Poruka vlč. Cliftona Kirkpatricka. Dr.,
predsjednika Svjetske alijanse Reformiranih crkava
22. svibnja 2009. na obljetnicu 500-tog rođendana Jeana Calvina
i 450-tu obljetnicu Francuske Reformirane crkve
Sestre i braćo u Kristu u Reformiranoj crkvi Francuske, ovo je veliki dan ne samo za Francusku i Francusku Reformiranu crkvu, već i za reformirane kršćane diljem zemlje. Okupljamo se večeras ovdje u Sorboni kako bismo proslavili i dali zahvalnost Bogu za dva velika dara koja je Francuska dala svijetu i svjetskoj Crkvi: Jeana Calvina i Francusku Reformiranu crkvu.
Jedinstveno je i providno da Calvinov 500-ti rođendan i 450-ta obljetnica Francuske Reformirane crkve padaju u istoj godini, a prikladno je da je tako. Bio je to Calvin sa svojom vizijom koja je dala rođenje ovoj Crkvi, koja je s njegovim ostalim nasljednicima bila dar svijetu. Pokret koji je počeo prije pola milenija postigao je ono što je Isus smatrao „krajnjim dijelovima svijeta.“ Danas dvije trećine od skoro 100 milijuna reformiranih kršćana u našem svijetu žive na svjetskom Jugu.
Dolazimo predstavljajući to globalno tijelo, Svjetsku alijansu Reformiranih crkava (uskoro će biti Svjetska zajednica Reformiranih crkava) kako bismo dijelili našu duboku dužnost zahvalnosti Francuskoj i Francuskoj Reformiranoj crkvi:
Za Jeana Calvina, sina Francuske, koji je nadahnuo svjetski pokret onih koji su „reformirani i uvijek reformirani Riječju Božjom i snagom Duha Svetog,“
Za Francusko vjeroispovijedanje koje je bila oblikovano, iako ne i pisano, od strane Jeana Calvina koji je postao konfesionalni temelj koji je dao život Francuskoj Reformiranoj crkvi i bio toliko dragocjen Reformiranim crkvama,
Za postojanje Crkve koja je dala obličje ustrojstvu Reformiranih crkava diljem svijeta, izgrađene na viziji dijeljenog vodstva u tijelu Kristovom,
Za življenje u vjeri i vjernosti, često u teški vremenima, posljednjih 450 godina,
Za dosezanje ljubavlju, razumijevanjem, pravednošću i evanđeljem koje je ova Crkva dijelila prema svim dijelovima svijeta
Za oblikovanje vjerne službe kakva bi trebala biti u sekularnom, pluralističkom, multikulturalnom svijetu 21. stoljeća, i
Za vitalno članstvo u Reformiranoj zajednici i Crkvenom ekumenizmu.
Za sve ove darove, naše najdublje hvala!
Dok većina nas nema 450-te godišnjice koje bi se poklapale, ova godina Calvinovog 500-tog rođendana je vrijeme posebnog blagoslova i proslave reformiranih kršćana diljem svijeta. Slijedeći tjedan na nedjeljnu pedesetnicu Svjetska alijansa Reformiranih crkava će okupiti reformirane kršćane iz cijelog svijeta, puna nade uključujući i mnoge iz Francuske, kako bi se slavio ovaj Calvinov jubilej u Katedrali St. Pierre u Ženevi. Također će biti televizijski prijenos diljem Europe i Sjeverne Amerike.
Kako bismo zaključili ovu rođendansku slavljeničku godinu, posebno smo radosni da će podjele u svjetskoj Reformiranoj zajednici biti zaliječene. Dva glavna svjetska Reformirana tijela (Svjetska alijansa Reformiranih crkava i Reformirano ekumensko vijeće) ujedinit će se kao jedno svjetsko tijelo, Svjetsku zajednicu Reformiranih crkava, koja reflektira Calvinovu veliku želju (i Isusovu) za jedinstvo među njegovim sljedbenicima.
