Lenten 2015: INVITATION for rehearsal JOEL 2.12

The play we show, the music we play, the dance we present, the performance we act has the title: "CHRISTIAN-LIFE-STYLE".
We know already, at least since Paulus etc... we live in God and God lives in us.
This is not a dream, according to Paulus: it's a fact. You like it or not - it's a reality.
This fact is celebrated in the Cath. Church, for everyone in the Baptism etc...
For our rehearsal I like to mention only 2 points given us by the profet Joel:
1.) The Invitation is NOT: try to be in God, the invitation is: TURN TO GOD !
Maybe we are seen like bees: flying from bloom to bloom, enjoying life... and have
forgotten the basic and the air and the wind and the challenge... Into this LIFE-
SITUATION, into this life-experiences we are called, invited: turn to God. And the
invitation says: again + again + again (Joel 2.12) "Turn to God" means: think about God, speak to God and about God, act like God (as shown by Jesus). This special God-thinking, God-speaking, God-acting needs time and space and courage and is different from other thinking, speaking, acting - because
the focus of our attention is now God. This is the invitation: take time, space
and strength to connect with "God" (it's a matter of consciousness).
To accept this invitation is your decision.
2.) Like in the time of Joel also today it's not clear, which kind of God may get your attention. Today - if you speak about God - you have to explain, which kind of God you think about.  Joel is a help on the way. May we accept his proposal?
Or do you like an other God? Joel recommends us: if you have God in mind connect
it with tenderness (1) and with compassion (2). [If you have the experience of
"fallen in love" you may know what is meant by "tenderness and compassion"] If you
have God in mind, connect it with "slow - to anger" (3); rich - in grace" (4); "ready -
to relent" (5). For the construction of your God-Image net these 5 factors together - and you have already a high level and nearly modern God-picture (but not yet the
God-picture Jesus brought us).
The "GOD-TURN" or turning to God is an old invitation. But since ca. 4000 years
this "turning" includes the question: to which kind of God. And this question has not yet reached the normal baptised person of 2015. Therefore the Invitation for Lenten-time 2015 is urgent: purify your God-IMAGE. We got it as a gift from
our parents, from the Church etc...but now as adult person of today we have to discover which kind of God we praise and we have to examine our God-picture;
eventually to purify it - it's an exercise of high priority for our future. Your CHRISTIAN-LIFE-STYLE depends an your IMAGE of GOD. If you have reached
"Joel" - yu are already good - once you will reach the IMAGE of GOD of Jesus...

The leper + the Religious Camp.

It's OLD Testament  Lev. 13.1-2.45-46
The LORD said to the Pope and the Cardinals: "If not a special dress is evident;
if not the vow of poverty, obedience, chastity is proclaimed in public - a case of
"non-consecrated-life" (NCL - no clean life) is suspected.
The one, it means: his/her "Non-Clean-Lifestyle" must be taken to a Cardinal or a Bishop or a Parish and set under special attention, observation.
If it is obvious that this person is infected with NCL (no-clean-life / unclean / non-consecrated-life - without any vows):
1. He/She must wear his/her clothing torn, casual (not a strong, orderly monk-
or congregation-habit / not exclusive) - it means dressed like normal people !
2. That person must show his/her hair disordered; it means: a hairstyle of any
kind (not a covering orderly veil).
3. He/She must cry: "NCL; NCL" ( =no clean life / unclean / I'm not consecrated)
and must warn everybody and confess to all: "I'm unclean - and pls pay attention:
because I'm very infectious" (esp. in modern time).
It's clear: As long as she/he is without any vows (NCL) he/she must be treated as unclean - by the people of God in every case.It means: he/she must live apart; out-side the religious Camp. - it means in the world ! not in the Church-Camp ???

It's NEW Testament  Mk 1.40-45
An unclean NCL-person came to Jesus ad says: "If you want, you can cure me / accept me without any vows". And Jesus touched him/her and said: "be cured "
(be accepted without any vows / accepted as an NCL). But Jesus likes to protect the religious life (and says: don't tell to anybody that I have cured / accepted you).
Nevertheless the cured tells the healing story - and everybody likes Jesus - but not the Religious. So Jesus got now the same destiny: he had to stay outside (the synagogue) in places, where nobody lived; outside the religious Camp, in the World (where nobody lived the religious life, the vows).

Once I regognized the Baptism as the consecration of Life, 1939, like the Eucharist 1966, as the consecration of Bread and Wine. Since 2015 I have to confess: I'm without any vows - I'm ncl / no-clean-life / living a unclean, non-consecrated-life.
Living in the World, not in the religious Camp - very sorry ???

Mark: "JESUS on a SHOW-tour"

In Mk 1.21- 28 / 28 - 39 it looks like Jesus AS THE FOUNDER OF CHRISTIANITY
is on a show-tour.  (4. + 5. Sun B):
Capernaum ("the whole town came"); the Galilean-countryside; Syngogue; the
neighbouring-country-towns...)
His REPUTATION spread everywhere...  / HE is getting famous... / HE is special...     ""EVERYBODY IS LOOKING FOR YOU"

The reason for his reputation is a) not his family / blood   b) not because of a title
but because of HIS DEEDS

A) He has a very impressive teaching: "Here is a teaching, that is new"
B) He is casting out devils, unclean spirits:
                                             "He gives them orders and they obey him"
C) He is healing all over "He helped her up"
D) He prayed  "at a lonely place"

These four activities gives HIM a great REPUTATION !!!  as Mark see it...

WHAT is the REPUTATION of the Christianity of today in NAMIBIA ????

A) teaching ?   We have famous Catholic / Christian Schools ...
B) casting out ????
C) healing ?  We have Hospitals ...
D) praying ?    We have a lot of Sunday-Services...

Once the Christian Churches have been famous for the PRAYER for Independence.
Today ????   today: the Churches are casting out the devils of corruption ?
                              the Churches are alleviating the poverty ?
                              the Churches bring which richnesses ?
                              the Churches offer real solutions for NAMIBIAN's problems ?
We are like the moon - taking the light from the Sun and wipe out the stars.