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Dear Friends,
By the time you read this it will be ‘la rentrée’, and we will be looking forward toHarvest, Sundays of Creation, new beginnings, the start of a new term at school and university.
As I write it is the height of summer, when the living should be easy. Summer was the season when, in Biblical times, rabbis would go on tour, teaching fresh interpretations of scripture, and gaining new disciples. It’s easy to imagine Jesus striding beside the cornfields of Galilee, speaking to groups of people in villages divided by ancient feuds, calling, by the lakeside, for fishermen to join him in a new venture of living.
But, historically, summer has also been the time for going to war: the season in which there would be enough grass to feed the horses, and enough food in the villages for an army to plunder provision for its men.
So perhaps we should not be too surprised that in our internet age the age-old pattern is still being repeated. The news this summer is full of bloodshed, sudden death, ethnic cleansing, holy war. Although this seems far away from Luxembourg, we too are touched by tragedy. And, in 2014, we do not need to be reminded of the way in which one random act of violence pressed a lever that released the mechanisms of global war for the first time.
Sometimes I think that religion, like pornography, should be kept out of the reachof children because of the harm that it inflicts on growing minds. We feed children such sweet images of Jesus preaching in the sunshine, captioned in comic sans letters, that it seems almost impossible to make a realistic presentation of the gospel to adults who were taught religion as children.
The fact is that Jesus’s gospel of the Kingdom of God was preached under a military occupation. He was deeply aware of the brutal realities of everyday life for ordinary people, and his words were designed to cut through the toxic pieties of conventional religion* and to offer practical hope to men and women in dire
* Yes, conventional Christianity can also be toxic, and often is.
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need. After the crucifixion he predicted for himself, Jesus’s disciples remembered, documented and elaborated his teaching, and they did so during a period of extreme violence and bloodshed which was the Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire, and its terrible aftermath.
So, when we read Jesus’s parables of the sower and of the harvest, his teaching about seeking first the Kingdom of God, his emphasis on the two great commandments to love God and love our neighbour, his constant demonstration that the word ‘neighbour’ includes people we think of as enemies, and his explicit commandment that we should love our enemies and do good to those thathate us, then we should realise that these words are for us, and for our own times.His words are not given to us so that we can feel good on Sunday mornings, they are spoken to us as a resource for living in today’s world, so that we can not only survive the stresses and pressures of today’s circumstances but we can flourish, and enable others to flourish too.
I’m writing these words in a beautiful garden filled with butterflies, dragonflies and bees. Although it is next to a busy road, the birdsong, astonishingly, cuts through the constant rumble of the traffic. It feels like a microcosm: our business,and our bloodshed, takes place in the context of the struggle for life of the whole of creation. What the life and teaching of Jesus shows us is that for life to flourish our attitudes are more important than our beliefs. Can we be open to the needs of our planet, and can we learn to live with other people? The gospel of Jesus reveals that there are no magic shortcuts through human experience: everyone, in his or her own way, has to go through some struggle, some way of the cross. But this is the way of discovery in which we can encounter what some people call ‘the grace of God’: the experience of personal affirmation, freedom and renewal which can be found even in the most difficult and painful circumstances.
God, scripture tells us, is the one who ‘makes all things new’—Revelation 21:5. We have the freedom to do things in a new way. So thank God that the Church ofEngland has finally decided to ordain women bishops. Robert, our new Bishop inEurope, who was ordained on July 20th, will bring his considerable gifts and skills to the ongoing renewal of our diocese, which has been growing steadily formany years. Please pray for him, especially in these early days as he comes to terms with the fullness of his new charge.
God bless you in all that you do,
Chris Lyon.
