Calvin Synod Herald, 2017 (118. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2017-09-01 / 9-10. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 2 knowledge he was the same as his fellow Pharisees but his heart and motivation, to meet with Jesus, was different. He did not want to provoke or examine the Lord. Nicodemus was sincerely waiting for the Messiah and wanted to know if Jesus was the One. So he was pretty confused of the person of Christ, therefore Nicodemus came to see Him. But before he could even ask his question, Jesus said to him, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again ” (Jn.3:3). If Nicodemus was confused before he met Jesus, he had become even more confused by now. “How ridiculous it is for a grown man to return into his mother’s womb and be bom again?”, he thought. The new birth, however, that Jesus was talking about was not through human contribution. Getting into the Kingdom of God is not something we are able to accomplish. It is something that comes from above, given by God for free, by His grace. Jesus had an important point here: No one gets into the Kingdom of God by being a “good person!” Jesus’ words shocked Nicodemus since the Jewish teaching lays much emphasis on human deeds. However, Christ had a purpose with stating it. He wanted to make the teacher of the law understand that “you cannot do it, Nicodemus, but God can! Only He can transform you from the inside out!” How does God do that? How does He do that in your life? The answer is through His Son, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit leads you to the truth to understand that Jesus died for you to save your life. He took upon Himself all your sin and guilt so that you may live. He has made you right with the Father to live for His glory on earth, so you may finally become heir, participant, and member of His Kingdom. You may have two responses to His call of grace. You may accept Christ’s call for your life or you may reject it. If you do not give a response to His call, that is a response, too. That’s a “no” response. However, if you accept Jesus into your life then you will become the child of God. "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (Jn.l:l2). The Holy Spirit will help you to get to know Christ more and more, to dedicate your life to Him, and to stand finn in the difficulties and trials. May God bless you and help you in the Christ-like life as you follow Him every day. Amen. Yours in Christ, Rt. Rev. Dr. Csaba Krasznai Bishop Make Glad! The United Church of Christ General Synod 31 was held June 30- July 4, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. The General Synod of the United Church of Christ is the national decision-making body for the denomination, responsible for giving general direction to the evangelistic, missionary, and justice programs of the UCC. Because the UCC holds to an explicitly congregational polity, any decisions made by the Synod are not binding upon the UCC's congregations (or its associations or conferences) in any way, though the national offices expect serious consideration to be given them. There were 737 voting delegates present at this meeting. The Calvin Synod Conference was represented by Jill Murrell, Rev. Viktor Toth and myself. We stayed at the Baltimore Hilton, adjacent to the Baltimore Convention Center where most of the events took place. The inner harbor and surrounding area is breath-taking. But everything was very expensive, as in most big cities. We tried our best to be frugal during meal times, keeping in mind the current financial situation of our Synod. The theme for this year’s General Synod was “make glad!” ‘‘There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God” Psalm 46:4. “Those of us who love the Church, and the mission for which it was birthed, are feeling the strains of living through times of rapid change. Change doesn’t come easily or quickly to the Church. There is a part of us that just wants it to stop- but it doesn’t seem to make a difference. Change is like a river that can’t be stopped. It keeps moving, whether we are ready for it or not. So, here’s a thought: why fight it? I know, some things that are very precious to us may no longer be necessary because of changes that are coming; and there may be some grief and pain on the other side of that. But there may also be new joy coming as well,” states John C. Dorhauer, General Minister and President. There several types of actions are voted on by the General Synod delegates. A formal motion, and a pronouncement require a simple majority vote. A prudential resolution established policy, institutes or revises structure or procedures, authorizes programs, approves directions or requests actions, also passes with a majority vote. Changes to the Constitution and By Laws and a resolution of witness require a two-thirds vote to pass. A resolution of witness is an expression of the General Synod concerning a moral, ethical or religious matter confronting the Church, the nation, or the world. Constitutional and By Laws changes Three major changes were approved in this area. First, the United Church of Christ has embraced full communion
