aumônerie protestante aux armées · 2 aumônerie protestante aux armées 47, rue de clichy 75009...

2

Aumônerie Protestante aux Armées 47, rue de Clichy

75009 PARIS

Tel: 03 33 (0)1 48 74 77 42

Fax: 03 33 (0)1 42 81 50 54

[email protected]

www.aumonerieprotestante.org

3

2016: 65th International Protestant Military

Convention

« Strangers and Pilgrims on the earth » is the theme that has been retained this year for our times of worship and discussion. This is in keeping with what is happening around us today. Apart from the way we see foreigners and the help that we can bring in situations where there is distress and suffering, these events force us to think of our own situation. We find this idea in the Bible « Strangers and pilgrims... » that means that we are on the way but have not yet arrived. The world, that God created and that He has asked us to take care of, has only been given to us for a certain time. We are now invited to look forward to see another country. We are pilgrims walking forward with all the questions that brings to mind about death, life after death, how we live our lives for God taking into account the needs of people around us. Together it is a way of opening our hearts to God and to each other in order to put into practise what we have learned and thus express the coming kingdom, creating a new hope for the world in which we live.

Welcome at the 65th RIMP!

The Head Chaplain, Stéphane REMY, French Protestant Chaplaincy

and the « Team RIMP»

5

Team RIMP 2016

7

Meals timetable Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Thursday 16 12.00

For delegations already arrived

18.30

Friday 17 7.30

Mialet

Meal at EGD

Evening prepared By the Ivory Coast

(African songs)

Saturday 18 7.30

12.00 Lunch EGD

18.30 Evening : Concert by André Stoll/Germany

Sunday 19

7.30

Meal + meal for

VIP

Présence de la librairie biblique Certitude de Nîmes au 65ème RIMP

Tél : 04 66 21 08 76

8

Programme 2016

Thursday, 16. June

From 17.00 Welcome of participants

18.30 Dinner

Dinner for heads of delegations

20.45 Opening Church Service at the Espace Forum

Evening Party “nations’ village”

Friday, 17. June

7.30 Breakfast

8.30 Bus departure to Mialet

10.30-11.30 Church Service

12.00 Lunch

13.30

Workshops

Visit of the Museum

17.00

Back to Espace Gard Découvertes

Dinner

Evening Organized by the Ivory Coast (African songs)

9

Saturday, 18. June

7.30 Breakfast

8.30 - 9.30

Worship Service at Espace Forum

9.30 Workshops

12.00 Lunch

13.00 FREE TIME – and

Excursion to the “Pont du Gard” for registered people only

18.30 Dinner

Evening CONCERT on the square of the village

with André Stoll/Germany

Sunday, 19. June

7.30 Breakfast

10.00 Official Church service

12.30 - 13.15 Lunch for all participants in the E.G.D

13.15 Shuttle to Nîmes railway station

GPS Information For drivers

Méjannes-Le-Clap 44°13'20"N/04°21'04"E

Mialet 44°09’59’’69N/03°95’68’’78E

10

OPENING CHURCH SERVICE Thursday, 16th June 2016 organized by the Dutch chaplaincy

Pastors: Rev. P.van Duijvenboden and Rev. M.J. Boersma

Contributions of Co (vocals) and Rodney (vocals and keyboard)

Invocation

Our help and our hope are in the name of the Lord, maker of heaven and

earth, who remains faithful, who lives forever and never let down the work of

His hand. May the grace and the peace of God, of Jesus Christ His son and of

the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.

Song: (by Rodney and Co) ‘Face in the crowd/Jesus at the centre of it all’

Opening prayer

Disturb us, O Lord

When we are full of ourselves

When our dreams have come true because we dreamt too little,

Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, O Lord

When, with the abundance of things we possess,

We have lost our thirst for the living water

When, fallen in love with time,

We have ceased to dream of eternity

And in our efforts to build a new earth,

11

We have allowed our vision of Heaven to grow dim.

Stir us, O Lord

To dare more boldly, to venture into wider seas where storms show Thy glory,

Where, losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.

In the name of Him who pushed back the horizons of our hopes and invited the

braves to follow.

Amen

(A prayer Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu adapted from an original prayer by Sir Francis Drake.)

Scripture reading from Deuteronomium 5: 6 and 15

“I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the

house of bondage.

You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and Yahweh

your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched

arm: therefore Yahweh your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.”

The Mediterranean Sea can be seen as a symbol of the refugee crisis,

particularly by the impressive images of capsized boats and drowned children

give us a sharp view on how urgent the situation has become. Media pictures

show that behind huge numbers stand people with a name and a face. A face

in the crowd. If you take risks like that, you don’t leave your native country for

fun. And yet, many Europeans are not impressed by the need of these

‘strangers’.

The apostle Paul knew the Mediterranean Sea and coasts very well. When

reading the book of Acts, we find him crossing this same sea between Africa

and Europe. In chapter 28 Paul himself comes ashore on Malta, as a shipwreck

survivor, more dead than alive. On the subject of hospitality we read in 28

verse 2: “The natives showed us uncommon kindness; for they kindled a fire,

and received us all, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.”

We now go back to chapter 21 and 22, where Paul appears with “a double

passport”. Place of action is Jerusalem, where he is arrested on the initiative of

the Jewish religious leadership.

12

Scripture reading from Acts 21: 37, Acts 21: 39 – 22:3, Acts 22: 24-29

“As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he asked the commanding officer,

“May I speak to you?” …39 Paul said, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no

insignificant city. I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.” 40 When he had given

him permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, beckoned with his hand to the people.

When there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, saying,

1 “Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense which I now make to you.” 2 When they

heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they were even more quiet. He

said, 3 “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the

feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers,

being zealous for God, even as you all are this day….

…24 the commanding officer commanded him to be brought into the barracks,

ordering him to be examined by scourging, that he might know for what crime they

shouted against him like that. 25 When they had tied him up with thongs, Paul asked

the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and

not found guilty?”

26 When the centurion heard it, he went to the commanding officer and told him,

“Watch what you are about to do, for this man is a Roman!”

27 The commanding officer came and asked him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?”

He said, “Yes.”

