A Christmas message from the Synodal Council of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in the Czech Republic.
A Christmas message of the Synodal Council of ECCB (14th December 2021)
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. (Luke 2:9-11)
Our God came fragile and vulnerable, He came down to us. Our God came living, strong and eternal, He came down to us. (song Bůh se sklonil k nám/God came down to us, Evangelický zpěvník/The ECCB songbook)
There is one fear. Fear of God, fear of people, fear of the world.
There is one love. From God and for God, for people, for the world.
The angel’s voice invites us to a journey away from the path that leads away from God, which arouses fear, and to a path that leads towards God, which ignites sparks of love.
Let us rejoice in the expressions of courageous love among us. We see it in those who care for the sick and the infectious, who are there for the dying, for the drug addicts, or for those who are a threat to others. We see it in those who forgive their debtors. We can see this love in those who are able to admit their fault and learn their lesson. We can see this love in those who welcome refugees and migrants. We can see this love in those who have mercy on the poor and the homeless. We can see this love in those who put limits on themselves for the sake of others‘ safety. We pray that this fragile, vulnerable love may grow stronger and stronger. We believe in this kind of love.
May God bless you all,
Pavel Pokorný, Synodal Senior
Jiří Schneider, Synodal Lay Moderator
Ondřej Titěra, Synodal Senior's First Deputy
Roman Mazur, Synodal Senior's Second Deputy
Simona Kopecká, Synodal Lay Moderator's First Deputy
Jana Šarounová, Synodal Lay Moderator's Second Deputy