Kao uvod u tu kulminaciju i kao izražaj zahvalnosti cijelog reformiranog svijeta za Francusku Reformiranu crkvu, vrlo mi je drago da smo se Glavni tajnik Svjetske alijanse Reformiranih crkava Setri Nyomi i ja udružili s našim kolegama u Reformiranom ekumenskom vijeću, predsjednik Peter Borgdorff i Glavni tajnik Richard van Houten, kako bismo izrazili zahvalnost prema vama i našem iščekivanju da ćete igrati glavnu ulogu u Svjetskoj zajednici isto kao i u Svjetskoj alijansi kroz mnoge godine.
Kako dolazimo slaviti i dati zahvalnost, također bismo vam dali izazov koji dijelimo s Reformiranim crkvama svih ovih godina. Calvin bi osobno bio vrlo razočaran kada bi naš primarni fokus u priznavanju njegovog rođendana bio slavljenje njegove službe. Zapravo, Calvin je bio vrlo jasan da nije htio dodvoravanje. Bio je prema vlastitoj želji pokopan u neoznačenom grobu kako se ljudi ne bi uglavnom usredotočili na Calvina kao osobu. Ono što je želio jest da slavimo njegov rođendan radeći kako bi njegova vizija kršćanske vjere i života postali živuće stvarnosti naših vremena.
Izazov je, dakle, ne samo slaviti Calvina (premda to možda trebamo raditi malo više nego što je Calvin želio) već radije poticati njegovu ostavštinu za obnovu vjernog svjedočanstva u našim vremenima – kako bismo tragali za učenjem od Calvina što bi moglo značiti voditi kalvinsku reformaciju u Francuskoj 21. stoljeća! Alijansa je dala u prelijepoj knjizi (na francuskom) pod nazivom „Nasljeđe Jeana Calvina“ tri teme koje je Calvin smatrao toliko važnima u svojim danima i da vjerujemo kako su važne također i za nas.
Prva tema je poziv na dijeljenje Calvinove želje za dar zajedništva. Calvin je imao duboku želju za smisao zajedništva i koinoniu u lokalnoj kršćanskoj zajednici, za redovito dijeljenje Večere Gospodnje i za jedinstvo sa univerzalnom Crkvom. Premda je Calvinovo nasljeđe dovelo do podjela u Crkvi (a tako i među reformiranim kršćanima) njegova duboka želja je bila za jedinstvo i zajedništvo.
Premda nikada nije bio u mogućnosti postići to u Ženevi, Calvin je zagovarao tjedno dijeljenje Večere Gospodnje kao pratnju njegovom snažnom naglasku na propovijedanje Riječi. U euharistiji je vidio najdublji izražaj našeg jedinstva s Kristom i međusobno. Na globalnoj osnovi Calvin je uvijek radio za jedinstvo i zajedničko svjedočanstvo među kršćanima. Jednom je nadbiskupu Krammeru napisao da bi „prešao deset mora“ kada bi unaprijedilo kršćansko jedinstvo.
U našem post-modernom svijetu ta glad za darom zajedništva je jača nego ikad. U razdijeljenom i individualističkom svijetu, Crkva je pozvana biti izvornom Kristovom zajednicom i redovito izražavati to jedinstvo oko Stola Gospodnjeg. Također smo pozvani povratiti jednu od naših četiri posebnosti – biti vođe u ekumenskom svijetu. Trebamo uvijek pamtiti da smo ekumenski jer smo reformirani. U razdijeljenom svijetu i razdijeljenoj Crkvi, gdje su mnogi od velikih sukoba vezani uz vjerske razlike, Calvinov poziv na dar zajedništva je relevantniji nego ikad.