28 The commanding officer answered, “I bought my citizenship for a great price.”

Paul said, “But I was born a Roman.”

29 Immediately those who were about to examine him departed from him, and the

commanding officer also was afraid when he realized that he was a Roman, because he

had bound him.”

Hymn: ‘All people that on earth do dwell’

All people that on earth do dwell, Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice,

Him serve with fear, His praise forthtell; Come ye before Him and rejoice.

The Lord, ye know, is God indeed; Without our aid He did us make.

We are His folk, He doth us feed, and for His sheep He doth us take.

To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, To God whom heaven and earth adore,

From men and from the angel host Be praise and glory evermore

13

Meditation by rev. Mark Boersma

Good evening friends, hello travellers! Called by God and loved.

Dear Pilgrims, you look great. What a colourful crowd. You resemble a mixed

bunch of flowers. Beautiful. Different shapes, different lengths, different

hairstyles. All different and yet most beautiful in the combined bunch of

flowers. We have a God who creates in diversity.

But you all heard a voice and answered a call to come here. More important,

you follow the call to renew your life. You are citizen of a heavenly kingdom!

And God’s society is rich in diversity and colourful. Amazing. God is the God of

women and men, of Jews and Greek, of the rich and the poor. So if you think

you are strange, no problem, your neighbour is even stranger.

We always focus on differences between people, between cultures, between

churches. But there are also differences in yourself as a person. You may be a

Christian, but at the same time you have a nationality and it models you. And

these different aspects in yourself are not automatically in balance.

Let’s look a little closer and try to learn from Paul. You could say, he had “a

double passport”; he shared different citizenships and identities. He was a Jew,

but in the same time he was a Roman. And as a Christian Jew he believed to be

a citizen of the heavenly kingdom as we read in Philippians 3: 20.

In Acts 21 and 22 we find Paul switching gear and position. Firstly he addresses

his fellow Jews and the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem. By starting speaking in

Hebrew he creates confidence. The crowd becomes quiet. Paul and the people

in front of him share the same Jewish identity and they serve the same God

and laws.

After his speech he is brought back into roman barracks, as a prisoner. And in

the military line there goes down an order to interrogate Paul with force. But

when the soldiers tie up Paul, he plays his Roman card. He shows his Roman ID

by saying: (vs 25) “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and

not found guilty?”. This Paul was completely conscious of his position in the

Roman Empire. Typically Paul, he never presents himself as a stranger, an

outcast, rather as a participant. Confidently he travels from the East to the

West, from Jerusalem to Rome. Not easy : often in danger and hardships, but

self-assured and open, both on seas and visiting cities around the

Mediterranean Sea. He makes contact and connects, with all parties.

14

He did it smart and with God’s help, in balance. He was a true Jew and at the

same time full Roman. It wasn’t easy because people like putting each other in

boxes and label.

But the Dutch box and the Christian box are not the same. Perhaps we should

jump back and forth a bit more and not get fixed in one box. In my own

country I see Christians living divided in different boxes, living on different

spiritual islands. The borders are sometimes of a theological kind, but more

often cultural: other habits, different lifestyle. It’s important not to lock

ourselves up in that box, but switch like Paul. Are you prepared to cross over

now and then? Are you prepared to step out your comfort zone of opinions, to

turn around towards the other, the different person? Let Paul teach us. He was

at home anywhere; in the synagogue, in jail, among civilians, among militaries.

He opened doors and windows of hope. And so things changed. Thanks to

God’s influence, the great Connector. There is a world of differences, even

within yourself. God is healing, brings together and gives rest. Savior, make me

whole and make us one.

Song ‘How great thou art/I’m a friend of God’ (by Co and Rodney)

Scripture reading: Romans 13: 8 – 14

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his

neighbor has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not

commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not

give false testimony,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other

commandments there are, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall

love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love doesn’t harm a neighbor. Love

therefore is the fulfillment of the law. 11 Do this, knowing the time, that it is

already time for you to awaken out of sleep, for salvation is now nearer to us

than when we first believed. 12 The nighttime is far gone, and the day is near.

Let’s therefore throw off the works of darkness, and let’s put on the armor of

light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness,

not in sexual promiscuity and lustful acts, and not in strife and jealousy. 14 But

put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, for its lusts. “

15

We sing together : ‘In Christ there is no East nor West’

1) In Christ there is no East or West,

In Him no South or North;

But one great fellowship of love

Throughout the whole wide earth.

2) In Him shall true hearts everywhere

Their high communion find;

His service is the golden cord,

Close binding humankind.

3) Join hands, then, members of the faith,

Whatever your race may be!

Who serves my Father as His child

Is surely kind to me.

Meditation (by Rev. P. van Duijvenboden)

‘Owe no one anything, except to love one another’, Paul says. A question full

of tension, straightaway. To whom we owe? And what debt? Financially? Or to

whom did we make a promise which we still have to redeem? We shouldn’t

keep debts standing out too long. The bible calls us to give each his own.

For a Christian, Paul says, one debt remains. ‘Only one debt? Is there not much

more? All the times I did someone wrong? All the times I let God, my Creator

down?’ Yes, Paul would say, because Christ has paid what we owe to God. That

is the wonderful message of the gospel. He lived with God His Father and with

people the way we should have lived. He took the punishment upon Him by

offering His life on the cross. The Innocent underwent the punishment and so I,

the guilty one, was set free!

But, there remains one debt.

‘Owe no one anything, except to love one another’. The second part of the

Ten Commandments concerns the social intercourse among each other.

16

Paul applies rules and summarizes them in one commandment. He says: ‘the

law is fulfilled in this, that we love our neighbour as ourselves’. Our neighbour

is, first for the gospel, the one who is there for us, that one I can rely on. In the

same time the notion ‘neighbour’ gives us an order! The first question is not:

‘who is my neighbour? But: for whom am I (..) the neighbour? Who would

point out me or you as his or her neighbour?

Being a neighbour. This has nothing to do with the colour of the skin, or the

nationality, or the gender, or the social position. Especially not for Christians

among each other. We should recognize each other, if it’s good, as neighbours.

Because we are connected with Christ, we are also connected to each other.

We are there for each other. We see each other as brothers and sisters.

