A town called Apeldoorn

Apeldoorn. This name of the large town just fifteen minutes from our home suddenly became laden with tragic connotation last Thursday, through the traumatic drama experienced first-hand by millions.

All Holland is still reeling from the dramatic events of Koninginnedag (Queen's Day) when a lone car smashed through security fences and bystanders to miss the Royal bus by just seconds. Dead and wounded were left lying on the road in full view of a live, national television audience.

My wife (being the royalist in the family) was watching the live broadcast of the annual festive event, when the Dutch Royal Family mix with the multi-cultural public for sports, games and parades, while I was painting outside at home. Like millions of others across the country, she was astounded to watch live a movie-like scenario that shattered the day's festivities and plunged the country into confusion and shock.

Ambulance helicopters flew over our house to shuttle the wounded to hospitals in Zwolle. National flags hoisted for the festivities were quickly dropped to half-mast after the country witnessed a third dramatic act of senseless violence in seven years: the shooting of Pim Fortuin by an animal rights activist almost exactly seven years ago; the ritual slaughter of Theo van Gogh on the streets of Amsterdam by an Islamist extremist; and now this kamakazi action by an enigmatic individual who may or may not have been targeting the Royal family. We'll never know.

Paradox

Like a filmscript written to manipulate the emotions of the audience, the day had begun wth glorious sunshine and promised to be the perfect Koninginnedag-before tragedy struck. The emotional contrast was captured on the faces of the future king and queen (Willem-Alexander and Maxima). One moment they were waving to the crowd, laughing and engaging with the public in ways unique to Europe's royalty. The next their faces were twisted in horror, hands to mouth and brows furrowed in unbelief as they witnessed the carnage from their grandstand seat on top of the open-deck bus.

Once more we have witnessed that puzzling paradox of humanity, where glory and shame, dignity and depravity coexist side by side in our communities. Actually, in each of our hearts. This is a paradox unexplained by humanistic optimism or by nihilistic pessimism. The biblical doctrine that humankind is created in God's image explains one side of the paradox, that sense of well-being and that things are as they were intended to be when there is social harmony-as the first part of Koninginnedag embodied (glory and dignity).

The biblical doctrine of the fall, that humankind has become estranged from the Creator through rebellion, explains the other side of the paradox (depravity and shame). Bizarre, cruel and unjust behaviour breaks unexpectedly into our lives and shatters the sense of well-being we have momentarily enjoyed.

These two doctrines held in tension enable believers to avoid the traps of optimism and pessimism, opting for biblical realism about the fallen world we inhabit.

A third biblical doctrine, that of the restoration and renewal of all things, empowers us as people of hope, looking forward to the fulfillment of those deepest of human aspirations for well-being and social harmony-what the Bible calls shalom.

We look forward to the day when the books of history, with all their injustices and tragedies, will be balanced.

Good news

Let me share some good news from Apeldoorn too. The name 'Apeldoorn' has come to mean hope, fellowship and encouragement for up to 500 Iranian migrants who in recent years have been baptised as believers in Jesus since seeking refuge in Holland.

It began back in 2003 when a small group of Iranian believers began a house church. Within a year, the fellowship was registered as the Cyrus Church, named after the Persian (Iranian) king God used to decree the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem.

Today, twice a month on a Sunday afternoon in Apeldoorn,  Iranian believers gather from all over the country. Some of our ywam colleagues have been involved in baptising  new believers and ongoing discipleship.

One Iranian pastor said many became believers after experiencing the love and care shown to them in the midst of insecurity, depression, estrangement, loneliness and disorientation from having to leave their homeland.

For many of them, 'Apeldoorn' has meant a foretaste of shalom.

Till next week,

©YWAM Europe - Weekly Words are the personal reflections of Jeff Fountain and do not necessarily express the official position of YWAM.
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