Bulletin 253 – Hungarian Goulash

We arrived in Budapest for the first time not knowing what to expect. We had been to Vienna, Prague, Paris and Rome but this capital city was a new experience. However, the excitement and anticipation of our son’s wedding in a couple of day’s time put a spring in our step as we walked from our hotel to a restaurant for our first taste of Hungarian food. Naturally I started with Hungarian Goulash Soup – excellent. At the end of the meal I was presented with a bill for 25,000. Once I had got up from the floor and converted it back into pounds sterling my composure returned and I started to get used to prices in Hungarian Forints.

It was in the grandiose setting of the Hilton hotel which stands high on a hill in the Buda district next to St. Matthias’ Church and the Royal Palace that I was to offer my contribution to the wedding ceremony. I would speak in English while my trusty companion broke in at pre-defined points with a translation in Hungarian. The wedding ceremony was fine however the speech I gave at the reception highlighted the stark difference between the English sense of humour and that of our Hungarian friends and relatives.

Still, the point of all this is not about happy memories but about how to offer the gospel in a setting like this. Our son, Andrew, enjoys an international life-style having worked in Vienna and now in Geneva for the United Nations. His wedding attracted people from all over Europe as well as India and Bangladesh. His wife is Hungarian and so there was a strong local presence too. So, there we had a group of 75 people from different ethnicities and backgrounds converging on a ceremony which was not overtly Christian. My challenge was to breathe the gospel into this setting.

Fortunately we had a couple of days before the wedding to meet some of the international guests and get to know them. There was one man from Geneva who had been seriously damaged by his experience of the Christian Church having been sent to a church school. There was a man from Hungary who, although he professed Christian faith, was more at home in Buddhism. There were some family members from the UK who, although vaguely sympathetic to church, were not regular attendees and are people who I would describe as ‘Ecclesiates Christians’ – more at home with the cynicism of this book’s approach to the world than the approach taken by St. Paul in his writings.

So how do you present the gospel to an audience as diverse as this in just a few minutes? I felt a little like St. Paul who said, “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” (1 Corinthian 9:22)

Firstly I avoided overtly religious language. During the wedding ceremony itself I focussed on St. Paul’s epic words in 1 Corinthians 13, paraphrasing somewhat to emphasise the perfection and timelessness of love and the need to underpin everything we do with love. Secondly I didn’t divulge the source of the words in the ceremony itself – I waited for people to ask me afterwards, thus allowing a fruitful conversation with those who had been touched by the words. This is in recognition of the fact that the Bible speaks for itself through the Holy Spirit – I am simply a mouthpiece. Also I didn’t want people to think I was ‘Bible-bashing’.

But throughout, the most important thing for me was simply to portray Christ as best I could through the person I am. The way you greet people – the way we accept them in a non-judgmental way – the way we show a meaningful interest in who they are rather than projecting who we are. The thing which attracted people to Jesus was that he was such a good person to be with. I am strongly influenced by the words of St. Paul who said, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1)

The religious elite who brought a woman to Jesus, baying for blood because she was an adulterous person, were eventually turned away, not by Jesus but by their own realisation of unworthiness in his presence. Jesus demonstrates clearly in this episode that his mission is not to condemn but to transform (or save). So it is with us. I remember Joel Edwards, former director of the Evangelical Alliance complaining that the church is too often seen as ‘a million wagging fingers’.

I hope that in my meagre attempts to convey the gospel to this international gathering, people went away saying of me ‘he was a good person to be with’ and someone with whom they would be comfortable to share their deepest needs without fear of condemnation.

Bulletin 251 –Time

It was a strange feeling as I walked into the hall where I was about to lead my last service in a church which is about to close. Having spent much time in its early days getting the new venture off the ground, my emotions were mixed. However, the scripture which seemed right for the occasion was from the book of Ecclesiastes – that well-known set of verses from chapter 3 which begin “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens”.

When it came for the time for the sermon, which was an interactive occasion where we reflected together on the words of scripture, we considered the meaning of the word ‘time’. Time is a strange thing – you can’t see it, you can’t smell it, you can’t touch it and yet there are so many things you can do with it.

• You can spend time
• You can call time (if you’re a publican)
• You can bide your time
• You can make time
• You can kill time
• You can waste time
• You can idle away time

As someone who has two part-time jobs, I know how important it is to manage time well. I admire those who engage in a portfolio life-style – where they hold down 3 or more jobs at any one time, using their skills in different companies and perhaps in different ways. Time is a precious gift and has to be used wisely and efficiently. Management consultants will tell us not to do more in the time we have available but to be smarter with the way we use our time.

We know from the New Testament that two Greek works are used to represent the word ‘time’. One is ‘chronos’ which refers to the time you see on your watch or wall clock. The other is ‘kairos’ which refers to something more in line with the verses in Ecclesiastes. The word ‘kairos’ carries with it the notion that time is in God’s hands and that seasons of opportunity come and go and we need the wisdom and discernment to accept those opportunities while they last.

It is important to note in Ecclesiastes that the words ‘time’ and ‘season’ are interchangeable. We reflected in my service about the way our lives go through seasons. We may have a season of ill-health followed by a season of good health. We may have a season of relative poverty followed by a season of prosperity. We may go through a season of depression followed by a season of vitality. Empires have gone through seasons of power followed by seasons of decline or even death.

We are reminded by St. Paul that the things of this world have their time or season but will not last forever. “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4v18).

