Calvin Synod Herald, 2005 (106. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2005-11-01 / 11-12. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 3 Matthew 2:1-2: Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “ Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him. ” The wisdom of the “Wise Men” is something to be contemplated as we approach the celebration of Christmas. It is a marvelous example to be emulated in life. The Wise Men were most likely from Persia, part of a scholarly class in that society. It was not that they did not have enough to pique their interest in their own land or areas of expertise, they wished to grow, they wished to be open to new experiences and knowledge. Even though they were arguably amongst the most learned and knowledgeable of men of their culture and time, they had a thirst, a desire to expand even further in knowing not only about the world, but about themselves, knowing who they were, by getting to know the reason for their creation, for their being. The Wise Men saw something which caused their curiosity, their interest about greater things in life, to be challenged. They were not “just satisfied” with what they had already accomplished. This is one of the reasons they should be emulated. In life, as we grow older, we start to become satisfied, comfortable, with Fairport Harbor. OH • Congratulations to the Hungarian Reformed Church of Fairport Harbor, Ohio, who celebrated their 95th Anniversary on October 23rd. • On November 5, the Women’s Fellowship will host a Swiss Steak dinner from 4-7 PM at the church. • There will be a Hurka Sale at the church on November 12. Call John Evanko with any questions or order reservations 440-639- 8372. • On Sunday, November 27, at 6PM the Women’s Fellowship will host a “Chalk Talk” created by Bob and Jacquie Wolf. This will be a unique Christmas Artistic, Musical & Narrative presentation in the Sanctuary, refreshments following in the Fellowship Hall. • On December 3, Fairport Harbor Holidays & Women’s Fellowship chicken paprikas dinner and pastry sale at the church. The Youth Group will be selling soft drinks and home made crafts and will be selling table space to Home Party demonstrators once again. Visit the Boutique table and do some early Xmas shopping for Mom or Grandma or yourself. • December 10, we will have a Kolbász Sale at the church. • Members of the congregation will go Christmas Caroling at members’ homes on December 18th & 19th. JCMRC Perth Ambov. NJ • November 13 - “Holiday Auction” by Ladies Guild. Drawing 2 PM (doors open 12 noon), $4 donation. • November 20 - 8:45 AM: Last Sunday of the Church Year. • December 24 - 6:30 PM: Christmas Eve Candlelight and Carols Service. • December 25 - 8:45 AM: Holy Communion. Festival of the Nativity of Jesus Christ. what we have learned, and tend to feel that we have accumulated enough knowledge through our education and experiences in life. The danger here is that we become complacent, and begin to shut out the possibilities of new knowledge and experiences which could be of tremendous use for us, wisdom which could change who we are for the better. When we become complacent in such a manner, we close off the possibilities of God’s hand leading us to new and better things. We stop taking advantage of educational opportunities - we feel we know enough facts. And perhaps we have indeed mastered an area of life where we might even be the acknowledged expert, be it in some profession of life, or in our particular area of work, or in the kitchen. But even in these specific areas of expertise there is need for growth. As an electrician, one would want to keep up with all the new devices that are available in one’s profession so that one could do the best work. Homemakers are constantly finding new labor-saving devices, learning and trying new recipes. So we DO always strive to grow, sometimes we just don’t think about it. And we DO expect others to grow also, don’t we? Would you go to a doctor who isn’t up on the latest medical discoveries, especially in the field in which you happen to have a “condition”? Would you go to a dentist that still uses the oldfashioned, slow-speed drills? Of course not! Yet many of us stop learning about God the day we get out of “confirmation class.” We don’t read the Bible, we don’t take time to study the word of God. We think worship services on Sundays are adequate for our spiritual life. And we fool ourselves into thinking that we have an adequate knowledge of God and Christ in our lives. And in the church, we think that “our opinion” should be equal in weight to that of every other person in the church. An interesting, if tragic concept. We actually think that with the knowledge we have acquired about God at the age of 13, we are “OK,” because we have built on that with regular worship on Sundays - but we need no further study in this area. Interestingly, we all feel everyone should continue in school till the age of 18 and graduate from high school, and if possible continue in a trade school or college. But we think that at the age of 13 we can stop learning about God - we are all experts by then. But think about it: would you contract with an architect to build your house if he stopped his education at the age of 13? Would you go to a doctor who stopped his formal education at the age of 13? Would you go to a lawyer whose education ended at the age of 13? Yet we feel we are experts about God, Christ, and Christianity, because we finished confirmation - at the age of 13! The Wise Men show us that even the most learned, most educated, never cease learning. And whatever our expertise in the world, we can never know enough about the very source of our life, God our Creator, Christ our Savoir, the Holy Spirit moving amongst us. This knowledge is available in the least-read book in your home, your Bible. At Christmas we are reminded of The Star that the Wise Men followed. Let us also become “wise men”, and follow that star, and like those first Wise Men, determine to learn about Him to whom the star points. Rt. Rev. Koloman K. Ludwig, Bishop
