Calvin Synod Herald, 2008 (109. évfolyam, 1-10. szám)
2008-07-01 / 7-8. szám
10 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD Continuedfrom page 9 • It was recorded that Jesus had manifested love, compassion, and supernatural power. • Our Lord had made it very clear his messianic ministry: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies ...” John 11:25. • Faith, love, and service (see Luke 10:38-42) had been graciously rewarded. But does such a miracle happen all the time? In the case of the John the Baptist we can raise the same question what the Jews did at Lazarus’ grave: “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” John 11:37. Here with strong faith and basic biblical knowledge we should try to unfold the mystery of God’s providence, Jesus’ miraculous power, and our human fate. • The primary goal of Jesus’ ministry was spiritual and not charitable, or medical, or advisory. If anyone starts to help unfortunate people, the need for help is endless. • Regardless how painful it is in life, there must be a line beyond which we cannot go. How far can we help our children? How much can we donate to charity? How long can we put up with irritation? We can assume that saving John the Baptist’s life was not included in Jesus’ ministry. (Had he done it, would not it have been nepotism?) • It is tragic but true, the blood of the martyrs is the best proof of faithfulness. • Courageous behavior always invites risk, and adhering to our convictions can be dangerous. Think about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, if you heard about this German martyr. • In the early church history, we find examples for both; miraculous escape from the jail, Acts of Apostles 5:17-20; and the death of the first martyr Stephen, Acts of Apostles 6:8-15 and 7:1-2 and again 54-60. Two Bible quotations help us see John the Baptist’s martyrdom in a different view: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28. “He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” John 11:25- 26. Rev. Alexander Jalso First Hungarian Reformed Church of Homestead Munhall, Pennsylvania TRAC Update Homeless Mission The homeless mission of the Transylvania Reformed Assistance Committee (TRAC) is very important as a practice of Christian life in society - and also for theological students as an activity from which we get experiences for our future ministry. We see a lot of things during this activity: real, harsh and meaningful problems we not only have the right and occasion to see, but that it’s our responsibility to deal with. It’s very touching when those homeless people get together in God’s communion. I was much moved personally when I first took part in this mission, because I not only saw adults and old people, but even children, living a homeless life. It’s very sad when older people get into this situation in the last years of their lives and they are alone and their relatives take no care of them anymore. That’s why this mission has a very important role in the lives of these people, giving them what they need physically (food and clothing), but also working to give them God’s word, real hope, belief, consolation and advice out of the word of life. Through this they can understand that between us and our trials, a man can discover the providence of God through faith, prayers and communion together; and this holding together can help a lot. I was quite moved when I noticed that before these people entered the room or we started to pray or listen to the service, some of them straightened their hair and clothes. I thought how important it is to give ourselves to God just as we are when we are standing in front of Him. It’s so good to see the smiles on the children’s faces after the service, and to see the tears in the adults’ eyes during singing. It is not our work, but the Holy Spirit working through us. We just need to take our opportunities, and use everything we have to give the gospel, hope and strength for these people. I’m glad we can help more and more people with this mission; and I’m happy I can be useful for my colleagues in this work. Szabolcs Kató 1st year student The Renovation of Komlód Church The Reformed church at Komlód was built in the 18th century, but the tower is much older: it was built in the 16th century. The specialists said (one of whom visited Komlód last summer, and took the measurements of the old church) that it was an older church, but in the 18th century the congregation built a new one, with the financial support of the local count István Wesselényi and his wife Plixena Daniel. At the end of the 19th century the congregation had cca 150. members, and had a pastor. Now days the congregation has only 32 members, and most of them live in the wintertime in the city. The average age is around 60 years, and there are many mixed families (the husband or the wife is Romanian Orthodox). They don’t have a pastor living in the village, and are under the care of the pastor of Ormenyes, who visits them several time in a month. The church building two years ago was in a very bad shape and the congregation decided to renovate it. They collected a huge amount of money (if you consider that there are only 32 persons) cca 2000 dollars in lei (that means cca 60 dollars per person). They had some money in the bank and in 2007 they
