4 December 2025, Tallinn Episcopal Cathedral
Urmas Viilma, Archbishop of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church
Your Honourable Eminences and Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, dear Sisters and Brothers!
Light does not require compass points
About 700 years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah wrote, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them light has shined” (Is. 9:1).
The light that we await in the Advent season is something other than the Christmas lights in our homes or on the Christmas tree at the market in front of the Town Hall. While morning comes to us from the East, there is no point of the compass that shows the direction of the Advent light. Just as time does not exist for God, neither do the points of the compass. God’s light does not come from the West or East, North or South, and it is not a beam turned in a particular direction. God’s light has no preference for a direction, no preference for a specific nation or culture. God’s light is directed towards everything. By letting his light shine, God does not prefer anyone. Jesus said, “He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous” (Mt. 5:45).
Yet we are living at a time of the fallacious belief that – just as every ‘reasonable’ person has identified their position on an ideological scale – the light should also decide whether it is a Western light or an Eastern light, whether it is conservative or liberal light, progressive or traditional light. The Advent season reminds us that God’s light never represents an ideology. It is not light when someone takes a personal stance on a particular matter. Light is a fact. Light is truth. Nobody who can see disputes the existence of light. Because light simply is.
Today, when society around us – and seemingly everywhere in the world – is fractured and flapping in the crosswinds of multiple crises, the message of light seems particularly relevant. We should always be sceptical about anyone who claims to bear light or bring light, for instance, to the political landscape or society. This can be true only when we speak about God’s non-created light. God’s light is designed to shine on everyone. The Advent season belongs to everyone. According to the Christian belief, the Light is a person – the Christ-child in a stable in Bethlehem. It is an indisputable fact for those who see with eyes of faith.
A state can be built without it having to be burned down first
Yet disputes are always possible when disputing itself is thought of as something valuable. Sometimes, it seems that our social and political debates have increasingly become about destruction, cancellation, and forceful confrontation. The guiding principle seems to be that something needs to be destroyed before something else can be built. Otherwise, this new and shiny thing could not take its place. It is as if destruction is a prerequisite of progress. Watching political rhetoric from the sidelines, one could get the impression that dismantling the achievements of other political forces is the only way to improve life in Estonia. Only then, it seems, would it be possible to continue the journey that started with the goal of restoration of independence 35 years ago. But actually, we do not need to burn down the state before we can build it up again.
This does not only concern those who are currently vying for position in various municipalities, or those who are left without a position. Such rhetoric has marked the Estonian political landscape for many years. The achievements of one coalition are swept away and replaced with the next coalition’s own sandcastle. And this will also be destroyed when the storm of the next election blows over the playground. Would it not make more sense to create a state that, unlike a sandcastle, does not need to be rebuilt again and again? And to do it together! This is why I will not point a finger at any particular coalition or party, but instead appeal to all our political leaders to try to find common ground. You do not have to divide communities and set them against each other on every possible issue. In reality, there is a lot that we all have in common, even our political parties. Besides, carrying out reforms by force is not good form in a democratic society. Even if they are supported by the majority. Darkness does not disappear by adding more darkness, but only by creating more light. The Advent light that guides us is not a destructive fire, but a light that shows a path through darkness. Not every fire can light the way. This is something that we all need to keep in mind as we interact with our neighbours and serve them with love – in the church, in politics, and in our relationships. It is often the case that we do not need more fire, but more light.
The era of mosaic crisis
We live in an era of a mosaic crisis where fragments of individual crises – security crisis, economic crisis, climate crisis, democracy crisis, energy crisis, and many other crises – are assembled into a large mosaic image that can remain unintelligible when viewed from a close distance. This mosaic of multiple crises creates confusion, fatigue, and helplessness in people. We need to take some distance to have a better view of the whole picture. Watching from further away or from the sidelines – over a distance of time and space – we can understand that the mosaic is likely to crumble at the edges without our shared effort. A large mosaic crisis needs to be resolved with patience, fragment by fragment. All Estonian churches that are members of the Estonian Council of Churches are willing to do their part. We are not bystanders. We are part of society and part of our communities. We can contribute where the state cannot and does not need to. We have a network of hundreds of congregations, thousands of volunteers and co-workers. These hundreds of points on the Estonian map that have the word ‘church’ written next to them are real and functional micro centres that are prepared to serve the community and society. We look forward to our increased involvement.