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Announcements
Baptisms
5 July Lara Grogan (born 30 January 2004)
5 July Emily Grogan (born 19 March 2006)
26 July Luna Sophia Starling (born 7 September 2013)
26 July Naja Isabella Starling (born 7 September 2013)
Funerals
3 June Christopher Michael Mason (24 June 1997 to 17 May 2014)
7 July Liesbeth Johanna Dickinson-Klijnstra(10 October 1943 to 30 June 2014)
17 July Brian John Coutts(18 October 1954 to 13 July 2014)
New magazine name
This issue of the magazine has a temporary title, ʻDen Anglikanesche Magazinʼ: the Luxembourgish for The Anglican Magazine. Weʼre looking for a name, ideally in Luxembourgish, that is easy for newcomers to understand—and more appealing than Konvikt, the word for the seminary and boarding-school which once stood next to the Chapel. Suggestions please to [email protected] by 30 September. The Church Councilʼs communications committee will judge the entries received, and the winningname will appear on the cover of the Winter issue. Ed.
Church Facebook page
We’ve been working on our Facebook page (Anglican Church of Luxembourg) and have some photos up now. Our use of the page will develop in the coming months. If you have a Facebook account, do pay us a visit and ‘like’ the page. Anything we post will then appear in your newsfeed. See https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anglican-Church-of-Luxembourg/699163510154347.
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Church Council meetings May—July
At the meetings held on 14 May and 11 June 2014 the Church Council welcomed Simon Norcross and John Dimond, newly elected as Council members for three years. Some of the many items on the agenda were various aspects of the Church’s communication, a discussion of how to proceed further with the sale of the Vicarage, aswell as some issues relating to the use of the Salle Rheinsheim, the keys for the Konvikt chapel and printing costs for the Konvikt magazine. At the 2 July meeting, oneof the things the Chaplain reported on was the civil ceremony at the Grand Théâtre andthe Te Deum service in the Cathedral which he had attended on 23 June, the Luxembourg National Day. The Council will resume its meetings in September after the summer break.
Tania Buhr
Susan Bolen
After five years, Susan is suddenly leaving us. We knew that she would be appointed toa parish in England next year in order to serve her curacy after being ordained as a deacon. But schooling needs for Brigitte and Benoît mean that she is going much earlier than we expected.
Susan has made a huge difference to our church life. Her easy way of speaking about faith, and her deep prayer life have enabled her to blossom where she found herself planted. She never expected to come to Luxembourg, but her coming has been a real blessing for us.
She will be greatly missed, and we hope this is not adieu, but au revoir.
Pray for her, for Sebastiaan, Brigitte and Benoît as they begin a new life in England.
Chris Lyon
Love in action
As some of you know, I have been out of action since last October, when severe pain immobilised me and left us in a state of shock at home. This is where my big thank youcomes in! Numbers of you shopped, ironed, dusted, visited to chat, and brought DVDs,meals and a party to our door. I know you were praying for both of us too. This meant so much to us and we have been really moved and thankful for the love and care shownto us. We were blessed by you all during this difficult period.
Now things are getting better. So, thank you for being the family we needed. I have missed you all, and it is good to be participating again in the life of this lovely and loving Church. May God bless you all.
Carol Birch
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The Anglican Church Youth Group
The Youth Group is open to all young people aged 12-16. We meet every Sunday apartfrom the 1st Sunday at 11am in the lounge of the Hotel Parc Bellevue.
Last year was a successful first year for our Youth Group, ending with a Youth Groupand families BBQ at our final session in June. We plan to build on this in the comingyear. This means that we have a bigger calendar of events with more going on thanbefore.
Our next project in September will once again be the Christmas shoeboxes forOperation Christmas Child, working together with other churches and the Samaritan’sPurse. This is a charitable cause that everyone can help with, even if you don’t fit inour age range! Please look and listen out for more details coming in September andyou too can help provide a happy Christmas for children in war-torn countries.
If you are aged 12-16 then check out our calendar of events below to see if the YouthGroup is for you. We welcome believers and non-believers, regular and non-regularchurch-goers.
Dates & Details
14 Sep Hotel Welcome and Bowling at Kockelscheuer with lunch
21 Sep Hotel 1-800-GOD
28 Sep Hotel Operation Christmas Child
12 Oct Hotel Points Mean Prizes
19 Oct Hotel Operation Christmas Child
26 Oct Hotel Operation Christmas Child
9 Nov Hotel ‘We will remember’
16 Nov Markeys’ Breakfast and Film
23 Nov Hotel Is there anybody out there?
30 Nov Hotel God’s Eye View
13 Dec Hotel Christmas Outing
Hotel: Meet at 11am in lounge of Parc Belle-Vue.We join the rest of church for Holy Communion.
