Dutch Treat

While we were in the Netherlands, Sandra and I had the opportunity to worship at the International Christian Fellowship, Utrecht. This is a new, mostly English-speaking congregation reaching out to "refugees, international students or expats, who don't know any Christians here to share their belief and also their problems." The congregation meets in the building of a Dutch "mother church," the Mattheus Kerk.

The service was conducted in English, with translation into Dutch. The preacher, a Dutch pastor, actually preached in English, and was translated into his own language. We sang hymns in English, Dutch, French, and Farsi.

The sermon this Sunday was on Psalm 100, particularly verse three. Honing in on the word "know," or "acknowledge," the preacher noted that this is the same word used in Genesis 4:1, "Now Adam knew Eve his wife...." Knowing God is a matter of being in a loving relationship with Him. The preacher was careful also to point out that we can only engage in the kind of relationship with God because he first loved us.

The sermon was short, simple and wonderful in that it communicated God's Truth and His Love. We are thankful to attend a church back home in Prague at which this happens every week. As they say back there: díky bohu!