Tewahedo gemeenschap

'A bridge to God': the essence of priest Gebremedhin's liturgy and mission in the Tewahedo community

09 July 2025

Gebremedhin Embaye Sibhatu is a priest at Debreselam Medhanie Alem parish in Amstelveen- Amstelland. He talks about joining the church, the important traditions of the community an=nd about an undeniable part of Eastern Christian heritage: the liturgy.

This vibrant Eritrean Tewahedo community has its roots in the rich history of Christianity in Eritrea, which dates back to the apostolic era. As early as the first century, Yemeni and Syrian Christians settled in the port cities of Adulis and Avalites on the Red Sea. In the centuries that followed, churches were built and the Gospel was preached in the highlands of Eritrea. The parish of Father Gebremedhin is part of this rich history and settled in Amstelveen in 2003. After a few years, this religious community moved to Amsterdam in the municipality of Buitenveldert. "Years ago, as the son of a priest in Eritrea, I decided to train as a priest. This also meant learning the authentic liturgical language of the Tewahedo Church, Ge'ez. This language is used in Eritrea and Ethiopia and is comparable to Latin in the Catholic Church. Not everyone in my parish understands this language, which motivates me to master it well so that I can translate it accurately for the community," Gebremedhin says. He continues, "In February 2019, I moved to the Netherlands to be reunited with my family, who were already living there. After searching for an Eritrean church in the Netherlands, I found the Debreselam Medhanie Alem parish, where I became a priest."

The Ge’ez

In order to preserve and promote the Ge'ez and Tigrinya languages, Father Gebremedhin states "We invite parents from the community to bring their children to church, where we offer language lessons. Here they learn to speak, write and read the language, often using psalms as texts. In addition, we have special occasions for children and young people who want to continue their education and become deacons in the future." This is a great success; there are currently many children in the community participating in this educational opportunity. He states "In this way, we try to create a connection between learning about faith, religious traditions and the language of their country of origin."

Essence of the liturgy

We as human beings come from God, and therefore we have a connection with Him. What you see is that people want to deepen this connection. "As a priest, I help them to come closer to God on a spiritual level. It is my task to build a bridge to understanding the sacred traditions and how we should deal with them. This is exactly what I mean by the word 'serving the community', so the essence of the liturgy can be summed up in one sentence: 'bringing people and God together'."

 

priester Gebremedhin in de Tewahedo-gemeenschap

Ark of the covenant

An important religious object in their community is the Ark of the Covenant. He tells, "We know the story of the prophet Moses, who led the people of Israel out of Egypt. During his journey through the desert, Moses arrived at Mount Sinai, where God gave him the Ten Commandments. After receiving these commandments, Moses made a special chest, the Ark of the Covenant, to store the stone tablets. This ark symbolises the presence of God and the agreements He made with His people." Replicas of this ark are found in most Tewahedo churches, often in a raised place in the church. On special occasions and holidays, the ark is carried by priests of the church so that the people can see, appreciate and honour it. In times of famine, war or drought, the community brings the ark outside to pray. He continues, "On the day of Christ's baptism by John the Baptist and the day of Christ's crucifixion, we also honour the ark by walking around with the entire community and praying."

 

Jonah and the whale 

One of the traditions of Tewahedo communities is that the church must be an open place for everyone, accessible at any time of the day, every day of the week. Priests and monks are always present there to pray and perform their duties. "Unfortunately, we are not yet able to practice this tradition, because we share the church building with other Christian communities, as it would otherwise be too expensive. This does limit us in how we can practise our traditions." For example, in the Tewahedo Church, there is a three-day fasting period that is often associated with the story of Jonah. On the first day, the church commemorates Jonah's calling by God to go to Nineveh and warn the inhabitants of their evil deeds. However, Jonah tries to escape this task and flees in the opposite direction. This event invites believers to reflect on their own calling and the ways in which they may be ignoring God's call. On the second day, Jonah encounters a violent storm at sea. He is thrown overboard and swallowed by a large whale. In the darkness of the whale's belly, he has time to reflect on his actions and turn to God in prayer. This day emphasises the importance of repentance and seeking forgiveness, even in the most difficult times.

Confession, prayer and rememberance 

On the third day, Jonah lands on dry land again and goes to Nineveh to proclaim God's message. The inhabitants of Nineveh, led by their king, listen to Jonah and repent. This day reminds believers that even the greatest sins can be forgiven if one sincerely repents and returns to God. These three days of fasting are an opportunity for believers to reflect on their lives, repent, and grow in their relationship with God, inspired by the story of Jonah and his journey from escape to obedience. This is a period when believers regularly attend church to confess, pray and commemorate. Father Gebremedhin  states "For us, the church is not just a place where the community gathers once a week on Sundays, it is a place that is always open and accessible to everyone. Because we can only use part of the church building, we are unfortunately unable to always be open to the faithful and thus pass on the tradition in its entirety to the new generations. I pray that there will be more unity between all Eastern Christian communities and that we will become one. I imagine an imaginary umbrella under which we all fit together in harmony and love; an umbrella that binds us together."

Written by
Chrika Tofik is a Heritage specialist and former intern at IvOC's Platform Oosters Christendom