Words of Introduction

In Process--I'm Trying to figure this out--especially the picture end--I appear not to be the only one, the company sent me a message confessing to a "Major problem" that was being addressed this month, whatever that means.  Not helpful, but will work without images.

This trip began with Kirchentag (or church meeting) and the opportunity to stay with a brother in Christ, Yves Tollner and his family, in Bremen.  Bremen is where Kirchentag is taking place and Yves is a pastor.  Yves and I were in Ghana at the same time, working for the same denomination.  Over the course of the year we shared many conversations, a couple beers, and I had the opportunity to stand with him at his African wedding to Emefa in Togo.  That is part 1--yet to come.  Oh...Kirchentag is a gathering of 80 to 100,000 Christians.  It takes place every two years in a different German city--this year Bremen--five days of fellowship, music, Bible, conversations, drama--it will be an experience. This year the theme is Mortal, where art thou...  More to come.

Part 2--Silke--right now I am in the city of Lubeck on the Baltic Sea coast.  I had been thinking of Denmark, but Silke said, "No, you are in Germany for Kirchentag, so you must stay in Germany." Silke was right.  So, I said, "where?  I don't like BIG cities.  She directed me here, Lubeck, and from here--the Baltic Sea.  I like Lubeck.

A day before leaving, Silke dropped by the office with two manuscripts for me to read. Homework.  She is a professor.  Manuscript #1, a not very short story from one of Lubeck's sons, a Nobel Prize winning book by Thomas Mann.  I have made the mistake of trying to read it while suffering from jet lag.  I do not recommend it.  It promises though to be an excellent read.  If nothing more gets written after today, it is because I am doing homework for Silke.

Manuscript #2 was written by a daughter of First Congregational Church, UCC; Lulu.  I am terrible with age, I think Lulu is 11.  Her manuscript was about a trip she took last summer to the Baltic Sea.  Actually it is a draft copy.  I am awed.  She may well be a future Nobel Prize winner.  From a technical perspective she writes well.  Don't trust me, grammar and spelling are not my friends.  What struck me was how she wrote, communicating not only information but both her ideas and feelings.  They show a girl who thinks and feels, and I suspect is quite advanced for her age.  FCCUCC is blessed.

I have now spent time in four church buildings as well as walking around town.  The two I saw today (good night of rest), I have really liked, not so much for their history; but for their "new."  All of the churches were heavily damaged by bombs in WW2.  What I appreciate about these churches is that as they rebuilt, there has been an interesting blending.  Parts are very old and parts include the modern.  It is the modern (since WW2) that most spoke to me.

St. Mary's, a Protestant Church, boasts that it is Germany's third largest church and the World's largest brickstone building.  It was badly damaged during WW2.

I loved the Communion table in the center of the Chancel (the historic and traditional altar could be seen up against the wall, it was the table that drew me).  It was carved out of a 300 year old piece of wood.  The table is square.  As one looks straight down from the top, there is a cross etched into the wood surface.  Out of the very center, Jesus rises out of the wood.  His hands are outstretched and open as he reaches out to embrace the congregation.  The place for the pastor/officiant is behind Jesus (something to say for that).

The individual who told me about the table, also spoke about how powerful it felt to join in the Sacrament of Communion, gathered around the table.

This table reminds me that in Communion, we find the intersection between the earthly and the holy.  Here we find the intersection with the cross and life.  Here we find Jesus reaching out to us, ALL of us, arms open to embrace.  The cross intersects with the table of fellowship and Jesus unconditionally embraces.

My intention is to attend worship here on Sunday and hopefully experiencing Communion, before departing from Lubek.

The Church Bells of St. Mary's

During a bombing raid, the church was hit and the church bells came down. There at the foot of the tower they lay broken and shattered, never to ring again, or so it would seem. Obviously, such happenings are demoralizing to a community. Our faith does not depend on buildings or objects, and yet certain places and items do become sacred. When the bells fall and their call to holiness is silenced, the heart breaks. What does one do when an icon lies shattered at one's feet? The first temptation is to sweep it away, which is what we usually do. The second step usually is "let's rebuild as good or better." This is not what the St. Mary's faith community chose to do. They chose to leave the church bells where they had fallen, and turned them into a place of remembrance that life and faith do go on even when all may appear as disaster. Suddenly the church bells which were silenced come alive. Looking at the bells, I could hear them ringing. I hear the words of Psalm 46 ringing in my head. "...Though the earth should shake, though the mountains tremble in the heart of the sea...be still, and know that I am God..."

Crosses

Upon entering St. Mary's Cathedral my eyes were immediately drawn to a series of crosses.  They were gathered together in a group, with nails and gauze in the center.  Each was different.  All looked warn and weathered.  I counted, 13, and a fourteenth base.  They didn't fit and yet they did.  A cluster of crosses that looked like they belonged outside, indoors in an ancient cathedral.

