Midweek Faith Lift
May 29, 2019
“We Remember”
Rev. Deb Hill-Davis
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. —Anne Frank
On this Memorial Day Weekend, it seemed particularly fitting and significant to begin this message with an inspiring invitation or affirmation from Anne Frank. How this young girl could maintain such a positive, optimistic vision is a miracle in the face of her life conditions and surroundings. When Todd and I visited the Anne Frank house museum in Amsterdam, it was a sobering reminder of the grim and depressing ravages of war, something we have not directly experienced here in Iowa. This hiding place for 8 people who were attempting to evade the horror of the holocaust was cramped, dark, cold and a luxury compared to the actual death camps.
As we climbed the narrow steps of the house into the dark, dingy rooms where Anne spent the last 2 years of her life, clinging to hope that someday she and her family would be free to live as normal human beings, it seemed more and more compelling to hold the vision and the light for Anne’s dream that we not wait to improve the world. Our commitment to realizing Anne Frank’s legacy is not wait one moment more to start to improve the world. How is it that we can do that? That is what we remember this day, this Memorial Day weekend in Iowa, in our United States, in our Unity church.
While we were in Amsterdam, over that first weekend in May on the 4th and 5th, the Netherlands celebrated their version of Memorial Day. I must confess that in my insular perspective here in the US, I really did not give much thought to how other nations remember those who have died serving their country in war, or even how they reflect patriotism for their flag and country. It was humbling to realize how different it is from the perspective of a country that has been directly impacted by war such as the Netherlands in both WWI and WWII. For those in Europe, the ravages of war are a lived reality which hugely impact how it is remembered.
The first thing we noted is that the celebration was over the two weekend days. It was not a 3-day weekend with a holiday for a quick vacation getaway and the start of summer playtime. We fill Memorial Day with other events such as graduations, weddings and other celebrations, not at all tied to the reason for the holiday. That is not how it happens in the Netherlands, in Amsterdam. On Saturday evening, May 4 we initially noted that streets were blocked off as people in military garb and others were gathering. Saturday, May 4 was National Remembrance Day.
The National Monument in Dam Square was erected in 1956 to remember all those who perished as a result of World War II. There were gatherings there, with a placing of wreaths at the Monument to honor all who died in both World Wars. There was a pink triangle to honor all the GLBTQ people who were also exterminated in the Holocaust. It was sobering to acknowledge the reality of how many non-military individuals died as a result of World Wars. It was also quite poignant that the Netherlands does not forget this. In the United States, we have not had an experience of civilian casualties and destruction of our cities other than the 9/11 terrorist attack, which was not actually in the midst of a war. And we have certainly remembered those victims, although not on our Memorial Day. Perhaps we need to honor those 9/11 victims this weekend, so that we remember the reality of the ravages of war for everyone.
We began asking about the celebration in shops and discovered that it is a two-part event. The first day is called “Remembrance Day” and seemed more somber and reflective. May 5 is called “Liberation Day” and it is the day that the Netherlands was freed from Nazi domination and control. That is a joyous celebration because the Netherlanders could reclaim control of their government, their country and their autonomy as a nation. When you have suffered oppression by another country, Liberation Day is truly an exhilarating experience. While we celebrated V-Day back in 1944, it did not have the impact of freeing us from an oppressor or constantly being bombed. It was again, truly compelling to reflect on this from the perspective of the Netherlands, France and European countries that suffered during the war.
As we walked through the museums, especially in France, I was struck by how much of the very old art was of either religious figures, biblical scenes, saints or soldiers, military figures and war. Here is a painting by Delacroix of the French Revolution and it depicts a horrible scene of the death and violence of war. It was interesting to hear Todd’s reaction to the Louvre—“I don’t really care for all these paintings of half-naked people doing horrible things to each other!” He was much happier in the Orsay Museum with all the beautiful French Impressionist paintings! So was I!
It is also interesting to note that in Amsterdam, all the paintings were portraits, landscapes or groups of people. There was no religious art because the Netherlands had broken with the Catholic Church and the wealthy merchants were the ones who paid for the artwork, not the church. When you step into another culture and look at its art, you begin to see how all the various institutions are entwined and how much warfare was waged in the name of religion!
Which brings me to the present moment, in our spiritual community. We toured a number of churches and popped into several neighborhood churches in Paris. In Amsterdam, the Westerkirk was the anchor church for the Jordaan neighborhood where we were staying. And the bells rang on the hour, half-hour and quarter hour. The Anne Frank House is right next to the church, and Anne reports in her diary that hearing the bells of Westerkirk kept her anchored to the outside world and the greater reality of which she could not partake. We could hear those bells, too, and we could sit in our flat and see the church spire from our window. More than once, I used that spire as an anchor to know I was close to “home.” It is funny how a church gives one guidance and comfort in such seemingly unspiritual ways!
As I noted last week, the churches in Amsterdam and Paris are largely museums. In Paris, there are very small congregations with only a handful of people attending services. Even Notre Dame is in that situation. The people of Europe are for the most part “un-churched” and not particularly interested. Hmmmm…..what possibility does that hold? On our last two days in Amsterdam, we stayed at what was more like a Bed & Breakfast and our host, Jeroen Kok was a very sociable, likeable, hospitable fellow. He and I chatted for a bit and I told him I was a minister. It was a bit like I told him I worked on Mars!
There are NO Unity churches in Amsterdam or the Netherlands, so he had no idea of what Unity is about or what we teach. He immediately shared that he as a small child he attended Catholic church and school, but told his mother at age 8 that he wanted no more of it. He does not want dogma or creeds or anything to do with traditional Christianity. I agreed wholeheartedly and I was quick to tell him we were very different; no hell, no dogma etc. My personal journey was to discover my true “higher” nature, which is love, and then learn to live from that higher place, that place of love and compassion rather from a place of fear, lack, or hate. He was listening and intrigued, and his first response to me was, “Well, good luck with that!”
And then, as I said, yes, that is a tall order, and very challenging to hold space for people to learn to live from their inner, innate God-ness, he got it! His eyes lit up as I said to him, “Well, you have to start somewhere, we have to start somewhere! If we don’t make a start at learning to live from that place of love, we will never learn how it is and how to do it!” And he immediately nodded and said, “Yes you have to make a start!” I believe he was channeling his fellow countrywoman, Anne Frank’s message, of “How wonderful it is that you don’t have to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
How wonderful it is that you don’t have to wait a single moment to remember that you are Love, that you are Loved beyond all understanding by a God, by a Universe, by a Higher Energy that wants only the highest and best for you! What would it be like if we put all our energy into remembering that every hour of every day? Imagine…..all the people living life in peace and not waiting a single moment before starting to improve the world!! Jeroen, if you are watching, this is for you!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLiWFUDJ95I
Blessings on the Path,
Rev. Deb