5th Easter-Sunday Joh 13.31-35 A new heart...

The time after the resurrection of Jesus is coming nearer... 

The first reading (Acts 14.21...) brings the message: Paulus + Barnabas implant
a new heart in Antiochia into the disciples. Such a spiritual heart-trans- plantation needs a long way and endurance.... maybe years!

In the sec. reading (Apk 21.1-5) is reveald: there is a NEW heaven + a NEW earth
and in the NEW situation God is named "Emmanuel" (living with the people).
You also need to keep in mind: "Jesus and God are seen as one".
Never forget the slogan:"Now I am making the whole creation new".

Und now the gospel: John let (100 years after Jesus has died) Jesus proclaim:
        "I shall not be with you any longer"
It means we have to accept: Jesus (and with him God) goes... he dies... he will
not be with us...   he disappears... there will be emptiness! The focus of their
lives, the one they have followed is not any more...   void! It's like today: a lot of
people feel God is absent... God is not at hand...   and worse: Jesus himself
announces as a Eu-angelion, as a joyfull message: I shall not be with you any longer! The absence of God (and Jesus) is a precondition for the New heart,
for the New heaven, the New earth. Into this New situation - emptiness -
void of God and Jesus - he himself gives a New commandment, a New chance
of Life:  "love one another".   (as Jesus has given an example).

And if you like to recognize the followers of Jesus in 2013 - there is a New sign to
recognize them:  "look: how they love one another"!  They don't love anymore "God"
oder "Jesus"; there focus is not God or Jesus - they love one another! This is the
real test (Religion is evaporated / secularisation is the wind).
   The old heart beats for God / for Jesus  (Religion).
   But Jesus has gone and with him his God - the heart is empty.
   The New heart beats for "one another" (New heaven + New earth).

The secular Christianity knows: we don't have Jesus any more, only his example.
we don't have God any more, only his word. There will be a new heaven and a new earth wherever the chance is taken; "love one another".

 

Success Joh 10.27-30 (21.04.2013)

What we got by the story of the rich catch (Joh 21.1-14)
here we have it clear (Joh 10.27-30):
A) The one, belonging to me, listen to my voice
    (as the Apostles + disciples have done)
B) I know them (I have confidence in them: they will follow me)
C) they follow me really (they do what I told them to do)
D) and I give them eternal life (fullness of Life / rich fish-catch).

What is proclaimed here, that's a divine order (Joh 10.30)
it means: it's valid for the whole creation:

The one who is confident with the Person of Jesus Christ,
it means the one who is inter-acting with him in all his dimensions,
this one will encounter, live "fullness of Life".

A full Christian Life belongs for the moment to the peack of the cultural
evolution. It opens for everyone the possibility to get Life-experiences
at a very high level - inclusive: birth + death, I + We,  appearance + being,
nature + culture, man + God.

The Jesus-Movement has brought into this world a new world-view:
Joh 10.10: I have come in order that you might have life -
                  life in all its fullness.

Mr. SOMEBODY Joh 21.1-14

What tells us this story from the rich fish-catch ? After the Apostles and the
first disciples have died - the Jesus-Movement is busy to proclaim  the
unbelievable resurrection of the Lord Jesus !  to believe we need signs...

In the Gospel: Mr. Somebody gives an effective advice - and the disciples execute it. Great catch! The one, who knows Jesus best starts to suspect: The Spirit of Jesus may be embodied in this Mr. Somebody - it's the risen Lord who acts!
Und the braeckfast-meal  after the hard work - the bread as a sign: the bread of Life is given. Mr Somebody realizes in his way the Spirit of Jesus.
[Unification of identities or: two I's doing the same act].

As a fiction: There wa a unsuccessfull school... the pupils out of way...
Mr Somebody gives advice: A) The parents are responsible for the school.
B) The teachers are in service of the education - rendering their best...
(without or with better salaries): knowledgeable...   C) The HoD's  execute best
administration und motivation...  D) The learners are disciplined and eager...
And oh wonder! All work together... they perform the advice...
Today - this school is well know as best ... a profit for all and more... a feast
celebrates the understanding: "we are all in service of...." 