Later I learned that they were created for an Arts Expo 2000.  At the end of the expo, the artist looked for a church that would accept them and have them on display.  St. Mary's accepted.

They had been created to in relation to the fourteen stations of the cross (a Roman Catholic practice).  They had found a permanent home in a Protestant church.  We do borrow from each other.  He wanted to communicate the sense of the cross not always being beautiful.  There is pain and suffering and out of that comes life.  I did get that sense.  Each center was wrapped with gauze (like bandages), with numerous nails.  I found them beautiful.

The curator who shared a few words with me about them, went on to say; "Not everyone here likes them, but I do."  I agreed, with her about liking them.  Then I commented, "Not everyone likes everything, there is something in this building for all tastes."  She agreed.  God does speak to each of us in different ways.

St. Jacob's is the most complete of the "old" church's and can be dated back as far as 1334.  By most complete, I am referring to its interior decorations.  Lots of darkly painted wood, beautiful in its own right.  Once again though, I am drawn to the more modern interpretations of faith.

In a far corner of the church on the floor before a carved stone that had been mounted on the wall was a circle of bricks on the floor filled with sand and candles.  Individuals had drawn designs in the sand.  Some wrote words.  Some had written names.  Some of the candles had been intentionally placed.  The sand, the candles, the designs, the words all combined into prayer.  Then I looked up at the stone engraving before it and realized that I wall looking at a German soldier.

He was clearly a "foot" soldier.  No effort had been made to make him grandiose, simply a common soldier.

When I think about the Holocaust the insane slaughter of Jews, gypsies, con-conformists, gays, political opponents; I wonder about the rightness of this.  Then I think, but here is hurt also and loss.  God doesn't choose one side.  God grieves wherever their is hurt.  Many of these who had died, thought they were doing right when called to service.  Others, saw no alternative.  Whether right or wrong, many good people suffered, and those who loved them also suffered.  Here was a quiet place with no grandiosity, no effort to make heroic, simply a place to lift up in prayer both the victim and the persecutor; and leaving judgment to God for only God knows which is which.

St. Jacob's was the church of the seafarers.  To the right of the organ was a columbarium and above it an area of remembrance, dominated by a broken lifeboat.

The boat clearly stands as a reminder of disaster.  In this case, disaster that may be ever so close to those who live and work around the sea.  The lifeboat though is not any old one, but comes from a four masted barge named, Pamir, which sank in 1957.

The lifeboat exists for one purpose, to be there in a time of danger and to be used when all else has failed.  Could this be a metaphor for our faith?

When I first saw the bow of the boat, I thought "cool"; here is another church that has seen the import of bringing a boat into God's house.  I thought, here is an image that can be used for many of Jesus' lessons taught in and around the Sea of Galillee.  This one though, goes in such a different direction, that reminder to the members of St. Jacob's and to those of us who visit their house of worship of life saving power in the midst of destruction and loss.

Kirchentag:  Some Impressions

This is now the final day of Kirchentag, I have both enjoyed and been in awe of the event.  A 100,000 Christians gathered for 5 days.  All works in order.  Periodically there are lines or events are closed because of too many.  All are calm and in good moods.

The whole city center is shut down to normal business.  On the first night as we participated in opening ceremonies, we would walk into one square and there would be lots of people, then it would appear as if we had walked away from the crowds only to turn the corner and see another crowd.  Enthusiasm and a good spirit has been everywhere.

As the days have progressed, I have learned that Kirchentag is set up in three primary locations:  The fair grounds (largest), the cit center, and the shipyards (large).  Spread throughout the city are special event locations.  Then there are the walking routes from the various points.

No matter where one is, at the events, or walking, there is always music.  There are the formal staging areas, and then the informal places; school choirs, bands, church bands, Confirmation Classes, traveling choirs, street acts.  These groups will gather and perform in the most unusual places, a crowd gathers, it is good.

Everywhere one looks there are Kirchentag posters and banners.  They are on public buildings and in the street cars.  Simply everywhere.

The City of Bremen planted in flowers the Kirchentag symbol.  It is in full bloom, very public, and large.

Schools closed on Thursday and Friday.

There are radio stations, TV Cameras, live action events.

National political leaders have made appearances.

There are Bible studies, lectures, forums; but what seems to draw the most attention are all of the halls that are full of booths sponsored by organizations.  Everything.  The sheer magnitude of what just what the Protestants in one country are doing to help to make this world a better place is incredible.  The church really is active in and through the world in reconciliation, fair trade, peace, justice, education, natural resources, health care,...

I'm glad to be here.

Mortal, Where Are You?

