Fjords, glaciers, bears, and other features of the Nordic landscape are anything but silent. They are part of a choir that gives unceasing praise to the Architect of the cosmological cathedral we inhabit. They are preachers who will not be silenced.
But what is the aim of the creation’s pedagogy and to what end do fjords and forests preach? Psalm 19 asserts that the content of the created order’s teaching is the glory of God.
The secular and social dogma of the West is materialism. In this philosophy matter is the sole explanatory cause of all things, and so there is little love for the divine or tolerance for the transcendent. But if we are good, consistent materialists, why are we mourning with those who are suffering? What is cruel and unjust about violence if all things are merely matter and devoid of transcendently infused meaning?
Since the dawn of God’s story, his symphonic mastery over every note has not waned, but the pitch of its perfection resonates with echoes of brilliance. What is mysterious to us is manifest to him; where we are confounded, he is informed; where our love is slack with sin, he is perennially steadfast with holiness.
These truths are what feed our understanding of the questions previously addressed in my earlier posts, ‘Where is God in COVID-19?’ and ‘Why would he allow such an awful thing to occur?’ These truths are also what allow us to move on with confidence to another question, ‘What is the Christian’s response to COVID-19?’
Jesus may be sovereign and always with us, but if he allows and ordains catastrophes – both those we experience personally and collectively – can we trust him? Does he actually act in our best interest? If Jesus genuinely cared for us, wouldn’t that mean he should be a preventative force of COVID-19 rather than the causal agent behind it?
Since the outbreak of this virus, the world seems to have been catapulted into a narrative that seems more akin to thrilling fiction than our sobering reality. We’ve never seen anything quite like what we are witnessing – the cessation of normal life in almost all nations across the globe. Governments, either by appeal or force, enact quarantines in a bid to stem the tide of a virus, that unless slowed or stopped, has the likely potential to kill and hospitalize millions of people. Unlike the typical westerner who subscribes to a materialist worldview, or in some cases may retain some sense of an impersonal spiritual realm, the Christian is under obligation to think deeply about the COVID-19 outbreak.
FIBC's 'Practices of the Christian Faith' returns this month, beginning Tuesday, Sept. 26 at Café Cadeau (dinner is served at 7pm, discussion / course to follow).
In this interactive, 9-part course on being a C.H.R.I.S.T.I.A.N. you'll learn the basic disciplines and practices of the Christian life. It is free and open to all, but we ask that you RSVP to let us know if you will join (write to Bruno at bkbainy@hotmail.com).
You're invited to join us for our annual FIBC Day fellowship event, taking place this Saturday, September 24 from 11:00am - 15:00 and which will feature an international potluck picnic, games, and activities. The event will be held at Slotsalleen 15 in Klampenborg (there is street parking available and Klampenborg Station is only a short walk from the party).
Please note that, unlike in past years, we will not be grilling meat as the 'main course' of this year's picnic, so if you'd like to bring a potluck meat dish, go for it! Otherwise, please bring tasty sides, drinks, salads, and desserts to share! The event is 'rain or shine' and we hope you will plan on joining us on September 24th for this very special FIBC tradition. You can email pastors@fibc.dk with any questions.
*Other items to bring: picnic blanket, football, and/or a swimsuit for a post picnic plunge!
See you on Saturday!
FIBC's 'Foundations of Faith: 9 Conversations About Christianity' returns this month, beginning Tuesday, Sept. 20 at Café Cadeau (dinner is served at 7pm, FOF discussion / course to follow).
The interactive, 9-part Foundations course is free and open to all, but we ask that you RSVP to let us know if you will join (write to Jeroen at jjbunck@gmail.com).
Discipleship is a common word, used often in the church, that many people (even many members and leaders in the church) do not understand fully. This summer, FIBC is embarking on a nine part summer sermon series called The Living Mission: A Practical Guide to Discipleship that will help to clarify, demystify, and 'de-churchify' this essential Christian doctrine.
Over this summer series, we will look to the life of Jesus Christ, his New Testament teachings, and the ways in which he impacted the world through his direct influence on individuals. Our goal will be to demonstrate how, in nine areas of life, we can each take the next right steps of faith - to “move the dial” of faith - and therefore actively grow as disciples of Jesus, and experience the spirit-led, abundant life that Christ promised to those who trust in and follow him.
Join us this summer as we explore what it means to be a 21st-century disciple of Jesus of Nazareth.
Summer Sermon Series dates are July 3, 2016 - August 28, 2016, all worship services begin at 13:00 with a time of fellowship to follow each service.
Story and Photos By Hiroko Skov
The FIBC 'Parents with Young Children' Life Group meets about once a month for playing, fellowship and learning about the Biblical principles for parenting. It is a great time for both children and parents and always includes some fun, good food, encouragement and support in our daily journey to fulfill God’s purpose in the world through our families.