Like many, I was gripped by the men’s 100 metres Olympics Final. Usain Bolt won a gold medal in less than 10 seconds – or did he? We would be quite wrong to think that it only took 10 seconds to win a medal- it took a lifetime of dedication and hard work to prepare himself for that epic final. The late Dr. Sangster, a famous Methodist preacher, was once asked ‘how long does it take to prepare a sermon?’ His reply was ’20 years’. Seeing the puzzled expression on the questioner’s face he went on to say, ‘… because it takes 20 years to prepare a preacher.’ Do we recognise that every moment of time is precious because it is preparing us for something in the future?

So what do you make of time? Do you value it as a precious gift and make the most of every moment? Some people are activists and must fill every moment with something to do. Others are far more reflective and see the value of spending time quietly and meditatively. I think we need a balance of both and would add to the list in Ecclesiastes the verse – ‘A time to work and a time to refrain from working’. After all, the book Genesis in the creation account of chapters 1 and 2 makes it clear that God rested on the seventh day - and we are urged to do likewise.

But the service I conducted had a sad and serious side to it. How do you cope with the situation where a church has come to the end of its life? Ecclesiastes 3v2 says “a time to be born and a time to die”. We find it so hard to let go of things which are precious to us and have been part of our life for so many years. Putting something to rest is always difficult but sometimes we need to do that in order that something new is brought to life. A leaf falls to the ground in the autumn and that spells the end of its useful life – or does it? In reality as it gets absorbed by the soil into which it falls, it adds richness as compost so that the next generation of leaves will be that much healthier. For us, it is important that the lives we live add richness to the world around us so that the next generation will profit from what we have contributed.

Budapest Day 4 - Wedding Day

Andrew & Becky on their wedding day

September 8th is a special day. Not only is it Andrew and Becky's wedding day, but it is my wife's birthday.

The day started with the ladies having an early morning trip to the hairdresser. Nice spruced up with fascinators in place they definitely stole the show at the wedding.

At lunchtime a group of us piled into a taxi and made our way to the Budapest Hilton where the wedding took place. It was a superb sunny day, not too hot, but full of excitement. We sat in the hotel lobby drinking coffee while people arrived.

The Dominican Churchyard at the Budapest Hilton

Before the wedding took place we went into the Dominican Churchyard and Courtyard where the wedding ceremony was to take place. It was beautiful and overlooked the Fishermen's Bastion and St. Matthias Church. The wedding ceremony was special and it was so moving to see Becky walk up the aisle looking radiant.

That's me giving my address at the wedding

The wedding vows were also very moving and I was privileged to give a short address ably translated into Hungarian. My address was a paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13 - the famous passage by St. Paul on love.

The Bridal Suite

After the ceremony we had a glimpse of the bridle suite. Right on the top corner of the hotel, it has some of the most stunning views of Budapest the town affords.

Relaxing at the wedding reception

The reception was held in the Hilton's Corvina Suite. Fifty guests from all over Europe and other parts of the world enjoyed an excellent meal punctuated by speeches. It concluded with music and dancing.

Budapest Day 3

Again we had a nice sunny day and started off by visiting the Antique shop owned and run by Mihaly and Monika. The shop mainly features furniture and works of art and is situated in the area of town which is know for its antique shops.

After that we went over to Margit Island and met up with Andrew and the rest of the crowd. We walked for what seemed miles to find them but eventually found them sitting at a cafe. We then walked back to the mainland via the zoo. We had difficulty locating toilets until we arrived at the zoo where there was a pay toilet which we managed to access free of charge.

There were some however who couldn't wait.

We then went to a Turkish buffet restaurant to chill out. I can't say the food was good but we had a good time together.

In the evening was Andrew's Bachelor Party. The look on his face when he arrived at the Walhalla club on a flase errand to pick up some jewellery only to find the crowd waiting for him was amazing. We spent the evening drinking, eating, playing poole and bowling.

Budapest Day 2 - Evening meal

We found our way via metro to the river and found the Columbus floating restaurant meeting up with everyone for the first time. The restaurant didn't rock as I would have expected even though big boats went past. We overlooked the Royal Palace on the other sided of the river.

The menu was quite varied and the service was good. All staff spoke excellent English. We had excellent conversations with Becky's family and received an invite to the Antique shop tomorrow at 11am. It is on the way to Margaret Island so fits in well with our plans.

Budapest Day 2

Met some new friends today - David and Leila and Sayed. We (the afore-mentioned, Esther, Andrew and Beck) got in a large taxi who ferried us to Castle Godollo where we enjoyed a pleasant morning. It seems the taxi drivers go to Rome for their training as they are incredibly fast and jerky.

We all went around the castle interior, in different directions. I chatted with Sayed who was studying entrepreneurship in Lugano where Becky has studied.

The castle interior was good but the grounds are not spectacular by any means - say compared with Schonbrunn - but we all enjoyed the visit.

After the castle visit we went to Mensa restaurant for a light snack. As usual I had a goulash soup - not as good as the one last night but still welcome. Here's Becky pouring soup out of her teapot. Margaret went back to the hotel but the rest of us went by metro (the oldest line in Europe) and tram to the Market Hall by the river. The weather remained kind and the shone started to shine after a hazy morning at the castle.


This is a spectacular fruit and vegetable market with stalls upstairs selling all manner of Hungarian goods including home-made beer.

We browsed around and finally ended up at the beer stand only to find that the home-made beer stand was closed. From here we walked along the river side towards the place where we are to dine tonight with Becky's family. Esther and I got the metro back to the hotel where we prepared for our evening meal.

Budapest Day 1

Arrived after a faultless flight from Luton. Breezed through check in with very few people around. On arrival at Budapest we immediately met up with Andrew who had flown in from Geneva and arrived a couple of minutes after us. Got a taxi to the hotel and unpacked.
In the evening we went with Andrew and Becky to a restaurant nearby - Cafe Vian.