Magyar Egyház, 1966 (45. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1966-11-01 / 11-12. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 9 MAGYAR CHURCH God Is Love I. John 4:8 As long- as we walk this earth, we will never understand the mystery of Christmas. Our finite minds and our frail hearts can only feel and sense something of the mystery of Christmas. A little child can feel some of the love his parents feel for him through the warmth of their embraces, through the tenderness of kind words spoken to him and through the multitude of gifts showered upon him, but he cannot grasp how great this love is. If we could only understand the generosity of God when he gave us the King of Christmas. Man may hate man and men may kill other men in bitter battles. Yet the Star of Bethlehem will shine over this divided world where men even today are hating and killing each other and it will proclaim to believers and unbelievers as well that God is Love. This is the message the Christmas bells toll, of this the Word of God speaks sometimes through fiery lips and at other times in a still, small voice. This love is not like human love which wants to satisfy its own desires, the center of which is its ego, that wants to possess and conquer. This love always wants to give. God’s love is the kind of love that does not want to receive, but only wants to give. This love forgives us even though we have saddened His fatherly heart. This love gives, self forgetting and bountifully. This lovt gave to this world Christ, the only-begotten Son, as its Saviour. Since the first Christmas we have learned that love cannot be expressed in any other way but by the giving of ourselves. God has given Himself to sinful man because of His unspeakable love. Many will live to see Christmas this year, many will go to church, but only those will have a true Christmas who can understand that God has given them unspeakable joy in that He loved judgmentdeserving man so much that He gave him His onlybegotten Son as a refuge and salvation. Christmas speaks of God’s immeasurable love which was given for those who did not merit it. God multiplies His love by awakening love toward Himself in our selfish cold heart. We cannot do this ourselves but His Holy Spirit touching our hearts creates a miracle within us and makes us love Him in return. Dear Lord, because Thou hast loved me so much, let me show my love for Thee by giving Thee my heart! Only those who realize that God is love will have a real Christmas, and only those who can realize that He loved us far beyond what we could ever merit, and who respond to His love in gratitude and service, can experience the real joy of Christmas. In behalf of the Hungarian Reformed Church In America we wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas, one that will cause you to know that God so loved you that He sent the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth to redeem you. We wish to all the people of our church a Blessed Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year! With Christian Love, Dr. Sándor Kiss, Chief Elder Bishop Louis Nagy THAT THE WORLD MAY KNOW Report on the Seventh General Assembly of the National Council of Churches by Andrew Harsanyi In search for proper and effective ways of obedience to God’s call to be witnesses to Christ, “that the world may know” his presence and many be made co-workers with him among men caught up in the problems and promises of our times more than 3,000 churchmen and churchwomen gathered in Miami, Florida, on December 4-9 constituting the seventh General Assembly of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. 600 of them were voting delegates from the 30 Protestant and Orthodox member Churches, the others consultants, fraternal delegates, observers and visitors. The Hungarian Reformed Church in America, one of the constituent communions of the Council, was represented by Bishop Louis Nagy, Dean Dr. Andrew Harsanyi, editor of Magyar Egyház, Dean Tibor Tóth, the Rev. Stephen Szőke and Chief Elder John Kozma from Miami. The Assembly’s message to the 34 member Churches (4 more communions were admitted to Council-mmbership in Miami) struck a keynote: “We know Jesus Christ is the answer to our own deepest spiritual longings . . . We know sharing Him is like offering food to hungry people. We do feed some people. But many of us hesitate to share our Christian faith.” At the climax of a colorful opening ceremony when delegates wearing academic and liturgical vestments marched into the assembly hall to take their ssats, Bishop Reuben