‘Owe no one anything, except to love one another’

Paul would say this applies also to those who are our fellow men, who were

also created at the image of God. Like I am, and like you are. That applies also

to the human being, who has just arrived in our country. He is different from

me, talks another language, has other habits, confesses perhaps another

religion, but is like you created by God.

‘Owe no one anything, except to love one another’, it means I owe them to

love them too.

Loving implies correcting if necessary. I know I would have made more bad

decisions, if my parents would not have corrected me. Sometimes it was even

necessary to punish me. Of course I’m not going to tell you all the sins of my

youth tonight, but believe me, I deserved a punishment now and then. My

parents punished me, not because the enjoyed doing so, but because of their

love. They didn’t want me to cling to evil! That was their motivation. Their love

for me!

Owe no one anything, except to love one another

Paul says: this love means (like the ten commandments say) honouring each

other, not killing each other, respect each other in relations, not stealing from

each other, not cheating each other, not desiring what belongs to the other.

17


I want to express this positively. Loving means also readiness to make sacrifices

for each other. The love for the other may cost a thing! It may require my

effort, money, availability, interest, attention and above all faithfulness. We

may love like this in freedom. I quote Luther: ‘I am nobody’s subordinate and

everybody’s servant.’


That’s the way you must live now, Paul says. The decisive moment has been

there. He uses the word ‘kairos’. He means the work of Christ with all its

implications. Christ has come, has died on the cross, is risen, has ascended to

heaven and has poured out the Holy Spirit. There is still one important

moment to come.

Paul names this ‘the breaking of the day’. What he means is, that Christ will

come back one day and that will be the day of the great salvation. Now it is still

night. The brokenness is still there. We know that, we see it, we hear it, we feel

it. Every week there are attacks, wars go on and on. The mutual hatred and

mistrust seem to increase all the time. Innocent men, women and children

suffer under violence. It is still night. It is still night (…), so dark, so dark.

But, Paul states: the day is coming soon, the day of His future. Then all eye will

see Him, as He returns on the clouds. We live with that expectation. Paul says:

you should live as if this day is already come. It is true, it is still nighttime, but

we must live as if it is already daytime. We anticipate to a future without

darkness, without violence, without hatred, without death and without

sadness. In this respect he says: ‘Owe no one anything, except to love one

another.’

Who does so, fulfills the law. Let us love our neighbor. That is the only debt left

for us! Let us live as if it is daytime and spread the light. Then we are, like Jesus

said a ‘salting salt’. Then we are as Christians a light on the lampstand, in a

dark world. Let us open our heart for that. ‘Open your heart’. Open my heart

for Christ. He was the Neighbour. He gave Himself unto death for me, for you.

Who is more my neighbour than He is?

18

Open my heart for this other human being, for each other, for the neighbour.

Like Christ has done. Live as if it is already daytime. Because that day, which

will once begin, on which everything will be good, that day will endure forever.


Song: ‘Open your Heart/window of hope’ (by Co and Rodney)

Prayers ending

God in heaven, we pray for all Your creatures.

Give that everybody may hear Your Word. Give that Your good news will sound

everywhere, as word of grace, as word of peace.

Have compassion with us.

We pray for an end of all the violence.

We don’t succeed in coming closer to each other. For us the differences are

too big, but there are not for You.

We pray that we may approach towards each other.

Lord, have mercy on us.

We pray to You for the Holy Spirit.

Give that He teaches us to love You above all.

Give that He gives us the power to love our neighbour as ourselves.

Lord, have mercy on us.

We pray for good days together, days of fellowship, days of encouragement.

Lord, have compassion with us.

We pray that You will hear the prayers we bring in the silence of our heart.

19

Our Father Our Father which art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done in earth,

as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,

for ever and ever

Amen.

Hymn :‘We shall overcome’

We shall overcome, we shall overcome,

We shall overcome someday;

Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,

We shall overcome someday.

We'll walk hand in hand, we'll walk hand in hand,

We'll walk hand in hand someday;


We'll walk hand in hand someday.

We are not afraid, we are not afraid,

We are not afraid today;


We are not afraid today.

We shall live in peace, we shall live in peace,

We shall live in peace someday;


We shall live in peace someday.

Blessing

21

CHURCH SERVICE Friday, 17th June 2016

organized by the German chaplaincy

Prelude : from the brass ensemble

Votum We are here – people from different countries.

We are here because we are interested in one other.

We are here to learn from one another.

We are here to encounter one another.

And so we gather here

With all our features and stories.

We know that we differ in terms of the questions and expectations we

have.

But we are equal in terms of what we are looking for:

Answers to our questions,

People who accept and accompany us.

We are equal in terms of how we feel.

And so we gather here,

People on a journey.

We want to encounter God and let Him work in us.

He unites us.

So let us worship Him in the name of the Father and of the Son and of

the Holy Spirit. Amen.

22

Hymn: accompanied by the brass band:

"In Christ there is no East or West”

1) In Christ there is no East or West,

in Him no South or North,

but one great fellowship of love,

throughout the whole wide earth.

2) In him shall true hearts ev’rywhere

their high communion find ;

his service is the golden cord

close binding humankind.

3) Join hands then, brothers of the faith,

whatever your race may be.

Who serves my Father as a son

Is surely kind to me.

Kyrie: Coventry Litany of Reconciliation

(One)

All have sinned

And fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

(All)

The hatred which divides nation against nation,

Race against race, class against class.

Kyrie, Kyrie eleison.


23

The covetous desires of people and nations

To possess what is not their own,

The greed which exploits the work of human hands

And lays waste the earth.


Kyrie, Kyrie eleison. Our envy of

The welfare and happiness of others,

Our indifference to the plight

of the imprisoned, the homeless, the refugee.


Kyrie, Kyrie eleison. The lust which dishonours

The bodies of men, women and children.

The pride which leads us to trust

in ourselves more than in God. Kyrie, Kyrie eleison.


(One)

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted,

forgiving one another,

as God in Christ forgave you. Amen. (Eph. 4:32)

Assurance of Pardon Even when we are lost and in sin: God seeks us out. God encounters us.

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy.

