Whensday Wednesday: Day of the little Prince

We missed a Wednesday and have skipped a whatsit, so we have now landed on a Whensday. Yesterday was what’ is called “Prince’s Day” in the Netherlands. This is a sort of political holiday dating back to the first King of the Netherlands in 1814, although the name was originally used for the celebration of the birthdays of the princes. There are all sorts of traditions linked to this day. 

The King and his family show up on the balcony of the palace, but first they ride through the city of The Hague in a golden coach. When they arrive on the balcony, most eyes are on what the queen is wearing. These days people are also looking at what the princesses are wearing, since the king has three daughters. Amalia is the one who will follow her father to the throne. 

Another tradition is all about the politics. This day (the third Tuesday in September) is when the government presents their budget for the coming year. The prime minister carries a suitcase with the plans which he is supposed to present to parliament. But tradition in the last years has been that all of the information in the plan is leaked to the media before it is ever presented to the parliament. 

In the end, the king goes to the Knight’s Hall in The Hague and reads a statement about how the government is going to help things along in the coming year. The statement he reads was written by the governing coalition - not by the king. Of course the current coalition is a fragile mix of left, right, middle and green. It was an interesting speech. Lately the news has told us that the prime minister uses AI to write his speeches, which is why they are so boring or seemingly inappropriate when feelings are needed. 

Still, most people simply enjoy looking at the hats, dresses, and shining gold on display. The kids get a day off of school and everyone enjoys a holiday of some sort. 

Whodunit Wednesday: Mark Rutte

Yesterday, Mark Rutte was sworn in as the new Secretary General (or SecGen) of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO is headquartered in Brussels, right down the street from where I used to have to bring my Sony videocamera to be repaired. Rutte takes over the reigns of NATO at a very serious and difficult time in the world. 

Mark Rutte is a Dutch politician known for being able to bring people together and keep his own job at the same time. Some in Dutch politics consider him a slick dealer. Others consider him an accomplished politician. He was able, in any case, to remain prime minister of the Netherlands for longer than any other, lasting 13 years until last year. 

Rutte is not married and was known in The Hague for riding his bike to work, even as Prime Minister. He is always ready with a smile and a quick handshake, but knows how to throw out a sharp one-liner as well. At one point he bit off the words “Doe gewoon” (Act normal) in response to a political leader. At another time he was not ashamed to tell young people who were being rude to “Get out” (“Pleur op” in his own dialect) if they didn’t like what was going on. 

It will be intriguing to see how his form of politics and diplomacy work with the various countries tied together in NATO. He becomes SecGen as the Middle East is once again heating up and as the war in Ukraine and Russia seems to be growing even bigger. 

Whensday: When Belgium went without a government

Do we need government? For plenty of people this is a real question. When people have to deal with red tape or bureaucracy, the real frustration can cause us all to wonder if government is good for anything. 

Politics in Belgium is quite complicated. There are 3 different levels (federal, provincial, city) but there are then also three different areas: Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels. All of these levels make for more than enough bureaucrats and an amazing amount of red tape to swim in. There are elections at various times for the various levels of government, and each level vies for the most attention and money and power. 

In 2010 federal elections had to come up with a new federal government. Belgium is a multi-party system and there is never a clear majority. This means that parties have to work together. And that is in each level of government. The immediate results didn’t give a clear combination of parties. Neither the left side of the spectrum nor the right had enough seats, even when working with others within their side of the spectrum. 

This stalemate of sorts was not strange. It had happened before in Belgium and The Netherlands as well. In The Netherlands, they had had a “purple” government. The left is typically red, the economically liberal right is considered blue -  together they were purple. So waiting for the parties to figure out how they would work together was not a strange thing. 

But it did become a sort of a competition, with the world as spectators. It took more than 500 days (589) before a government was finally formed and installed. So what had the country been doing in the almost two years of no government? Just about everything as usual. The previous government’s decisions were continued, no new decisions could be made and all of the bureaucrats would be staying anyway. 

It was an interesting lesson. I remember some Dutch friends worried that Belgium would descend into civil war. But I knew that most Belgians simply want a good coffee or beer, enough French fries (they are not French, but Belgian) and some peace and quiet. This was exactly what people were able to enjoy during that time. 

In 2018 Belgium started on the path to breaking its own record, this time lasting 653 days without a government and ending up with a “Vivaldi” coalition in October 2020. Vivaldi is the composer of the Four Seasons because there were now 4 groups in the coalition (Greens, Socialists, Liberals and Christian Democrats). Maybe the next elections will last even longer. 

Where, Oh Where Wednesday - A city unto itself

Brussels is like any other larger city. Brussels is like no other city. Crazy traffic circles remind you of Paris. Multicultural streets and shops make you feel as if you are in any of many European cities. The architecture is at once thrilling to discover in certain areas as it is boring and typical in other neighborhoods. And yet, Brussels is something few cities are. 