Druga tema koju smo podigli je temeljni poziv Svjetske alijanse Reformiranih crkava, savezništvo za pravednost. Jedna od Calvinovih konstantnih tema je bila suverenost Božja. Calvin bio bio uzrujan zbog našeg trenutnog fenomena privatizirane religije. Calvin je bio jasan u tome da je Bog suveren nad svim sferama života i da smo kao kršćani izabrani od Boga ne da bismo živjeli život za sebe već da živimo život za slavu Božju – da budemo aktivno angažirani u traženju „evanđelja za siromašne, slobode za potlačene i oslobođenje zatočenih.“ (Luka 4,18). U Ženevi Calvin nije bio zaokupljen samo izgradnjom Crkve, već i uspostavljanjem Opće bolnice koja je služila kao mreža socijalne sigurnosti za bolesne, primanje doseljenika i okvir socijalnog poretka u kojem je vladala pravednost.
Za svjetsku reformiranu zajednicu ovaj poziv nas je poveo da prihvatimo „savez za pravednost u gospodarstvu i na zemlji“ kroz Accra vjeroispovijedanje. Kao pokret koji je sada sačinjen daleko manje od ljudi iz srednje klase u Francuskoj ili u Americi, a mnogo više od svjetski najsiromašnijih područja kao što su Sudan, Malavi, Gvatemala i Indonezija, podigli smo našu viziju. Dio smo „crkve siromašnih.“ Pozvani smo ostvarivati to da siromaštvo i potlačivanje našeg svijeta nisu samo moralno pogrešni već su u temelju uvredljivi prema Bogu što smo pozvani mijenjati. U vremenu u kojem jaz između bogatih i siromašnih nastavlja rasti, milijuni žive u ponižavajućem siromaštvu, a uništavanje okoliša se nastavlja, pozvani smo stajati protiv sila carstva našeg doba i biti vodeća oštrica pokreta za pravednost u gospodarstvu i na zemlji.
Treća tema je ona o svetosti života i okoliša. Calvin se ne kvalificira da bude prozvan „zelenim teologom,“ ali je zanimljivo čitati njegove propovijedi iz Ponovljenog zakon i vidjeti njegovu duboku naklonost za prirodu, njegov bijes na one, pogotovo u vremenima rata, koji bi uništavali stvoreni poredak, i njegov smisao za Božju prisutnost u stvorenju. Calvin je imao jednaku naklonost za ljudski život i gađenje prema ratu. Često je bio uz reformirane kršćane u Francuskoj koji su se suočavali s nasiljem i progonstvom zbog njihove vjere. Calvin je znao da nasilje daje povod za nasilje i da je protivno volji Božjoj.
Taj poziv da budemo mirotvorci ne bi bio nužniji nego što je to danas. Živimo u vremenu ratova, piratstva, terorizma, domaćeg nasilja, kršenja ljudskih prava i raširenog uništenja našeg okoliša. Kao reformirani kršćani pozvani smo voditi drugačije usmjerenje i činiti da naše zajednice žive iskazivanje ljubavi, suosjećanja, pravednosti i međusobne podrške. To je visoki poredak, ali je to volja Božja!
Calvin osobno nije uvijek živio prema svojoj viziji, ali je u svojem temelju znao da nas je Bog izabrao za svoju svrhu. Ta svrha uključuje odgovaranje na Božju ljubav kroz život u zajednici, djelovanje za pravednost i poštivanje svetosti života. Calvin je znao da su te stvarnosti u srcu Božje namjere za čovječanstvo pa su stoga naš zajednički poziv. Što god bilo, prijatelji, oni su još urgentniji u 21. stoljeću nego u 16-om.
