A month has come and gone since we returned from the Czech….that just seems crazy! We spent an entire year planning and preparing, and those 9 days were gone in a split second! I was struck by so many things as we arrived in Prague, then moved on to Chotebar (prounounced Coatabash). We saw an ancient cathedral, ornate and intricately designed, but not to glorify God, I don’t think. It was to glorify man and what he could do with his money. So much money and difficult labors had gone into building that structure, money that could have helped the poor or been better used some other way. People have never really worshipped the one true God in that place. While it contained incredible architecture and elaborate stained glass windows, while it was adorned with gold, I found myself sad and cold in that expansive “church”. I honestly felt disgusted that they called it a church, a place of worship.
In contrast, we visited Jan Hus’ church. It was one large room, filled with chairs, murals painted on the walls, stone floors, but somehow, you could feel the walls oozing with the passion of the people who had risked their lives to sit in that place, rebel against the catholic leaders, and seek a deeper more profound relationship with a heavenly Father. They gave their lives, they risked the lives of their families, they jeopardized their jobs and their businesses, all so the everyday man could read the word of God in their own language and understand what a relationship with God was about. We owe them so much. We sat in those chairs and listened to our pastor share the history of that place and the men who had been there. We sang a hymn. I was moved by what that place stood for in the lives of the small mission team who had travelled from a faraway place to share Jesus with the people in that country, the country where the reformation began. It proves we can never stop fighting for our freedom to worship Jesus, it proves we can NEVER share our faith enough!
Dana2day 