Calvin Synod Herald, 1996 (96. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)

1996-11-01 / 6. szám

CALVIN SYNOD HERALD- 7 -AMERIKAI MAGYAR REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA us that love is the key to living our lives as Christians. Verse 10 of Romans chapter 13 says, “Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law”. What law is Paul referring to? The law of God. Everyone has heard the words that precede verse 10, “Love your neighbor as yourself”, and this is what Paul is telling us to do. Do not be jealous of your neighbor, instead, love them for who they are. God has a plan for each one of us and we need to be accepting and content with the plan that He has chosen for us. If God chooses your neighbor to win next week’s lottery, then don’t be mad and jealous of them. Instead, go over and congratulate them and be happy for them. In conclusion, as mature Christians we need to show our love for everyone, even those who are jealous of us and may want some kind of harm to come to us. We also need to realize that instead of being jeal­ous of someone’s talents or good fortune, we should rejoice with them. So if we have love in our hearts and show love towards our neighbors, then we cannot be envious or jealous of them. Just as it is impossible for an ice cube and boil­ing water to co-exist forever, love and jeal­ousy cannot co-exist. So I urge you, start­ing today, to forget those three little words, “I’m so jealous'. Instead, begin comple­menting your neighbors with phrases like “You’re very talented", and “I’m very happy for your good fortune”. Then most likely, jealousy will become just a childhood memory. Amen. Let us celebrate Christmas in living colors of the season Rev. Alexander Jalsó As we decorate our homes, chur­ches and stores for Christmas, we know that the right color combination ads beauty to any arrangement. What a joy it is to behold enticing shop windows prepared for the holidays, or the skill­fully arrayed bushes and trees with strings of lights as well as the illumined manger scene as we drive home from shopping in the evening. May the bright colors of Advent and Christmas elicit not only beauty in our eyes but also happiness in our hearts. Color is mentioned in both, in our Scripture reading and text of medi­tation. The author of the book of Revela­tion mentions four horses: white, bright red, black and a pale horse of which Billy Graham wrote: “The first (white) horse has to do with counterfeit religion. The second (bright red) deals with war and peace. The third (black) has to do with famine and pestilence. And the fourth (pale) represents the trauma of death. In many churches, the candles of the Advent wreath are lit. What is the color of the three candles of the Advent wreath? Purple. Usually in the middle of the wreath there is a white candle also which is let at Christmas. What do the purple, white, red and green colors symbolize during this season? Purple. Why was Jesus arrayed in a purple robe before crucifixion? Be­cause the purple color stands for maj­esty and nobility. Even today, high rank­ing church officials wear garments of purple color. Read Luke 16:1 and John 19; 1-3. Not in respect but rather in contempt was the purple robe put on the Savior to be crucified. However, this contempt turned into recognition as the Roman captain spontaneously exclaimed wit­nessing his death: “Truly this was the Son of God". Matthew 27:54. Will Christ’s majesty be forgotten and lost amidst the fervent preparation and shopping? And will we be able to elevate ourselves to that high level where not dresses and jewelry will earn honor but royal attitude and noble ideas? A real king is not a dictator but a benefactor to his loyal subjects. White. “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas” is one of our favorite Christ­mas carols. Is not it a wonderful sight when the snow covers everything with a white blanket? White stands for pu­rity and innocence. The daily disappointing news also prove that purity and innocence are in short supply. What is rather overflow­ing? Greed, grudge, cruelty, selfish­ness. Can purity and innocence be maintained in a crime-infested world? Are purity and innocence compatible with cheap fun and violence? Red. What are the colors of the Christmas flower, poinsettias? Red and green. Red stands for life and healing and the idea originates from the life­­sustaining blood. Is our society healthy emotionally? Are families as strong and harmonious today as they were two or three gen­erations ago? Can we settle our oppos­ing vies without the help of the court? Whom do we need more: policemen and psychiatrists or evangelists and charity workers? Do we need healing? Green. This color symbolizes hope and faithfulness. According to the origi­nal German text of this Christmas carol: “O Christmas tree! 0 Christmas tree! Thy leaves are so unchanging”. The needles of the pine tree are really faith­ful because they remain green in win­ter time too. As we look into the future, the fast approaching new year, do we need hope? Do we hope that more people will be employed, and there will be no war, famine and disaster? Do faithful­ness and loyalty help us to feel secure? May our spiritual colorblindness be lifted during this Christmas so we can see the arriving Christ in life-enhanc­ing living colors. □□□

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