Markeys’: Please arrive from 10.15am for a 10.30am start.
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We end at 1pm with pick-up by 1.30pm.
Markeys’ address: 74, rue Ernest Beres, L-1232, Howald
To find out more please contact:
Andy Markey—26 48 08 23 or [email protected] Kafka-Markey—[email protected]
Evelyn Sweerts—[email protected]
Junior Church
We thought it would be useful to let everyone know what we do in Junior Church, what resources we use, the process involved and, finally, what we are looking at in Junior Church during the summer.
Who are we?Junior Church welcomes children from ages 3 to 11. For most sessions, we divide the children into three age groups: ‘All Stars’ for ages 3-5, ‘Comets’ for the 6-8 and finally ‘Galaxies’ for our 9-11 children. Parents are always welcome to stay with their children during JC.
During the holidays, as our numbers drop, both in terms of children and volunteers,
we have ‘All Age’ Junior Church, where we combine the different ages into one biggroup.
Junior Church is led by a team of volunteers, some who lead a particular agegroup and others who help the children with their activities. All volunteers are CRB-cleared.
What happens at JC?At the beginning of every session, children collect their name badges and are registered. The children are then seated as the candle is lit, to create a sacred space and to remind all present that Jesus is the Light of the World. A Bible reading is heard, often followed by a discussion, story or game based on the reading. This is followed by short prayers and the Lord’s Prayer. After prayers, the children are divided into their teaching groups.
What do we do?Our main aim is to teach the younger members of the Anglican Church about the Good News. We also focus on various issues such as charity, wealth and poverty, and the environment. We do this through stories, films, word-searches, craft
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activities, crossword puzzles, colouring pages etc. Currently the giving received through Junior Church helps to buy animals through Christian Aid.
What do we not do?Though we aim to teach about the Good News, it is not our aim to evangelise in any way. We accept that not everyone will think or believe the same. We encourage questions and discussion that are suitable for the children concerned.
What do we use?Our starting point is ‘Searchlights’ by David Adams, published by Kevin Mayhew. ‘Searchlights’ is divided into three ages, which correspond closely to the ages of the three groups in Junior Church, ‘Candles’ for ages 3 – 5 (All Stars), ‘Lamps’ for ages 6 – 10 (Comets) and ‘Torches’ written for 10+, which we use for our Galaxies group.We carefully examine the suggested activities. If we think the activities provided are appropriate for our Junior Church, then we use them. Other times, we use resources and ideas found from other places, such as DLKBible.com, Sermons4kids.com. All the resources for aparticular Sunday are then sent out to those who have volunteered for that Sunday. The resources are also photocopied and prepared in the office. This means that our JC leaders and helperscan focus their preparation on communicating and teaching, rather than preparing the resources.
We only have one reading in Junior Church. However, the Gospel reading used in Junior Church is heard at the main 11am service too. This is so that Junior Church reflects what is happening in our wider church community and allows parents and children to discuss the readings together.
What is JC doing during the summer holidays?For most of the year our programme follows the Gospel. To balance this, during the summer holidays, members of JC will be hearing some of the classic stories from the Old Testament. We began on the first Sunday of July with the ‘SevenDays of Creation’. We had lots of fun using Lego to help us remember what happened on what day.
This summer theme will continue with stories such as Daniel in the Lions’ Den and Jonah and the Whale.
We are always looking for volunteers to join us. If you are interested or would like more information, please contact us.
Andy Markey—[email protected] Smith—[email protected]
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Making a difference in Luxembourg
In this interview with Michael Sweerts, we look at the organisation he helped to set up in Luxembourg at Christmas 2012 (see also our February-March 2013 issue).
What is Serve the City?Serve the City is a movement of volunteers serving cities in practical ways and inspiring people to be givers in this world. We believe that many people doing small things together makes a big difference.
How did it start?Serve the City began in Brussels as a single week of service in 2005, initiated by a Christian faith community called The Well. From there it grew into an organisation thatprovided regular service to people in need, and spread out to other cities. Serve the City is now active or starting in 100 cities around the world.
