The First Advent in Hungary
Thanks to the opportunity to take part in the Eastern European regional conference of the Lutheran World Federation program “Women in Church and Society”, this year I awaited the First Advent in Hungary. Since the conference ended already on Saturday, but my flight home was only on Sunday afternoon, the Hungarian Lutheran church pastor Márta invited me to spend the night at her place and on Sunday morning to go with her to the service of the Alberti congregation on the other side of Budapest.
The Alberti congregation is one of the largest Lutheran congregations in Hungary. Historically it was once Slovak, but now the younger generation no longer speaks Slovak. Lutherans are a small denomination in Hungary. Both because of old historical upheavals and because of more recent – not to say still ongoing – economic migration, Lutherans make up barely two percent of the total population. Yet these two percent own many schools and educational institutions in the country. The Alberti congregation, which I visited, owns a kindergarten, a primary school, a home for the elderly, a guest house, the church itself with its parish hall, and a parsonage. In recent years this congregation has been led by pastor Kristīne. The service in which I took part as a guest was not an everyday one, because the church was full to capacity with primary school pupils, to hear the Christian secondary school’s invitation to continue their studies there, despite the fact that this school is located 40 km from the town of Alberti. It was admirable how calmly and quietly these many children behaved during the service.
In honor of the First Advent, both a children’s choir and soloists from among them with individual instruments, as well as the congregation’s women’s ensemble, took part in the service. It seemed interesting that in this church the pulpit is placed above the altar. This is the case in most Lutheran churches in Hungary. However, the chaplain of the Lutheran secondary school, who preached on this occasion, did not use it. He addressed those present while standing in front of the altar, because the microphones and sound system in that way allowed him to be closer to the congregation. For this reason, in Hungarian churches sermons are usually read while standing before the altar. I was surprised, addressed and moved that Hungarian Lutherans, when they meet, do not say “good day”. When greeting one another, they say “God is our fortress”. The precise Latvian version would be: “The Lord God is our mighty fortress”. Just as in the Lutheran church hymn. This greeting spoke to me all the more, being in Hungary right after the Zolitūde tragedy. I was invited to say words of greeting to the congregation, and in them I expressed my delight at the Hungarian Lutherans’ custom of greeting. I said that at this moment such a greeting is very important to the people of Latvia. We must remember that only in God is our refuge. Other buildings crumble and collapse, whether they be shopping centers or houses of cards… God is our fortress. I called on the congregation to pray that the sacrifice of the fifty-four people who died in the Zolitūde tragedy would not be in vain, that the people of Latvia would truly turn away from the false values of bondage, unite and renew themselves. I personally know many who were protected on the day of the tragedy. The fact that no child died in the disaster I take as a sign of grace, as good fortune within misfortune. Children are our future; they survived. God is their mighty fortress. Do they know it? Hungarian Lutheran children learn that their fortress is God together with their native language. When do our children learn it, when do my children? When do your children learn it? God is our mighty fortress, where in times of trouble we can take shelter…
With God’s help, Ieva Puriņa, M. Theol.,
LELBĀL Riga Evangelical Congregation deaconess