Magyar Egyház, 2009 (88. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2009-02-01 / 1. szám
4. oldal MAGYAR EGYHÁZ Between Old and New, Physical and Spiritual. Scripture reading: Psalm 8:1-9. Text: "So he (the angel) said to me, ‘This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.'" Zechariah 4:6. Between the old and the New Year we feel the squeeze; the past says: I have taught you, offered experience, shown you good examples; while the future asks us: can you improve your ways, achieve more, and become a better person? Being caught between what is behind us and what we have to face, may we ask for divine guidance. THE BACKGROUND OF OUR TEXT, ITS CORRELATION WITH THE SCRIPTURE READING, AND ITS APPLICATION. Zechariah's ministry had taken place around 520 B.C. and was contemporaneous with prophet Haggai. Both prophets urged the people to complete the reconstruction of the Temple. Zerubbabel, the head of the tribe of Judah, returned from the captivity with many Jews and gifts due to the good will of Cyrus the Persian king. Zerubbabel, together with Joshua the high priest, was instrumental in rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem, destroyed in 587 B.C., which did not go as smoothly as expected. In the 8th Psalm we read that man is the crown of creation and God has bestowed on us many blessings: "what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:” 4-6 verses. When God had given so much power and authority to mankind, it is good that we are reminded: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty." Our scripture reading and text of meditation complement each other. THE BEST AND WORST OF THE LAST YEAR AND WHAT IS GOING TO COME? Usually the last issue of the magazines published in December carries a feature story; the best and the worst of the past year. It is interesting to read who made the headlines and why? What shall we be proud and ashamed of? Please do some soul □ searching and take a spiritual inventory what were the best and worst events of the last twelve months? Of what did we too much or not enough? What would have helped to achieve more and make fewer mistakes? WHAT IS EXACTLY THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF WISDOM, POWER, AND FREEDOM? No doubt each of us wishes to be wise, powerful and free. Would not it be great to know almost everything, do wonderful things, and have no restrictions? Unfortunately this ideal situation does not exist. As we examine the recent history of our nation, our family, and our own life, what do we think, what was the source of the problems; WE HAD TOO MUCH WISDOM, POWER, and FREEDOM - OR, WHAT WE HAD WERE NOT ENOUGH AND SUFFICIENT? Please extend the lines in both directions; what will be the final result if everybody would be very gifted, strong and uncontrolled? Or proceeding into the opposite direction; where will we end up if people would be uneducated, dominated, and oppressed? Where is the happy medium? What keeps our forces and privileges as well as our authority and responsibilities in proper balance? What shall be used to maintain a healthy ratio among what we can do, should do, and should avoid? When we like to have more wisdom, power, and freedom let us keep it mind that there are also three other "gifts" that we should not only be aware of but also submit ourselves to them; WHERE IS THE LIMIT, HOW TO CORRECT and WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME? If we did not go too far, knew how to make corrections, and did not wait too long, or acted too fast; wisdom, power, and freedom will be neither misused nor abused. Only at this point we will comprehend the divine message: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty." With the Spirit of the Lord, blessings of God, and teaching of the Bible we can enter into the New Year, facing the future, and taking the challenges with high hopes and little to fear about. Apostle Paul reminded the Corinthians in the same manner: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is FREEDOM.” 2 Corinthians 3:17, also: “. . . but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ (is) the POWER OF GOD and the WISDOM OF GOD.” 1 Corinth. 1:24. May God be with us, guide and protect us; and may we have a happy, prosperous New Year in good health and peace. From greed to grace, from egoistic interest to altruistic intentions. Scripture reading: Luke 3:7-14. Text: “But godliness with CONTENTMENT is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be CONTENT with that.” 1 Timothy 6:6-8. This is the last Sunday in Lent. We wish to avoid being critical of others, rather hope to see how much we are influenced by the negative trend in the world that is prevalent today. We know about the deep financial problems our country is facing and nobody can say that these are isolated events. Banks, lending institutions, and big corporations face dismal financial future. When the government rescues them it is at the expense of the tax-paying citizens. If we are looking for one word that best describes the road that has led us to our present economical woes, then this one word is GREED. What are the stepping stones that can entice us to become victims of this selfish desire? MORE. Whatever we like, enjoy, or profit thereby we wish to have more of it. Children wish to have more toys, young adults more fun, rich people more luxury, bankers more money, scientists more discoveries, pirates/steelers/penguins more victories, and politicians more success and appreciation. Can we learn the meanings of these words: enough, sufficient, plenty, and contentment? BIGGER or GREATER. We build bigger houses, cars, airplanes, ships, amusement parks, and do not we like to say: “Here is the biggest (whatever) in the world?” We do not have small size, only big, giant and jumbo. We like to have a bigger steak for dinner, and ladies prefer to have a big wedding. When we are in business we have to play by the rule, namely we either expand or shrink.
