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Oleviste Church in Tallinn |
Dear fellow wayfarer,
Each church is like a window to the other world. Some windows are old and richly adorned while others are new, simpler and more practical in design. Yet the purpose of each window is to show something that we would not be able to see without it.
A medieval theologian once said: „Love is the eye; to love is to see.“ Hence, churches elicit the best to be found within a human being - love.
Love for one’s homeland - the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia was celebrated in all churches, and on February 24 in Paide Church thanksgiving was offered to God by the local community as well as the entire nation of Estonia watching the service live on TV.
Love for one’s family - how many marriages, how many families have originated from the home church. Oftentimes, churches are places where love and family are born.
Love for children and life - when a small child is baptised in the church, the congregation accepts it, commits to cherish and care for it, and raises it to grow into a good person and Christian.
Churches are not empty spaces. When we are in a house of God, we always need to remember that the walls around have witnessed a lot of love, words of joy and mourning and, habitually, the message of hope. A church is not dead; it is like a beating heart, that of the people going to it, devoting their time and energy to it. A church is a place where man can meet God. And even if we forget it, God will never forget us and is waiting for the moment we re-enter through the church door.
I wish you, dear wayfarer, benefit from this little book in finding what your heart is longing for.
Philippe Jourdan
Vice-President of the Estonian Council of Churches
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Northern Estonia
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