Back to "normal"

In the Netherlands, the corona rules have been dropped and all sorts of activities can go back to “normal”. In the congregation in Maastricht we have decided as  congregation to set up our seating differently. 

The last two years we have been seated in a circle around the walls of our meeting room. This gave us the ability to keep some distance from one another and still meet together. In addition to the seating change, we changed how we do the Lord’s Supper and what our worship time together looks like. We even instituted some traditions around how we interact after our worship time. 

Now we as a congregation have decided to “return” to the old way the meeting hall was set up. But almost half of our members actually came to be part of this family during the corona years. This means that - to them - the corona set up was “normal”. And it brings up the question: what is essential and what is normal? 

For the Lord's Supper during corona, each member (or family member) approached the central table where the bread and cup were, took bred and cup and returned to sit and wait until all members had done the same. Then we prayed for the bread and partook together after which we prayed for the cup and partook together. 

Now the table will no longer be central and we will no longer be seated in a a circle facing one another. Now the table will be in the front and we will be seated in a semi-circle. The brother leading the supper will pass the plate and the cup. For many this is a well understood and familiar thing. For many in our congregation, this is new. 

It has always intrigued me to think about and study the bits of our communal worship time that are traditional. What is essential? And how can we do that? During corona years we dropped the sermon and increased the time for the word during the Lord’s Supper. And yet, Jesus remains central to it all. During corona we made a conscious decision to make this time central to our time together. It remains so.

Now things are changing again and we can look at and wonder how to do things together. We are thankful for the changes that have come. We are most thankful that we are a family which can work through these things together with the grace of God. In other parts of the world - Ukraine - other changes are having to be made. We pray for the church there that they, too, can continue to rely on the strength and peace of the Father as they continue to live out and show the love and grace of God, even during very difficult times. 

 

Where, Oh Where Wednesday - The International Triangle

We live in Belgium, just across the border from Maastricht, the Netherlands. This area is very international. The cities of Maastricht (Dutch), Liege (Belgian) and Aachen (German) are all within about 30 minutes drive of each other where this little boot heel of the Netherlands extends between Belgium and Germany. 

Maastricht is where the agreement was signed to make the Euro. This city was chosen because of the very international character of the region (it is called a Euregion). There are four or five different cultures combining in a very small area. Next to the Dutch area of Maastricht is the Flemish-speaking area of Belgium where we live. The Belgian city of Liege is in the French-speaking area of Belgium. Just south of Liege is the German-speaking area of Belgium, which borders Germany and the city of Aachen.

Aachen, or as some know it Aix-la-Chapelle, was the capitol of the Franks under Charlemagne. From 936-1531 it was where the kings of the Germans of the Holy Roman Empire were crowned. Tourists today visit the baths (from Roman times) and the cathedral where a holy relic exists of Charlemagne.

Liege, in French-speaking Belgium, was ruled by prince-bishops. Maastricht was jointly ruled by the prince-bishops of Liege and the dukes of Brabant. The city hall in Maastricht even has two stairways - one for each leader - and is built symmetrically so as not to bother either leader unduly. 

When we first arrived and went to market in Maastricht, we could pay with German marks, Belgian francs or Dutch guilders. Since 2000 the whole region uses the euro of course. The region is full of culture, history and natural beauty. Today it is in many ways joined, not only in history, but also in policy. 

Once upon a time Wednesday - When Romans walked

Maastricht has been around for quite some time. The name of the city is originally “Trajectum ad Mosum” - Latin for “trajectory over the Maas”. The Romans built a fortification at the point where the river could be traversed. There are still remnants of the old Roman civilization downtown. 

Our house in Belgium, just across the border, is in Neerharen, which was another spot where the Roman army could ford the river. The main road running not far from our house was a Roman highway (and is still called the “heirbaan” which means the road of the army). 

In the next village, archeologists found parts of an old Roman villa. Some well-to-do Roman citizen established his home out in the fields not far from the river. So the Roman army and plenty of Roman citizens were well established here in this area around the time that Jesus was walking on the earth in Jerusalem. 

I love making that point with people as we read the gospel of Luke, that great historian and gospel writer. Everyone here understand perfectly that the Romans were here. It brings things home when you can point out that Jesus was actually here on earth as well. 