Serve the City Luxembourg (servethecity.lu) was set up in December 2012, by a group of six people of six different nationalities inspired to go and make a difference to people’s lives! (We now have a bigger team, with even more nationalities.)
What kind of things does it do?Serve the City creates events that mobilize many volunteers to serve in simple ways, through sports, music, arts and crafts, meals, friendship and more. We are the connection between the good intentions and talents of people who could volunteer and a meaningful opportunity to get involved.
We serve the homeless through our regular Street Team, and have projects that serve victims of domestic abuse, the elderly, the disabled, asylum seekers, and children.
When did you get involved, and why?I was part of the team that set up STC Lux. For some time I had already been looking to involve myself in the community in a practical way. The founder of STC Brussels came to Luxembourg to present the STC concept to an All Nations Church Luxembourg retreat, which we attended as a family at the time. It was very inspiring tosee what could be done, and a few of us felt called to turn the idea of Serve the City in Luxembourg into reality.
We felt that there were many potential volunteers in Luxembourg: people who were very aware of their own good fortune, and wanted to give their time and talents to worthwhile causes, but were unsure how to do that. Often there were real or perceived language barriers; another issue has been that many local NGOs required immediate, long-term, regular involvement, and this simply wasn’t realistic for many people.So we felt that if we could set something up to make volunteering easy, people would respond, and they did – in droves! We have more than 500 subscribers to our
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newsletter, and it continues to grow.
A lot of our work is done in partnership with local organisations, where they are already serving particular groups and have the relevant expertise. We supply volunteersand help build relationships. A prevailing attitude in Luxembourg tends to be that someone else is taking care of the problem, which results in cracks developing betweenneeds, and actions to meet those needs. We try to help to fill those cracks.
How many members of our Church are involved in it at present?We don’t keep track of which churches our volunteers attend (many in fact don’t attendchurch at all but are for all intents and purposes living out the gospel through their actions). We have some active volunteers from the Anglican Church – you could ask around at coffee time to learn more!
Are there many homeless people in Luxembourg? There seems to be an increasing number of beggars in the City. Are they homeless?We meet 30-40 people each time we go out with the Street Team. The local NGO Stëmm vun der Strooss, with whom we partner, has about 200 visitors every day. It’s difficult to get an actual number of homeless people; sometimes the people that we meet on the street aren’t actually homeless; they might have a place to stay but not enough money to provide for anything else. Not all the beggars are homeless and most of them are happy to tell you their story.
Some beggars ask directly for alms, others sit quietly with a cup in front of them, and often a well-kept dog. Is there a moral difference between active and passive begging?Is the deeper moral issue with begging not why there are beggars at all? And anyway, how could we meaningfully think about the moral difference? Perhaps the ‘active’ beggar is more needy – or the ‘passive’ one more polite. Thus who are we to sit in judgement and decide who is among the ‘deserving poor’? Only God knows, and he’s unlikely to turn around and say to us when we die, ‘I’m very disappointed with you. You really should have ignored more beggars!’ I think if we can do our best to treat everyone as full human beings, infinitely precious and loved by God, we’ll be heading in the vaguely right direction.
In the city of Jericho, Jesus meets the beggar Bartimaeus, who cries out for mercy (Mark 10:46). Jesus replies, ʻWhat do you want me to do for you?ʼ What do you adviseus to do if we encounter a beggar in the City?It’s illegal for beggars to solicit people for money and they all know this. Our advice is always to see them first as a person, to respect them as a human being – by talking to them, if possible (or at least give a smile). We also suggest giving them food or drinks instead of money.
I think the question Jesus asks Bartimaeus is so key because it gives him agency, acknowledges his humanity. It’s a good model for how we should interact with all people in need, not just assuming we know what is best for them or that we understand
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all their stories and histories.
But it is important to ask those whom we serve to allow us into their lives on their terms, not ours: that is why we do not proselytise. STC Lux is not a religious organisation, even if a good handful of its volunteers are motivated by their faith. We see each person as unique with a name and a story and desires. And I would add, loved by God.