(Psalm 103)

24

Readings Old Testament: Exodus 23:9

“Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger; for ye know the heart of a

stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

Gospel: Matthew 25:31-40

« When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels

with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before

him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from

another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he

shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, «Come, ye blessed

of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation

of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was

thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36

Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison,

and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying,

Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee, or thirsty, and gave

thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in, or

naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and

came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily

I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of

these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. »

Let us reply together to what the Bible tells us. I invite you to confess

our Christian faith together with me in your own language:

25

Confession of Faith (The Apostles' Creed)

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified,

Died, and was buried. He descended into hell.

On the third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven

and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church,

the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

Amen.

Hymn accompanied by the brass band:

All people that on earth do dwell

All people that on earth do dwell,

Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice;

Him serve with mirth, his praise forth tell;

Come Ye before him and rejoice.

The Lord ye know is God indeed;

Without our aid he did us make;

We are his folk, he doth us feed,

And for his sheep he doth us take.

O enter then his gates with praise;

Approach with joy his courts unto;

Praise, laud, and bless his name always,

For it is seemly so to do.

For why, the Lord our God is good;

His mercy is forever sure;

His truth at all times firmly stood,

And shall from age to age endure.

26

Sermon

So many strangers.

Everywhere in our countries. So many people who have left their home

countries – in Africa, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan – to seek refuge among

us, a roof over their heads, a new home.

So many strangers.

People who are fleeing, fleeing from war and hunger, people leaving

their countries because they simply cannot live there any longer.

This has been happening for as long as anyone can remember.

We can even read about it in the Bible:

The Israelites fleeing from hunger to Egypt, to Egypt's "flesh pots", as

they were called. And then their long journey through the desert in

search of the "Promised Land", "flowing with milk and honey".

As the people of Israel had been wandering for so long, it is no surprise

that the Bible explicitly urges us to treat strangers responsibly, even

lovingly (Leviticus 19:33-34):

"And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him.

But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born

among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in

the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God."

"Remember," these lines are saying, "Remember that you yourself were

once a stranger. Long ago, your ancestors set off in search of a new

land, a new home.

27

And for that reason, treat strangers properly as you yourself were once

a stranger."

People from many different nations have come together to worship as

part of this community. Nations that have grown in the course of time,

often with an eventful history. Nations that even opposed one another,

that were feuding and that took a long time to become reconciled.

Above all, we all come from nations that first had to grow: from peoples,

families and tribes, their migrations not only lasting centuries but also

forging kinships.

People have always migrated in Europe: from East to West, from North

to South – and in the opposite direction. People have always looked for

a new place to live. And the experience has always been mutually

beneficial.

I, for example, have been living in Berlin with my family for one and a

half years now. I was born in Frankfurt, and for a long time I worked in

the southwest of Germany, in South Nassau. Now we have moved to

Berlin.

Berlin. To me this city, like few others in Germany, serves as a symbol of

the way people from many different places can grow closer. And this

special feature of Berlin, namely its calmness and openness in dealing

with people, and indeed with life itself, is the result of so many different

people coming to the city over the centuries and growing closer.

I would like to mention the Huguenots as a particular case in point.

The Huguenots, as the French Calvinists were called, were the subject of

considerable resentment in 16th- and 17th-century Catholic France,

which culminated in Louis XIV's Edict of Fontainebleau (18 October

1685) and caused a wave of refugees with about a quarter of

28

a million Huguenots moving to the Protestant-dominated areas of

Europe and overseas.

In my home area of Hesse, Huguenots also settled down and built the

new town of Hanau, among other things.

With the Edict of Potsdam (29 October 1685), the "Great Elector"

Frederick William granted the Huguenots special privileges, with the

result that 20,000 of them moved to Brandenburg-Prussia. The move

was well-organised, and the French Protestants settled mainly in places

within a 150 km radius of Berlin, the largest French colony arising in the

capital itself. In 1700, approximately one in five of Berlin's 28,500

citizens was a French refugee.

It is obvious that, despite the goodwill shown to them, it was not always

easy for the refugees to feel at home in Berlin. They also experienced

rejection. Their appearance was unusual, their language

incomprehensible, their religious practices foreign. Their presence

caused a shortage of living space and food, which resulted in rising

prices. Even worse, there was jealousy of the newcomers' privileges.

Occasionally there were even open conflicts.

But in spite of these difficulties, the Huguenots finally felt at home. Their

gradual integration was possible due to their economic potential and

the new ideas that they brought to the economy as well as to culture,

religion and lifestyle. They stimulated and fostered not just Berlin but

Prussia as a whole. Without the French Protestants, Berlin would not

have become the multicultural city it is today.

And there is another interesting point worth mentioning.

For the Huguenots, Prussia as a place of refuge also had biblical

dimensions. Drawing on the Old Testament, the French religious

refugees called their new home "terre de Moab", as they found refuge

in Berlin just as the Israelites did in the Land of the Moabites after

29

they had fled Egypt and before they were allowed to enter the Land of

Canaan. Today, this area is a district of Berlin and is called "Moabit".

And finally, Bundeswehr personnel have a special connection with a

number of surnames of Huguenot origin, such as "De Maizière" and

"Baudissin".

This example of flight and integration, of leaving one's old home and

settling down in a new one, and of the subsequent economic, religious

and cultural enrichment of the new home, is so interesting because it

can open our eyes to the situation in which we now find ourselves.

Today, Europe is facing similar huge and sweeping challenges arising

from the fact that people have had to leave their ancestral home and

are looking for a new home in our countries.

That is why this reminder from the Old Testament is so useful: "For ye

were strangers [once]." In other words, don't forget what it is like to

have to set off in order to find a new life for yourself and your family.

The Old Testament contains a clear and unconditional demand: "And if a

stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the

stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among

you, and thou shalt love him as thyself."

This is a task we too are faced with. Not to shut ourselves off from

strangers, but to do everything possible and necessary to facilitate

integration.

Today, just as at the time of the Huguenots, there is of course a fear of

the new, the unknown, a fear that strangers could take away something

that we ourselves have only just achieved with great effort.

30

Therefore, the Old Testament's exhortation is immediately followed by a

promise: "I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the Land

of Egypt."

