Magyar Egyház, 1967 (46. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1967-03-01 / 3. szám
8 MAGYAR EGYHÁZ MAGYAR CHURCH Miklós Szüle: Don ’í Be A Thomas... It Is Easy To Believe On Easter An age old question, “Why do we suffer?” is being answered on every Easter Sunday. For Easter is a very practical holiday. It is always relevant, it is our contemporary. Yet, we have to go back to the source of authenticity. If we crave objective historicity of God’s dealing with us, we receive it on Easter day. We are told that the power of the “kerygma”, the primitive Christian proclamation of the Gospel was that the apostles always went back to the objective facts of history. That is the only reason for Pilate’s name getting into our Apostles Creed. That is why an empty tomb had its location near Golgotha, namely to tell the world that a human-divine man, at a given time in history, at a certain place did sacrifice himself for humanity on Good Friday, and that his sacrifice was accepted and vindicated by God on Easter Sunday. “He died for our sins and was raised for our justification.” This is the reason why we, Calvinists, preach and teaach divinely ordered and controlled suffering and bodily resurrection. Almost “presumptuously” we do not want to know about anything else except Jesus Christ, and He as crucified. The authenticity and historicity of the Easter Gospel must be brought into focus over and over again. How shall we go about it in the midst of a modern society where the screen of vision has occupied every living room and the sound and te vision of every conceivable category are vying for the minds and hearts of every occupants? For several years now, in the sanctuary of our congregation we have been endeavoring to achieve this goal through simple dramatizations. First, there is a huge, crude, wooden cross (made by a carpenter of our church) erected on one side of the pulpit during Holy Week. To enhance its factual witness, the base of the cross rests on tiny pieces of rocks imported from Calvary, and pieces of olive barks and leaves shipped to us from trees of the Garden of Getshemane. On the front of the cross, fastened to the top nail, there hangs a crown of thorns (gathered from the country side by a farmer of ours), and the other side of the cross, also fastened to the top nail (where Jesus’ head was supposed to be), there hangs a crown made of Easter lilies. At a certain time during the Easter Sunday service the cross is turned around 180 degrees so that the lilies are visible and the thorns are now on the opposite side toward the wall. The explanation which is given on every Easter Sunday is this, “In the Holy Land, at the sanctuary built over the sepulchre of Jesus there is a crown of lilies made out of marble with this inscription, Corona tribulationis effloruit in coronam vitae, that is, The crown of suffering has blossomed into the crown of eternal life. There are two connotations, of course. Namely, that there is no crown without previous suffering, and that every God-directed human suffering (in which we believe) will, eventually, end in the reward of eternal life. Of this, Christ is the guarantee. For, if we are willing to suffer with him, we will also be glorified with him. Another attempt to assist our people to see and witness the Easter gospel through simple dramatization at our sanctuary is this. A large billboard background is stapled unto the wall the day before Easter. The scene of outside of the walls of Jerusalem, including the cemetery, is depicted in vivid colors. The large picture is placed so that the empty tomb corresponds with the door of the sanctuary leading into the church office adjacent to the pulpit. The picture of the empty tomb is cut out, enabling Sunday School children to go through, which they do wearing simple robes and headdresses imitating Peter and John, the women and the angels. This they do silently, reverentry, acting but not saying a word for it takes place while the story of the resurrection from the Gospel of John is being read from the pulpit. The Easter congregation (of the English service only) not only hears but also “sees” the mystery of the cross and the justifying grace of God through the empty tomb. They cannot help but become “witnesses”. Jesus not only suffered because of wicked men or for the wicked sinners of the world but he also suffered in behalf of fallen men. Because, — in fact — you and I deserve to be on that cross and in that tomb. Someone told us the story of the governor of Massachusetts whose friends once visited the Holy Land. When they returned they presented him with a small stick to be used as a cane, which they had cut on Golgotha. “We wanted you to know,” they said, “that when we stood on Calvary, we thought of you.” Accepting the gift gratefully, te Governor replied: “But I am still more grateful, gentlemen, that there was Another who thought of me there.” INCREASING GOVERNMENT PRESSURE ON CHINESE CHURCHES CITED According to Japanese correspondents who have recently been in China, the constitution of the People’s Republic of China of 1954 might soon be revised; this would apply especially to Article 88 guaranteeing the freedom of religion. According to information from the same correspondents, as well as news received in Paris, all Christian churches, not only in Peking but throughout China, have been closed since last August; those in Peking especially have been used to house Red Guards or as the scene of their meetings. This measure seems to apply not only to Christian churches but also to Buddhist temples. According to news received in Paris, Anglican Bishop Ting Kwang Hsun, head of the theological faculty in Nanking and chairman of te Federation of Chinese Churches, has not been seen or heard of since September 1966. (EPS, Geneva)
