Let us reason together

This evening Shirley and I will be at a study in the home of one of our members. On this evening we will be looking further into the book of Ezekiel and how that impacts our daily life with Christ. We also take plenty of time to share our lives together and pray for one another and the needs in the church. 

On Tuesdays, Scott has reading the gospel of Mark with a mother and daughter in order to get to know Jesus. Tuesday afternoons Scott is usually off to a 91 year-old woman who says that she “inherited” him from his previous care for her boyfriend before the boyfriend passed away last year. They talk about the differences between what she experiences in the Catholic Church and what they read together in the Bible.

On Wednesday evenings Scott and Shirley go over to colleagues Ruud and Karla’s house where the Bible study for the week progresses online with the rest of the congregation. The most recent lessons have come from the letters to the Corinthians, showing us practical lessons that we can learn from the struggles of the church in Corinth. We are thankful for the hybrid nature of this study (in-person and online) so that more members can take part, since our membership is spread out in the area. 

On Thursday morning Scott and Ruud meet with another man to read in Acts and examine what the first christians looked like. It is important to see how the Bible shows us so many things that are practical for our daily lives today. The first Christians struggled with many of the same situations as we do today. Do we look like they do in our faith? 

Every Friday Shirley is online with the ladies of the congregation. They have more recently also decided to get together in person at least once every six weeks so that they can encourage one another that way as well. In December they plan a ladies time away. For some of our ladies this is the only time to truly get away and be encouraged ij Christian faith. 

These times of study are exciting and encouraging. On Sunday mornings one of the best moments is our coffee time together when we all stand around - cup of coffee or tea in hand - and tak about spiritual things and our lives in Christ. The topics that came up in the week, the things mentioned that day in the sermon, the challenges we have faced in the week can all be shared. Then we see how the word of God is not an intellectual pursuit, but a daily, practical necessity and beauty. 

Talk about it

I am an email guy. I know, I know - it’s old school. And yet I am old enough that I can remember how amazing it was to be able to keep contact with folks back in the States simply by this method. Back in the 80’s I sent airmail letters to Shirley - thin pieces of paper filled with tiny writing (to get as much in as possible) folded and sent with the post. Now I could simply write something on the computer, dial in, and send it via email. 

But I realize that things have changed. Although young people do have email accounts (perhaps because they must), they do not use them often. And others are so inundated by work emails that they do not want to look at an email after a day or week of work. So I have learned to use Whatsapp and Telegram. 

I even send text messages (called “sms” in Belgium) to those I know will not see their email or app. Sometimes this is the quickest way to reach someone. But I must admit that my fat fingers and “intuitive” text often make a mess of things. Still, it works.

The most important thing is that we can communicate. I have been so encouraged by how the members in the congregation in Maastricht take this to heart. The sisters have a group app where they encourage one another and keep in contact. Various sisters make the effort to call those who cannot be on the app group. The young members tend to be on Instagram more often, so one of them asked about an Instagram account for the congregation. She has set it up and maintains it. 

Other members are not tech people. They prefer a good conversation, face to face. So they make time to visit others in the congregation. Our church is made up of members from Belgium and The Netherlands, spread over a fairly wide area. Spending time together takes and effort and that effort is made. 

Others do it even more old-school: letters and cards, real mail (even if it is snail mail). Cards for birthdays, times of encouragement, anniversaries. These are often very important, coming at moments when encouragement is truly needed. One sister makes sure that cards are ready and signed by all the members. 

This is all done in a group made up of at least four different languages and various age groups. It takes effort to keep in contact with one another. It is much easier to wait until someone contacts you. But here we are learning, and putting into practice, how good it is to reach out and touch those around you. We share with one another how good God is in our lives. We share the needs for prayer in difficult times. We say “thank you” because we are thankful and “I love you” because we do. 

To borrow and adapt a phrase from a shoe company: Just say it. Today. In any way you can.