Easter in Amsterdam

He is risen! He is risen, indeed!

These words rang through the crowd of 450 worshipers that we joined today for the Easter service at the English Reformed Church in Amsterdam. What a wonderful worship experience!

The view of the Begijnjof from the window by our seats during worship service.

Pastor John Cowie delivering the Easter Sunday sermon.

The day began clear & cold with blue sky above a slight haze. We had ice on the windshield of the car as we prepared to leave our base in Zevenhuizen.

After the service we hung out in the glorious sunshine in the Begijnhof where the church is located. Then we joined the congregation for coffee fellowship time in the church hall about a block away.

Girls from the congregation playing hopscotch in front of the church hall.

Pastor John Cowie in front of the church hall, unlocking his bike to ride home.

Next up was a visit to the Amsterdam Museum, which promised a look into the history of Amsterdam. I supposed that technically, it delivered on that promise, but it was very disjointed in its presentation of things and left me feeling like it didn't really give me what I was looking for.

Dam Square was bright, sunny, and almost deserted as we walked to church in the morning.

At 4 p.m. the weather had turned cold, and grey. The Dam Square area was now so crowded that you could hardly move in some areas.

Since it was almost 4 p.m. (and the museums close at 5 p.m.) we decided to head for the Oudekerk. We grabbed a coffee and broodje at the Albert Heijn along the way. The Oudekerk was built starting in 1300 a.d. In 1572 it was changed from a Catholic church to a Reformed (Protestant) church and was "cleansed" as part of the iconoclast movement.

 

Light areas on the columns indicate where sculptures were torn down during the iconoclast movement in the 1570's

For dinner we walked over to the Pannekoek restaurant on Prinsengracht. I can't believe we've been here a week and we're just now getting to having pannekoeken!

Some videos from this morning's service. I wish I could have captured the whole thing!