Fraternity-Testvériség, 2002 (80. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2002-10-01 / 4. szám
FRATERNITY Page 3 From the President’s Desk A Christmas Greeting To fully understand what we Christians celebrate on Christmas, one of the greatest holiday of the year, you must go back to the Gospels in the Holy Scriptures which were written for the benefit of all believers. So put on your holiday best and walk in your imagination along the road that led the two lonely travelers up from Galilee to the city of David, Bethlehem, where the fulfillment of the ages was to come true. Imagine also the knowledge Mary and Joseph possessed of the events which were associated with Bethlehem. What a stream of historic memories, mixed with the inspiration which springs from the sense of their ancestry, must have passed over their souls. There is the scene of the notable gleaning by the Gentle Moabite, who had accompanied Naomi from a distant land just to see the fulfillment of her wish: “Thy home will be my home and Thy God will be my God.” Lo, there too, by the gate is the famous well from which David had longed to drink, but though faint he was, he would not, because the drawing of the water would have been at the cost of his life. The appeal to the hearts of these two pilgrims is manifold. Although they come from a lowly position, they are connected to the royal family of the greatest king the chosen people have ever known. As they approach the City of which prophecy had said hundreds of years before: “Out of thee shall One come forth unto me that is to be the ruler in Israel, whose going forth are from of old, from everlasting,” they know that the time of fulfillment is at hand. Where shall they go? It is time now for them to rest. Shall they go to the inn? But the inn is full. There is no place in it for them. Their need is urgent. So all they can find as a refuge, as tradition mentions, is a grotto - a cave - used as a stable for horses and for cattle. Thus, the manger becomes the cradle for the King of Kings. From this manger and the event taking place there, again we are led by the evangelists to the grassy slopes which stretch around the City. Hidden in some nooks on these slopes rest pious shepherds. Shepherds, who through the long history of the nation, have been used many times before by God to bring forth Good News to His people and as they receive the news again, they understand the message brought to them by the angels. Calmly and promptly they respond: “Let us go and see the things that God revealed to us, ‘Bom to you this day a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”’ In the Gospel narrative, we also find what led them to Christ - the mysterious Star. A Star that guided them, and later the Wise Men, to the place where they found Him “wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger.” We are also told about the reason for their going “to worship Him.” Worship is always the tribute from the heart, the reverential submission of our whole being, adoration, full of wondering awe, full of grateful love. Worship and praise is the duty of the heavenly hosts saying day and night “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, God Almighty.” As Christmas nears, we must leam to worship, for this life is the training ground for that heavenly life that Christ, the child of Bethlehem, has promised to all those who believe in Him. As we again make the journey to the stable in Bethlehem, our duty, as His followers, is not to just commemorate the event of His birth, not merely to present ourselves and our hearts to Him, but we must also leam to worship Him. To worship Him is to fully acknowledge that we need Him as much today as those to whom He has come personally some 2000 years ago. For now we know that we cannot live without Him, for He is still the Lord and King of our lives. May this lesson of the shepherds and the Wise Men and the countless numbers of faithful believers throughout the Christian centuries also lead us to the full understanding of what we seek and to know what it means to find Him. For only when we find Christ can we truly celebrate Christmas. A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all! Rev. Stefan M. Torok President/CEO Áldott Karácsonyt és Boldog Új Évet kívánunk az Amerikai Magyar Református Egyesület minden tagjának és barátjának. Az AMRE Igazgatósága, Főtisztviselői és Munkatársai We wish our Members and Friends a Blessed Christmas and a Very Happy New Year The Board of Directors, The National Officers, Home Office Employees, Branch Managers and Agents of the HRFA T
