On Easter Saturday, 30 March 2002,
3,500 mainly young Christians gathered "to renew
the covenant with the living God which led to the formation of the Swiss Confederation
in 1291". The gathering on Rütli, a mountain near Lucerne, where the original covenant was made,
was organised by a small group of young Swiss leaders. "Why are you lying here sleeping? Get up
and call on your God for help! Maybe he will have mercy, and not let us die" (Jonah 1:6) - those
were the words with which Matthias 'Kuno' Kuhn called on young Christians "not to crawl into
your sleeping bags like Jonah, not understanding what is happening around you, but to stand
up and be seen, so that Switzerland will be saved. This is no day for happy-clappy Christians
looking for a fun event - it's the moment in which you're being called to seriously commit
yourself to the Lord."
3,500 mainly young Christians gathered "to renew
the covenant with the living God!
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The sermon about Jonah left a particular impression on many: "he literally slept through the
first 50 days of his mission, and won the second half, having squandered the first." As a parallel
to the spiritual wrestling for the future of Switzerland, the participants were challenged to start
something new in the next 50 days, and stand up for their nation.