In his homily to the great and good in the Cathedral on the National Holiday, the Archbishop said that we all have a duty to care for the underprivileged and the asylum-seekers in our midst. One comment was that it was ʻremarkably politicalʼ, and not about ʻthings Christianʼ. In your view, what is the best way to respond?Whatever the comment-maker meant by ‘things Christian’, it doesn’t sound like it was the same thing that I mean. When we separate our faith from our real and daily lives – making it about our personal piety, or about the hereafter, or about feeling good, or whatever – we make it mere religion. We rob our faith of its power to transform our world and ourselves (which, I suppose, is why it is such a tempting thing to do!).
In fact, whole books have been written about how the Gospel is profoundly political. Inthe simplest terms, when the early Christians said ‘Jesus is Lord’, they were also saying that Caesar was not – and that was the sort of thing that got them thrown to the lions.
I don’t think we can read the gospels and be deaf to Jesus’s incredible and radical social agenda. He broke down barriers and taboos everywhere he went. Gender, disability, race, religion, spending time with the outcasts and those in disliked occupations ... what was true in his day is as true today. If we are to truly call ourselves‘followers’ we have to go and do likewise. And that is a profoundly political act.
Jesus tells his disciples to take no money with them, and to give no thought to tomorrow. Does that make them (and him) beggars too?Presumably yes, for that specific mission. There are particular circumstances at play there – Jesus does not expect his disciples to live like that all the time (in fact many have jobs most of the year). My guess is that there is something specific to their discipleship that required them to step out in faith that way. Perhaps there will be seasons in some of our lives when we are called by God to step outside of our comfort zone and learn the blessing of inter-dependency. There is a big difference between that and the structural poverty that lies at the root of most begging.
On Christmas Day, the Archbishop of Luxembourg provides lunch for the needy in the room beneath the chapel. What happens to them on the other 364 days of the year? What provision does the City make for beggars?There are enough organisations that take care of homeless, drug addicts, etc. in Luxembourg. They provide shelter and food and it’s mostly up to the homeless to
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accept this or not. Nevertheless, as we have discovered, many organisations are glad to accept some manpower. This doesn’t just apply to those working with the homeless. Oftentimes the fact that people care enough to give up their time to help with face-painting at a party, or redecorating a women’s shelter, is in itself both healing and encouraging for everyone involved.
For more information, visit: www.servethecity.lu.
Sing to the Lord … as a new member of the choir!
September is a great time to join the choir as we get back into the swing of regular rehearsals (Thursday nights 8—9.30pm, beginning September 11th), and begin to look at Christmas music. (I know, I know ... it seems way too early to be thinking about stables, stars and shepherds, but time passes quickly when you’re having fun in the choir!) We are looking forward to the following musical services and events:October 5th Choral Evensong featuring a guest organistNovember 2nd Evensong with IntermediiNovember 8th Choir RetreatNovember 9th Remembrance Day ServiceDecember 7th Advent Carol Service — featuring choruses from Handel’s Messiah.
If you like to sing, and have ever considered learning to read music, now is the time to raise your voice in song! We hope you’ll consider joining us.
Dana Luccock
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Luxembourg’s fruit harvest season
Luxembourg’s countryside offers wonderful opportunities during the harvest season for weekend excursions, particularly for young families and groups of friends looking for a day out in the open air.
Rich in fertile agricultural terrain, the central and southern regions of the Grand Duchy are fittingly knownas the Gutland. The sunny climate, combined with its high rainfall, is well suited to a variety of fruits, including apples, plums, strawberries and cherries. Farms are often reached by steep one-way serpentine roads, revealing breath-taking views.
At the height of the harvest season, you can observe a hive of grape- picking activity on the impressive green slopes flanking the river Moselle, home to an established wine industry dating back to Roman times.
By attending a harvest event you will learn more about the benefits of consuming local and seasonal produce. The satisfaction of biting into freshly picked fruit is unmatched, whilst the prices of self-picked fruit are generally low.
