Magyar Egyház, 1958 (37. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1958-01-01 / 1. szám

MAGYAR EGYHÁZ

7

MAGYAR

CHURCH

FROM SHOAL TO LAND

Acts 27:43 and 44 “He ordered those who could swim to throw themselves overboard first and make for the land, and the rest on boards or on pieces of the ship and so it was that all escaped to land.”

We can classify man in many different ways. There are the people of farewells who always look back with sadness bidding their goodbyes to the past. Again, there are those who are people of welcomes, who look ahead. One sees everything as passing — he sees in the rising sun, sunset; in the springtime, falling leaves; in the passing year, old age, sickness and death. The other, at sunset, thinks of dawn; and in dead winter dreams of spring. This one expects in the coming years new joys and new happiness. One would like to stop the hands of the clocks; the other would like to hasten on. The one thinks of saving when he is penniless and would like to be careful of his health when death has kissed him on the forehead and only then he finally discovers what a great gift every year is, now that his days have been counted. Life is very strange. The one, gleaning the barley like Ruth, the Moabitess — the other, just leaving the Father’s house to waste the rich harvest of life.

I know that these lines will be read by those who, after many years, are beginning to realize what a great gift is time with life in it. The readers of these lines will be the second and third generations of our church family. They have every right to expect from the future the realization of all their dreams. They are a people of hope and they look to the future, this coming year for only happiness.

God wants His children to be optimistic. Let us express it in the language of the Church: be believing and full of hope. However, the Word of God warns us not to walk in the realm of dreams; not all Cinderellas find their princes and we are not walking rose strewn pathways — our way is a hard and bloody path and He desires that we enter the straight gate to the narrow way. God, in this coming year, will not change the stones into bread, because the old commandments still hold good for this year — “In the sweat of thy brow thou shalt earn thy bread.” He will not give us dominion over the world, nor carry us on angel’s wings over the deep, but He says that whether we swim on boards or on pieces of ship, we must reach the land. Everyone receives the right requisites with which to reach land. This is God’s first consolation to us for this coming year.

In the 27th chapter of Acts, we are told of Paul’s voyage to Rome. The Word of God has preserved to us this narrative that it might show to us the Christian’s life, duties and hopes. The road is from Caesaria to Rome, from the place of your birth to the

other shore, where you stand before the King of Kings and give an account of your faithfulness and service. The Word teaches, too, that the road upon which we must walk God has planned for you. Not your superiors, nor your dreams have started you on this way, but God, Himself, who forsees and knows, and wants this way for you. He told Paul that he must go this way two years before.

We cannot choose our ship of life because we would choose a Luxury Liner, when God would give us a cargo vessel. We cannot choose our traveling companions and friends. God gives them to us and we must accept them. Some even must go from ship to ship until they reach the Haven. Paul made his voyage on three different vessels and had ten stopovers. Our life ship often glides along places where we would like to stay and then again it carries us to places that we do not want to go to. The voyage is often unpleasant and very stormy. The Christian, all through his life, sails contrary to the wind, against the tide, against desire, against the flesh, against all Satanic powers. Trials, poverty, sickness, loneliness and sorrow come and without our sails, we drift. Many times the stars go out in our sky and hope is gone and we think the end has come.

The Christian knows that he must reach his haven, his destination. It is unthinkable that we would not reach what God has ordered for us in this year or in our lives. The ship may break into piecesi or may run aground on the shoals, but we will escape and reach safely.

In this new year, at the very beginning, looking out into the future, may we all learn that in the storm only faith can save us. Because of the man of faith, the household or the people on board will be saved. When all knowledge becomes bankrupt and the experts have been silenced, the Word of God tells us what to do. The man of faith is a courageous, calm, clear-headed man who instills hope in the hearts of his fellowmen. At his word, men will cast lifeboats into the sea and will sit in the boat of the Word which surely will take them to the other shore.

There is always a faithful one to whom God gives the lives of his felloiumen. We do not know who is the believer in our life-boat and because of whose prayer we escaped. It would be wonderful if you, yourself, were that faithful one. God has ordered our life’s road and he has written down our destination. His providential love keeps watch over our drifting, storm-beaten ship and pilots it. We are not drifting aimlessly. The storms, the contrary winds, the shipwreck are all the requisites from the hand of God which carry us closer to Him and to the end of our voyage.

Now, you might say, “If God ordered for me the direction I must go and my destination and will save me out of the storm, I have nothing to do.”