God is with us when we need His help, as He was with our ancestors.

We are safe with Him and in this safety we find the strength to cope

with even the greatest tasks.

We belong to God. We are not primarily citizens of our nations, but

citizens of His kingdom. We can trust in the fact that God takes care of

all people. God takes care of our fears, too.

The degree of integration made necessary by the large number of

refugees, the "strangers" of our time, presents us with immense

challenges. But through our faith we will find the strength to make our

contribution so that this integration can succeed.

Thus speaks the Lord: "Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye

know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of

Egypt" (Exodus 23:9). And: "I was a stranger, and ye took me in.

Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren,

ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:35b, 40b). Amen.

We are with God. God is with us.

Gospel sung together: "Just a closer walk with thee"

Cantor: I am weak, but thou … let me walk close to Thee.

Refrain (Congregation): Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it,

Jesus, is my plea

Daily walking close to Thee, let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

31

Cantor: Thru this world of toil … Lord, none but thee

Refrain

Cantor: When my feeble life … to Thy shore

Refrain

Intercessory Prayer [Speaker 1]:

Holy God,

We thank you for the great friendliness and love with which you devote

yourself to us. We stand before you with all that our life is about:

− with the things that have succeeded and the things that remain

fragmentary;

− with our achievements and with the things we still owe each other

and you.

We thank you for accepting us with all of this.

We thank you for your promise to be with us and accompany us on our

journey.

And we thank you for the guidance that you give us with your word.

[Speaker 2]:

Heavenly Father,

so many people are fleeing these days, so many have set off hoping to

find a new home without violence, a place where their children can

grow up in peace.

You urge us to be friendly to the stranger, the refugee, and to help

wherever possible.

32

We therefore ask you:

− Help all those people throughout the world fleeing from hunger,

persecution and war in their hour of need;

− Give strength to all those people who help them, volunteers as

well as service members, so that they can perform their duties;

− And touch the hearts of the people in our countries so that the

willingness will grow to reach out to strangers.

[Speaker 3]: Holy God, Our servicemen and women are deployed in many parts of the world to

establish peace and to keep peace.

Service separates us from our homes, our families and our children.

We therefore ask you:

− Protect our comrades deployed on active service from all evil;

− Bring them back safe and sound to their loved ones;

− And give strength to all those who bear responsibility in politics,

society and the Church to seek peace and the reconciliation of

peoples, groups and parties.

[Speaker 4]:

And finally we ask you, Lord:

Let us feel the presence of your Holy Spirit while we are here together in

Méjannes-le-Clap over the next few days:

− give us a reconciled community,

− a vivid exchange of ideas,

− fruitful discussions

− and days – far away from service at our garrisons in our home

countries – in which we can gain new insights and new thoughts –

and become friends.

Amen.

33

The Lord's Prayer

With the words of the Lord's Prayer we place ourselves and our pleas in the Lord's

hands.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name;

thy kingdom come;

thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation;

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power

and the glory, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Hymn: "Geh mit Gott!" (Go with God)

34

Blessing Blessed, comforted, strengthened and beloved

We start this day:

The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.

The Lord look upon you with favour and give you peace.

Amen.

Brass ensemble: Postlude

35

WORSHIP CHURCH SERVICE Saturday, 18 June 2016

organized by France and the Ivory Coast

As opposed to the other church services,

this one is not included in the booklet.

The contents of the service will be shown

on the screen of the hall.

This particular service is

a service of worship and prayer

37

CHURCH SERVICE Sunday, 19th June 2016

organized by the French and Polish Chaplaincies

Greetings (Responses in bold face)

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,

be with you all.

And also with you.

Call for worship We have gathered to worship God.

We have come seeking comfort,

inspiration, community, and insight. We have come to open ourselves

to the power of God’s presence in our midst.

We have come to offer up the seasons

and the turnings in our lives, and to ask God’s help in our

learning and in our growing.

38

Hymn: “My heart longs for you”

My heart longs for you, my Saviour, I would follow you, my Lord.

Your kindness and love are vast as the skies, your faithfulness never

dies.

My God and my King, your great name I sing.

My off’ring of praise I bring.

Jesus, O Jesus, I give you my life.


My soul contemplates your glory. I worship in holy awe,

In quietness and in confident trust, I rest in all that you are.

I’ll sing to the world your glory and grace until I behold your face.



Opening Prayer There is hope, O God, for you abide with us.

Accept our joy-full praise. There is hope, O Christ, for you live among us.

Feed us with bread everlasting. There is hope, O Spirit, for you dwell within us,

and call us to become the Church.

Amen

39

Confession God of Love,

In the wrong we have done

And in the good we have not done,

We have sinned in ignorance;

We have sinned in weakness;

We have sinned through our own deliberate fault.

We are truly sorry.

We repent and turn to you.

Forgive us, and renew our lives.

Lord, have mercy

Christ, have mercy

Lord have mercy

Hymn: Nearer, my God to Thee

1.Nearer, my God to Thee, nearer to Thee !

E'en though it be a cross that raiseth me,

still all my song shall be, nearer, my God to Thee.

Nearer, my God to Thee, nearer to Thee.

(Chorus)

Nearer, my God, to thee,

Nearer, my God, to thee,

Nearer to thee!

2. Though like the wanderer, The sun gone down,

Darkness be over me, My rest a stone,

Yet in my dreams I'd be….(Ch)

3. There let the way appear, Steps unto heav'n;

All that thou sendest me, In mercy giv'n;

Angels to beckon me….(Ch)

4. Then with my waking thoughts

Bright with thy praise, Out of my stony griefs

Bethel I'll raise; So by my woes to be… (Ch)

40

Prayer of illumination O God, open our hearts and minds

By the power of your Holy Spirit,

That as the scriptures are read

And your Word is proclaimed,

We may hear what you are saying to us today.

Amen

Scripture reading Old Testament: Genesis 17. 1-8

New Testament: Hebrews 11. 8-13

Sermon –Pastor Olivier RISNES (Deputy Chief Chaplain of the Armed forces)

“1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding; and I will be their God.”

