Picture by Gyula Szabó

“We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

(Matthew 2:2)

Dear Brothers and Sisters! Dear Worshipping Congregations!

Christmas has a blessed effect of bringing people together and calling them to unity. It brings the family and communities together and it also somehow calms the cacophony of diversity, which has recently become extremely strong. After the exhaustion of the year, and especially the preparation time and to-do list of Advent, it is good to finally reach Christmas, the holiday that promises cozy encounters, peace, and silence.

It matters how, and with what aim, we reach Christmas. In the Gospel of Matthew, the Wise Men arrive to Jerusalem asking, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” Right after their question, they reveal the reason for their visit, saying, “We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

Nowadays we speak a lot of impulses we follow and the motivations for our actions. It is worth asking why this holiday is important for us. What do we want from the holy season of Christmas? Cozy encounters, peace, and silence? A festive church service? The experience of a full church? Moving testimonies of children? All of these can be important. But there is something beyond these which is above all else. We can learn it from the Magi – “We have come to worship him.”

Our desire and our aim for Christmas cannot be less than worshipping and adoring Him, the Child of Bethlehem, the Word made flesh, the King of our hearts, the Redeemer of the World. This worship can happen through personal or family devotions, but also in the fervent singing of the congregation, honest prayers, paying attention to the Word of God, and communion. Moreover, adoring Christ could be the characteristic of our entire Christian life at Christmas and every day because others also have to see who He is.

The Wise Men were lead to the Christmas Child by an external instrument. “We saw his star,” they said.  Here today in the Carpathian Basin, we, the Hungarian Reformed Congregations, can and must be stars like this which lead others to Christ. In the unity of this service, we wish a blessed Christmas to all our brothers and sisters.

Advent 2016,

The Presidium of the General Convent of the Hungarian Reformed Church

The Presidium of the General Convent of the Hungarian Reformed Church is the representative and consulting Body of the reformed Churches in the Carpathian Basin. Its members are the acting leaderships (Bishops and Lay Presidents) of all the church districts of the joined Churches. It is mandated to coordinate the cooperation and to promote the unity in worship, church life and witness. The General Convent represents around 2,5 Million members of 7 reformed Churches organized in 11 Church Districts and living in 7 different countries.