Aufstehen Night 1: Hope for EuropeRachel Wegner - 6 Oct 2011

Hello there, 24-7 family!



Aufstehen is off to a running start!

A few hundred folks representing many, many nations from around Europe (and even a handful from as far and wide as Australia and the USA) descended upon Frankfurt, Germany today to launch the 24-7 Eurogathering. The evening began with a moment of prayerful silence, where we were invited to place a piece of tape over our mouths to signify our desire to hear God’s voice above all others. A time of worship, welcoming and a few inspiring stories from around the 24-7 movement followed.

Ian Nicholson blessed us with an opening address, speaking out of the story of the man healed of paralysis in John 5.

“Take up your bed, rise up and walk,” Jesus said simply to the man. And in an instant, he was healed of an infirmity he had carried for 38 years.

From this story, Ian drew a picture of the continent of Europe paralyzed and losing hope. Social, political and economic issues abound. The Christian church is dwindling and the secularization of Europe is growing. But Ian also turned our gaze to the signs of life and hope for Europe.

“Every one of us here has an excuse to stay seated,” Ian said. “But Jesus would still say to each, ‘Stand up.’”

The evening closed with a challenge to physically stand up as a response to Jesus’ charge to the man at Bethesda those few thousand years ago.

If you’d like to hear the address for yourself (which was presented in both English and German), we’ve just posted a recording of it. Stay tuned for more blogs, photos and recordings as Aufstehen continues over the next few days!



Until tommorrow…