Last Sunday was a very special day for many Swiss Christians...
"Christustag"!
:)
(German for "Day for Christ" or "Christ's Day" or something like that ;))
It was a gathering of 25,000 (mostly Protestant) Christians from all over Switzerland meeting at the football (soccer) stadium in Bern.
They gathered for more than six hours of praise & worship, testimonials, sermons, games, dances, concerts, prayer, and all sorts of interactive highlights. It was just a day full of joy and fun,
and (to me) amazement at the incredible diversity and unity among all kinds of people having one thing in common:
Their faith in JESUS CHRIST.
I went to "Christustag" as a volunteer and I had so much fun "doing my job", like answering people's questions, distributing earplugs and free Bibles, giving directions, making sure people didn't sit down on the emergency exit stairs, getting to know other volunteers etc.
It was a unique experience to worship the Lord together with so many people from all over the country and from foreign countries as well.
The motto of the day was DOMINUS PROVIDEBIT, which means
"The Lord will provide."
It is the words minted (I hope this is the right word - never used it before ;)) onto the edge of our five Swiss franc coin and I believe that sadly, very few people know about that - let alone what it means...!
But what an amazing thing!
Each time you hold a coin of five francs in your hand you can remember what it says on it's edge and you are reminded of God's provision!!
Picture from swissmint.ch
(I couldn't find a picture where the words were actually visible and my own shots didn't turn out well enough, but here's at least one of what those coins look like.)
So going with the motto of the day, the offering was collected in five franc coins, which a group of children arranged on the ground in front of the stage writing in huge letters DOMINUS PROVIDEBIT.
This offering probably became the heaviest offering being collected in Switzerland this year!
(I weighed a five franc coin and it's 13 grams - being about o,5 oz.)
One very fun activity we did that day was the stadium choreography. Everyone sitting in the soccer field area of the stadium had to reach under their seat where they could find an envelope with a big sheet of paper in it.
Then, on command, everyone was supposed to lift that sheet of paper above their heads like this...
The Swiss flag!
While those sheets of paper were being held up and arms were being stretched out to God,
the whole stadium prayed for the country of Switzerland...
...
...
...
Then, on another command, the image representing the Swiss flag was transformed into...
...this!
The Cross.
...
...
...
..........
As a volunteer I didn't really get to see and participate in much of the program, but besides meeting many other people (mostly volunteers) and just enjoying talking to them and getting to know them, I loved the whole atmosphere and I truly had a gread time being around all those people and knowing the Lord was among us.
One thing that really impressed me and made me so grateful was how it was made possible for everyone to enjoy the day - in their own language. Switzerland has four national languages (German, French, Italian, and Romansh) and many foreigners (from 59 different countries!) were attending as well. So because Bern is in a region where both German and French is spoken, what was said in German on stage got translated into French and vice versa. People speaking either English or Spanish received headphones for simultaneous translation and most songs were sung in at least two different languages (mostly German/Swiss German, French, Italian, and English).
Though it might just have been because I love languages and different cultures :), I was deeply impressed by what an effort people put into this and how it really seemed to be important to the organizers to include everyone. On more than one occasion they addressed the foreigners and told them how we appreciate them and how they are a blessing to us Swiss...
I just loved that! ...During the last couple of months the Lord has shown me in many ways what it is like for a foreigner to live in Switzerland and what a challenge it can be. He also reminded me of some situations during my time in the US three years ago... Of how it feels if you don't know how things work or what people are saying. Or what it feels like to realize that people think you're stupid - simply because you don't know their language well enough...
And I realized how I so often did the exact same thing here at home...!! How I wasn't considerate of those people's circumstances and their challenges in a foreign country... How I made a difference in the way I treated and thought of them and they way I treated and thought of others (even subconsciously!)...
But the Lord has been gracious to forgive me...
And He's helping me love them the way He loves them. He shows me little steps I can take... And what a joy it is to get a reaction from those people and to see how they appreciate it...!! :)
I am learning to love and appreciate the foreigners in my country and I could almost say that
now, I like them more than the Swiss...! ;)
...
So to sum it up, "Christustag" was an amazing experience, opening my eyes to the wonders of God's family...
And, once more, Him showing me His presence and guidance through the peace and the joy I felt in my heart...
So beautiful.
P.S. The Lord even used a foreigner that day to speak to me in a very personal way... I guess that guy had no clue that his words actually spoke right to my heart and I just knew it was the Lord speaking through him... That was an even greater blessing that day!
Just one perfect and intimate moment as a gift from my Loving Father.
...Nothing else can come close to something as beautiful as that. :)
All pictures from www.christustag.ch
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