The first stop to our month long trip: Germany, or Deutschland, as the locals would say. Willow Creek, a church in Chicago, puts on a leader’s conference every year in Germany, and this year they wanted Jeff to come out to speak to youth leaders. Germany was great-castles & schnitzel (that’s right- we embraced that schnitzel!), but the highlight for both Jeff and me was the conference.
Jeff did a couple of his spoken words, which they translated in German on the big screen, and then spoke on the prodigal son story. He had an interpreter, which was so fun! If you’ve ever seen Jeff preach before, or seen one of his videos, you know how he uses his hands like crazy to make his points come across, or how he paces the stage. Well, this guy mimicked Jeff to a T. When Jeff put his hands up, the interpreter did. When Jeff went to the left, so did the interpreter. When Jeff rubbed his forehead in thought, so did the interpreter. But the coolest thing about it, the thing that gave me chills, was hearing God’s word and truth spoken in another language.
And it hit me—not that I didn’t know this before, but it was as though it became alive before my eyes that day—God is a God of all the nations. He created every language, every culture, every race. And He desires all-ALL- to come to Him. He knows every language, every cultural custom, every heart’s desire. And one day when Jesus returns, and the kingdom of heaven is brought to earth- a redeemed earth- and when we brothers and sisters bow before His throne worshipping our beautiful Savior, there will be people from every nation, language, tribe, culture & generation. He makes Himself known. He pursues and draws us to Himself. How big is our God!
This was a castle in Heidelberg from 350 A.D! The Heidelberg Catechism was from here.