Genesis 17. 1-8 “8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

41

11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. 13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; I they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country-a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”

Hebrews 11. 8-16

If one had to find a tutelary figure for all the walkers, a representative

character for all the travellers of the world, one could readily suggest

Abraham. Abraham is the first walker mentioned in the Bible. His father,

whose name was Terha, left the city of Ur in Chaldea, on the banks of

the Euphrates, to settle in Haran, located more to the north. Abraham

left Haran in turn for a destination he seems never to have reached. This

trip, without any clearly identified ending point, must have induced

wonder among all those who, right from the start, have tried to study

the life of the patriarch. But we can also wonder whether we are always

certain to reach the point we were thinking about at the beginning of

our trip?

In the book of Genesis, the story of Abraham is the first of a new type of

stories compared with what came before: after the first 11 chapters of

the book, we switch from stories which were not “historical” as we

understand it in our modern western culture, to one where history is far

more pregnant. Abraham’s adventure, leaving his country for a

promised land is a door opened towards History with a capital “h”.

Abraham inaugurates a story, his story, and he also inaugurates so many

other stories which have made – and still make – History.

42

The journey of faith The reading we just heard of chapter 17 of the Genesis presents the

covenant that God chose to create with a human being, a man from

Chaldea, who started a journey to follow him “Walk before me and be blameless”, God told him.

Walking in the presence of God is a calling which needs to be well

understood. Walking, here, does not just mean to make a series of

mechanical and thoughtless steps. Walking, here, means living. It is a

calling for a way of life and for a given type of behaviour, positively

taking into account the truth of God’s existence.

In the Scriptures, we hear on several occasions about characters walking

with God or walking before God. This type of walk pertains to a

relationship involving some kind of intimacy. These characters are far

from being perfect, but they have found a form of communion with Him

who is above them: God has given them a gift.

Besides, God does not only ask Abraham to walk before of him, but He

tells him “Walk in my presence and be blameless”. But to be blameless

also means to be “in one piece”, “totally true”. To walk in the presence

of God, one cannot pretend, one cannot be half committed. It is not

possible to be torn, one has to be fully what one is and to be fully

committed. This quest for honesty is a journey in itself. It makes us start

our journey without really knowing where it will lead us.

And yet, we cannot – alone – reach this honesty. We need someone else

to make us discover it and to make us “live” it. And this might be the

reason why God first introduced Himself as The Almighty: “I am God

Almighty”. God is the One who can protect and guide Abraham during

his quest. He can help Abraham hold on and keep going. By looking for

God, by walking before Him, Abraham will end up finding himself.

43

When he started his journey, Abraham accepted the covenant proposed

by God. He put his faith in God, in God’s almightiness, and he believed

that God would show him what He promised. After him, all those who

heard this calling to walk before God and to be honest started their

journey, thus showing their spiritual filiation with the patriarch. They

know that they can count on God to give them the strength to keep

walking and to reach their goal.

This is one of the strong messages of the Epistle to the Hebrews.

Abraham is presented there not only as a forerunner, but also as role-

model. The end of chapter 10 and the beginning of chapter 11 give us

the clews to interpret the long series of portraits stretching from the

beginning to the end of chapter 11. Despite the ordeals of faith, one

must persevere: “you need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised” (Hebrews 10.36). The theme of perseverance gives some flesh to the notion of faith and

explains what this walk with God actually is. Perseverance is

indispensable in this walk, because one can very quickly want to give it

up altogether. One can tend to feel satisfied with an ersatz. But, the

Epistle to the Hebrews tells us that reaching the goal requires efforts,

and forces us not to feel happy with mere appearances. Indeed,

everything is not immediately visible or understandable by our

intelligence. “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible” (Hebrews 11.3). What can be seen is rooted into what cannot

be seen. Appearances should not suffice because faith is linked to a

future which is not yet blocked and to the invisible: gestation is

underway. The unavoidable natural world And yet, the path God showed to Abraham is not an ethereal one. By

following the patriarch, we are not invited on a purely spiritual journey.

One should not imagine that the destination God gives us has no link

44

whatsoever with the world we live in. The proposed journey is not to

first and foremost a metaphysical one. Our concrete choices and

commitments have an impact both on the visible world surrounding us,

and on the visible world yet to come.

This theme of the walk has not been chosen haphazardly: the walk

induces physical endurance as much as moral endurance. It favours the

development of the being in a very comprehensive way. It develops the

muscles and the stamina, the will and the feelings, the senses and

perception, the body and the mind. It commits us fully and enables us to

completely adopt the world in which we live.

One of my grand-fathers came from the Corrèze and he loved long

walks. I heard him several times say “you can only know a region well if

you discover it with your feet”. Only years later did I understand what

he meant. It is not by going to a place and leaving it by a car or by any

other means of transportation that we can really learn to know it. You

have to discover it in a far more personal way.

One can only understand the width of a region, its relief, its specific

character, through physical contact. Walking makes us feel things better

and fix them in our memory. We remember a path because it has

become ours, we have measured it and compared it with our own

physical person, with all the fibres in our body. We remember how it is –

muddy in some parts and rocky at others – we have measured the

various slopes by more or less painful tensions in our calves; we have

felt the distance by hardening and by cramps in our thighs. If we went

for a bivouac, the bag we have had to carry must also have left traces on

our backs. The shady undergrowth, the dryness of the arid

environments, the coolness you feel in the altitude, all participate in this

experience.

45

The world we live in, with all its natural diversity and its human and

social components, is the framework given not only to our physical

fulfilment, but also to our spiritual development.

In a preach pronounced in Barcelona in 1928, young theologian Dietrich

Bonhoeffer spoke about the best moment to act. Using an extract from

the Epistle to the Romans (Romans 12.11c), Bonhoeffer tried to

demonstrate that faith must embody itself in time1. He chose the

version saying “serve time” (others say “serving the Lord”), and he

insisted: “You want to find eternity? Then serve time”. How terribly

contradictory this biblical sentence can seem to be! You want

immortality, then hold to what is only transitory; you want what is

eternal, stick to what does not last; you want God, stick to the world…”

The Christian is not a slave of time. He does not follow the fashion of the

moment, but he is not above time either. By serving time, the Christian

stands by mankind. Bonhoeffer wanted to underline the fact that we

were not just half humans, that we did not only live half on earth. Like

the rest of mankind, the Christians are children of the earth. And at the

end of his preach, he mentioned the myth of the giant Antaeus, the son

of Gaia and Poseidon.

