A letter from Karen Moritz serving in the Czech Republic, Spring 2015

A letter from Karen Moritz serving in the Czech Republic

Spring 2015 – Reconciliation Among Czechs and Germans

Trip to Moritzburg, Germany

On Friday, March 20, seven of us from the Central Church Office of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren (ECCB) made our way by car from Prague to the small German town of Moritzburg.  (Yes, that really is the name of the town, I’m not making it up.)  We were going for the weekend to spend some time with our ecumenical partners in the Evangelisch-Lutherische Landeskirche Sachsens (EVLKS, in English called the Lutheran Church in Saxony).  The ECCB and the Lutheran Church in Saxony have had a longtime partnership, which has included frequent visits by representatives from both churches.  Encounters like this facilitate reconciliation by getting to know each other as individuals.  Part of the time together also involved getting to know the issues that each church currently faces.

Karen at Schloss Moritzburg

Kreuzkircha in Dresden (Photo by Gerhard Frey-Reininghaus)

Group at Chateaux

Group in Moritzburg (Photo by Gerhard Frey-Reininghaus)

Exhibit in Moritzburg (Photo by Gerhard Frey-Reininghaus)

The partnership between these two churches embodies the desire for reconciliation.  Sadly, there has been a long history of violence and mistrust between Czechs and Germans.  For many years, in fact centuries, Czechs and Germans have lived side by side in this part of the world.  Throughout history these groups have often lived together peacefully and garnered strength from one another.  However, there has also been a long history of German imperialism in this part of the world.  For over 300 years the Habsburgs governed most of this part of Europe as a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  After the collapse of the empire with the end of WWI many parts of this section of Europe enjoyed a short period of independence, which came to an end with the rise of the Nazis in the late 1930s.  One of the harshest responses to the end of WWII came with the expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia in 1945.  Sadly, these tensions were not just cultural and political—the churches were a part of these conflicts as well.  The ECCB was one of the churches that realized the importance of reconciliation.

After 1948 with the rise of Communism, Czechs and Germans, particularly those in East Germany, were often thrown back together.  As part of the Eastern Bloc, Czechs could travel only to other Eastern Bloc countries.  In many ways this fostered a bond between Czechs and Germans.  Many pastors in the ECCB could pursue studies only in East Germany, so many of them learned German, a skill many of the older pastors still have today.  So partnerships were formed between the ECCB and East German churches, like churches in the area of Dresden and Moritzburg.  So our weekend together was built on relationships forged long ago.  The ECCB has recognized the importance of nurturing these partnerships and working together toward reconciliation.

One concrete manifestation of the reconciliation sought by both parties could be seen in our devotions.  For our time together we used a special publication called Rozdělující zed‘ je zbořena: K porozumění mezi Čechy a Němci (The Dividing Wall is Demolished: Towards Understanding between Czechs and Germans).  This publication was created by the Czech-German Working Group in the ECCB and published in 1999.  It contains a variety of articles that describe the shared history between the two countries and the various initiatives toward reconciliation.  During our devotions our group used the section of bilingual liturgies, which included various songs, psalms, prayers and religious texts in Czech and German.

Following our devotions we shared some fellowship time in which we introduced ourselves and talked about various issues facing the two partners.  Rev. Gerhard Frey-Reininghaus gave a presentation, in his mother tongue German, about Jan Hus and the Bohemian Reformation.  Not only did he talk about the history of Hus and the Bohemian Reformation but he also spoke about the ongoing legacy for the church and for the Czech Republic.  His presentation was based on a somewhat controversial premise; he reminded us that although we consider Hus a Protestant, he actually lived and died as a Roman Catholic.  Hopefully this awareness demonstrates the importance of remembering Hus by both Roman Catholics and Protestants.  Hus binds us together in ways we often don’t consider.

One project that was presented by our hosts, which was particularly interesting for me, was a work about the contribution of women in the Reformation.  As a female Presbyterian pastor for almost 30 years I was excited to learn that there were so many women involved in the Reformation; we rarely hear about them.  One assumes they were there, but this project actually gives them names and tells their stories.  A helpful website is the one of our weekend hosts:   http://www.evlks.de/leben_und_glauben/kirche_und_welt/20502.html. When you scroll down the page there is a link for information in English.  It’s a PDF and the direct link for that is:  http://www.evlks.de/doc/Frauen_in_der_Reformation_engl.pdf.