Fatigue should not break trust
As individuals, we are allowed to feel fatigued, but not as a nation. To prevent us from becoming weary as a nation, our leaders should serve as role models with their vigorous spirit. As the mosaic crisis expands, trust between people and their leaders becomes increasingly important, with a lot of empathy on all sides. When leaders get tired, they need to be honest with themselves and others. They need do take the time to rest, to hand leadership responsibility over to others who are similarly capable. Trust needs to be restored in order to continue with regained strength. Those who keep going no matter what are destructive to themselves and exhausting to everyone else. Ultimately, the entire society becomes exhausted. Usually, people can find a way through difficult situations by having faith in their principles, counting on traditions and culture, supporting high-quality and value-based education. Therefore, in an era of the mosaic crisis, the key question is this: how can we continue to value what is permanent and important while relying less on passing trends?
Estonian dreams and anonymous Lutheranism
Recently, the dreams of Estonians were made public in the Estonian Dream Atlas, a collection of dreams as expressed by Estonian people. This map of dreams reflects people’s wishes, desires, questions, and fears. Everyone who cares about the wishes and desires of our people should study this atlas with great interest. Especially those who start tackling the concerns of their community in local governments. The collected dreams are positioned on the atlas according to their meaning. There are a little less than five thousand dreams in total. Allow me to read you some of the dreams that I found by randomly clicking on the Dream Atlas.
“I dream of an evening when grandma can safely walk home from the village store without having to look for the sidewalk in the light of a flashlight.” (Age 12-18, Pärnu county)
“The hometown has its own shopping center, so you don’t have to move to the city.” (Age 11-12, Rae rural municipality)
“Part of the income from the use of green technologies goes to the development of subsequent technologies.” (Adult, Estonia, location unspecified)
“ESTONIA 2050 – A wise nation. A free country. Guided by the heart.” (Adult, Sillamäe)
I don’t think it could be said any better. These are only a few of the 4,804 dreams that are included in the Dream Atlas. They are completely realistic and achievable. I noticed that many dreams were formulated as petitions. It is a comforting observation for me as a clergyman. If decision-makers do not listen to people’s dreams and petitions, God will always listen to them as prayers. He will answer them in his own time and in his own way. But one should always ask: why have I been given hands, eyes, ears, a mouth and a mind if I end up leaving every practical matter to God?
Free people’s church – outside of partisanship and power struggle
This is also a question for the church and for our role in society. It is still important for the Estonian Lutheran church to act as a free people’s church. To be independent from the pressure of those in power. To be prepared to say the right thing, even if it is uncomfortable. It is part of our identity to address not only our own members but people everywhere. We do not seek influence through power, but we try to influence decisions as a member of democratic civil society. However, the main influence of the church should come from serving people – even those who never enter a church. Even those who find no meaning in the church and in the faith in God. In this context, it is interesting to observe how the Lutheran identity, which is clearly acknowledged by the public and taught at schools in the Nordic countries, has become anonymous Lutheranism in Estonia. Our people behave the same way as in the Nordics but have no awareness of their cultural ties to the Protestant worldview that has had the greatest impact on shaping our identity. Unlike the rest of Europe, our schools do not teach our youngsters the skill of finding their religious identity. It is like in the famous children’s story by Rudyard Kipling where Mowgli, a boy raised among the wolves, did not even know that he was actually human.