In mythology, Antaeus used to stop all the travellers who passed

through his territory. He would force them to fight with him and, as

soon as they were exhausted, he would kill them. The bones of his

victims were used to build the temple he wanted to create for his

father.

Hercules managed to defeat Antaeus. As a good wrestler, Hercules

managed to bring the giant down three times. And yet, every time

Antaeus went to the ground, the ground would give him some strength

1 Those elements have been found in Professor Henry Motte’s work (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cerf 2002).

46

back: this is how Gaia, the mother-earth, his own mother, gave him his

energy. Gaia made him recover his power through this physical contact

with the earth. When Hercules understood how Antaeus regained his

strength, instead of throwing him to the ground, he started lifting him,

and holding him in the air until he suffocated.

By referring to the myth of Antaeus, Bonhoeffer wanted to show that

there is no point in trying to escape to heaven or out of time. The

Christians serve eternity by serving time, since their strength finds its

roots in the nourishing soil of the earth. He thus showed that he refused

this dichotomy between the spiritual and the corporal worlds, and he

validated all the implicit criticisms to be heard in expressions “to keep

one’s feet on the ground” or, conversely, “to walk above the ground” or

“not to be in touch with reality”…

But if alluding to this myth has indeed supported the idea of

Bonhoeffer’s sermon, the myth itself can be criticized: Antaeus is not a

hero in which we should try to find inspiration: he was someone who

could not see a traveller without trying to kill him. What kind of Temple

could one want to build with the remains of those who have tried to

escape their fate? The God we discover in the Bible is not a God who

crushes individuals but a God who, in Jesus Christ, gives Himself for the

others. He is not a God who crushes individuals, but a God who teaches

those who chose to walk before Him to respect their brothers. The right

to nationality based on the place of birth, turned into an ideology, has

given rise to the worst totalitarian excesses in History.

Individual blamelessness and collective blamelessness Bringing the two together is obviously risky, but how could we not think

about the images the media shower us with daily, of those migrants

massed at our borders and crossing them, settling even among us,

looking for security, money, a safer future… They are not all fleeing the

same situation, they have not all experienced the same tragedies;

47

they are not all looking for the same things. But all of them have their

own shares of dreams and hopes, some realistic and some utopic, all

merged into their own spiritual progression.

I am not qualified at all to talk about the immediate stakes of the

migratory crisis we see. I am however convinced, following the words of

the Epistle to the Hebrews, that we can change minds with every

individual involved. We can see the person as a victim of the violence

and unforgiving toughness of the world we live in. We can even,

because of that, ask ourselves some basic questions: how can we remain

totally insensitive to the difficulties and sufferings that the migrants

must have experienced to leave their place of birth and all along their

route? What type of support can we give them? What are the traps to

be avoided? We all know that there is no obvious, simple and

unequivocal answer that would please everyone.

But we can also see each involved individual as a brother or sister in

mankind, walking towards his or her integrity. We can see things

differently, knowing that the stakes goes way beyond what we can

immediately perceive. We can see each individual as being at a given

moment in his or her life path, a path that neither the individual nor

anyone else knows the end of, but that God wants to bless in His

benevolent project.

In the extract of the Epistle to the Hebrews that attracted our attention,

we read: “By faith he made his home in the Promised Land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.” It does not mean that

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob have ever lived together, at the same time,

under the same tents. But they have been companions of the same

journey towards the same goal. Together, they did not stop at what they

saw, but believed in God’s promise.

48

Even today, believers can be, with Abraham, companions of this

pilgrimage, companions with each other, companions of all those who

came before them, companions of those who march at the same time as

them or who will come later. Our gathering, the International Military

Protestant Gathering, also gives the opportunity to start walking

together, despite our different origins, despite our different histories,

despite our different cultures, despite the different ways in which we

see things.

The believers are not expected to live outside the world, separated from

the rest of mankind. Honesty cannot exist autonomously, no individual

or collective accomplishment can exist ignoring or excluding the others.

Blamelessness is not fundamentalism: the point is not to force

everybody to fit into the same mould, to erase all the differences and to

promote a single way of thinking and of living, to which all should

adhere.

As Christians, we can believe that the path we are invited to follow after

Abraham, and to which Christ has given us full access, can induce us to

review some priorities, some choices, and that its consequences can

even be to alter our course. Each time, it will be done to better receive

this life of fulfilment and diversity that God wants to offer us.

Conclusion Even before the end of his journey, Abraham had changed name. He

stopped being called Abram, which means “high father”, to be called

Abraham, which means “the father of plenty” because, God had told

him “I have made you the ancestor of multiple nations”. The prospect for

him was not the merging of all his descendants and of all the peoples

claiming to descend from him into a single nation. All the peoples should

be able to progress together pacifically towards the heavenly city.

At the same time, since “God prepared a city for them – for us”, the fact

that we have the same objective can talk us into harmonising

49

our differences without denying our specificities. All the parties should

be able to live and bloom linking with each other. Abraham was graced

by progressively finding his own coherence on his path and by carrying

in himself the promise of coherence between all those who would want

to follow him.

MOMENT OF MUSIC

Thanksgiving prayer God of courage and compassion,

there is no pain that does not echo in your heart,

and so we pray :

for all the sorrows,

the tears shed,

the bitter mournings,

the unmet needs of our hearts … ;

Silence (we pray) for all the losses,

the death of hope,

the broken lives,

the unheard cries … ;

Silence (we pray) for all the silent and

Suffocated sufferings,

In the loneliness…

Silence (we pray) for all the departures,

the missed farewells,

the hopeless relationships,

the unspoken truths ;

Silence Hear these prayers and all our prayers O God,

in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

50

MOMENT OF MUSIC

The Lord’s Supper

Preface

Loving God, Source of all,

we thank and praise you with our lips

and with our lives,

that, having created us and all things through

your Word,

you welcome our prayer and praise.

For the goodness of creation

and the glory of redemption,

we praise you.

