“Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” (Mk 16:20)
Celebrating Congregation! Dear Brothers and Sisters!
The disciples shut themselves away in fear and trembling after the events of Good Friday. The risen Lord, however, did not leave them in this state but brought them out of the deadlock, appeared to them, went to the utmost for them, just to help them to faith (Mk 16:14). The disciples were given the most beautiful and important task of going into all the world and preaching the gospel to every creature (Mk 16:15).
This is the miracle of Pentecost, the work of the Spirit of God, who is not only the Spirit of life but also the Spirit who brings us out of the old life and fears, who gives us new life, who helps us to believe, and sends us to serve. The Spirit of God delivers us from every hiding, humiliating, terrifying situation so that in communion with Him, He can send us into His service, blessing our work as He works with us. The miracle of Pentecost is following the risen Lord, serving His cause in our place. The slightest word of Christ, of encouragement and gesture of help, even a smile, is service to His cause; everything that rejoices, enlivens, and gives a courageous heart. Serving Jesus Christ, witnessing to Him, is healing itself, sustaining the joy and meaning of our lives while living not only for ourselves. Once the disciples yielded to the risen Lord, in communion with Him, in the midst of His ministry, fear ended, and joy, assurance, and hope permeated their work even in the midst of the greatest trials. As Paul writes to the Corinthians, he is overflowing with joy even in great tribulation (2 Cor 7:4). The proclamation of the gospel is never narrow but is addressed to all, for we are empowered to witness, among our own, then further afield, then throughout the inhabited earth (Acts 1:8).
The disciples are still weak, but Christ speaks and moves in us, whose loving fullness of power permeates their lives like a lifeless, ragged glove animated by the hand that moves in it. The work of the disciples is the work of the risen Jesus Christ. As one of our Hungarian poets, Mihály Babits, writes: You preach, Jonah, I will do; the word is yours, the weapon is mine. This weapon is the weapon of the Holy Spirit.
It is a Pentecostal miracle; we come out of the pit of selfishness and conceit, of self-obsession, egotism, and despair, and we become not only witnesses but instruments of God's saving love.
But he only works with us if we want to share the Gospel in all our ministry, in all our life's activities.
We thank the Lord that, with the help of His Holy Spirit, building on one another's faith, in the unity of our common Reformed Christian faith and national belonging, rooted in the Saviour Jesus Christ, we can proclaim the good news of God's redeeming love, and that in the most difficult times the blessings of the proclamation of the Gospel, the signs of the good news, will not fail to be there: new and healed lives, congregations, community, with love open to many.
Let us look up together to the risen Lord (Heb 12:2), who is the eternal sign of God's saving and redeeming love: through Him and in Him we have our sustenance, our service, our joy, our peace in a troubled world, and in Him we have our survival, not against others but for the salvation of many.
We wish a blessed holiday to all our brothers and sisters!
Pentecost 2024
Presidium of the General Convent
Presidium of the General Convent
As the common representative body of the Reformed churches in the Carpathian Basin, the General Convent has an important role in the coordination of common issues and works to achieve unity through a harmonizing liturgy and Hymnbook, because of their cooperation in mission and diaconia. The General Convent consists of all the deans and lay presidents in office of the Reformed presbyteries within the Carpathian Basin, as well as bishops and chief elders in office of the church districts.
Its presidium meets every two months and is composed of the bishops and chief elders (lay presidents) of the ten church districts in office.
Pentecost Message from the Worldwide Reformed Family
The Communication Service of RCH invited members of the WCRC family to read together the biblical story about the first Pentecost as sign of our communion.