Neka bi li Bog bogato blagoslovio Francusku Reformiranu crkvu kako sada slavite 450-tu godišnjicu koja želi biti spasiteljska zajednica svjedočenja u godinama koje dolaze. Neka Bog bogato blagoslovi svjetsku reformiranu zajednicu kako idemo u drugih 500 godina kao narod koji je „reformiran i uvijek bio reformiran Riječju Božjom i snagom Duha Svetog!“
Za povratka na vrh PRTISNITE
TEKST NA ENGLESKOM
FRANCE’S GIFT TO THE WORLD
An Address on the Occasion of the 500th Birthday of John Calvin
And the 450th Anniversary of the French Reformed Church
by Rev. Dr. Clifton Kirkpatrick, President
World Alliance of Reformed Churches
May 22, 2009
Sisters and brothers in Christ in the Reformed Church of France, this is a great day not only for France and the French Reformed Church, but also for Reformed Christians all across the globe. We gather here tonight in the Sorbonne to celebrate and give thanks to God for two great gifts that France has given to the world and the world church: John Calvin and the French Reformed Church.
It is unique and providential that Calvin’s 500th birthday and the 450th anniversary of the French Reformed Church fall in the same year. And it is so appropriate that they do. For it was Calvin and his vision that gave birth to this church, which along with other heirs of Calvin, has been such a gift to the world. This movement that started half a millennium ago has now reached to what Jesus termed “the uttermost parts of the world.” Today two-thirds of the almost 100 million Reformed Christians in our world live in the Global South.
We come representing this global body, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (soon to be the World Communion of Reformed Churches) to share our deep debt of gratitude to France and the French Reformed Church:
For John Calvin, a son of France, who inspired a world movement of those “reformed and always being reformed by the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit”
For the French Confession that was shaped, if not written, by John Calvin which became the confessional basis that brought the French Reformed Church to life and has been so precious to Reformed Churches like my own and so many others,
For being the church that gave shape to the polity of Reformed churches all around the world built on a vision of shared leadership in the body of Christ
For living in faith and faithfulness, often in difficult times, over the last 450 years,
For the outreach with love, compassion, justice, and the gospel that this church has shared to all corners of the globe
For modeling what faithful ministry can be in a secular, pluralistic, multicultural world of the 21st century, and
For being such a vital member of the world Reformed community and the Church Ecumenical.For all of these gifts, our deepest thanks!
While most of us don’t have 450th anniversaries to match, this year of Calvin’s 500th birthday is a time of special blessing and celebration for Reformed Christians all over the world. Next week on Pentecost Sunday the World Alliance of Reformed Churches will be bring together Reformed Christians from all around the world, hopefully including many from France, to celebrate this Calvin Jubilee in Cathedral St. Pierre in Geneva. It will also be televised across Europe and in North America. On Calvin’s actual birthday on July 10 celebrations and special events will be held all around the world.
To conclude this birthday celebration year, we are particularly thrilled that divisions in the world Reformed community will be healed. The two major global Reformed bodies (the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the Reformed Ecumenical Council) will come together as one global body, the World Communion of Reformed Churches, reflecting Calvin’s great passion (and that of Jesus) for unity among his followers.
As a prelude to that culmination and as an expression of the appreciation of the whole Reformed world for the French Reformed Church, I am very pleased that WARC General Secretary Setri Nyomi and I are joined by our counterparts in the Reformed Ecumenical Council, President Peter Borgdorff and General Secretary Richard van Houten, to express our appreciation to you and our anticipation that you will play a major leadership role in the World Communion just as you have in the World Alliance for so many years.
As we come to celebrate and give thanks, we would also offer you a challenge that we are sharing with Reformed churches all over the years. Calvin himself would have been deeply disappointed if our primary focus in recognizing his birthday was just to celebrate his ministry. In fact, Calvin was very clear that he did not want adulation. He was by his own instruction buried in an unmarked grave so that people would not focus mainly on Calvin as a person. What Calvin would have wanted is that we celebrate his birthday by making his vision of Christian faith and life become living realities in our time.
The challenge then is not just to celebrate Calvin (although we probably need to do that a bit more than Calvin would have wished) but rather to mine his legacy for a renewal of faithful witness in our time – to seek to learn from Calvin what it might mean to lead a Calvinist revolution in 21st century France! The Alliance has lifted up in a beautiful book (in French) entitled, The Legacy of John Calvin, three themes that Calvin thought were so important in his day and that we believe are important in ours as well.
