Magyar Egyház, 2003 (82. évfolyam, 1-3. szám)
2003-01-01 / 1. szám
8. oldal MAGYAR EGYHÁZ LIFE AND FAITH BIBLE Three persons were talking about some of the recent translations of the Bible. One said, ”1 like the New English version of the Gospels. It’s easier reading than all the older versions.” Said the second person, ”1 prefer the new Jerusalem Bible. The translations have modernized the language without sacrificing reverence.” To which the third person replied, ”1 like my mother ’s translation best. She translated the Bible into life, and it is the most convincing translation I have ever seen. She was a loving person who always took the needs of others seriously. That’s what Jesus did, when He was on earth.” (Romans 4:3.) CONFESSION In the day’s of the Roman persecution, one of the worst things that could happen to a Christian was to be sent to the mines of New Midea in Africa. There the prisoners were brutally whipped, marches through rocky valleys, burned by the sun, branded on their brow with a hot iron, chained so that they were unable to stand erect, sent into the dark mines to work interminable hours: indiscribable suffering. When those mines were opened up to visitors, it was discovered that those Christians had etched litle words and slogans on the walls of the caves in which they were working. Of all the many words that appear there, two appear more than any others. One is the word ’’Christ” (Christos); the other is the word ’’life”. In that environment of terrible suffering, the two things they thought of most were Christ and Life. Jesus is the Christ, who comes to make abundant life possible even in the midst of, and often because of, the suffering in our lives. (Matthew 7:25.) RESURRECTION According to legend, the phoenix, an imaginary bird resembling an eagle, lived for five hundred years in the Arabian desert, was consumed in a great fire, then rose again gloriously alive and beautiful. Artists usually portray the phoenix rising up majestically from its own ashes. For Christians it became a symbol of the Easter event — Christ’s Resurrection and their own. REDEEMER It is the closing scene in the motion picture, ”Ben Hur”. The sky is disappearing behind ominous looking cloud formations. The movie camera takes a long shot of three crosses rising out of a distant hill. Then the camera moves in close, ever-closer, on the figure stretched out on the center cross. Lightening reveals the figure of a man squirming in silent agony to the rhythm of the flashes. It is raining hard. With each flash of light, the pool of rain water at the foot of the cross grows larger. Suddenly, a single drop of blood drips into the pool and scatters. Then another drop falls. And then another. The pool is now tinted light red. The blood now begins to flow into the pool, coloring it an even deeper red. Tehe rain comes harder and the pool overflows into another pool immidiately below it. The second pool reddens and enlarges, overflowing into still another pool which, in turn, overflows into a small streem. The blood-stained stream flows into a larger stream which meets a river which flows into an ocean.............. (Luke 23:33-34.) HOPE Benjamin Franklin, who had a great fondness for books, wrote an epitaph for himself which he hoped would be placed on his grave. It read: ’’The Body of Benjamin Franklin, like the cover of an old book, its contents tom out and stripped of its lettering and gilding, lies here for the worms; yet the work itself shall not be lost, for it will, as he believed, appear once more in a new and more beautiful edition, corrected and amended by the Author.” A KELETI EGYHÁZMEGYE KÖZGYŰLÉSE Lapzárta után kaptuk a hírt, hogy a Keleti Egyházmegye március elején tartott közgyűlésén a gyülekezetek Nt.Rőczey Barnabás lelkipásztort, a New Brunswicki Magyar Református Egyház lelkipásztorát választották meg esperesnek. Az egyházmegye főgondnoka Frank Király Trenton,NJ. Az Amerikai Magyar Református Egyház gyülekezetei nevében gratulálunk és Isten áldását kérjük szolgálatukra. Részletes beszámoló a ’’Magyar Egyház- Magyar Church” következő számában. The congregations of the Eastern Classis elected the Rev.Barnabas Rőczey, pastor of the Magyar Reformed Church of New Brunswick,NJ, for the dean’s position. Chief Elder Mr.Frank Király, Trenton,NJ. God bless their service for the future of our Church. A ”Teológia műhelyéből” rovathoz... »» Kedves Nagy tiszteletű asszony, Kedves Éva! Örömmel olvassuk beszámolódat és rövid összegezésed a “doctor of ministry" fokozat eléréséről. Gratulálunk és bíztatjuk lelkipásztor testvéreinket, hogy ebben a rovatban a jövőben szívesen megjelentetünk hasonló cikkeket, beszámolókat. Egy-egy sikeres tanulmányi fokozat elérése a lelkészek számára nem öncélú törekvés. Mindannyian egy közös ügyet képviselünk. Lelkiekben, szellemiekben kívánjuk gyarapítani az összmagyarság ügyét, bárhol is éljenek véreink. Mégegyszer, gratulálunk! Szép munka, jó munka volt. Valóban, legyen Istené a dicsőség! (Szerkesztő)