The ‘Vergers de Steinsel’, situated on the Steinsel plateau, is a popular apple and plum harvest event held annually, typically commencing in mid-September. Fresh apple juice is also made on the spot. The location benefits from its proximity to Luxembourg City. Dates and details will appear on the Commune de Steinsel website closer to the date, see http://www.steinsel.lu/actualites/.
Wine and grape festivals also take place on each side of the Moselle to mark and celebrate the harvest season, such as the Grevenmacher ‘Fête du Raisin et du Vin’, which will be held this year from the 12th to the 14th of September. It is also recommended to take a stroll among the Moselle vineyards during the harvest period, as a way of getting closer to the action.
Patrick Granger
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Introducing John Dimond …
A bit about my lifeI grew up in Elmhurst, a western suburb of Chicago. I studied computer science at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, and moved to Seattle afterward to work for Amazon.com. I met Victoria, now my wife, on a company forum for new college graduates (she works for Amazon, as well) shortly after moving there, and after becoming closer and closer friends over several months we started dating.
It was Victoria who introduced me to the Episcopal Church. I wasn’t raised in the church, and despite attending from time to time in high school and college, I never really got involved. Once I started to go to church regularly with Victoria, though, my view began to change. Up to that point I had been exposed to more fundamental and doctrinaire sects of Christianity, so seeing a faith community which was actively asking questions and re-examining the Bible was new and exciting for me. Week by week, seeing how faith enriched the lives of the people I met in the congregation changed how I saw my own life and my own relationship with God. I was baptized in 2010, and I am happy to now be a member of another great Church where I can continue to grow in my faith.
I first visited Luxembourg in 2008 on a three-month assignment for the supply chain team that I worked for at the time. On that trip, Luxembourg seemed like a great place to live, and so the idea started to form that we might move here someday. The right opportunity to make that happen presented itself in late 2010 when Victoria was offered a transfer to Luxembourg with the Kindle team. At the same time, the first software development team in the Amazon Luxembourg office had just been formed, so I applied for a transfer as well, and was accepted. We moved to Luxembourg in early 2011 and have had an action-packed time here so far.
We immediately adopted a travel schedule befitting a couple of Americans living in Europe, going somewhere new every two weeks or so, and hosting a rotating cast of
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family and friends as they came out to visit. Of course, after living here for a few yearswe have learned about so many more places that we would like to visit that I think our travel list is longer than ever! Victoria and I were engaged in Paris in 2012, and in 2013we were married (by Andy!) at a beautiful chateau in the French countryside. Our travel schedule has calmed down a bit this year, and we’re enjoying being settled here in Luxembourg.
InterestsVictoria and I both love to travel, an interest which has actually ramped up since moving here, simply due to the ease of visiting interesting places. I also enjoy playing tennis and ultimate Frisbee, and cycling, all of which are possible in Luxembourg as well. I pursue some geeky hobbies, too, like tinkering with electronics.
Free dayAn ideal free day for me is to drive to a new town that we haven’t visited before, and spend the day seeing a new place. We might even bring our bikes along, depending on the town, to take a ride in the country. This year, we were in Chicago on Luxembourg'sNational Day visiting my family, but most years we spend the day in town watching the festivities. We spend a lot of our days off relaxing with friends, as well. This weekend, for example, we went to the swimming pool in Vianden with one of our friends and her six-year-old daughter.
Favourite hymnIt’s hard for me to pick a favourite hymn, but if I had to, I would choose Be Thou My Vision. It has a gorgeous melody and beautiful lyrics which inspire me to focus on the right things and to place my trust in God.
Finding the ChurchWe found the Anglican Church here in the ‘Living in Luxembourg’ book which our relocation agent gave us when we moved here. We were in the Episcopal Church in theUnited States, so joining the Anglican Church here was a natural transition. Our impression of this church has been consistently positive. Both of our chaplains are caring people, and also give intellectually challenging sermons, which we find very appealing, and the congregation was warm and welcoming. After the first two Council meetings, I’m still getting a handle on the things that we are already involved in. Our previous church in Seattle ran a homeless shelter as part of their charity work, which really benefited the community there, but I think that the needs of our community here in Luxembourg are a bit different.
