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May Worship

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Readings: Acts 16:9-15 Revelations 21:10, 22-22:5 John 14:23-29 When I was in high school, I had to study poetry, and I hated it. I disliked how the author never simply stated what they wanted you to know, but you had to dig deeper to understand what is being said. You had to dissect it into many parts and analyze the words to truly understand. I wanted to be able to read something and understand immediately what I am supposed to learn. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the Bible is written the same way, and I enjoyed reading it. The written word of God is not something you can read through quickly and understand at first glance, rather, it takes time to break it down and truly take away the messages God is sharing with us. At the first glance, today’s gospel appears to be departing words Jesus gives to his disciples. It appears that Jesus is telling them goodbye and offering words of comfort. And that is what Jesus is saying. But he is also saying more. When we look
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Just Say Yes

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    One philosophy I have adopted for this year has been “Just say yes.” Anytime I am asked to go somewhere or participate in an event, unless I have a scheduling conflict, I say yes. Even if it sounds like something I may not enjoy, I give it a try, because my time here is short, and I may never get some of these same opportunities again.     This has led me into some situations that turned out to be wonderful, joy-filled times. By saying yes, I have had chances to see live music, explore festivals, experience holidays at a traditional Hungarian household, dance with children, play music in a live show, participate in an English club, and so much more. Every time I have said yes to an opportunity, it has turned out wonderful.     One specific “yes” I enjoyed was when an older couple from my congregation invited me over for a meal. I was hesitant because I had never spoken with them before, they told me their English is not good, and going to a meal at a Hungarian house is usually
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It’s All Hungarian To Me

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One of my favorite lines from a movie is when Ian’s father says “it’s all Greek to me” in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. This line is iconic as takes an idiom and makes it literal as those around Ian’s father were actually all speaking Greek and he truly did not understand what was happening.     I like to think I am, occasionally, extremely funny, which has led me to saying “it’s all Hungarian to me” when I do not understand what is being said. I have said this to fellow YAGM as well as to members of my communities when I have been asked if I understand what is being said. I say it with a smile, but usually receive a strange look as if to say, “yes, it is all Hungarian, that it the language they are speaking.”     Despite being here eight months (crazy!), I still struggle with the language. If I can pick up on context clues of a conversation, I may be able to piece together what is being said around me, but often times I just nod and smile. When I ask a question and receive
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The Prodigal Son

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The 4th Sunday of Lent was also the 4th English Speaking service. The Gospel of the day was the story of the Prodigal Son, a fantastic story that has multiple lessons within it. Readings: Joshua 5:9-12 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 The story of the Prodigal Son is a popular story. It is one that pops up often, at confirmation class, church camp, bible studies, and at service. But what is so amazing about this parable is that it has something new to be discovered every time it is read.     The story of the Prodigal Son is one of love and forgiveness, and illuminates the different characters we can be in life. At times, we may be the father, the older son, or the younger.     Sometimes we are the younger son. Sometimes we mess up, and we need to admit we messed up, and ask for help. Sometimes our environment leads us to be in a bad situation, and we have to admit we need help. There is never any shame in needing help, we just have to recognize we need it, and not
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Perfectly Imperfect

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Most Sundays, I head to Makó for a second worship service in the afternoon. There is an older man who worships there that has been the organist for the congregation for a very long time, and he loves playing the music and signing. It is always fun to listen to him play, as there is the actual tempo of the song, the tempo he plays, and the tempo he sings. He also is the loudest singer in the church. It could be easy to be frustrated or annoyed with the imperfections of the music every week at church. It could be easy to insist he is getting too old and should retire. It could be easy to let the music ruin the service. But this congregation is so full of love and acceptance that they never say anything negative about this man and his music. They simply attempt to follow along the best they can, and let him lead the way. Providing music brings him joy, and that in turns brings all of them joy. Every week in Makó I find myself smiling as he plays. I see that love, acceptance, and
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Send Me

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On Sunday February 10th we had the third English speaking worship service. We had a small group, but it was a nice, intimate gathering. I had positive feedback from those in attendance of my message from the service, so I thought I would share it. *Disclaimer: I gave my sermon off of notes rather than a fully written script and this was typed post-service. There may be a few inaccurate phrasings, but the main ideas and points are all the same. Readings: Isaiah 6:1-8 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Luke 5:1-1 When I was thirteen, I was in my last year of confirmation class, and my Pastor had the idea that he wanted all of the last year confirmands to lead a worship service. They would be the pastor, assistant minister, acolytes, readers, and ushers. There were plenty of parts for everyone to have something to do. Before class, my Pastor asked me if I would like to fill the role of pastor. It was a scary and big role to fill, but he felt confident in my ability to do so, so I sai
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Ecumenical Week

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Last week, January 20 - January 27, was Ecumenical week. This is a week for Christian churches of all denominations to put aside any differences they may have in theology and come together in worship and prayer. In Szeged, and to my knowledge across Hungary, Ecumenical Week is celebrated with a worship service every night at a different denomination’s church. A part of the tradition in Szeged is that a pastor from a different denomination is invited to give the sermon each night. For example, a Catholic priest may speak at the Reform church and a Methodist pastor at the Lutheran church and so on and so forth. While I did not attend every night, due to some of the churches being a little far to walk to as well as being in Budapest for a conference for part of the week, I did get to experience some of the different services. It was interesting to see the different styles of service, as each church that was hosting would use their own method of worship. Some churches had you stand d
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