Most would say that the city houses about 1 million people, but this is probably being generous. IN that sense, Brussels is quite small. Some inhabitants of major cities would call it a village, using a derisive tone. And yet it is here that much of Europe calls home. The headquarters of NATO are here. The European Union has its offices and buildings here. Brussels is, truly, the capitol of Europe. 

But of course, Brussels is also the capitol of Belgium. In essence the city is to be a coming together of two peoples, forcing the country to be a whole. The Flemish-speaking Flemings in the north of the country and the French-speaking Walloon in the south meet up in Brussels. In theory, one should be able to speak both languages in the capitol freely, find influences from both cultures abundantly. 

In practice, Brussels is as it has been of old - a French-speaking Paris wanna-be with most of the disadvantages of big-city life and a few of the benefits. This doesn’t mean that it is not visiting in any sense. There is plenty for tourists to see. The king and queen even live here. Brussels is, after all, the hub of Belgium and Europe together. The 7(!) layers of government that are Belgium are joined here in this cacophony of color, culture and sound. Brussels is a separate entity in the country (next to the areas of Flanders and Wallonia). It demands its place of honor - or attention - at all levels.

And this city has left its mark in our lives as well. This is where we regularly would travel for the American consulate. Here is where our youngest son, Sean, studied and graduated from university. We have in the past spent one Sunday a month singing with the congregation. The city has welcomed youth from the churches all over Belgium and the Netherlands for church activities. And it is a nice place to go out for a meal or enjoy a day as a tourist with friends who visit. 

In the world, but not of the world

I have been reading through Revelation again recently. One of the people I have a regular talk with, an avowed atheist, wanted to look at it with me. But that is a different story. What struck me was the very applicability of the whole message to our world today.

It was years ago, when the church in Laos was being persecuted, that I first realized that the message in Revelation was indeed something for us today. In Western society persecution of Christians doesn’t really happen (making life slightly miserable does not count as persecution). But that doesn’t mean it is not happening.

And as I have been reading it struck me that Christianity is made to survive in all situations. Of course. It is God’s handiwork, so of course it will survive. But seriously, it can survive all situations. It may not be pleasant or easy or look nice, but God will be with His children at all times and in all places.

This means that the political system has much less influence than we sometimes think. Christianity was born under Roman occupation with Jewish persecution as an everyday reality. It spread throughout this Roman political system, but went on throughout history , through many different situations.

Where governments accept the truths of Christianity, the country or area is blessed (and this may be better for Christians in that country). But in every system there will be abuses, unrighteousness and evil. It is up to Christians to continue showing in life and language what is truly best – the goodness and grace of God in Jesus Christ.

When Jesus speaks to the seven churches, he emphasizes their need for faithfulness to Him, in all things and at all times, until the end. That is how we will influence this world for good! I pray that we (Christians everywhere) are asking ourselves if we are doing that – in whatever political system we find ourselves. Who is most important in your life? Will a political party bring what I really want? And if so... does my heart really belong to Him?

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Are your politics getting in the way of your faith?

Politics in Europe is a bit different than the in the United States. In the Netherlands there are four parties left of center, a liberal democrat party, three Christian parties (mostly right of center) and a party further to the right. In Belgium there are many of the same types of groups, but then in two different languages. They are blue, red, green, orange and yellow. All of these parties have to share power – there is no one party strong enough to do everything. A coalition in the Netherlands was called "purple" because it was a mix of the blues and the reds. And people understand this. They understand that there are portions of what they like in one party, and perhaps other portions in another party.

In the United States there are only two parties. People believe, feel or pretend that there are only two views to most questions (usually couched as “right” and “wrong”). I have heard discussions among adherents of both groups questioning how any one could be Christian and be … (whatever the “other” group is). This can even cause some serious hurt feelings within a congregation.

In Maastricht I have been preaching through the letter to the Philippians. This is not the only letter with this dynamic, but Philippians shows us how to deal with differences within the church. And it is in this letter that we hear God through Paul saying: “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 3:20) God uses Paul to touch on this topic for the Ephesians and the Romans as well, so it is obviously something we need to hear.

Paul is telling the Philippians that their allegiance is not to that which makes them different. Their allegiance is, above all, to Jesus Christ. If they allow their being Jews or being Romans, their stance on military matters or foods and holidays (as in the letter to the Romans) or any other point to take precedence over their allegiance to Christ and to one another – they have lost sight of their true citizenship.

We will never be able to find a party that encompasses all of Christ’s ideals. Being active politically, trying to use the tools that are given us in society to enact real change and good for Christ in the world, is valuable. But we must not allow our preference for a particular party to overshadow our allegiance to the Almighty. My focus must be on saving people eternally, not just helping them for the next four years. Don’t think for one minute that either (or any) party is right in all things. And don’t start defending certain points simply because it is your party. Remember to whom your allegiance belongs and why. Then act on that allegiance, not only during election year, when people are looking, but every day, when it really matters.