Moscow
On January 24 in St. Peter and Paul's Cathedral of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in European Russia there was a worship service that united Christian congregations of various denominations from around the city. Participants came from Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Armenian, Baptist, Pentecostal and Adventist congregations.
In his greeting Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia Dietrich Brauer said: “Dear brothers and sisters! Five hundred years ago, the Reformation began. Martin Luther prompted the church to reform so that it would be able to fulfil the Great Commission given by Jesus Christ – to preach the Gospel to the world for the reconciliation of humankind with God. However, peace with God is tied inextricably with peace between people. A person acquires faith in God, becoming a child of God without any merits of their own, solely by grace. Therefore a believer cannot fail to see in a fellow Christian a brother or a sister. A Christian cannot but mourn about the division of the Church and to strive to attain unity. The ministry of reconciliation about which the Word of God is talking so clearly today is our common ministry. It takes place under the sign of the Cross. The Cross of Christ is the eternal sign of reconciliation between God and humankind. But the cross is also an eternal call to repentance. We really have nothing more to quarrel over when we are engaged in a ministry together. For the life of a Christian is the ministry of reconciliation. Today, dear brothers and sisters, I am praying to God to bless each of us to engage in this ministry of reconciliation in the name of Jesus Christ, to help us grow in the spirit of mutual acceptance, forgiveness, encouragement, love and the promise of unity for the Church of Christ.”
Archbishop Paulo Pezzi, the metropolitan of the Roman Catholic Mother of God Archdiocese, addressed those gathered: “‘How good and pleasant it is for brothers to live together,’ we read in the Psalm. This gathering which unites Christians of this city, is wonderful and from my perspective a sign of that to which the whole world is called, all people of goodwill. I especially like that this year we have the opportunity to pray together, whether in the Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception yesterday, or here today in this marvelous Lutheran church or in St. Andrew's Anglican Church tomorrow. This is a sign that we deep in our heart want to be together. We are united by Christ's love.” The Papal Nuncio in Russia, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, added: “I think that it is very important to meet together in this Protestant Cathedral in the year when we commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.. The Reformation has a lot of meaning not only for Protestants, but for all Christians. We should confess our sins against unity in the past and speed up our efforts toward unity in diversity."
The ecumenical worship service was accompanied by the singing of choirs from different confessions: the chapel choir of St. Peter’s and Paul’s Cathedral, the choir of the Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, the Armenian Apostolic Church and the “Church of God” at Tsarytsino (Russian United Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith - Pentecostals). Hymns were not just musical accompaniment of the evening. They also helped everyone who had come to the cathedral to feel our common Christian roots and culture more deeply. As Father Patrick, the Chaplain of the Anglican Cathedral, said in his speech: “Music is not only an international but also an ecumenical language. Music is a strong help for coming to the Lord, for preaching the Gospel.” During the worship service representatives of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Christians of Evangelical Faith, the Evangelical Christians – Baptists, the Russian United Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith and the Seventh Day Adventists addressed the congregation. The worship service was closed by the Lord’s Prayer and a blessing from Archbishop Dietrich Brauer.
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