Calvin Synod Herald, 2008 (109. évfolyam, 1-10. szám)
2008-09-01 / 9-10. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 3 “Stuff’ Matthew 10: 5, 7-10 teaches: These were the twelve disciples whom Jesus sent out after he had given them these instructions: “As you go, make this announcement: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near!’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. You have received without payment, so give without payment. Don’t take any gold, silver, or copper in your moneybags, or a traveling bag for the trip, or an extra shirt...” From Luke 12:15 - 20 we learn: Then he said to them, “Be careful to guard yourselves against every kind of greed, because a person’s life doesn’t consist of the amount of possessions he has.” Then he told them a parable. He said, “The land of a certain rich man produced good crops. So he began to think to himself, ‘What should I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my bams and build bigger ones, and I’ll store all my grain and goods in them. Then I’ll say to myself, “You’ve stored up plenty of good things for many years. Take it easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.’” But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded back from you. Now who will get the things you’ve accumulated?’ That’s how it is with the person who stores up treasures for himself rather than with God.” In the past several weeks we read about the death of an American comedian named George Carlin. In one of his comic routines he talks about “stuff.” He said that your house is where you keep your “stuff;” when you go on vacation, you take your “most important stuff’ with you, the things you need every day. Finally, if you should take a side trip during the day while on vacation, then you finally whittle down your “most important stuff’ to those things truly necessary in your life - the “really important stuff,” things you really can’t do without. This is a very interesting and enlightening view of the contrast between the two scriptures above, where Jesus cautions us not to be too involved with “stuff,” for it takes our eyes “off the prize” and makes us unable to fulfill our calling in life. In Matthew 10, Jesus instmcts His disciples to go into the world to fulfilling His mission: “make this announcement: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near!’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.” This is reiterated in Matthew 28:19 - 20: “Therefore, as you go, disciple people in all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you.” And in His “send-off’ to us in Matthew 10, he told us NOT to take “too much stuff:” “Don’t take any gold, silver, or copper in your moneybags, or a traveling bag for the trip, or an extra shirt.” As each of us knows, “too much stuff’ interferes with our ability to do what we want or need to do; this is especially true in relationship to our Lord. When we are concerned with the things we have in life, we lose focus and are unable to accomplish the tasks at hand. If vacationing, we can’t enjoy ourselves at the beach or amusement park if we carry our suitcases with us from the motel. We can’t even go to a motel if we take our furniture or other important “stuff’ with us. Some never venture from their homes - not for vacation, not to visit their loved ones - because they can not bear to leave their “stuff.” We have to leam what “stuff’ is necessary in life on vacation. In a like manner, we have to come to terms with the effect “stuff’ has on our lives, as related to our responsibility to Christ’s mission, commanded to each of us. What is important to you in your life? This becomes most clear to us the moment we have to face the possibility that life might be over. Suddenly things become clearer. The TV, the swimming pool, the beautiful clothing and jewelry to which we dedicated our lives bring no comfort. Rather, the presence of family and friends take on supreme importance. Should we not now be concentrating on these things - while we are able to make those decisions? If not, then there will be a time when we are alone with those things we loved, but which can not love us back - they are only things. Christ calls us to turn our attention in life to those to whom He has sent us, and finally liberate ourselves from those possessions for which we “build bigger bams” (Luke 12:18). In Matthew 25: 35 - 26 Christ calls us to “feed the hungry, quench those who are thirsty, be hospitable to the stranger, clothe those who need clothing, care for the sick, visit those in prison.” These are things we can not easily do if we attached by an umbilical cord to our favorite TV programs - some of these actually require a commitment of time! Christ calls us to dip into our coin purse and be generous for those in need - but this interferes with our next big purchase and our planned vacations; Christ calls us to visit those who are sick and in prison, but those are such unpleasant things to do. But those are the things that make us human, and Christian! Let us heed Christ’s “Call:” look for opportunities to touch others in life every day, and if some personal possession would cause you to think twice about doing what you know is right as concerns your responsibility to Christ, then “think twice” about how those possessions are keeping you from tmly living! Rt. Rev. Koloman K. Ludwig, Bishop ONLINE RESOURCES Listen to Hungarian Radio http://www. radio.hu/ Study Hungarian Words http://szotar.sztaki.hu/index.hu.jhtml Biblical Witness Fellowship, A Confessing Movement in the United Church of Christ http://www. biblicalwitness. org Virginia Hungarians http://fergusonsinro. blogspot. com/
