Calvin Synod Herald, 2007 (108. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2007-11-01 / 11-12. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 3 Christmas Greetings 2007 And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “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 bom this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. (Luke 2:8-19) This is a beautiful telling of one aspect of the most important event in history. Ordinary people of that time were out fulfilling their obligation, and they were the first to hear of the change in the course of the history of man. They were the first to hear that the Creator of all mankind had changed men’s destiny in a very dramatic way by coming to be with them, and by extending to them a blessing which would change their destiny. The shepherds had reason to be frightened, to be filled with fear. In an instant the very heavens above them seemed to have been filled with a tremendous power, and a seemingly “otherworldly” being appeared to them. The message the angel brought, however, was that they were not to be afraid; rather, this was an occasion for joy. The future of mankind would be dramatically altered. Surely, the shepherds were somewhat perplexed by this. But they decided to verify what had been told them by the angel, and they went to see if indeed this was true. They were the first to see the miracle of God’s coming into the world, and they shared this wonder with Mary, who seemed to understand. We now come to that celebration, to the commemoration of that first Christmas. We do not experience it with an “otherworldly” dramatic change in heavens, nor do we have to journey to Bethlehem to verify this miracle. We are in the advantageous position of having learned of this from generations before us who have experienced the miracle with their very lives. But it seems that we are just as fearful, just as “filled with fear,” as were those shepherds two-thousand years ago. We are no different than the shepherds in some regards: we are busy with our lives, fulfilling our daily obligations. The difference is that when we are confronted with the unusual, we tend to view this as a disruption of our lives. Rather than rejoicing with the shepherds that our Creator has come into our lives and sent His only Son, Jesus Christ the Savior, we shy away from the implications of this tremendous gift. “What does He want from me?” “I don’t want to change my life - I am very happy with who I am!” How very sad it must make God feel as he looks at our Christmas celebration. We are like little children with His wonderful present: we look at and play with the beautiful box, the Christmas holidays, and never find the courage to incorporate the essence of His gift into our lives! Treasure the gift of Christ; it is not to be feared, but an occasion for rejoicing! Rt. Rev. Koloman K. Ludwig, Bishop Christmas, 2007 The Amazing Birthday Isaiah 26:1-21; 1 Timothy 1:12-20 / Psalm 2:1-12 I. WHY DID GOD BECOME MAN? A. Being born to a poor woman not yet married and traveling to comply with a foreign conqueror’s demands was humiliating. “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7) B. Life under the Law was constraining for the Creator of reality. “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,” (Galatians 4:4) “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” (Genesis 49:10) C. Human life is filled with sorrow. “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” (Hebrews 12:2-3) “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” (Isaiah 53:2-3) II. GOD BECAME MAN BECAUSE HE HAD MADE A PROMISE A. God always keeps His promises. “Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.” (1 Kings 8:56) Continued on page 4
