All Saints Gazette: My soul cleaves to the dust
This week at All Saints:
M t/m F: Morning and Evening Prayer at 9:00 and 18:00, Zoom
Sunday (2 March): Eucharist and Potluck Meal, 17:30, Vrijburg
Links for online events at church calendar.
This Sunday will be the last Sunday before Lent, when our lectionary always presents us with Jesus’ Transfiguration: one last brilliant explosion of light before things start getting darker as we approach Good Friday. Come join us on Sunday and we’ll talk about it! Bring a dish to share afterward if you can (anything is welcome; consideration of common dietary restrictions is appreciated when possible).
Since we unfortunately can’t have an Ash Wednesday service of our own (and the First Sunday of Lent is also an off Sunday for us this year), I want to say a few words about it here.
In some ways, I feel like Lent has already started this year. The first five weeks of the new administration in my country, the aggressive stance taken by powerful people looking to make a profit everywhere, the suffering of innocent people who just want the same things we all want, and now the discouraging election results from our oostburen have left me with a very profound sense of brokenness. “My soul lies in the dust; o give me life according to your word” (Psalm 119:125)!
The imagery of dust and earth is rich. It is a sign of mourning and penitence, even as it is also an element of new life nourished by old lives. Both are in our minds if we receive the symbol of ashes on our forehead (which I encourage you to find a place to do; suggestions below). Acknowledging our sins (i.e. what we have screwed up) and brokenness (i.e. what just is screwed up) is an act of liberation. We take measure of what is wrong, and we claim God’s promise that we will not be dominated by it. Claiming hope, we abandon pretense. Our appearance matches our reality. We are in mourning, but also living in hope.
Many people also take up a discipline of fasting for Lent. There are also a few words about that below. Most importantly, join us on the Sundays when you can without hardship!
Some Local(ish) Ash Wednesday Services (5 March)
The overlapping area of the three circles “does things like Ash Wednesday,” “has a service in English,” and 🌈 is small-to-nonexistent, which is part of why All Saints began. Unfortunately, there’s no way we can manage a service. Some options that at least check a couple boxes:
Old Catholic Church in Amsterdam, 19:30 (Dutch)
Church of England/Old Catholic joint service in Haarlem, 19:30 (Dutch)
These two are both LGBTQIA-affirming and are full communion partners, so any of us can participate fully with the blessing of both churches. You might also consider:
St. Nicolaas Basilika (R.C.) has choral mass on Wednesday at 12:30 (multilingual, I think?).
Further afield, St. Mary’s, Rotterdam (CoE) has services in English at their church at noon and at their seafarer’s mission in Schiedam at 19:30.
Our cathedral in Paris is probably too far away for a quick midweek visit, but they will live cast their Ash Wednesday Eucharist at 19:30 (follow the links to their YouTube or Facebook).
Christian Climate Action will have an online service (in Dutch) at 20:00 to kick off their vegan Lent. It is led by Rev. Jasmijn Dijkman, a friend of All Saints. You will need to join their Signal or WhatsApp group to get the link. More below on fasting.
Fasting: A Word of Caution
Keep it body positive and fat positive! If you don’t think you can do that, skip fasting entirely, or try a non-dietary discipline. This goes doubly for anyone who does or has struggled with eating disorders. For anyone: I discourage skipping meals without consulting a healthcare professional and/or spiritual director. And if I could, I would outright forbid combining spiritual fasting with weight loss programs. There is too easy a slippage between self-denial and our society’s constant violence against ourselves and our bodies, especially (though not exclusively) for women. Only fast as an expression of love for your body. If you need someone to talk to about this, you have the priests’ contact information!
Disciplines of Liberation
We have no requirements whatsoever in The Episcopal Church, but we do encourage you to take a look at some traditional Lenten practices, such as giving up animal products. There are many interpretations of this practice, and I suggest that you consider it (after reading the cautionary word above). It is a way to reorient our own relationships to God, our own bodies, and the more-than-human world as we explore other possible ways of living. It also dramatically cuts our carbon footprint. Even if we fail at our fast, we still learn from it and God uses it.
That said, don’t make the perfect the enemy of the good! The point is not to engage in major feats of asceticism, nor to set ourselves up for disappointment by taking on an unrealistic discipline. If you know right now that being vegan until Easter is not (on balance) going to be a joy, maybe you can commit to being vegetarian for Lent, or to skipping meat one or two days a week. You can “give up” something besides meat and dairy, or try adding a practice like daily prayer or Bible reading. You can try something for 40 days that seems too big to commit to for a whole year. Even if you just skip the meat for a week before giving up and going back to your normal diet, it will not have been wasted, from either a spiritual or a climate perspective.
Our friend Jasmijn Dijkman is leading the online opening service for Christian Climate Action’s vegan Lent on Ash Wednesday. If you are comfortable with Dutch, consider taking part (link above)!
Palm Sunday in Kempen
The Protestant church in Kempen is holding around the clock services so that some vulnerable people sheltering there won’t be harassed or arrested. We’ve signed up to do a service there on Palm Sunday. Details TBA.
Upcoming Convocation Offerings
Anglican Summer School
The Convocation and a couple friends sponsor this summer class in Utrecht for those wanting to learn more about Anglican Christianity, particularly here in Europe. More information and sign up here!
European Institute of Christian Studies
Lenten APL: Episcopal 101
March 11 - April 1, 19:00-20:30
This Lent EICS will present a 4 week series on “Episcopal 101,” an online course meant to introduce newcomers or re-familiarize long-term members with core tenants, traditions and beliefs in the Episcopal Church. Each week will have a separate theme, and each requires individual registration. Each session is independent of the other, join 1 or all as you wish!
Individual registration links:
March 11: History
March 18: Polity and Mission
March 25: Liturgy and Sacraments
April 1: Anglican Temperament and Spirituality
Speaking of the Convocation, the clergy all say hi from Assisi!
Enough if we share
The bishop’s committee is having extra meetings to get statues and things done so we can get ANBI. In the meantime, please invest what you can in the community you want, and try putting in just a little more than you first feel comfortable with (without causing yourself hardship, of course). There is enough if we share! Please hold our upcoming pledge drive in your prayers, in addition to supporting us as you are presently able.
Use the QR code or this link, or make a transfer through your banking app (the latter saves us a few cents). Please consider making your offering recurring, and pray about what you are called to pledge when we have our winter pledge drive.
Bank details
All Saints Amsterdam
IBAN NL32 TRIO 0320 8657 62
BIC TRIONL2U
Lenten Recipes
Got some good cooking suggestions for folks reducing their animal product intake for Lent? Share them in WA, and I’ll post some here. My family’s Ash Wednesday favorite is Greek Chickpeas with Rice, Lemon, and Tahini (the whole website is great).
That’s all for Today! Want to talk to a priest? We want to talk to you too!
Website: https://allsaintsamsterdam.church
Mpho: mpho@allsaintsamsterdam.church
Kyle: kyle@allsaintsamsterdam.church
General: info@allsaintsamsterdam.church
Instagram: @allsaintsamsterdam.church
