Calvin Synod Herald, 2018 (118. évfolyam, 1-2. szám)
2018-01-01 / 1-2. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 3 follow what they find in the Bible. Basically they prepare a way when there is no way. This is what John the Baptist called the attention of his listeners to: “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him” (Mk. 1:3). Start to prepare a way when it is humanly impossible, where our hopes will be fulfilled. When we sit around in Consistory, we may come up with 10 ways to make something happen in the life of the congregation, or 10 reasons why it won’t work. Our approach to different things will tell us far more about our congregation than we probably want it to. Growing churches believe they can. It’s that simple. And even if they are wrong, at least they tried. The mission of the church is important enough to take significant risks. On the contrary, declining churches believe they cannot. They are right. Declining churches will not be able to accomplish what they think would be beneficial for their congregations and should be done in order to stop going down the hill. But they will not do it probably out of fear, or because they think they don’t have adequate resources, or they don’t have enough money, enough people as a workforce, or they are waiting for the pastor or a small group of people in the church to do and solve everything, and we could continue with a long-long list. Declining churches are right that we are unable to do it. Because you and I are incapable to do what humanly is impossible, but God is able and with God it is possible! Jesus said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Mt. 19:26). Jesus also said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these” (Jn.14:12). Christ said it pretty clear for all of us. With Him all things are possible and without Him things will not go the way they were supposed to. So we can choose to be a growing church or a declining church. The choice is ours. No one will do it for us, only we as members of the local congregations can make that decision. The one we prove to be, whether a growing or a declining church, will be shown by our actions and in our current situation. Yours in Christ, Rt. Rev. Dr. Csaba Krasznai Bishop Source: 5 Significant Attitude Differences That Separate Growing and Declining Churches by Carey Nieuwhof. https://careynieuwhof.com/5-significant-attitudedifferences-that-separate-growing-and-declining-churches/ Christmas Eve Remembered I remember with special spiritual affection the 11:00 p.m. Christmas Eve services we held in a parish where I served for eleven years. So powerful the impact of those times. I think of the words Shakespeare placed on the lips of Marcellus, “Some people say that just before Christmas the rooster crows all night long, so that no ghost dares go wandering, and the night is safe. The planets have no sway over us, fairies’ spells can’t bewitch us. That’s how holy that night is.” Aside from the superstition, Marcellus had it right. We always held one service only. The pews would fill. A time for creative liturgies, a healthy mix of scripture, carols, poetry, and a final “Silent Night” with candles held around the periphery of the sanctuary. I never offered a traditional pulpit word. Rather I would tell a fictional story, such as R. M. Alden’s, “Why the Chimes Rang,” or “The Fourth Wiseman,” from Henry Van Dyke. We never included Holy Communion. Since the pews would fill up with folk we had never seen before and likely would never see again, the idea of partaking in communion with those who shared a common reverence for the occasion seemed out the window. Some will argue this places too high a fence around the table. I would simply argue that, “This is my body,” and, “This is my blood,” ought to have more import than the bottle of beer an hour later. Left over from my predecessor, Rev. Theodore Edquist, came the poem for the evening. First heard in Flint, Michigan during WWII, from the pen of Rev. Franklin Elmer, the pastor, and later read around the USA and Europe. Most years we read it toward the end of the service. Titled, “Christmas Always Comes at Night, ” a portion of it reads as follows: Christmas always comes at night When men grope blindly for a light. Christmas could not come by day, That is not God's or nature s way! Can Wise Men see a star at noon? Can Shepherds hear the Angels ’ tune When the sun is bright? Death on the Cross will come at eve When weary daylight takes its leave— And Resurrection fits the dawn When patterns for the new days are drawn. But Christmas comes in deepest dark— Through black despair men see a spark Embattled with the night!