The first theme is the call to share Calvin’s passion for the gift of communion. Calvin had a deep passion for a sense of community and koinonia in the local Christian community, for regular sharing in the Lord’s Supper, and for unity with the church universal. Although Calvin’s legacy led to divisions in the church (and even among Reformed Christians) his deep passion was for unity and community.
Although he was never able to achieve it in Geneva, Calvin advocated weekly sharing of the Lord’s Supper as an accompaniment to his strong emphasis on preaching the Word. He saw in the eucharist the deepest expression of our unity with Christ and with one another. On a global basis Calvin was always working for unity and common witness among Christians. He once wrote Archbishop Kramner, that he would eagerly “cross ten seas” if that would further the cause of Christian unity.
In our post-modern world this hunger for the gift of community is stronger than ever. In a fragmented and individualistic world, the church is called to be a genuine community of Christ and to express that unity regularly around the Lord’s Table. We are also called to reclaim one of our Reformed distinctives – to be leaders in the ecumenical world. We need to always remember that we are ecumenical because we are Reformed. In a fragmented world and fragmented church, where many of the greatest conflicts are centered in religious difference, Calvin’s call to the gift of communion is more relevant than ever.
The second theme that we have lifted up is the core calling of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, covenanting for justice. One of Calvin’s constant themes was the sovereignty of God. Calvin would have been outraged at our current phenomenon of privatized religion. Calvin was clear that God is sovereign over all spheres of life and that we as Christians have been elected by God not to live life for ourselves but rather to live life to the glory of God – to be actively engaged in seeking “good news for the poor, liberty for the oppressed, and release for the captives.” (Luke 4: 18 ) In Geneva Calvin was not only concerned about building up the church, but also about establishing the General Hospital that served as a social safety net for the dispossessed, welcoming immigrants, and shaping a social order where justice reigned.
For the world Reformed community this call has led us to embrace a “covenant for justice in the economy and the earth” through the Accra Confession. As a movement that is now made up far less of middle class people in France or in America and far more of the world’s poorest in places like Sudan, Malawi, Guatemala, and Indonesia, we have had our vision lifted. We are part of a “church of the poor.” We are called to realize afresh that the poverty and oppression of our world are not only morally wrong but are fundamentally an affront to God that we are called to change. At a time in which the gap is continuing to grow between the rich and the poor, millions live in abject poverty, and the destruction of our environment continues apace, we are called to stand against the forces of empire in our time and be the leading edge of a movement for justice in the economy and the earth.
The third theme is that of the sanctity of life and the environment. Calvin doesn’t quite qualify to be called a “green theologian,” but it is interesting to read his sermons on Deuteronomy and see his deep passion for nature, his outrage at those, especially in times of war, who would destroy the created order, and his sense of God’s presence in creation. Calvin had an equal passion for human life and abhorrence for war. He often admonished Reformed Christians in France who were facing violence and persecution for their faith not to respond in kind. Calvin knew that violence begets violence and is contrary to the will of God.
This call to be peacemakers could not be more urgent than it is today. We live in a time of war, piracy, terrorism, domestic violence, abuse of human rights and the rampant destruction of our environment. As Reformed Christians we are called to lead in a different direction and to make our communities living demonstrations of love, compassion, justice, and mutual support. It is a tall order, but it is the will of God!
Calvin himself did not always life up to his vision, but he knew at his core that God has elected us for a purpose. That purpose includes responding to God’s love by living in community, working for justice and respecting the sanctity of life. Calvin knew that these realities are at the heart of God’s intentions for humanity and thus are our common calling. If anything, friends, they are even more urgent in the 21st century than in the 16th.
May God richly bless the French Reformed Church as you celebrate your 450th anniversary and look forward to being a redemptive witnessing community in the years ahead. And may God richly bless the global Reformed community as we move into our second 500 years as a people “reformed and always being reformed by the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit!”
