Dresden (epd). According to organizers, around 13,000 people gathered on Saturday on Dresden’s Neumarkt in front of the Frauenkirche for the traditional open-air vespers on the day before Christmas Eve. In his sermon, Saxony’s Protestant regional bishop, Tobias Bilz, called for people to open up and stand up for one another. This requires courage and imagination.
“Wars and environmental pollution are heavy in this world,” said the bishop. Political systems are under pressure and societies are experiencing great tension. But even in the present, despite all the challenges, there is always a choice: “We can close ourselves or open up, hold on to our personal happiness or look for new solutions with many others,” said Bilz.
Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) also spoke of social cohesion in the face of crises and wars. In a greeting he quoted the American Baptist pastor and civil rights activist Martin Luther King (1929-1968) with the words “there is no greater power than love; it overcomes hate and darkness”. With shining stars like the famous Herrnhuther Star, Christians bring the message of light and love into the world where others only see darkness, said the CDU politician. Hatred will not be overcome by hatred and wars will not be overcome by more weapons.
“We here on the Neumarkt are different, come from different regions, have different stories and yet we have so much in common that is important,” emphasized the Prime Minister: “And that’s good.”
The “Christmas Vespers” in front of Dresden’s Frauenkirche took place for the 31st time. Bishop Bilz said the Christmas message tells “a story in which people are inventive on the move.” It shows solutions in times of need. Improvisations were made in the stable in Bethlehem so that Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus had a place to stay.
Vespers was broadcast live on MDR television. The musical direction was by conductor Ludwig Güttler, who had worked for the reconstruction of the Frauenkirche for decades. The organizers are the Fördergesellschaft der Frauenkirche Dresden and the Frauenkirche Foundation.
The open-air service took place for the first time on December 23, 1993. Shortly before, the altar of the Frauenkirche had been recovered from the rubble. The baroque church was destroyed in the Second World War and consecrated after reconstruction in 2005.
2023-12-23 18:08:53
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