Bible translation – renewal of the foundation of the national culture
The Estonian Bible has played a key historical role in shaping us as a people. First published in 1739, the full Bible in Estonian did not only create the language but a nation. The same could be said about the 1968 edition of the Estonian Bible, which was read by a new generation that kept the spirit of the nation alive through the last decades of the occupation and then won the country’s freedom by singing. The Bible translation of 1997 has become an integral part of Estonian culture in the 21st century, in literature, art, and music.
Today, we are approaching another major landmark – the Estonian Council of Churches, the theological faculty of the University of Tartu, and the Estonian Bible Society have started to prepare a new translation of the Bible. It is not merely a project for the church. It is a cultural renewal. It is part of tending to the identity of Estonians as a Christian people. It is an important undertaking for our linguistic knowledge, thought, and mental health. But we would not be able to accomplish this if the Estonian state would not perceive it as an essential undertaking. Translating the Bible is not simply work with texts; it is reinforcing the foundation of Estonian culture. I am glad that the first steps on this path have been made with contributions from different partners and financial support from the Ministry of the Interior. But this will not be enough to complete the marathon of Bible translation. To continue and reach the finish line, the support needs to rise and hold steady for at least the next decade. Only then can we have the new Bible on our desks, on our computers and screens, and woven into new books, plays, music, and artworks by 2039 when we will celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Estonian Bible. The new Estonian Bible translation should also be taught and fed to artificial intelligence.
Artificial intelligence – thinking machines and loving people
We live in an age where AI writes, thinks, analyses, and makes predictions for us. And it is becoming increasingly better at that. But everything that AI does, even the most beautiful creations, is devoid of any feeling or emotion. Despite sometimes giving the opposite impression, AI does not love us. AI does not have a heart or conscience. AI can formulate thoughts, but it cannot replace the ability to think. It can generate texts but not present the truth. It can offer answers but not understanding. No matter how capable AI may become, the human being will ultimately be responsible for cultivating and caring for the creation, because this is the task given to humanity by God. This task includes cultivating and caring for artificial intelligence. Surrendering this task to AI would be acting against the Creator’s mandate. It would be comparable to Adam and Eve reaching out for the forbidden fruit. It would be a new fall into sin. And then the question would be this: should God redeem humanity or perhaps AI?
However, we do not have to fear new technologies and AI. This applies to the church as well. But the church should protect that which precedes technology, is beyond technology, and cannot be replaced with technology. It is human-ness or humanity.
Humans do the most harm when trying to improve the world without Christ
Nevertheless, people can be afflicted by heartlessness or a hard heart. It is a particularly painful thought in the Advent season. We can see this in the history of ideologies. We can see this in revolutions. We can see this in those extreme power grabs that promise a wonderful or utopian new world, but usually end with hateful dictatorship and violent chaos. Whenever humans start to improve the world without God, they try to correct everyone else’s ‘mistakes’ in society or state but overlook the mistakes in their own heart. This is where violence begins. A heart not touched by Christ’s light does not feel mercy, even when it has raised a flag with the sign of Christ or claims to protect Biblical values. This was the pattern of medieval crusaders. But it should not belong to the 21st century. Yet we see the same behaviour in Russia’s war in Ukraine and in other places where a single ‘truth’ is imposed over others by force or where a religious or political ideology asserts itself through violence.
Light that lights instead of burning
The Advent message is completely different – we do not need another fixer of the world. Our only fixer of the world is the Christ-child who came to bring peace to human hearts and to light the darkness.
The Advent light does not come with turmoil.
It does not come with destruction.
It does not come with slogans.
It does not come with force, pressure, or manipulation.
The Advent light comes gently.
It kindles like a candle.
It is born like a child.
It is like hope that whispers to our hearts.
The Advent light has no points of the compass.
It has no political preferences.
When it comes, it brings peace, not hatred.
This light engenders security, not fear.
We do not need to redesign the world. We need to demonstrate Christ’s light through love in our actions. Then the world will start to change around us, in our homes, our workplaces, our community, locality, and country – the entire world.
I wish everyone peace, hope, and light for the new Advent season!
