Already at the beginning of December, it was clear that the Christmas of 2022 will not be like what our younger generation is used to. The older members of our Reformed community living in Transcarpathia still remember the Second World War. to the horrors of World War II and the tragic events that followed. They give advice to grandchildren and great-grandchildren on how they can have a better chance of survival. There has been a change in values: the majority of people are struggling to survive this difficult period, of which we don't even know if we are at the beginning or in the middle. When we feel in danger, everything becomes secondary, only life is important. reformatus.hu brought the thoughts of Transcarpathian Bishop Sándor Zán Fábián, and we reviewed them.
"Remove my people from the way they may stumble!" (Isaiah 57:14b) What kind of Christmas will we have? It is already certain that the advertising lights have disappeared, the decorative lighting of shops has been banned, and shopping and gift-giving are taking a back seat. The Advent season prepares the way: the meeting can take place, the person living today can believe that Jesus Christ was born for him. The change in external circumstances makes the search for the meaning of life more pronounced. In this situation, the true message of Christmas can become even more valuable. The Word of God teaches that the "dweller in the height and holiness" visited people and did not come as a guest on festive days, but in Jesus Christ is with us every day until the end of the world. "I dwell in highness and holiness, but also with a broken and humble spirit. I will refresh the souls of the humble, I will refresh the hearts of the broken." (Isaiah 57:15b) This is the first message that I understood and would like to pass on to all dear readers. We are not alone, and those who are with them want to gift us with themselves and their love and make us rich.
"I created the fruit of gratitude on his lips: Peace, peace near and far! This is what the Lord says: I will heal him!" (Isaiah 57:19) He heals our eyes so that we can see. Let us see the Messiah with our spiritual eyes, and let us see our loved ones around us, whom he has preserved, by our side, and ordered us to be with love and responsibility for each other! He heals our eyes, our lives, so that we can see how much he has gifted us with, because we are capable of not seeing what we have, and what we don't have, we complain about, are envious of, and are dissatisfied with.
The fruit of gratitude is peace?! We can talk about inner and outer peace. The first follows the second. God has reconciled himself to himself in Christ: man can have peace with God and with himself. You can have a peaceful Christmas even if the outer peace is drowned out by the destructive sounds of war.
Peace from God! This is how we greet each other, not by chance. In Jesus Christ is the solution to our life and salvation. Through him and in him, the Father has given us everything. "I will heal him" is the promise to us individually and to our nation and society. He heals me of pride, arrogance, rebellion and doubt, the sin of profiteering, the disease of human wisdom. He heals me from spiritual blindness and from the disease of dark vision, complaining, from the sin of enmity and revenge. It brings peace to our restless hearts, which silences and can even silence weapons. Let's accept the message and pray for healing, for the healing of humanity!
Peace, peace near and far!
Source and image: reformatus.hu