Whatsit Wednesday - Fietsen

Most people are aware that people in Belgium and the Netherlands ride bicycles. Most recently the Dutchwoman Marianne Vos won the world championship cyclocross which was held in Fayetteville, Arkansas (NOT North Carolina - I knew that!). You will often hear either a Belgian or Dutch name when it comes to competitive cycling. 

You only have to walk the dog along our canal every morning and evening to see how many people bike. But also to see the difference between the Dutch and the Belgians. Every weekend, especially if the weather is nicer, Chester and Scott have to make sure to keep their ears peeled. Regularly a large group of men (and women) dressed in the same outfits and bunched together will come flying by on their bicycles. Thankfully, you can hear them coming from far off, gabbing with one another as they ride along. 

Although this will also be the case in some areas of the Netherlands, the bikes there are much more practical. It is in the Netherlands that you will see mothers or fathers biking with two children in a box connected to the front forks, with a third child in a seat behind her and groceries in bags straddling the rear wheel. Bankers, mechanics, students, professors - anybody can be found riding a bike to work or the store or the cafe. 

Whether it is for sport or daily use, the “fiets” (bicycle) is clearly a part of life in both the Netherlands and Belgium. 

Go with the flow

January ended with several members picking up the virus and needing to quarantine. This meant not meeting in person, moving our services back online. It has been a while since we met online. We are thankful that it is possible. Most of the members were able to be present. We even have members who have not been able to be present in person who were now as present as a computer screen allows. 

In the meantime at least 8 members worked their way through the various amounts of sick that the virus caused. For Scott that was what he recognizes as a typical week of flu: some high temperatures, plenty of sleeping during the day, sweating at night and basically working it out in about 4 days. Others had a bit less, some had a bit more, but it seems like we are through it all together. 

And that means that we can get back together again in person very soon. We are looking forward to meeting again in person and welcoming our new family from the north. We are thankful for the desire we all have to care fro one another, for the health God continues to give us, and for the possibilities we have and use to gather in praise of God who gives us daily and eternal life. 

As we move further into the new year, we as a congregation are looking at new things. When will we move back to sitting in rows as we did before corona? This allows for more people to be together. What will we be learning together as we head into a new year of studying the word of God? Our theme this year will explore how we can impact this world that we live in, since we do not truly belong to this world. We look forward to a summer of camp weeks and how to implement those. And we look at youth weekends down south. It has been a while since we had youth of this age in the congregation. 

The days are getting longer. It is not yet warm, but we can imagine the warmer days coming. And we know that we are able to do mighty things with God’s help, no matter what comes. So bring it on. We will continue to do our best to go with the flow and allow God to use us as He sees fit.  

The photo is of our creek at camp, when it is peaceful. This is the same creek that became a raging river this past year and swept some of camp away. Each season brings different challenges. God is there through every season. 

Whodunit Wednesday - From detectives to forensics to physics

Shirley and I like detective series and enjoy Sherlock Holmes (and its newer versions), Wallander (from Sweden) and of course most Agatha Christie detectives. Anyone who has read about Hercule Poirot will know that, no, he is not a Frenchman, even though he speaks French. He is a Belgian and served in the Belgian police before moving to England because of the war and setting up as the best detective in the world. 

Much of what we enjoy about detectives also has to do with forensics. It is amazing what can be done these days with technology. “Fingermarks” were first used to identify criminals around the time that Poirot was supposed to have lived and worked. But it was much later that Ingrid Daubechies came up with a mathematical model which is used in many ways today, including by the FBI in stocking fingerprints. She developed wavelets which are the basis of computers and processors and digital processes. As a 6 year-old Ingrid would go to sleep multiplying numbers by two from memory. She was the first woman to become a full professor of mathematics at Princeton University. But she was born and raised in Houthalen, Belgium, not far from where we live. 

And speaking of physics, Belgian priest and scientist George Lemaître was the first to present the idea of the Big Bang theory of physics in 1927. At the time, most scientists were working with an idea of an eternal universe - one that had always been the same and would always remain the same. This fit with the newer ideas of the evolution theory and offered the millions of years necessary to believe that all of this could happen by chance. Lemaître posited the Big Bang theory because of increasing evidence that there must be a beginning to creation.