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Ezekiel. A Valley filled with dry bones. A great many bones that were very dry. “Son of man, can these bones lives?”
This is the passage that comes to mind when I think about faith in the Netherlands. Deathly dry.
With less than 10 % of the population attending any form of religious function, the Netherlands is no doubt the most secular country Louise and I have ever encountered. I remember the hostile resistance in India; the spiritual heaviness of Africa; the widely diverse religious fervour of North America…but this is the first time I have encountered such nothingness.
For most non-believers here, followers of Jesus are either quaint artefacts of yesteryear or idiots. It is not uncommon to receive a patronising smile as if you are a child that believes in Santa Claus or the tooth-fairy, or perhaps even a remark like “he’s a Jesus person” that is designed to elicit understanding pity from the hearers. Poor thing. Not much upstairs, you know.
If anything, people here have faith in the “process”. The Dutch are very practical and everything can be solved through human intervention…and that which cannot be solved? Ah well, that is life.
On the other side of this, there are the believers. There’s no middle ground for believers here. You are either a believer and follower of Jesus or you are not. I’ve been told that following Jesus could lead to social or vocational suicide as you can’t possibly be a serious or practical or sensible or logical person if you believe such fables. It can even block a promotion or lead to termination.
But this is not malicious. Generally, the Dutch are not unkind.
Rather, it is that biblical faith is simply not something rational people believe. The more serious you are in your walk with Jesus, the more irrelevant you become in this modern, technological, mechanical culture. This means that the usual methods of evangelism might not be quite as effective here as elsewhere in the world.
“Can these bones live?” Of course, we know the answer because we have read the text but try to stand in Ezekiel’s sandals for a moment. Look at these bones. Feel the dryness. Feel the deadness.
Now, hear the Sovereign Lord’s question. “Can these bones live?” In our modern phraseology Ezekiel’s reply might be rewritten as, “Is that a trick question?”
Clearly, the answer is yes, these bones can live. If we believe that God is almighty and that nothing is impossible for him, then we cannot answer otherwise.
But how? These bones are very dry.
The solution then is the same as today. The Breath of God…the Ruach…the same breath that breathed life into Adam at creation, that breathed rebirth into the disciples in the Upper Room post-resurrection, that breathed power into the believers in Jerusalem at Pentecost and later in other places too. Through that breath and that breath alone, these dry bones will live.
But what exactly does this mean for Louise and me and for our small chaplaincy in Heiloo?
For one it means walking very closely in step with the Spirit, relying on him to break up the fallow ground of secular indifference and granting us wisdom to know when to sow the seed and when to refrain from sowing. This means prayer, prayer, and more prayer. It is only as Ezekiel prophesied for the Breath of God to breathe over and into the bones that they came to life. Declarative prophetic speech…a speech like that spoken by the Creator in the beginning. Let there be light…and there was light. This means learning carefully from the means and the methods of Jesus and the Early Church. This means preaching through modelling…living a life that makes people jealous.
Please pray for us.
Pray that we learn to speak Dutch fluently as soon as possible. Pray for sweet understandable accents. Pray for open doors and open hearts. Pray for wise thoughts and wise words. Pray for divine boldness. Pray for the breath of God to move over and in and through us so that He might move over and in and through those we encounter every day. Pray that we might provide culturally appropriate guidance to our largely expat flock as they seek to live out their faith in their respective neighbourhoods and places of employment. Pray for the faithful believers in other churches and para-church organisations who labour here too. Pray against discouragement.
In short, pray for a Pentecost experience for us all.
Pray also that Johann's books would bring many people into a more meaningful and life-changing relationship with Jesus. Pray that the Holy Spirit will enable him to write more. Pray for those at Langham Publishing as they edit, publish, and market the books.
Thank you for your love, your kindness, your support, your prayers. You are our co-workers on so many levels and we are truly grateful.
Blessings
Johann and Louise |
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