Thin Places

The Evanjelicke Lyceum, being what it is and where it is, offers a fall break over Reformation Day and All Saints Day.  We took the opportunity to visit Leipzig and Wittenberg, Germany. 

Martin

In our minds these two cities, stomping grounds of Bach and the reformers, are thin places.  In Celtic spirituality a “thin place” is a physical location where the veil between God and the world is especially, well, thin, where people experience God more directly and clearly.  Theologically we doubt whether we should use this metaphor, since it implies that the distance between God and people is generally “thick,” and we know that God is everywhere.  Our experience, however, tells us that places do exist where we feel closer to God, whether it is true or not. 

The Leipzig market

Against the law to have a REAL monkey

We took the overnight train on Thursday from Bratislava to Dresden, changed trains, and went on to Leipzig.  Walking a bit brought us to our hotel, which was grand.  New remodeling and total electronics took us far and away from our much more humble flats in Bratislava.  Based on the recommendation of our traveling companions, we went first to the tourist office and signed up for the guided walking tour a couple of hours later.  It just so happened that the market opens on Friday, so we strolled through the booths and ate our lunch in the open air--bockwurst and reformation bread.  Imagine a bit of Christmas bread with raisins and then add some red jam on top, covered with icing or powdered sugar.

Tomaskirche

Having noshed a bit (but not in the Naschmarkt-- see below), we found our way to the Tomaskirche where Johann Sebastian Bach was choirmaster and organist for over a quarter of a century., We went along to the tourist office again and caught our walking tour, one stop of which was our hotel!

After walking around some more and having a bit of a rest at the hotel we went to a motet (etc.) concert at the Thomas Church.  The famous boychoir was on vacation so adults from town, including some alumni from the boychoir, acted admirably as a fill-in group. We went on to a fine dinner and then went back to the hotel.

At the Leipzig Naschmarkt

Nikolaskirche

The next morning we did some shopping near the Naschmarkt.  Unlike in Vienna where the Naschmarkt is really a market, the one in Leipzig is a central square behind the old city hall where Goethe and the boys played.  We then went to see the St. Nicholas Church, a large structure with a substantial plaza outside, where the "Velvet Revolution" (the fall of the Soviet Bloc) began.  Monday demonstrations started in September of that year after peace services led by the pastor of the Lutheran congregation, Christian Fuhrer.  The demonstrations grew, and many people gathered in the plaza on October 9, 1989--about 5,000.  Police arrested some, the Army supported the police, and the authorities told the rest of the people to disperse or be forcibly evicted.  Fuhrer invited all of the demonstrators (all five thousand) into the church, and faced with the prospect of continuing demonstrations from the people of Leipzig and the East Germans who had taken refuge in the West German embassy in Prague, the East German government crumbled.
 

Inside the Nikolaskirche

In the middle of the nave of the church is a candelabra with 40 candles for the Jews' 40 years in the wilderness, 40 days of the ark on the water, Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness, etc, and "Our 40 years in the wilderness, 1949-1989."  Very moving and very touching.

The "Theses Door," now bronze

 

That afternoon we took a train to Lutherstadt Wittenberg.  We first located the hotel--one of us (he who must not be named) suggested following the driving sign which took us about twice as long, twenty minutes instead of ten.  We walked in the old town, locating the town church (St. Mary's), the castle church, and the tourist information office. The Castle Church is the place where Martin Luther purportedly posted his 95 theses against indulgences in 1517, the publication of which ignited the Reformation. We came to Wittenberg expecting to learn a lot about Luther, which we did, but we came away with the idea that Lutherans in the United States sorely under-appreciate Luther's co-reformer Philipp Melanchthon.  Of course, we are glad that the movement is

Luther's House

named after Luther.  After all, who would go to the Melanchthonian Church?  Perhaps more will follow about that in another blog.  We went to an English-language church service that night and then got turned away by a bunch of restaurants until we ended up in a Tuscan themed place, which turned out to be wonderful.

Katarina von Bora--Katy Luther

Guarding the Wittenberg old town hall

Sunday we walked around the city, including the newer part.  Wittenberg has about 50,000 residents, of whom perhaps 10,000 are Christian, the vast majority of whom are Lutheran (well, Evangelical,which may include several denominations near to Lutheranism).  During the time of the German Democratic Republic (GDR, or East Germany) those who publicly professed Christianity risked at least repudiation and sometimes persecution. We went to a museum that afternoon showing what life was like in Communist times.   Sunday night we went to one of the restaurants that had been recommended to us for the night before, but which had no room.  Arden Haug joined us; he is pastor of the International Church here and newly appointed director of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Wittenberg Center.  

Arden Haug preaching

Soup's on!

Monday, Reformation Day, dawned foggy and cold, and the weather did not improve much.  Nevertheless, it was a good say with an English language service at the Castle Church at 8:00 A.M. (well attended), the festival service (mainly in German) at 10:00 (overflowing, perhaps a thousand or more attending), and the Renaissance Fair for the rest of the day.  Pastor Haug conducted the English service and served as a liturgist for the second.  He preached from five meters above Luther's grave.  The Old Town area was also packed. We had bratwurst, fresh mushrooms, and cherry beer for lunch.  Lutheran churches from around the world are sponsoring a tree garden, 500 trees representing the 500th anniversary of the Reformation which happens in 2017, and at 4:00 P.M. we went to the latest ceremony adding 19 trees.  Another concert happened at 5 at the Castle Church, this time focusing on gospel music relating to the theme of the weekend, freedom. Finally, we went to the Festival Concert at the Town Church at 7:30, Bach, Elgar, and Rutter.

The Town Church

The Castle Church

Services in the Luther Garden

Dedicating a tree in the Luther Garden

Where did we feel close to God?  Each of the cities provided a host of places.  Concerts, church services, trees, people--all gave us an encounter with a thin place.  Will we go back?  God knows, but we want to. 

"Ein Feste Burg (A Mighty Fortress)"