A few years ago Sundays here featured a different church each week, one that I had visited on overseas travels. I’m not sure why I stopped, and today sems like a good day to share some photos that I had forgotten about.

The Church of St. John, Johanneskirche, is a Roman Catholic church just outside the downtown core in Freiburg, Germany. As German churches go this one is relatively new – the building is just over 100 years old. I took these pictures in March 2021, when there wasn’t much happening downtown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you look closely you will see that many of the pews are roped off, to help maintain social distancing.

What struck me about the church was the multilingual message of hope on display. In a day and age where very few people actually pass through the doors of the church, this one reminds people that God is not done with us as a society yet.

That was a message we needed to hear during the pandemic. It is a message we still need to hear today.

In turbulent times the church is an oasis of peace.