For me, hearing their stories brings about reconciliation between men and women.  So often our voices have not been heard and we have been invisible in most of history, particularly in the history of the Reformation.  Hearing the voices of the men and women of the Reformation can remind us of what ties us together as Protestants and as Christians.  I look forward to learning more about them and hearing their stories.

Another important component of our time together was the emphasis on the arts.  Art and music are such important parts of our lives historically, culturally, and in the church.  With this in mind we made two important trips.  In the afternoon we visited a small exhibition of works by the artist Käthe-Kollwitz.  She was a painter, printmaker, and sculptor.  She was born in east Prussia in 1867 and died just before the end of the Second World War in 1945.  She was an artist in a time that was not receptive to women in that field and many of her works were socially critical.  In many ways her works espoused values we hold dear in the church, gospel values.  She felt deeply for the victims of poverty, hunger and war, which was dramatically presented in her artwork, particularly many of her prints.  An interesting article about her is on the Wikipedia site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A4the_Kollwitz. Since she died in Moritzburg a small museum was established there.  In many ways the exhibit was quite disturbing and convicting.  Many of her concerns are, sadly, still part of our world today.

Later that afternoon we made our way to Dresden, about 20 minutes from Moritzburg.  We attended Vespers at the well-known Kreutzkirche in the Old Town.  They are well known for the Dresden Kreuzchor (Boys’ Choir).  They have an 800-year history of making music since the Reformation.  There is more at the church’s website:  http://www.kreuzkirche-dresden.de/en/church-music/dresdner-kreuzchor.html. Often music brings humans together in ways nothing else can.  I suspect, depending on the audience, that the choir sings in several languages and draws on choral masters throughout history.  For me, organ music brings humans together by sharing music that does not rely on language and speaks to the hearts of people everywhere.  It was a very moving concert for me and, I suspect, for everyone in the packed church.

On Sunday we went to an ecumenical worship service at the Johann Sebastian Bach House, which is the parish house for the local EVLKS congregation.  It was a celebration of a week of Bible study and worship.  The service was led by the EVLKS pastor and the priest from the local Roman Catholic Church.  Following worship and lunch a few of us made our way to my house, Chateaux Moritzburg.  Our host for the weekend, Friedemann Oehme, graciously showed us around the Chateaux.  Sadly, the man selling tickets didn’t find it amusing when I asked if I got a discount since my name was Moritz.  Imagine that?  You can learn more at:  http://www.schloss-moritzburg.de/en/homepage/. Following our walk through the Chateaux we made our weary way back to Prague.

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter.  I am so grateful for your continuing support, which allows me to share in this important ministry of reconciliation.  I couldn’t do any of this without your financial and prayer support.  Our brothers and sisters in Christ here in Europe are also grateful for the support that enables them to move forward in their continuing efforts to be instruments of reconciliation in an often violent and indifferent world.

As we move through this Easter Season I want to invite you to hold us all in prayer:

• Please pray for the ECCB and the EVLKS.  Pray that their partnership will remain
strong as they continue the ongoing process of reconciliation.

• Please pray for all the faith communities in the Czech Republic and Germany as they
all celebrate this season of Resurrection.

• Please give prayers of thanks for the long history of faith in these two lands.  We
celebrate the wonderful heritage of music and worship which is an integral
part of the Church in this part of the world and worldwide.

• I invite your prayers for me as I continue to learn Czech and German.

Přeju Vám požehnané prožití Velikonoc a dobrou naději pro všechno, co konáte s důvěrou v Boží blízkost.

I wish you the blessings of a joyous Easter and may you find hope in all you do with confidence in the presence of God.

Karen

Rev. Dr. Karen R Moritz
ECCB Central Church office
Ecumenical Department
Jungmannova 9 P.O. Box 466
CZ 111 21 Praha 1

Moritz@e-cirkev.cz  or Karen.moritz@pcusa.org

The 2015 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 330
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