Fraternity-Testvériség, 2009 (87. évfolyam, 1-3. szám)
2009-01-01 / 1. szám
EASTER GREETING CALVIN SYNOD-UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST The Miracle And A Lesson Of Easter "And Jesus said: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34) "He is not here, but is risen." (Luke 24:6) As Christians, at Easter we celebrate and remember the most important holiday - the most important event - in history. This event has been characterized as "a radical disjuncture in history", meaning that the very course of history was altered in an unforeseeable way and would never again be the same. Easter is important because without the Resurrection of Jesus the Christ that Sunday morning, we would have no reason to remember Him. Going forward, there would have been no reason for the disciples to gather at Pentecost. Thus, the Holy Spirit would not have transformed and energized the disciples to go into the world since they would have had nothing to preach. Looking back, the remembrances which comprise the telling of Jesus' birth - Christmas - would never have been important enough to record. Without the resurrection at Easter, the rest of Jesus' life would not have been significant enough to remember or to record. There would be no Christianity. We would not have hope either in this life or for eternity, we would not have a relationship to God our Creator, and we would not have a Savoir. We would be alone. The Easter message offers each of us all of these and much more. Today, we live with the knowledge that Christ makes it possible for each one of us to be in a relationship with our Creator. He offers us - meaning YOU - the possibility of eternal life in the future, and He offers you His presence every day in all that you do. He offers you these gifts as He beckons you to follow His example in the way you relate to others. But the fact is, the blessings He offers you are contingent on your determination to be His follower, His disciple in life. This doesn't mean that you can somehow "earn" His blessings. You can not. They are freely given to you because of His sacrifice on your behalf. Christ offers His gifts freely when we put our faith in him (Romans 5:1). However, He does have some expectations from us. He expects us to have an active "faith," bringing to life and practicing what we say that we believe. In Luke 6:46, He asks the rhetorical question: "Why do you keep calling me 'Lord, Lord,' but don't do what I tell you?" (The Letter of James 2:17 restates it: "So faith also, if it have not works, is dead in itself.") This was reemphasized when Jesus taught His disciples to pray words which every reader knows since they are part of the Lord's Prayer which we regularly pray: "And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors."(Matthew 6:12) We pray these words without really considering what we are asking. We are saying to God our Supreme Judge, "I want you to deal with me the same way I deal with my family, my friends, my enemies: if I am forgiving and loving to them, I ask you to be forgiving and loving to me; but if I am rude and heartless and unforgiving to others, I want you to be heartless and unforgiving to me!" Jesus himself makes this very plain in the verse immediately following the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:15: "But if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your offenses." These are words we very conveniently seem to forget. So what was Jesus' last message to us on the Cross? It was forgiveness! Can we do any less? This was, in fact, Jesus' message throughout His life and ministry. "... love your enemies, do good to them..." (Luke 6:35); "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." (Luke 6:36); "Stop judging, and you will never be judged. Stop condemning, and you will never be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." (Luke 6:37); "...if your brother...sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, and says, T repent,' you must forgive him." (Luke 17:4); "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." (Matthew 5:7); "...I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment." (Matthew 5:22); "Judge not, that you be not judged." (Matthew 7:1). This central message of Jesus is emphasized in the parables of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15) and the Unforgiving Slave (Matthew 18). Forgiveness is an essential quality of any person who wants a relationship with Christ. Forgiveness must be practiced and brought to life in our relationship with all those with whom we live. The more difficult it is to forgive someone, the more important it is that we offer forgiveness. Jesus offered forgiveness to those who were causing Him to suffer and die: can we be less forgiving to those who are much less offensive to us? Does Easter - the gift of Christ's forgiveness and salvation - have any meaning if we do not make His teachings central to our lives? The answer is no. Celebrate Easter this year by celebrating the renewal of His presence in your life. Rev. Koloman K. Ludwig, Bishop, Calvin Synod FRATERNITY - TESTVÉRISÉG 5