As a theory: The Spirit of Jesus Christ is embodied in all of us. He is challenged
into resurrection here and now. The resurrection way means: doing in the given situation what the Spirit of Jesus wants us to do. Resurrection means: put your lives here and now in a new perspective: to bring all of us into a greater participation with the fullness of Life.

After Easter: THOMAS still senses-drunk

The Ev John (20.10-31) shows a Thomas who has refused to make a decision
(to believe) - because he didn't get any reason, any basic in favour of a resurrection.
For him, the human senses would bear reason (seeing, hearing, touching). Thomas belongs to the kind of people who base their life-style upon the perception by senses. That's good - but today that's not any more enough.
The human perception by senses has developped over many years (millions) but this under the law of the survival of the species. In the meantime the human conciousness has emerged and we need a new basic for the Spiritual Life.
The perception by senses cannot establish the NEW LIFE (like the resurrection-way, or like the Holy Spirit... , like love, or mercy or schalom etc...). The senses-perception takes up a shape, a model of an already existing material-reality. Human senses are creative, sure, but for the NEW LIFE not enough.
And exactly this "only-human-senses-reality" is not basic for the resurrection-way: love is matter-transcendent. Senses and Insight together will build a basic upon the resurrection-way is dared, decided.
Only the human decision brings into existence love, hope, the Kingdom of God etc...
Baptism  (start of a NEW LIFE) is based on a personal decision, not upon a perception by senses like beauty, wellbeing etc... Therefore happy and real are people who make a decision and not only a logical conclusion of some perception.
The personal decision is based on a offered challenge, on a view of the future (not the past) or on a personal human relationship. As long as we state that our world-view is based on evidence given by senses, Thomas is unable to make a personal decision - he is short-sighted, his world is "measured" - but the spirit (mens) is unmeasured.
The signs of Jesus (his life-style) are indications of a very NEW human Life-style - emerging out of responsible consciousness not out of senses-evidence.

The resurrection-way Easter 2013

In view of our Christian belief God has given us: Life, Creation, Light.
God challenges us to live, to shape, to shine - it's a way...
Life is: birth and death; Creation is build up and decay; Light is: light and dark;
Let's accept the participation with all this fullness of Life.
Symbol is for us Jesus Christ
as we follow him, we go the resurrection-way -
it's we - not me - going this way.
The Church is a try / an experiment to go this way together.

MEMORIAL - Service Holy Friday 2013 St. Anthony Otjiwarongo

Our Memorial-Service today is dedicated to the Profet JvN;
he died on the cross the death by engagement.
The Service may encourages us in the same engagement.
Jesus was engaged to show us a new understanding of God,
a new picture of the Holy Mystery (named God).
The Pharisees have nearly successfully turned the intention of Jesus
into a political matter. They never have accepted JvN as the revealer
of a new picture of God. Jesus has changed Religion from a
God-managing agency into "respect of the Holy Mystery"
For the Pharisees the Jahwe-God is revenge for the enemies and
salvator of the jewisch people. For JvN God is Healer of all and
Redeemer of all and Justice and Peace for all and He challenges
all of us into the fullness of Life.
Jesus has practised this picture of God and therefore was crucified
for his engagement.
Jesus's proclamation "The Kingdom of God is at hand" means:
A) God is good for all, He loves all
B) God has already poured out all His GRACE into the World
C) God challenges all of us to participate with the fullness of Life for all.
We hope this may be also our Christian engagement for our time-space.

Holy Week - God in action

Palm-Sunday: Jesus goes public
                      "The kingdom of God is at hand"  this slogan is for the public!
                      Everybody is invited to discover this truth.
                pls note: "truth is something that can be thought of only by believing it".

Service-Thursday: Jesus declares himself as the Bread for the Life of the World
                            und washes the feet of his Apostles.
             Everybody is invited to declare him/herself as bread and to keep his/her
             activity as a Service.

Holy-Friday: Death is nature. Death by engagement is more - human!
                   Death is the personal loss of all (Life and World and God).
                   If Life is a gift - it may be given once and for all.

Silent-Saturday: The music has gone, the pictures put out, the feelings extinct,
                          the thinking rests...   the emptyness offers the brightest
                          possibilities - call Life into reality.

Easter-Sunday: we celebrate the resurrection-way - an invitation for all.