94. évfolyam, 2-6. szám)
1994-03-01 / 2. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD REFOMÁTUSOK LAPJA "74e ptecudiwuf, oj Ute. UJo^idoj Qod U the 'Illatulaj Qod" The Second Helvetic Confession is the best interpretation of our Reformed faith. Now we are confronted with an important passage from the Second Helvetic, which always makes me humble if I have to preach. In my childhood, by Sunday noon, I already had heard two sermons. During lunch, I was always asked which I preferred to go to in the afternoon: movies, or accompany my father on his preaching tour. Our church was big; more than threethousand members locally, plus 20 preaching stations served by three ministers and two Reformed school teachers. Usually, I chose to go on the preaching tour; not only did the two horses intrigue me, but in two preaching routes the end station was more precious to me than a movie. It also meant that in addition to the two sermons in the morning, I had to hear four more until we reached our destination. The final stop on these mission trips were always rewarding. On one Sunday, we visited our Godfather of blessed memory. I loved him very much, plus I could look at pictures offer away Hungary in his National Geographic and Time magazines. The next time the final stop would be in an ancient castle. Our hostess was a fragile, old and dear Baroness, who made all the servants come to the Reformed worship service in the living room of the castle, and she always served them, her servants and families tea. She was a great Reformed lady. When the Russians and Communists came, her servants defended her at the risk of their own lives. All in all, it meant 5-6 sermons a Sunday, which was really too much for a little boy,-6-but I was protected by the "preacher kid's syndrome": to look at the preacher very piously, but not listen to one word of it. Many times, teenagers tell their parents "don't preach to me." Preaching seems to be a dread, yet it is the word of the living God." I have to tell you that when I had to preach for the first time, it was not a divine which summoned me to speak. It was New Year's Day 1947, the church bells were already ringing, and the chief elder of the village church came in all excited to the manse where I was staying. „Fiatal ur", that is an untranslatable Hungarian expression (meaning, literally, "young lord"), "we have to go to the church; there is no minister - you have to preach." It was three minutes toten on New Year's Eve. The local pastor and two other ministers in the village drank too much: they were sick, the wives told the old chief elder." I tried to argue the point that I was only 16 years old and I had not prepared. "But your father and grandfather were ministers in this area, we knew them, you are a student, we are simple peasants, please, help us." Don't ask me how I did it, but I preached and not only once, but in the afternoon as well. It is more than 46 years ago and I am still preaching. It is the living Word of God. So says the Second Helvetic. Let me exactly quote the whole paragraph: "Wherefore when this Word of God is now preached in the church by preachers lawfully called, we believe that the very Word of God is neither to be invented nor is to be expected from heaven: that now the Word itself which is preached is to be regarded, not the minister that preaches, for even he be evil and a sinner, nevertheless the Word of God remains still true and good." The teachings of the Bible become the Word of God if they are proclaimed with the strength of the Holy Spirit. A great Reformed teacher, Karl Barth, used to say that a true Reformed preacher always preaches relevantly: Bible in one hand and the daily newspaper in the other hand. Or, as John Calvin said, a sermon is the explanation of the Holy Scriptures and their application to the present men and women. The Bible really is inspired by God, giving instruction to right living. The living Word of God is that Paul speaks in the first century and we hear it today, in the year 1994. There is a temptation for all preachers: "preaching down." You are unable to respond, it often becomes a boring monologue. If the preaching is based upon real questions, due to careful listening, then it becomes the living Word of God. The preaching of the Word of God is the Word of God. Alfa és Omega - > Kezdet és Vég The Alpha and Omega Mitől - meddig? Az alfától az ómegáig, a csermelytől az óceánig, az éhezéstől a jóllakásig, a sírástól a nevetésig, gazdagságtól a szegénységig - és még ki tudja, mitől meddig minden belefér életünkbe. Nem szoríthatjuk két kezünkbe, és nem merülhet közönyünkbe, hogy vajon egyszer eljutunk-e az alfától az ómegáig, a csermelytől az óceánig? Az életmentő szomjúságig: ácsorgástól a keresésig, a magánytól a közösségig, a száguldástól - egy lépésig... A kettőspont tárt kapuján át vakszemú hitből a látásig: az Alfáig és Omegáig! _____________________Lukátsi Vilma From Our Centről UJotchtouier » Column by the Rev. Dr. Aladár Komjáthy "Watchmen, dUninUhed and orphaned, qetititl on qacand; Watchmen! Watch oueA, each one ai a Luid! (Mf) __________________________________________/