Non-Sunday EventsWe particularly enjoy attending Young Adults Group, the annual Lenten Series, all the Christmas holiday concerts, and of course, the Church Fair.
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Ascension Day Walkers
Church Fair report
We are pleased to report that we raised a net figure of €10,250 for charity this year. Wewould like to thank all those who participated and, on this occasion, especially those who kindly made donations, whether in stock or cash.
For those who have not seen it there is a great tribute to everyone in the form of a video created by Geoff Thompson and the team from Chronicle.lu. It is available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGzlvmRtW6c.
If you have any ideas or constructive criticism of the Fair, we can send you our feedback form. Otherwise we are planning a debriefing session on Wednesday 24 September 2014 at the Vicarage (a reminder will be sent nearer the time). Should you wish to have more detail on the income and results before then, please donʼt hesitate tocontact me by email: [email protected].
Clive Munn
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The environment at Creationtide
The Church season of Creationtide focuseson the environment in September. It coincides this year with an active period for the Environmental Footprint Group. Some environmentalists think that global warming has already progressed so far thatit is too late to prevent the likely dire consequences, but as Christians our message is hope, and we want to do what we can to raise awareness of possible solutions. The more we learn about the environment’s problems, the more it is clear that they are complex and interconnected with issues such as social justice, unfair resource distribution and theprevailing ethos of our society. We therefore planned some discussion evenings to consider these wider aspects. The brief notes below indicate some of themain issues that have emerged so far.
In June we watched and discussed an entertaining lecture by Michael Sandel on the philosophers Bentham, Kant and Aristotle. Benthamʼs insistence on giving precedence to the benefit of the greatest number appeared to endorse our Western insistence on democracy (the majority interest) and economics (placing a price on everything). But elections donʼt give the vote to future generations, and some things (rainforests; happiness) canʼt be priced. Aristotle evidently preferred aristocrats (best rulers) to idiots (private individuals). But the experience of power tended to change rulersʼ priorities. If, to take a broader view, survival of the speciesis the driving principle behind our choices,how effective can the instinct for self-preservation be, when the worldʼs enormous and growing population is so incompatible with its finite resources? The
answer, perhaps, is through education and the consequent pressure of public opinion on the politicians.
In July Andrew Hallan led a discussion of Capitalism in the 21st century by Thomas Piketty. Capital equates to wealth, and wealth implies inequality. Pikettyʼs book, the outcome of 15 yearsʼ research, traces the evolution of wealth over the past 200 years and concludes that the creation of wealth has led inexorably to rising inequality. Thus the top 10% of the population own two-thirds of the wealth; the bottom 50% own almost nothing; and the middle own one-third, creating a threatto democracy, since the rich influence political choices, while the educated poor begin to reject ʻthe systemʼ. He proposes asolution in the form of a low but graduatedwealth tax. One effect of his book has been that economics students now want to study economic history, political economyand the ecological implications. There is a growing awareness of the pernicious effects of inequality; a universal basic income might help; and taxation might be redesigned to favour labour rather than capital investment.
In September we will be holding discussions led by Steve McCarthy on Why Jørgen Randers’ s forecasts for 2052 are less apocalyptic than others, and is this justified? and by Simon Norcross on possible solutions that technology may provide. Details of dates and venues will be on the pew sheets and the Church website. To be included on the EFG mailing list, please send an e-mail to [email protected].
Philippa Seymour
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Principle and tradition in tension?
At the Grand Theatre for the Civil Ceremony to celebrate the Grand-Duke’s official birthday on 23 June, all seemed perfectly natural. There was no sense that a long tradition was being overturned. It was a dignified event. The speeches by thePrime Minister, the President of the Chamber of Deputies and by HRH the Grand-Duke himself were consistent in their tone: warm, good-humoured, positiveand determinedly purposeful. They urged us to embrace the new realities of life in Luxembourg, especially the dimension of diversity. As the Grand-Duke said, ‘Without this, the future will not work’. It was moving when particular individuals were honoured for their different contributions to our society. It was altogether a very good experience. Of course, the Grand Theatre lacks somethingof the splendour of the Cathedral, but it has the advantage of being very well equipped, with modern sanitation, so in every respect the occasion was warm, comfortable and human.
