Whensday: The day the King stepped down

This week is a holiday in Belgium. Friday July 21 is the national holiday - a bit like July 4 in the US, though not completely. There is also a holiday for the Flemish community and one for the French-speaking (Walloon) community. July 21 is the federal holiday. 

Belgium is a complicated situation of political entities and levels of government. What is clear is that on July 21 the banks and such are all closed, as are most stores. Since this day always falls in the summer during one of our Bible camp weeks, the group that is at camp that week has to be sure to have done their shopping before this day comes. 

I remember the day that the king passed away. It was also during a week of camp, so we didn’t get the news until we were going home. He had passed away on July 31, 1993, during our Benjamin camp (for 8-11 year-olds). We had only been in Belgium for 2 years and this was only the third time I was helping with camp. But the death of this king really touched the country. He had been a remarkable king in many ways. 

Modern Belgian kings don’t really have that much power or authority. Not like Leopold II who made Congo his play ground and private zoo in the latter half of the 19th century. Baudouin became king in 1951, married the Spanish countess Fabiola in 1960 and tried his best to rule his country in modern times. It was his reign that made it clear to the government that there needed to be clarity about who was actually in charge - the king or the government. 

All came to a head in 1990 when in April of that year Baudouin made clear that he could not agree with a law that had been passed by the government allowing abortion. Baudouin had always been very clear about his faith and he and his wife were sticklers about morality - even among government ministers. 

The contraceptive pill had been designed in 1961 by a Belgian, Ferdinand Peeters. This was already further than the king would have liked to have gone. But the law now presented was allowing abortion itself. Still the constitution only allows the king to be informed, to warn and to encourage concerning laws. And yet, all laws must be signed into law by the king. 

Baudouin could not in good conscience sign the law allowing abortion when he himself considered abortion immoral and against the will of God. In order for the law to be signed, the king would need to be found “unable to govern”. So for 36 hours, he was technically not king - as the law was passed and signed by the government ministers. 

Many people in the country considered the king’s principled stance very encouraging - even those who might have disagreed with him. And yet, in the period that he was king, even as his faith became stronger, the normal Belgian became more and more unchurched. The government realized that they needed to restrict the power of the king even more, making it more symbolic and simply representative of the country. 

That summer in 1993, the whole country mourned. We found out at the end of our camp week as we went home with the radio on in the car. This year, Belgium will celebrate 10 years of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde on July 21. In the meantime, much has changed around abortion laws and what people think of them. King Baudouin was one of those in power willing to use that power to make his views known. 

King's Day

Next week the Netherlands will take a historic step that none alive have seen in the Netherlands. They will once again have a king instead of a queen. The last King of the Netherlands was Willem III who died in 1890. Since then there have been three queens. But on April 30 the monarchy will pass into the hands of Queen Beatrix’ son who will become King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.

What is so great about a king (or queen)? Isn’t that what most countries without a monarchy fought to free themselves from? Of course, most modern monarchies are mostly ceremonial unless we look at some of the examples in the middle east. The monarch is beholden to the constitution and often has very little real power in the country, although he/she may have quite extensive wealth. These monarchs do have various forms of influence, however, which they exercise to varying degrees of success.

In Belgium, King Boudewijn had to step down for a day for a law allowing abortion to pass.This was a law the government had written and passed but which the king personally would not sign into law because of his beliefs. In Thailand, the king has often been called on to help settle political disputes between parties. Queen Beatrix in the Netherlands has always been seen as a powerful influence in getting Dutch companies good contracts around the world. Her networking is what makes the difference.

So next Tuesday, the Netherlands will turn orange (the color of the royal family, the house of Orange) as the country welcomes a new monarch. It is a time of parties, parades and plenty of fun for a day. And when, as happened in 2010, someone is unhappy and the day ends in tragedy, it is the whole country that mourns. Queen’s Day is a day of national unity, in joy and in sorrow. And now it will be King’s Day.

And because I come from one of those countries without a monarch, certain links between this and the King of kings, Jesus Christ jump out at me. Here are just a few thoughts:

- A king is not elected. He is king, whether we want it to be so or not. Jesus is King, not because we like him or want him. We can choose to accept him for our lives, but he is King whether we follow him or not.

- On King’s Day everybody (or almost everybody) is a fan of the king, at least on the surface of things. It is only after this day, in the day-to-day living that we see how much we really follow or rely on the king.

- Our kings are limited by us. Am I limiting Jesus’ influence in my life? Making him simply a ceremonial head of my days? Using him to influence business deals and parties, but not really paying attention otherwise?

- Can I be crazy for my King? Does it really matter to me so much what others think of me? Or can I put on His colors – act like Jesus in my daily life – and let people know who I belong to?

I will enjoy King’s Day next week and I will continue to allow it to remind me of who is really in charge, and who I really want to be in charge of my daily life.