Sunday worship: A precious opportunity with 30 congregations

Lutherans from around the globe joined local congregants for Sunday worship at Lutheran churches in three different neighboring countries: Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic as part of their participation in the LWF Thirteenth Assembly being held in Kraków, Poland.

Assembly participants worship in congregations in Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia

(LWI) - Participants from around the global Lutheran communion, attending The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Thirteenth Assembly in Kraków, Poland, worshipped in 30 local congregations in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia on Sunday.

Delivering the sermon, Musa described the day as a "precious opportunity to worship together and learn from each other's ministry and witness.”

Reflecting on the words "You in me, and I in you" (Jn 17:23), he described this as not just "a comforting phrase" but "a beacon of hope in a world marred by fragmentation, isolation and sense of hopelessness."

"Jesus reassures us that, no matter what challenges we face or what lies ahead, we are never truly alone,” said Musa, Archbishop of the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria. “And I repeat, we are never truly alone," he emphasized.

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Visit to Ružomberok, Slovakia

After a pleasant bus ride while listening to some background and history of Slovakia and the church, a group of LWF Assembly participants arrived at the Lutheran Church of Augsburg Confession in Ružomberok. They were welcomed by Pastor Daniel Beňuch and his wife Tatiana and their daughter.

The service featured special songs in English, Slovak and Swahili by children, youth and the church choir. One of the highlights was the Fujara (a UNESCO traditional Slovakian folk musical instrument) prelude, played by a member dressed in traditional attire.

Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, conveyed greetings from the 150 LWF member churches in 99 countries worldwide, and thanked the congregation for the invitation to worship with them.

Reflecting on texts from Ephesians and 1 Corinthians, and the LWF Assembly theme – “One Body, One Spirit, One Hope,” she recalled the mandate of all to care for the earth, regardless of which continent or hemisphere one comes from. The LWF family is reconciled to diversity and not uniformity, she said.

She pointed out how the apostle Paul insisted on the gifts in the body of Christ, while fully aware of the challenges of division and economic disparity that the people in Corinth faced. “While the world seeks to impose uniformity and weaponize it to control people; in baptism, we all come together,” Eaton told the congregation. “Just as the one body has many members, so it is with Christ's body.”

Gingerbread and cookies were distributed to the visitors, and also friendship bands made by children. "We give you our hearts," Pastor Beňuch said.

The visit ended with a festive meal together with the church members and a visit to two 300-year-old exquisite wooden churches listed as UNESCO heritage sites.

Former LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko delivered the sermon based on 1 Corinthians 12:1-12. “As a church we must be able to live together in the midst of the dark and light,” he said. “It is an invitation to live in solidarity, recognizing that we are all responsible for everyone, responsible for each other,” added Noko, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe.

The visit concluded with a concert by the Slovak Chamber Orchestra in the context of a festival organized by the state that brings musicians to churches, another testimony of the openness and joint work to unite the community.

The delegates expressed appreciation for the warm welcome and offered a thanksgiving prayer for the life of the Bystřice community: "We will remember this visit as a testimony of communion and hospitality,” said Rev. Tita Valeriano, Evangelical Lutheran Church in of America.