Calvin Synod Herald, 2009 (110. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2009-05-01 / 5-6. szám

CALVIN SYNOD HERALD

3

The Leading of the Holy Spirit

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. - Acts 2:1-4

My Dear Friends:

Just as we have seasons in life, so we have seasons in the Church. Seasons of life were important to the people of the Bible. Many of Jesus’ parables spoke to a people who were very close to the basics of life. Because the people were directly involved with agriculture for their livelihood, they could relate directly to a subject with which they were intimately familiar. Therefore, Jesus could make the people understand the message that he presented in parables.

In the Old Testament, it was seasons of famine that caused Joseph’s brothers to join him in Egypt. Had they not emigrated to Egypt, where Joseph had stockpiled food for seven years, they would have starved. In the nineteenth century there were two catastrophic events that led to crop failures. The 1915 eruption of the Mayon volcano in the Philippines caused brown “snow” to fall that winter in Hungary, and the subsequent summer became known as “The Year Without a Summer”. It is estimated that in Europe alone during that time 200,000 persons died as a result of crop failures. Our ancestors knew about the importance of seasons. Our Hungarian Reformed tradition specifically honors God’s gift of grain and the fruit of the land when we celebrate the first wheat harvest (New Bread Communion) and the grape harvest (New Wine Communion). Our ancestors were very aware of the importance of what seasons bring, and how they must be honored and treated. Perhaps for this reason our ancestors more clearly understood Jesus’ parables than we do today - because the parables related to everyday life for them just as it had to people in Jesus’ time.

Jesus made the observation at one time and it is stated in Matthew 15:2-3: “ When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red. ’ And in the morning: ‘To day there will be a storm, for the sky is red and lowering. ’ You know then how to discern the face of the sky: and can you not know the signs of the time? “

We seem to have clouded vision in this regard from time to time ourselves. We celebrate “the seasons” on the calendar, but sometimes forget why they are there. Easter - signifying eternal life won for us by our Lord through His defeat of death and His resurrection - must be more than just a one-day celebration. The period of Lent - the 40 days prior to Easter - are a preparation for Easter Sunday. By Easter Sunday our Lenten preparations should have left us changed human beings.

I believe sometimes we are just like those disciples Jesus referred to in Matthew 16:3 when He said: “You know then how to discern the face of the sky: and can you not know the signs of the time? “ The disciples didn’t understand either, as exemplified by their reaction to Jesus’ arrest, trial, death and finally resurrection. But they finally understood when Pentecost came, and they were touched by the Holy Spirit as we are taught in Acts 2:4: “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. ” The importance here is not the “tongues ” — but that the Spirit directed them from that time on. Not their own wisdom, not their own desires, not their own dreams or needs or plans orfamilies or goals - instead, from that time on they belonged to the Spirit!

Pentecost will soon be upon us. Will we simply be celebrating the anniversary in the season of the Church? Or will we finally open our eyes, our hearts and our souls to what is offered us by our call as Christians - and follow only the lead of the Spirit? Will we finally know the signs of the time? In a similar vein, we will be together in Ligonier for the Annual Meeting of the Calvin Synod May 19th through the 22nd. Will we allow the Spirit to lead us as we gather and work for the good of our churches, the Calvin Synod and Jesus Christ?

The disciples had slightly more than a month from Easter to Pentecost to prepare for the day when they understood, and it changed their lives. Let us make use of the days we have, so that we too can truly understand the sign of the times and be open to the power of the Spirit in our lives.

Rt. Rev. Koloman K. Ludwig, Bishop

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

from the Synod Treasurer

A) CORRECTION to an error in the Annual Assessment Data Forms - Our Annual Synod Meeting May 19-22 will be at The Ramada Inn in Ligonier - NOT - in Somerset, Pa.

B) ATTENTION CHURCH TREASURERS: 1) please complete the Assessment Data Forms and return them to me at your earliest convenience. 2) In addition to returning updated information on your church finances - please also update names, addresses, e-mails and phone numbers for your Minister, Chief Elder and Treasurer.

C) DONATIONS OVERSEAS - please make sure that I have 1) the official name of the organization, 2) their proper addresses 3) a contact name and c) telephone number. I need all this information so that I can prepare the check and get it to the respective organization as soon as possible.

D) My new phone number: 412-872-5644. My fax number/e-mail remain unchanged. Thank you!

Lisa Toth-Maskarinec, Synod Treasurer