Yesterday, I took the boat across Lake Leman from Lausanne to Geneva. It was a thoroughly enjoyable boat ride - unfortunately, I sat “on the wrong side of the boat” as it hovered along the Swiss Coastline. I sat on the side facing France which was far off in the distance. If I was better at marine/ship terminology I’d know whether that was port or starboard side, but I don’t. And, while I’m at it, just a quick comment about websites - the one for taking this ferry and websites in general. There was a lunch option, but when I clicked on that, the one way trip from Lausanne to Geneva automatically changed to round trip and I couldn’t figure out how to add a lunch reservation with my 1st class ticket and only have my ticket go one way. When I got on the boat, it was quite clear that I could still eat lunch, even with a one way ticket - BUT, it ended up being more expensive - nearly double for the same food! And I got seated upstairs, still in first class, but I’ll show you the difference between the two possibilities in the pictures below. So, here’s my comment for websites, in general. For those who build websites - you’ve got to make options clearer and pretend that the users know NOTHING about what you are offering. I’ve found this difficult on a number of occasions, where websites assume you know what you want and how to get it. The first two pictures show where I sat for my voyage and view. Still wonderful and beautiful!
Versus where I could have been seated with the advance reservations I tried to get on-line:
Again, I’m not really complaining. I loved where I sat upstairs - I had a wonderful view of the lake and the mountains, I was able to walk around freely, and the staff upstairs was extremely kind and attentive, BUT it’s kind of strange that what I got cost $40, but the advance reservation only cost $27 for the same food and definitely nicer accommodations.
There were some really interesting stops along the way at various ports of call.
Some pictures from Geneva.
My main purpose in spending a full day in Geneva was to go to John Calvin’s Church, St Peter’s Cathedral, and to see the Reformation Monument. I’d seen it once before with my mom and my Aunt Marie, but that had been many, many years ago when we went on a church trip with Rev. William Hess, Glenn Kinkner, who was our church organist, and Bob Morris. Three decades later, my thoughts and ideas are a bit different than they were back then.
St. Peter’s Cathedral was built in the 12th Century, although a church has stood in the same spot since the 4th Century. John Calvin was called upon to come to lead the Protestant movement in Geneva. During the time of the Protestant Reformation, a decision was made by the city of Geneva on August 10, 1535 to suspend Catholic Mass at the Cathedral. Within a year, the church became part of the Reformed tradition, now known as the Protestant Church of Geneva and John Calvin preached here until his death in 1564. On March 5, 2022 a Catholic Mass was celebrated for the first time in the church in nearly 500 years as a symbol of ecumenism.
Those most prominent on the Reformation Wall/Monument are, from left to right: William Farel, John Calvin, Theodore Beza, and John Knox.
Although John Calvin is regarded as the founder of the Reformed Tradition which came out of the Protestant Reformation, Presbyterians (like myself) really owe our deeper theological founding to the work of John Knox, a Scottish clergyman, from Edinburgh. I spent a long time at John Knox’s home in Edinburgh when I was there.
Here are pictures of St Peter’s Cathedral. Protestant Churches tend to be a bit more austere than those from the Catholic tradition. Any photos below that include colorful paintings on the walls or carved wooden figures are from a small chapel within the Cathedral called the Chapel of the Maccabees. The rest are from the main sanctuary.
I sat for a long time within these walls contemplating the work of our earlier Reformers, what they believed in, how important it was to them to change the church - as it had become corrupt, mixing politics and religion - suffering from the same sins of greed and power that often plague those who are “in the world”. I spent a lot of time in prayer over the six principles of the Protestant Reformation:
Soli Deo Gloria - God alone
Solus Christus - Christ alone
Sola Scriptura - Scripture alone
Sola Gratia - Grace alone
Sola Fide - Faith alone
Ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda est secundum verbum dei - The Reformed Church must be constantly reformed according to the Word of God.
These principles were an immediate reaction to what the Reformers were fighting against from what had become of the Catholic Church, at the time. Since then, we’ve done our own job of warping the understanding of those principles. For example - Christ Alone. We’ve often used this principle to say that we believe that no one can get to heaven but through “Christ Alone”. However, that wasn’t what was meant by this principle at the time, the principle was originally created to reinstate the idea that Christ alone is Lord, no other HUMAN BEING, no matter how high he or she is in the social or ecclesiastical hierarchy, can replace Christ. This principle was never meant to address other faiths and whether or not people who follow other faiths or belief systems have merit for entering heaven in the eyes of God. It was to address the real issue (at the time) of humanity’s need to usurp Christ’s power by raising individuals to that status and worshipping them (like saints, etc…)
The same is true with the other principles. We’ve changed how we understand them/use them. Again, I spent a lot of time in prayer about these things while I visited St Peter’s Cathedral and thinking about how church life was like for them at the time and how they so wished the church could be better. I’m there myself, at this time in my life.
Church, we can and need to do better - for such a time as this.
As I sat in the pew where others must have sat centuries ago listening to John Calvin and his ideals of theology, I thought of my own ordination and a hymn that Robin Frenz, our choir director, sang; In This Very Room.
In this very room, there's quite enough love for all of us
And in this very room, there's quite enough joy for all of us
And there's quite enough hope
And quite enough power
To chase away any gloom
For Jesus, Lord Jesus
Is in this very room
Yes there's quite enough hope
And quite enough power
To chase away any gloom
For Jesus, Lord Jesus
Is in this very room
Shouldn’t this be our ONLY message to the world? Shouldn’t this be our motto, our hope, faith, joy, peace, love, and grace for all of us? Wouldn’t the world be a much better place if this was our only message?
I truly believe that we could change the world.
And I think that’s what the reformers wanted to do, too.
Perhaps it is time for a new reformation and to invoke the fullness of the meaning of the last principle - reformed/always reforming.
I’ll post pictures of some of the food I had and another story or two about some experiences in Geneva tomorrow night. Have to get a good night’s rest for a long day of travel to Brugge, Belgium tomorrow.
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