Magyar Egyház, 1965 (44. évfolyam, 2-12. szám)
1965-02-01 / 2. szám
I 10 from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary were among the honored and welcome guests. Congratulatory telegrams were received from Pennsylvania’s Governor Scranton, U.S. Senator Clark and Mayor Barr from Pittsburgh. In the following we print Bishop Nagy’s inaugural sermon. The acceptance speech of Chief Elder Kiss will follow in our next issue. These and Bishop Béky’s sermon of installation may also be found in the Hungarian section of this issue. UNDER THE BANNER OF THE LORD Bishop Nagy’s Inaugural Sermon Lesson: Exodus 17: 8-16 Text: Exodus 17:11-12 Ever since I received the news that God, who orders the destinies of men, through the votes of the congregations of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America, called me to serve as its new Bishop, my soul has been filled with fear and anxiety. Never have I looked into the face of a task so great and considered myself so inadequate. The Hungarian Reformed Bishop must stand before his fellow ministers in his wisdom, knowledge, patience, service and love toward his people and my soul cries out as I see my great lack. In these days, I have been constantly beseeching the Lord, “Show me Thy ways, speak to me encourageingly that Thy grace is sufficient.” I know that it is. I also confess with a grateful heart that He has held me in the hollow of His hand and has proved His love for me throughout all my life. I have often dreamed of writing the story of my life and felt I would have titled it, “In the Hollow of His Hand.” Yes, He has held me in the hollow of His hand and I know He will never forsake me. Again, today, I feel I cannot complete my task alone. My soul cries out for help — Holy Spirit give me faithful co-workers! During the past few months God has spoken to my heart many times as I searched for an appropriate text for this solemn occasion. The words of my text were good advice to me as to what kind of a Bishop I should be. The words have spoken peace to my heart. As I take up the yoke of this Hungarian Reformed Church of the Lord lesus Christ in America, I also place the same yoke upon your shoulders, you, ministers, leaders and dear people. The Word tells us that the task of the Bishop of this Church can only be accomplished as we work together. One of the greatest pictures to come out of World War II is the Pulitzer Prize winning picture showing five Marines planting the American flag atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima. At the culmination of twenty-six days of fierce and bloody fighting, in a moment a flag was planted high on a knoll by five soldiers which was to become a memorial for all times of what happened there. It speaks forever of a grateful nation. In the Scripture we have just read, there are pictured three men holding a flagstaff high. As long as they held it high, Israel was victorious, but when the flag was lowered, the battle was lost. At this time we are reminded that we as the people of God battle under the banner of the Lord and that the Bishop cannot hold the flag high alone. We can only be victorious under the banner of the Lord working together with one faith and one spirit. God called a nation from enslavement and misery into His service and led them to the Promised Land. The MAGYAR EGYHÁZ pilgrimage in the wilderness lasted forty years and was full of tangible miracles of God’s presence. They crossed the Red Sea dry shod. God fed them from His hand. On dewy mornings He sent them bread and in the cool of the evening provided them with meat. He walked with them by day in the pillar of cloud, and by night in the pillar of fire. He never left them alone. He quenched their thirst from the rocks and gave His staff to their leaders. With this staff they divided the sea, and when they struck the river, it turned to blood. When they lifted the rod high, a nation trembled and hail fell from heaven, and when they struck the rock, springs gushed forth. This staff was God’s rod and symbolized the power of His word. This nation experienced unceasingly that God held them in the hollow of His hand and led them toward a miraculous future in His providential love. In spite of all this, these people rebelled against the Lord over and over again and forgot the God who was in their midst. They knew that even though they wandered through the burning desert by many detours, it was God’s way. He had determined this route for them. He led them along the way even though they complained, forgot and were ungrateful and attacked their appointed leader. “They be almost ready to stone me,” complains Moses. The Lord had to teach them the hard way. At the Red Sea they had witnessed how the Lord fought for them and now they themselves must fight in great fear and trembling for their lives. God promised them a miraculous future and a fabulous country but there were battles to fight before they could reach it. God forms a nation in the wilderness through many hardships and battles. Out of this battle what interests us most is that the glory does not belong to man. The indifferent spectator cannot determine whether the sword or prayers decided the battle; we know that prayer won the victory. The battle in the valley itself is not too interesting to us for we knew well that the battle could not be lost because God had plans for His elected people. We are interested now in those who held the flagstaff. First it is good to know that some are called to fight and some to pray. Moses, by the touch of God’s Spirit sent the right men to their right places. The self-confident man must learn that even Moses, the friend of God, could become weary in prayer. Then certainly too, the ordinary man. Moses needed his brother Aaron and His brother-in-law Hur to lift up his hands. While his hands were held high, the battle was being won. When the hands fell, they lost. God’s flag, at this time was just a bare rod and it was many centuries later before the real bunting was added to that it could be recognized from afar. It had no bunting, but invisibly these words were engraved on it, “The Lord is my banner.” Only under God’s banner can we prevail. The decisive point of the battle is the mountain-top where the three men hold up the flag-staff. This picture surpasses that of Iwo lima. Those who pray in the day of battle portray eloquently how, in the battle of life, our High Priest, the Lord Jesus, interceedes for our life and future. He leads the battle. He is always the victor. It is written in the Book so that we might never forget and ever be reminded that in the days of great struggle, the Lord walks with us in the camp and we are sure of victory under His banner. We must be grateful for the victory He gives to us and we should always keep the sacrificial flame burning on the altar. May God’s Word
