Denmark: We must seize the future with hope

“Heavenly days” in Roskilde bring together thousands over Ascension weekend

(LWI) - For four days over the Ascension weekend, churches in Denmark, invited guests for the 2022 Heavenly Days. More than 30,000 participants came together in the city of Roskilde and at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark’s Roskilde Cathedral for the largest ecumenical festival held Denmark under the theme, “With hope we must seize the future.”

The jointly hosted event welcomed people from Denmark and abroad, including visitors from Parliament, as they celebrated interconnecting church, society and culture.

Bishop of the Roskilde Diocese and chairman of the Danish Church Council, The Right Rev. Peter Fischer-Møller. Photo: Rune Hansen

Bishop Peter Fischer-Møller of the Roskilde Diocese and chairman of the Danish Church Council, was thankful for the participation and collaboration, thanking guests for the “many great experiences, for the great work that many put into the festival, to the many international guests, to Roskilde Municipality for hosting the festival and to the cathedral staff for keeping the cathedral open around the clock.”

"But first we must direct our thanks to heaven," Bishop Fischer-Møller told the attendees.

The Lutheran World Federation General Secretary Rev. Anne Burghardt sent a greeting from the LWF Communion Offices in Geneva.

“The future can be full of surprises particularly if we are willing to let God into our lives. Christ says, ‘remember I am with you always to the end of the age.’ He comes to us with messages that sometimes don’t seem to have anything to do with sound and pragmatic human logic, but they are full of grace and love calling us to seize the future in his Spirit,” Burhardt said reflecting on the theme in her greeting.

Heavenly Days takes place during the Ascension holiday every 3 years in different locations around Denmark. The event first took place in 1968.

Along with theological presentations and sermons, there were more than 400 activities such as community-led events, concerts, workshops, lectures, pilgrimages, and food.

The Diocese of Aarhus will host Heavenly Days in 2025.

LWF/A.Gray. Sidsel Drengsgaard contributed

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