Being entrusted with one of Gods small children is a fantastic gift as well as the ultimate responsibility. We feel blessed to be part of the Young children family life group where we get to share the journey with other families from all parts of the world.
These pictures are from our recent summer BBQ and picnic get together when we visited Cindy and Matt Nipper's new garden near Lesøparken, near Bispeberg.
If you would like to learn more about the 'Parents with Young Children' Life Group or any of FIBC's Youth & Family ministries, please write to austin@fibc.dk and find out how your family can get plugged into the active, encouraging and supportive life of our church family.
Join us this Sunday, June 12 for the annual FIBC Summer Picnic Potluck, immediately following the worship service (which begins, as always, at Kristuskirken at 13:00). The picnic is an opportunity to celebrate the lovely summer weather, along with some shared food and causal fellowship in the park with our church family.
This year's picnic will take place in the park just behind the church, so it is much closer than in previous years. There is a playground for the kids and lots of green space to spread out in. Remember to bring picnic blankets and some tasty treats to eat / drink and which you can share with others. We will provide coffee, you bring the treats and yourselves!
If you have any questions, please write to our church fellowship coordinator Cyndi (cyndi@yak.net). See you on Sunday!
For years, the FIBC family has included a number of amazing high school students who have been involved with our community in a variety of ways: from serving in the pre-school class to helping run the church Youth Group to participating in our annual mission trips to Poland. And at the core of this high school group, is the FIBC High School Life Group.
This spring we are "sad-happy" to say farewell to several members of our life group as they move on to their next adventure - university and adulthood! But before we let them leave Copenhagen and FIBC, we decided to send them off with a bang - spending an evening wandering through Nyhavn, dining at Copenhagen Street Food, and cruising Copenhagen Harbor on the super hyggelit Copenhagen GoBoats.
Below are some snapshots from a golden evening spent together. As for the students soon departing Denmark: friends, you will be missed. But we have the highest hopes for the many great things to come in the days ahead. We hope you know that you will always have a home at FIBC.
Learn more about FIBC Youth & Family Ministries here.
This Saturday, all of the congregations who share the Kristuskirken church building (including FIBC, ReGen, The Spanish Congregation, etc.) will be coming together to participate in a work day to do cleaning, maintenance, and organization at the church. Bottom line: these work days are few and far between and WE CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOUR HELP!
Details: Kristuskirken Work Day, Saturday, April 16 from 09:00 - 14:00 (coffee and cake at 09:00, then we work)!
* Kids and Youth are welcome to help as well (no childcare will be provided).
** Remember to wear work clothes and durable shoes.
*** You don't have to stay until 14:00, especially if you are planning on joining the House Blessing event at Pastor Erik's house later in the day on Saturday.
**** Students needed CAS or other volunteer credits, this is a great opportunity for you.
On March 20, the FIBC choir once again came together to perform a beautiful, powerful series of songs, this time celebrating 'The Wonderful Cross' of Christ for the Easter season.
If you were at the worship service on March 20, then you know how special the choir performance was. But if you've never participated in one of FIBC's choirs, then below are some thoughts from a few of this year's participants that give insight into what an extraordinary experience it is to worship through the choir:
"[This Easter] was the second time I joined the FIBC choir. Two main things were surprising for me: the rehearsals were not boring and exhaustive at all - we had a lot of fun and shared communion together. Secondly, through participating in the choir, I was able to go beyond the sheet music and worship God in truth, both during the rehearsals and the service itself. It was amazing to sing about Jesus resurrection, and the forgiveness of sins and hope we have through Him." -Bruno, Brazil
"Singing in the choir not only gives the opportunity to express the wonders of God in music, but it also bonds the singers together as a team, in fellowship and love. If you have never tried to sing in the choir, I would strongly recommend it: blessings guaranteed." -Frieda, Indonesia
"There's a gazillion reasons why I love joining the FIBC choir for the Easter and Christmas concerts. But these stand out: (1) It's a great way to fellowship with others from the church and we always help each other through difficult passages, (2) You get to see a different side of Pastor Erik. He is always happy, smiling, he jokes, has an amazing voice and can pitch himself at any voice type effortlessly; it's like watching a professional juggler, and (3) lastly, for this particular Easter, as I sang praises of The Wonderful Cross, it made me realise that no matter how crap life may seem sometimes, I am already victorious through His death and resurrection and when I worship, I dedicate my best back to Christ who gave me all." -Kay, Singapore
Thanks so much to all who participated in this year's Easter choir and who attended the performance on March 20. To learn more about how you can get involved in upcoming FIBC choir events, email worship@fibc.dk today!
Special thanks to Rochelle Coote for the lovely photos posted in this blog post.
