Calvin Synod Herald, 2011 (112. évfolyam, 3-12. szám)
2011-11-01 / 11-12. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 3 For God So Loved the World "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him." John 3:16,17 Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, When the Bible Society decides to translate the Bible into a new language, they traditionally first translate the verse John 3:16. Martin Luther said that this verse is the Gospel within the Gospel. John 3:16 was proclaimed by Jesus in a conversation with Nicodemus, the Jewish religious leader, who came to visit him during the night. This Bible passage can inspire different Christian denominations and unite them. The negative implication of the text can be found in the Gospel of Mark, 16:16. "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." The key phrase is "whoever believes." It is crucial to understand what it is to believe. There is nothing more important in life than to believe. Our whole salvation or our eternal damnation depends on it. Intellectual belief is not necessarily Christian faith. One can have a historical knowledge of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and truly believe it to be true but that is not yet Christian faith. Emotions about the story of Jesus does not always produce Christian faith. The Heidelberg Catechism teaches what Christian faith is based on the Bible. Q: What is true faith? A. It is not only a certain knowledge by which 1 accept as true all that God has revealed to us in his Word, but also a wholehearted trust which the Holy Spirit creates in me through the Gospel, that not to others, but to me also God has given the forgiveness of sins, everlasting righteousness and salvation, out of sheer grace solely for the sake of Christ's saving work." What we believe is in the summary of the Christian faith which is known as the Apostles' Creed. The first confession of faith was short, "Jesus is Christ" which means "Jesus is the Anointed, the Messiah." The early Christians had knowledge about the promises of God given to the people of Israel about the coming of the Messiah. Many Old Testament references support those expectations which the people felt and expected "in the time of fulfillment" such as Isaiah 9:6, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." and Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name lmmanu-el." We Christians believe that God's promises were fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ. At Christmas the focus of our attention is on his birth, how he appeared on this Earth as we read in the Gospels, in Luke 2, Matthew 1, and John 1. The Good News in John 3:16 is the interpretation of Christmas and Easter together. His mission on earth and His saving act on the cross. The angels sang with the heavenly hosts at the time of his birth. "Glory to God in the highest heaven; and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” Luke 2:14 This inspires us to sing this Christmas also: "Joy to the world! the Lord is come: Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, And heaven and nature sing, And heaven and nature sing, And heaven, and heaven and nature sing." A BLESSED CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! Bishop Béla Póznán A Christmas Prayer O Thou, who in days long past made covenant with our forebears, and whose purposes for our recovery by your Spirit came to fruition in the child nestled in Mary’s arms, we lift our hearts and minds to you in this sacred season. We gather here wearing warm clothes midst winter’s chill, with safe houses awaiting us and food stuffs to ward off what is not even close to hunger. We come unchallenged to the place of worship and say aloud the words without glancing furtively from side to side, and vow our allegiance to the faith by which we stand, never thinking we might have to pay some price for these commitments. For these blessings we are thankful. Cause us then to remember that huddled family, poor in belongings, rousted out of their home as refugees, traveling three days on the verge of child birth in order to meet some governor’s order. And recall to us the oppressive atmosphere for faith into which your hope was bom and wrapped in swaddling bands. Call to our minds eye the world you love. A world where tensions never cease near Bethlehem. A world where malaria still lives in spite of provisions to wipe it out. A world where your people seek to survive tsunami and nuclear plant melt-down. A world where revolution breaks out against oppression with no certainties about what will ensue. And here at home many seek jobs to no avail. We name but a few of the troubles. Call us into solidarity with these our brothers and sisters in your world. Greet us, by your Spirit, with the surprise and joy of this Christ Mass. Let those who over analyze feel the earth move under their feet. Let those who never turn their minds over receive a new and wonderful thought from you. Let those who come in wheelchairs get to the manger first; those who are too proud to bow feel their knees crumple; those who remain too busy suddenly ask, “What’s it all about?” and find you. As always, the tmth is, we do not know what to pray. So we ask your Spirit to intercede on behalf of each of us according to our unique needs and for all of us, a people supposed to be on pilgrimage but often detoured before we get to Bethlehem. And grant us all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year all because we have discovered your Incarnate Love. Amen. David B. Bowman, Pli.D Saratoga, CA
