Sojourning

“I invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and those who are sojourning in foreign lands to set apart the last Thursday next of November as a day of Thanksgiving.”  - Abraham Lincoln, 1861



Pieterskerk



Yesterday we rode the train to nearby Leiden to attend an ecumenical Thanksgiving Day Service at Pieterskerk (Peter’s Church) for Americans residing in the Netherlands. It was a beautiful service with choral and concert music, scripture, and reflections given by a Catholic priest, protestant ministers and Jewish rabbis. What we didn’t know as we stepped into this gothic church built back in 1121 was the historical significance it held for the Pilgrims before they made their way to the New World. Leaving England behind, the Separatists and their minister, John Robinson, came first to the Netherlands and lived in the city of Leiden from 1609 to 1620. The Dutch accepted them and they were free to practice their faith in the very same church that we were visiting. Ultimately, many of the Pilgrims decided to leave Leiden as they felt that the Dutch customs and manners were too liberal and that they would lose their identity, language and culture. So thus began their journey across the Atlantic to America. However, John Robinson stayed behind with part of the congregation and is buried in the Pieterskerk. It is amazing to learn of the history of this holiday that we never knew until coming here!

The definition of sojourn is a temporary stay or a brief period of residence. I haven’t ever given this word too much thought – but it stood out to me as I read the above quote from Abraham Lincoln in our service program. I am a sojourner, staying for a time in Europe, but really we are all sojourners, pilgrims making the journey and awaiting the time when we will live in our true home.  

I must admit that it is strange and difficult not to be home with our families to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday this year. Besides missing the feast of delicious food, it is the gathering itself, coming together with family and friends, that my heart misses the most. Though we are far away from those we love, I am grateful for all of the rich blessings God has bestowed on us. Like the Pilgrims who sat down at the first Thanksgiving far away from the country they called home to give thanks for God’s goodness and provision, I too, give thanks today for all the wonderful people in our lives and my faith in the One who gives us everything we need, even when we are sojourning in a foreign land.

I will leave you with the benediction which was sung so beautifully by the Jewish Rabbi in both Hebrew and English that I found myself welling up with tears. It is the Priestly Blessing found in the Old Testament Chapter of Numbers.

“May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

Happy Thanksgiving!