Much of Kirchentag has been developed around the verse, "Where are you?" from the third chapter of Genesis.  As you recall this is the story about Adam and Eve living in paradise with God.  God gives one command, "Do not eat from the tree of knowledge."  The serpent tempts Eve and she eats.  Eve then invites Adam to eat and he eats.  Both realize they are naked and try to clothe themselves.  When they hear God in the garden, they hide out of fear of God.  God calls out, "Where are you?"  Adam answers, but is afraid.  He does not admit the full truth, but blames Eve.  Eve will blame the serpent.  Consequences follow and paradise is no more.

Much of what I heard during Kirchentag was taking that question, "Where are you?" and having it interpreted more along the lines of God needing us and that we have a responsibility for all of life. Relationship with God rises out of this need.

As I was hearing that message one more time in this Sunday's sermon, part of my mind shifted to a slightly different interpretation.

I heard God's call, "Where are you?" more as a plea than a demand.  God missed Adam and Eve.  God wanted to find them.  You and I are Adam and Eve.

the Adam and Eve of Genesis will respond in fear.  While they will admit to their presence in the Garden of Eden, they do not confess to the whole truth but shift responsibility away from themselves.  They wanted the fruit but did not want what went with it.  They wanted to be with God, but are now afraid.

God cannot turn back the clock.  The fruit has been eaten.  God wants relationship, but until we are able to respond not only to God's presence but with the fullness of self, the relationship is tainted.  We have to learn how to come back without fear.

How many others do we know are hiding from God?  Personally, I think the majority have no relationship, most are unaware other than that they have an emptiness in themselves or a fear.  When we do become aware of the other, we avoid responding out of fear of becoming one of those "holy freaks".  So our excuses come, and avoidance is further practiced.

God's call is one back to relationship.  God is seeking us.  Our challenge is to first hear that call (not so easy when we are busy doing everything else).  Then to set aside our fear and to respond with honesty.  In that we return to the life of paradise; however, paradise cannot be the same for we now have eaten fruit from the tree of knowledge.  We know the difference.  We know the connections.  All else follows.

The beginning though is hearing God calling, because God misses you.  God misses myself.

God is calling, "Where are you?"

Baptism

At Kirchentag, I bumped into a friend and colleague from my days in Lebanon, PA; Joe.  Joe has a church in downtown Lebanon.  As we talked about some of the things that were currently exciting him, he mentioned that his church has begun to periodically practice radical hospitality through Baptism.

Their practice arose out of a conversation he had with a number of individuals who talked to him about how they could not be baptized in other churches in town (one person mentioned that it was due to the fact that he was divorced).  In some cases the reasons were rather rigid and uncompromising.  He shared his concerns with his congregation.  Lo and behold his congregation responded by asking, "When are we going to baptize these people?" They entered into a congregational study, asking what scripture said about baptism.  They were reminded that baptism in scripture was far more open than most practice.  The congregation then decided that they would set aside a special Sunday and advertise to the community that whoever wanted to be baptized was welcome to come to worship and they would be baptized, no questions asked.  The first time they tried this, the sanctuary was full.  He spoke of the range of dress and the range of emotions expressed and demonstrated by those who came.  The congregation then invited each worshiper to fill out a card if they wanted to receive further communication from the church, many chose to.  The congregation has since held three such services and is planning a fourth.

I don't know what to make of this.  The Sacrament of Baptism offered widely and freely, no strings attached.  I find myself drawn to this, and then I say "but, but..."

Traditionally, the stress in adult baptism is that it is an informed entering into a life of faith as taught and communicated by a particular faith tradition.

Radical hospitality through baptism suggests inclusion simply because of desire and allowing the conditions to be personal between the individual and God.

A day after talking to Joe, I went with my friend Yves to church.  After worship a young man wanted to talk to Yves.  Yves scheduled a time for the two of them to speak together.  As we talked further, I discovered that the reason for the conversation was that the young man was wanting to enter into the faith.  He didn't know if he had been baptised or not.  Yves told me the message he had given the young man, "Baptism is fine, but first things first.  You must understand rightly before Baptism."

The context was that the young man clearly has reacted to Kirchentag, has a need in his life, and wants to develop a spiritual relationship.  The church service we attended was attended by about twenty to thirty others (a congregation of several thousand).  On paper the German church has many members, but few feel the need to attend worship.  The demographics further identify that young people by and large are completely disconnecting (sounds familiar).

Prior to talking to Joe, I must admit that I would have talked about baptism of an adult after a period of study and reflection, just like Yves.  Joe reminded me that what that study really would have focused on is about understanding Christianity as I/we understand it.  With the goal of being the individual embracing and understanding our particular faith tradition.  Joe and his church challenges--open it up, for that is what Jesus meant.  Open it up and then trust in the spirit.  Open it up so that inclusion is into the family of God.  Worry less about the particular sub family of God.

How much do we create boundaries for the Spirit, because of fear of letting it get a bit out of control?

Thanks Joe for making me think about how I might need to stretch my boundaries?