Magyar Egyház, 1997 (76. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1997 / 4. szám
2. oldal MAGYAR EGYHÁZ ADVENT IS THE CHURCH’S NEW YEAR One of the great things about the Christian church is that it teaches the great truth of God in a yearly circle. Advent is the Church’s New Year. Advent means coming and refers to two great comings, the first of our Lord Jesus Christ, in lowly birth and in great humility and the second is of the same Jesus in the unknown future, which time is only known by God himself. The first hope arises from God’s promises in coming to us in Christ and in the final promise of immortality of the believers. The second hope arises from the promises of our Lord that He shall come again in glory. Advent consists of 4 Sundays. Each of these Sundays have a special meaning. The first Sunday of Advent speaks of promise; when God promised to sinful Adam and Eve that out of their seed the Savior will come. The second Sunday speaks of prophecy; in the fullness of time God will send his Son. The third Sunday speaks of joy; the inner joy of Mary as she receives the word from the angel, that she will be the mother of the Messiah, the Savior. The fourth Sunday speaks of fulfillment; that Jesus, God’s Son was born. December 24th, Christmas Eve, has been established by the Church on which night the angels of the Lord brought the joyful news that the Savior’s arrival was imminent. While December 25th, Christmas Day, is the joyous day of the Savior’s birth. Yes, on this day some 2000 year ago, God came to earth in His only begotten Son. Advent prepares us for Christmas. Our journey toward Christmas is in three stages. As the Advent season unfolds we will remember the first, look at the second, and celebrate the third. All three are part of our lives, so all three need to find expression during Advent, and Christmas. First, Advent is remembering. The beautiful prophecies of the scripture recall those centuries of darkness when the human family groped in sin. We recall how the darkness of sin dissipated when the light of the world shone in Bethlehem. Jesus as we know is no longer an infant, but he was. He no longer lies in a manger, but he did. That made all the difference in the world. And as we remember, Jesus’s birth with thanks, we remember that Christ did come for us! Second. Advent looks ahead to the final coming of Christ in glory. When Christ comes will we be ready? How are we preparing for God’s Kingdom? We live in the period of the Second Advent. That brings us to the third stage of our Christian journey. What links yesterday to tomorrow is today. Advent and Christmas mean that we as Christians should live the new life that is made possible by Christ’s coming. The light still shines upon the darkness within us and the darkness around us, but we see the end of the tunnel. As busy as this season can be, it is still a perfect time to make an Advent examination of our conscience. We need to assess just how dark the darkness is within us and why. After 2000 years, there is still a deep darkness in this redeemed world. The light that Christ flickers and shines and blazes, only through people, through us who claim to follow him. The plea of all those faithful of the past is still appropriate for us. Walk as Children of the Light! MAGYAR EGYHÁZ WINTER 1997 VOL. 76, NO. 4 ISSN 0360-5760 Published quarterly EDITOR IN CHIEF The Rt. Rev. Alexander Forro, Bishop 13 Grove St., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 EDITOR Stephen I. Szabó 464 Forest Ave., Paramus, New Jersey 07652 BUSINESS MANAGER Priscilla Hunyady 50 N. Washington Ave., Colonia, NJ 07067 OFFICE OF PRINTING I.H. Printing Co. 646 Hamilton St., Somerset, NJ 08875 OFFICE OF PUBLICATION Magyar Egyház — Magyar Church 464 Forest Ave., Paramus, New Jersey 07652 Subscription: $6.00 yearly; Group $4.00 SECOND CLASS POSTAGE PAID AT WOODBRIDGE NEW JERSEY Postmaster: Send Form 3579 to Business Manager ADDRESS CORRECTION: Stephen I. Szabó, 464 Forest Ave., Paramus, New Jersey 07652