For the law of holiness, inviting our

obedience,

and the call of prophets, rebuking our

disobedience,

we praise you.

Therefore, with all that is, seen and unseen,

And with all the faithful of every time and place,

We join in this hymn of praise

and thanksgiving:

51

Cantique: Thine be the glory

1. Thine be the glory, risen conqu’ring Son.

Endless is the vict’ry, thou o’er death has won.

Angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,

Kept the folded grave-clothes where thy body lay

Chorus: Thine …

2. Lo! Jesus meets thee, risen from the tomb;

Lovingly he greets thee, scatters fear and gloom.

Let his church with gladness hymns of triumph sing

For her Lord now liveth, death has lost its sting.

Chorus

3. No more we doubt Thee, glorious prince of life !

Life is nought without thee, aid us in our strife.

Make us more than conqu’rors, through thy deathless love.

Bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above.

Chorus

Institution Loving God, Holy One, with this bread and this cup

We offer you praise and gratitude,

because in Jesus Christ, your only Son,

you have joined yourself forever to us,

uniting heaven and earth.

One night before he died,

it was Jesus who took a loaf of bread,

gave you thanks, broke it, and said,

‘Take and eat; whenever you do this, remember me.’

Likewise, after supper, he took the cup, saying,

‘This is the new covenant; remember me.’

52

We proclaim Jesus,

crucified and risen,

our Lord and our Hope. Loving God, creative Power,

blessing your name, we seek your Spirit.

Come to us and bless these gifts of bread and wine,

the sign and seal of our forgiveness in him,

and our adoption as the children of God.

The Lord’s Prayer Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those

who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial,

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours,

now and forever.

Amen.

Breaking of the bread and sharing of the cup Come, eat and drink! Do this in remembrance to our Lord Jesus Christ.

MUSIC

53

Prayer after communion We give thanks, almighty God, that you have refreshed us at your table

by granting us the presence of Jesus Christ.

Strengthen our faith, increase our love for one another, and send us

forth into the world united in courage and peace, rejoicing in the power

of the Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Savior.

Amen.

Concluding prayer We thank you, God, that you do hear our prayers.

Grant us the grace to be part of your answer in the world.

Amen

Blessing and sending forth Go into the world:

dance, laugh, sing, and create.

We go with the assurance of yourblessing, O God. Go into the world : risk, explore, discover, and love.

We go with the assurance of your blessing, O God. Go into the world : elieve, hope, struggle, and remember.

We go with the assurance of your blessing, O God. Thanks be to God!

54

HYMN: We are marching in the light of God (Offering during this moment)

We are marchin' in the light of God X4

We are marchin' We are marchin'

We are marchin' in the light of God

We are marchin' We are marchin'

We are marchin' in the light of God

55

HYMN RIMP 2016

Compositeur : Jean-Louis Decker

Refrain Etranger et voyageur sur terre

Nous marchons où Dieu nous conduit

Il y a des soleils et il y a des nuits

Nous marchons où Dieu nous conduit

Nous dansons au rythme des fêtes

Nous luttons au souffle du vent

Passe nos conquêtes

Peuple silhouette

Sur fond de désert et de sang

Et la nuit se remplit d’étoiles

Et nos berceaux se font plus lourds,

Qu’on hisse la voile

Nos chevaux s’emballent

Pour le grand rendez-vous d’Amour

Cette montée vers la lumière

Ces sentiers passant par la croix

Ces chemins nous mènent

Par delà les siècles

A Jérusalem pour la joie

57

Worshop n°1 « Being welcome »

Whether for a job or for fun, we all have traveled beyond our borders.

But what is our behavior when we are not in our own country, “at

home”? Do we try to know the habits and the customs of the other? Or,

on the contrary, do we enclose ourselves with those who resemble us?

Worshop n°2 « Welcome the stranger »

Nowadays, Europe is experiencing an unheard-of migration crisis. Every

European country is affected by the arrival of these populations fleeing

war and poverty. Face to some severe events (violent protests in Calais,

wrecks of boats in the Mediterranean Sea….), voices are heard in favor

of a nationalism, while others ask for more resources for hosting. How

to react both as Christian but also as military, facing what the media call

« the crisis of the migrants »?

58

Worshop n°3

« Pilgrim on the earth: our attitude facing death »

We all know: sooner or later, the destiny of every human being is

to die. But do we accept it? Whether natural or accidental, death

remains a taboo issue in our society. For the military, the question of

death is double: not only is the fact of accept it but also the question to

give death. Montaigne, quoting Ciceron, wrote in his « Essais »:

« Philosophizing is nothing else but getting prepared to die » (Essais,

Book I, chap. XIX). And what about us, where are we in our philosophical

and theological meditation facing death?

Worshop n°4 “God, this stranger “

« Who is God for me? » This is the main theme of this workshop.

Sometimes, we can have the feeling that God is absent, He does not

answer our prayers…In a single word : He is a stranger for us. But is it

really so? Or did not we make God an idole, that is to say a reflection of

ourselves? This question « Who is God for me? » invites to deepen our

understanding of God.

Workshop n°5 “The inner journey”

“Now the Lord had said to Abram : get thee out of thy country, and from

thy kindred and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show

thee” (KJV) (Gen 12/1). Everybody knows this verse: Abram’s call. Yet,

the translation is rather improper because, literally, the Hebrew text

does not say « get thee out of thy country» but « Go for you » (Lèk leka).

Shouldn’t we have to see an invitation for an inner journey, for a deeper

self-knowledge? As well as the inscription on the Temple of Delphes

invited the pilgrim to know oneself (« Gnôto seauton »), in the same

way, this verse can invite us to a better knowledge of ourselves, to get a

better acquaintance with the stranger in us.

59

Workshop n°6 “Manager of the creation”

We are all pilgrims on this Earth. But what kind of earth do we want to

leave as a legacy to our children? How to apply, to our level, the

commitments signed at « COP 21 »? Instead of waiting for solutions

coming from « above », could not we act to our level…And with what

practical commitments?

Workshop n°7 (Saturday morning only)

« Meditative walk

about the topic »

aumônerie protestante aux armées · 2 aumônerie protestante aux armées 47, rue de clichy 75009...

Documents