Serving for peace with a prayerful life

One year ago, on 24 February 2022, the Russian-Ukrainian war began, changing the lives of millions. At the beginning of the service in the Hold utca Reformed Church, Bishop Zoltán Balog focused on thanksgiving and the forgiveness of sins. The Bishop gave thanks for the gift of life and for the support of the church community. He also prayed for the forgiveness of sins, noting that we often turn away from God and each other, causing disinterest and alienation to prevail in our families.

"Yet we can rejoice in the grace of God who has taken our sins upon Himself," he added. The bishop prayed that peace would replace hopelessness and that God would give his people and the leaders of his people the courage to call sin by name, to condemn evil, and to speak out for the victims. "Do not allow war or violence to be justified by perceived or real grievances, national or ecclesiastical interests. Stand by the sufferers, the victims, on whichever side they are sacrificed," the bishop prayed. Zoltán Balog thanked the brothers and sisters from Transcarpathia for attending the service, and Bishop Sándor Zán Fábián for coming to Hungary to pray for peace.

The Bishop of Transcarpathia read the first 8 verses of chapter 15 of the Book of Ezekiel the prophet. "The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, how is the wood of a vine different from that of a branch from any of the trees in the forest? Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful? Do they make pegs from it to hang things on? And after it is thrown on the fire as fuel and the fire burns both ends and chars the middle, is it then useful for anything? If it was not useful for anything when it was whole, how much less can it be made into something useful when the fire has burned it and it is charred? Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘As I have given the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest as fuel for the fire, so will I treat the people living in Jerusalem. I will set my face against them. Although they have come out of the fire, the fire will yet consume them. And when I set my face against them, you will know that I am the Lord. I will make the land desolate because they have been unfaithful,’ declares the Sovereign Lord."

In his sermon, Sándor Zán Fábián reflected on the fact that we often forget to give thanks to God when everything is going well around us. We take it for granted that things are going well. But when circumstances change, we question the Lord and ask: why? The question also arises for the Transcarpathian community: why do they have to endure these difficulties? Why must we see families torn apart, forced to flee?

In reference to the passage from Ezekiel, Bishop Zán Fábián asked the congregation whether the war-affected population had become useless, whether God had turned away from them. The Bishop implored the church not to forget our purpose and mission in these difficult times. He reminded the congregation that Jesus Christ suffered for us, and we have to ask ourselves whether we have done enough in his name, for his glory and for the good of our fellow human beings. He stressed that as Christians, we must look within ourselves and identify where we can be helpful. He suggested that we ask ourselves: Is there any true ministry in our lives that wholeheartedly gives thanks to God? He urged the congregation to start doing something in the name of the Lord, to spread the gospel, and to build the kingdom of God together. He stressed the need to commit ourselves to our faith both in our individual lives and in the life of the church. "The time has come for us to change, to witness and to commit ourselves to be helpful and to serve with a prayerful life," he added. The Bishop of Transcarpathia was moved to thank his brothers and sisters who had been forced to flee for not yet putting up for-sale signs on their houses.

Following Sándor Zán Fábián’s sermon, the confirmands of the congregation of the Hold utca Reformed Church read their prayers for peace. The communion service was concluded with a lunch for the congregation. The donations collected at the service will be sent to Transcarpathia.

The service on Sunday was organized by the Hungarian Reformed Church Aid and the Hold utca Reformed Church Parish. The two bishops then held a service in Tatabánya for the reformed brothers and sisters from Transcarpathia.