«In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry» (2 Timothy 4:1-5).

Dear brother in Christ,

The Lord has called us to proclaim the Gospel to this world – the highest ministry He entrusted first to His apostles and then to those who follow in their footsteps. Just as in 16th century, when bishops at times neglected their primary vocation, turning instead to secondary matters like consecration of bells etc., so too in 21st century, the Church sometimes loses sight of its true mission.

The Church’s fundamental mission is neither the problems of ecological activism, nor the pursuit of equal rights for every person, nor even the alleviation of all earthly poverty – though these are undoubtedly important aspects of our earthly lives. Thanks be to our Heavenly Father for every positive change in these matters (James 1:17) and for the privilege to take part in them for us, Christians. Yet above all, the greatest task for us remains the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, His death and Resurrection for the salvation of every human being. It is this issue that would have matter in eternity: how many people we have invited to the Kingdom of Heaven. And Christians’ faith to whom we have preached one way or another will be shown in their good deeds transforming the world around them. In this way, the Church will contribute and bring good fruit for the society.

Dear brother, the weight of responsibility entrusted to you inevitably brings hardships and trials when you have to make hard decisions. But may God also grant you great joy as you will see many fruits of your good decisions and faithfulness! We pray for your ministry and for the Church in Latvia.

† Bishop Ivan Laptev