Calvin Synod Herald, 2006 (107. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2006-11-01 / 11-12. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD Christmas 2006 “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savoir, who is Christ the Lord. ” (Luke 2: 10, 11) Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: The commemoration of the coming of the Messiah is one that needs to be clarified and differentiated from the civil celebration in this country that we call “Christmas,” basically an excuse to sell unwanted, unneeded items to persons using cultural pressure to embarrass those who do not conform to the “American Tradition.” A news report several years ago indicated that fully 10% of those items purchased as “Christmas gifts” will be thrown away by the recipients without ever being used. Having been reared in America by European parents, our Christmases were ones of contrast to those around us. The The New Bethlen Almanac is available The 2005 edition of the Bethlen Almanac has arrived and is ready for distribution. If you would like to order one or more copies, please contact Rev. Imre Bertalan, Executive Director of the Bethlen Home, at revimre@bethlen.com or at 724-238-2235. The price per Almanac continues to be $10. We ask that postage also be paid for those which are mailed. The 2005 edition of the Almanac has fewer mistakes than the 2003-2004 edition. Nevertheless, Bethlen Communities continues to plan for ways in which to publish more attractive yearbooks and in a more timely fashion. Once again, our goal next year is to have the 2006 Almanac available by the Calvin Synod meeting in May. With this in mind, I ask that all church reports and any other articles be submitted to the Bethlen Communities Central Offices by January 31, 2007. Next year’s Almanac will contain a section on the historic events of 1956. I thank all who helped publish the 2005 Almanac. Bethlen Communities underwrites the cost of the Almanac, and most of the work was accomplished this year by volunteers, who did not ask for compensation. May God continue to bless our Hungarian American Reformed Church Community as we seek to further His mission and His message to His people, to our people! Rev. Imre A. Bertalan Executive Director Bethlen Communities Hungarian Territories as well. Let’s help! The First Hungarian Reformed Church of Los Angeles is located at 12717 York Avenue, Hawthorne, California, Phone: 310-355-1475. If you have any questions, please call Rev. Kacsó at 626-356-8075. beginning, of course, was the receiving of some little chocolates on St. Nicholas Day (Mikulás Napja) December 6th. Then we celebrated the birth of Christ, with our celebration focusing on Christmas Eve beginning with the decoration of a Christmas tree with “szaloncukor,” homemade and hung amongst the few, beautiful glass ornaments my parents were able to bring with them from the refugee camps following World War II. Then to church for an evening of worship, followed again in the home with the reading of the Christmas story as told to us by Luke, singing of Christmas Hymns in both Hungarian and English (always including “Mennyből az angyal”), then opening the few presents we were able to make or purchase for each other. Our Christmas celebration lasted until January 6th, the day the Wise Men traditionally arrived at the manger (Twelfth Night). In contrast, our neighbors purchased their “Christmas Trees” as early as possible (which today means in November), decorated from the rooftop to the doghouse, had parties, spent inordinate amounts of money on unneeded, unappreciated “junk.” NEVER made it to church, and threw the “Christmas Tree” out on December 25th, glad to be through with the season. I had the opportunity to spend one Christmas in Hungary under communism in 1973 and discovered that even there, the “Godless” government had to bow to the wishes of the Christian people when it came to Christmas. The “godless” Pioneers (úttörők), the youth group the communists created to replace the scouting movement, decorated the Christmas tree in front of the Parliament Building in Budapest. Christmas was a wonderful time, with people saving up to buy that “something special” their friends or loved-ones needed or wanted dearly. But Christmas Eve in Budapest was the real surprise. I was warned ahead of time: be home by 4 o’clock p.m., or you’re stuck. Because at about four in the evening, the taxis, the streetcars, the busses, the metro, all stopped running. From then on you walked wherever you were going. And for most people this simply meant going to their local church for Christmas Eve Worship Services. Since then Christmas in the United States has become even more commercialized than before, many stores starting immediately after Halloween with their “Christmas decorations,” and statistically many stores earning fully 50% of their gross receipts during the “Christmas shopping season.” Several years ago my feelings of the twisted nature of our Christmas traditions in America were again validated when I met several people from Brazil. They were literally scandalized by the gross commercialism and non-religious nature of the celebrations in the United States, and found their American Christmas experience basically sickening and sorely wanting for its true nature. As a Christian brother, I encourage you to hold fast and be the good example in your circle of friends of how to celebrate Christ. The one thing you are certain of is that Jesus is the Christ, and God sent him to be among us. Celebrate His coming! Rt. Rev. Koloman Karl Ludwig, Bishop _____________________________________________________3 8008
