Reading God's Big Book

On our annual Heritage Trip (which begins again next weekend) we have come across Celtic prayer gardens, meditation parks with Stations of the Cross, and a trail commemorating the Swiss Anabaptists. These encouraged us to look with new eyes at the unused hectare of woods behind Centrum 's Heerenhof on our YWAM property in the Dutch countryside. 

A concept began to grow of a nature trail through these woods, open to the public, who cycle by in the hundreds during the summer vacations on the bikepath bordering our property. Could this be a way of building contacts with the growing number of spiritual seekers disillusioned with Churchianity?

Prayer, discussion and, eventually, hard toil led to the official opening a few weeks ago-on Ascension Day-of the Thomas á Kempis Meditatie Hof.

The Meditatie Hof has four sections, the first being a Nature Trail that encourages 'pilgrims' to take the time to observe the lessons offered by the Creator in his creation to help us on our pilgrimage through life: with all its twists and turns, surprises and rewards, dangers and delights. 

The trail leads past boards with texts prompting the reader to reflect on life's seasons, on the wonders of water, on the necessity of roots, on relationships as depicted in a row of interwoven trees, and on trees themselves, linking heaven and earth in ancient wisdom literatuur. 

The last text on this trail refers to nature as God's Big Book, his Book of Works, which only he can hold. He also has a Small Book, which we all can hold, his Book of Words. This Small Book reveals his divine image in us all, men and women, the sole basis of human rights. 

This same book also tells us of his special revelation in one man, which forms the theme of the next section:      

Starting with straw-filled crib, this trail leads the  'pilgrim' past symbols and icons recalling incidents in the life of Jesus, provoking the question from bystanders, 'who is this man?': the wedding in Cana, Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman, the feeding of the 5000, walking on the water, and so on, eventually arriving at a rugged cross. There the reader can ponder C.S. Lewis' challenge to decide whether Jesus was liar, lunatic or Lord. 

The trail continues beyond the resurrection and the ascension-with some natural wood sculptures from a local artist-to John's revelation of the Cosmic Christ in Revelation 1: 8-18, the Alpha and the Omega.

Stephen, from Acts 7, invites us to realise that 'God does not live in buildings made by human hands', as we enter a glade formed by very tall beech trees. Their trunks, like the pillars of a gothic cathedral, force the gaze of both believer and doubter heavenward. 

A ten-metre circle on the ground is laid out in red and white stones as two interwoven triangles, forming a six-pointed Star of Hope. Here we are led through a 'catechism of hope', as we walk from point to point reading about the grounds and the goals of our hope: in both cases, the Triune Godhead. 

Finally we come to a lane of tall beeches suggesting the 'cathedral's' cloisters. Here we are encouraged to imagine monks walking and meditating, as did Thomas á Kempis in his monastery near Zwolle. There he wrote his famous 'Imitation of Christ', next to the Bible perhaps the most widely read Christian devotional book ever. Quotations from this book are to be read at the foot of each tree, and by a small garden with a fountain.  

So what has this fifteenth-century monk to do with YWAM, a curious local minister asked us as we invited him and his colleagues, Protestant and Catholic, to a lunch this past week, to introduce to them the 'Meditatie Hof'.

Imitating Christ, I explained, is what discipleship is all about. That was Thomas á Kempis' core business. It's our core business too.

Till next week,