Calvin Synod Herald, 2012 (113. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2012-11-01 / 11-12. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 5 IT’S ALL ABOUT ETERNITY It’s no accident that the Reformation began on the eve of All Saints Day. November first ushers in the Church’s last Sundays of the Church Year when the emphasis is on the Last Days and our last days also. Advent’s four Sundays before Christmas usher in a new Church Year - which doesn’t coincide with the calendar year beginning with New Year Day. The Church Year takes us from the days before Christ’s coming, prophetically pointing in the Old Testament to the preparation for the Lord’s coming in human vesture. It proceeds with Jesus’ birth, life and ministry, and guides us in the steps along the way through his passion, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension, outlined in the Gospels. With the rest of the New Testament we are informed about the way the people of God responded to the Good News, and the birth and life of the early Church. Its final pages share with us a vision of the Last Days, of our Lord’s judgment of sinners, and merciful grant of eternal life to those who have died “in Christ,” led into the gates of heaven by the Son who died that they might have eternal life. It’s all about eternity. It is no accident that one of the most beloved verses in the Scriptures is about eternity, John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. ” But it’s not only eternal life that is good and desirable. So is this life! We value our lives so much that we are willing to spend any amount of money on medical help just to survive. We are like those weeds that grow in cracks in the sidewall or driveway, surviving the footsteps or the tire treads just to live another day. Some even give their lives so that someone else can live. Life is precious! Your life is precious to God also. He has not made you to live a short span and be burned like weeds, but to live with him forever. Just as a childhood prepares the way for many years of independent adult life, this life is a preparation for the more wonderful life to come in the company of the Lord. But how do we get there? That’s what the Scriptures are all about, the revelation of God for our understanding of the path to eternal life. Jesus told the rich young man, who could buy anything he wanted, and who had tried to live a righteous life, that he had to sell all that he had and give it to the poor. Then, he said, “follow me.” But the wealth of the man had taken possession of him, and he turned away from Jesus and surrendered eternity. In Jesus parable about the beautiful lilies of the field, he said that God knows we need the things of this world, but insisted, “Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be yours as well.” He pointed out that when we seek eternity as our priority, all the other parts of life fall into place and are collateral blessings when we get our priorities straight. The days after All Saints Day are an appropriate time to read the concluding chapters of Matthew and the Bible’s concluding book of Revelation. They compel us to consider our last days and where we will spend the timeless ages of eternity. Rev. Albert W. Kovács How Does Christmas Change My World? As Christians, we know that with the birth of Jesus Christ the world had changed. But how? How does Christmas change your world? Think about that for just a minute. How does Christmas change your world? How will your world be different on December 26th, because of Christmas? Will you be happier? Will you have more peace in your life? Will you be a better person? Or will you simply have more things and owe more money and have to work more hours to help eliminate the additional strain that debt puts on your budget? If we are completely honest, Christmas doesn’t really change our world all that much. Even for those of us who believe in Jesus Christ as God’s Son and the Savior of the world, Christmas doesn’t change our lives that much. Mostly, we celebrate Christmas as a great American holiday, snow, Santa, holly and mistletoe, family and friends gathered around the fireplace remembering what Christmas was like when we were kids. The shopping, the parties, and all of the busy activities that we cram into the season are a part of how Christmas goes. But when everything is said and done, the only real change Christmas brings to our world is that it makes us a little bit poorer and a lot more tired; and all of this for an event that God never called us to commemorate. We are never once asked to remember the birth of Christ. Our celebration of Christmas is a purely human endeavor. He commanded us to remember his death, which we do through the act of communion, but he never asked us to celebrate his birth. That’s our thing. It’s not a bad thing, in fact it can be quite good, but does it change our lives? The purpose of Christmas, the birth of Christ, was to bring a change to our world. I don’t mean just “the world” in general, but I mean he came to bring a change to each and every one of our personal worlds, where we carry out life on a day to day basis, our job, our relationships, our families, our spirituality, all should be radically transformed by Christmas. Not transformed by our celebration of Christmas, but transformed by Christmas itself. How does Christmas change my world? When the angels announced the birth of Christ they said, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been bom to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." Luke 2:10-14 (NIV) The angels tell us that the arrival of Christ in our world, Christmas, is to be joyful. It should be something that helps quell our fears, and it should be something that brings us peace. Yet most of us today wouldn’t say that Christmas quells our fears, brings us true joy or that it truly brings us peace. No, I would guess that most of us would be hard pressed to see just how Continued on page 6