At the Cathedral later in the afternoon, perhaps not everyone was quite so at ease. As the televised pictures showed, some people still looked a little surprised when they heard Jewish, Muslim and Protestant prayers and chants at the start of the Catholic service. And perhaps for some it was a little challenging to see a gay couplesitting in the front row of the Cathedral on such an occasion.
But Archbishop Hollerich made it clear in his opening remarks and in his sermon: everyone is welcome in this place of worship.
Since arriving in Luxembourg I have
experienced for myself the personal warmth of the Catholic leadership, and I and my non-Catholic as well as my non-Christian colleagues have also been publicly welcomed and embraced. So it was good that the Archbishop also spoke pointedly about what it means to live together with all our differences.
The embrace of diversity is a spiritual tradition in the great religions of the world, and historically it has been the tradition which opened the way to peace. But it has not been the only tradition. Another aspect of religious life over the centuries has been the tendency of people to hold firm to the purity of their principles. For them, accepting new realities often seems like a compromise with the world and a betrayal of true belief. One of the ironies of the Christian faith is that Jesus was not in this sense a ‘true believer’. He actively embraced reality and diversity. He ate publicly with those whose lifestyle was deeply offensiveto the devout, and he marvelled at the goodness and faith of non-believers (e.g. Matthew 15:21-28). Jesus’s life, and the manner of his death, show us very clearly that religious people are not God’s special love.
The appeal of ‘pure principle’ in various forms is a growing tendency in all the world religions, as well as in European and world politics. It is unlikely that the tension between ‘true belief’ and the embrace of diversity will be resolved any time soon, but this year’s celebration of the Grand-Duke’s birthday was, for me, another step in the right direction.
Chris Lyon
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Lions & Lambs September 2014—July 2015
It’s been an exciting and fruitful year for the Lions and Lambs, with fun activities, joyful fellowship and continued growth. As coordinator I am grateful to God, my fellow L&L leaders and all the mummies and children who have been part of the groupthis year – thank you all!
We have some changes coming up. From September we will meet on Thursday mornings from 9.30-11am; our first meeting is scheduled for 18 September at Claudia Granger’s house in Rollingergrund. We will continue to alternate between two locations: when we are not at Claudia’s we will now meet at Julia Warsap’s house in Schuttrange. This allows people to come to both, or pick the one that is most convenient for them. In July the Rev’d Andy Markey provided further training for new leaders, and from January Claudia and Cherry Kent will take over the coordination rolefrom me.
The group is planning to meet informally for play dates during the summer months. These play dates are open to all (not just L&L regulars) so if you are interested in joining us please do get in touch ([email protected]).
Evelyn Sweerts
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Harvest Wordsearch
Can you find the Harvest-themed words hidden in the grid?
H X W F A R M E R W R T Y U MA A S D F G H J J K L Z E X IC O R N D O L L Y Q W M E R CM B X V X P O I U Y O T S A HZ X C V E B M N B H C X T X AP O I U Y S R E W Q D Q R F EL A M M A S T I D E G S A A LL K H G F D S F A Z X E C V MC O M B I N E H E F H J T A AH A R V E S T E R S W Q O H SM N B V C X X Z T Z T P R I UC Y T R S A Q A W E R I T Y UR A M A S R E F G H J K V K LO C V O B H N M O O N N M A SP Z D V W N M R E J X J L S L
HARVEST FESTIVAL WHEATSHEAF CORN DOLLYLAMMASTIDE MICHAELMAS COMBINE HARVESTER
FARMER HOME MOON CROP MOW TRACTOR
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Eise Papp
Eise Papp am Himmel,däin Numm sief gehellegt.Däi Räich soll kommen.Däi Wëll soll geschéien,
wéi am Himmel sou op der Äerd.
Gëff eis haut eist deeglecht Brout.Verzei äis eis Schold,
wéi mir och deene verzeien, déi an eiser Schold sin.
Féier eis net a Versuchung, mä maach eis fräi vum Béisen.
Well däint ass d’Räich an d’Muecht an d’Herrlechkeet fir ëmmer an éiweg. Amen.
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