It’s only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on Earth – and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up – that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Meditation: When I worked in the hospital as a chaplain, I encountered many families and individuals who were experiencing death. I remember it was the first anniversary of my wedding day when I sat with a young woman whose husband was dying. It tore my heart having to see her say good-bye to her husband, when I was able to go home and embrace mine. I also remember working with premature babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care unit. My twin girls had been delivered healthy and full-term, while these babies were struggling to live. I accompanied many couples on their journey of saying “good bye” to their beloved baby. When we encounter death, it changes us. We suddenly don’t take our husband or our children for granted anymore. We cherish every moment. We intentionally kiss each other good bye in the morning or say more than once a day that we love each other. We also pay more attention to those we work with every day. We refrain from superficial talk and gossip and instead seek to have meaningful conversations. We have limited time on Earth and with each other. So we live each day, each conversation and each encounter to the fullest, as if it was the only and the last one we have.

Prayer: Loving God, often we feel surprised and even terrified by death. We don’t expect it, as we try not to think about it, because we often fear it. You invite us to befriend the notion that we have limited time. You want us to live more fully and more mindfully in the here and now. Time is precious. Moments with those we love are gifts we are not taking for granted. And so our attention is heightened. Our words focus not on trivial things, but on what truly matters. We live attentively. We pay attention to where You want us to be present and be a witness of Your love today. And we are grateful. Amen

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Colossians 4:5-6 (ESV)

It cannot be denied that too often the weight of the Christian movement has been on the side of the strong and the powerful and against the weak and oppressed -this, despite the gospel. Howard Thurman

 Meditation: Christianity started as a small movement of followers of Jesus. They were generally poor and experienced oppression. Many also died from persecution, as they held onto their relationship with Jesus, their teacher and leader who stood up for the poor, sick, downtrodden and forgotten. It was only when Christianity became the Roman state religion that Christians switched sides. When politics and power suddenly became possibilities for the still young religion, things changed. As humans we have the psychological tendency to switch from having been the oppressed to becoming the oppressors. We change from the persecuted to becoming persecutors, from having been the powerless to wanting to remain powerful. Since that time the seduction and the choice for every Christian is: “Do I remain a follower of this Jesus who stood in for the poor, the sick and the forgotten and whom we claim to be the son of God?” or “Do I want to be part of a powerful Christian religion, become a representative of the main stream institution and take advantage of the cultural phenomenon of Christianity?” How we answer this question will determine everything. It will make us choose the side we will be on and the perspective with which we will see the world. Ultimately this decision will either connect or disconnect us from the teachings and life of Jesus, the Christ.

 Prayer: God of ages, You have always stood up for the poor and the helpless. Even in the Jewish Scriptures You are shown to always defending and protecting them. Jesus took Your attributes of ages past and embodied them for all to see and experience. God of today, Jesus taught us to pray “lead us not into temptation”. And so we pray: “lead us through the temptation” we are constantly in: namely to choose the side of Christianity as religion, as institution and as cultural phenomenon instead of becoming or remaining followers of Jesus while choosing the side of the weak and the oppressed, the poor and the helpless. God, we pray: “deliver us from evil.” Amen

Don’t take advantage of the poor just because you can; don’t take advantage of those who stand helpless in court. The Lord will argue their case for them and threaten the life of anyone who threatens theirs. (Proverbs 22:22-23)

 

 

Growth always involves the risk of failure. Howard Thurman

Meditation: When we are faced with life changing decision making, we are often terrified and sometimes excited. We are called to grow. When we discover patterns in our life that are over the long haul destructive and stifling, we feel the ambivalence of staying within the familiar and the pull to break patterns and grow. We also experience growth without wanting or asking for it, as we suddenly go through change and growing pains. Every time we grow, it involves risk. Each time we grow, we face the risk of failure. This is why some of us refuse to grow. We prefer the comfortable, the safe and familiar. At the same time God whispers over and over again: “Grow, grow”. We are terrified. We are excited. We feel tested in our faith and in our ability to trust. We stare at our dread of possibly failing. We worry. And then we leap in faith, and grow. Or we take one step into the new direction, and grow. Or we are being pulled forward, and grow… God’s love encourages us to grow even if that means to fail at times. God’s love removes our fear of judgment. We become free to dare, to choose, to try…

Prayer: Creator God, You want us to grow. When we get stuck in the familiar, the comfortable or the routine, You call us to step out. You stretch us in ways we have never imagined or asked for. We feel growing pain and wish we “could go back to Egypt”. Even though the comfortable and familiar imprisons us, we sometimes choose to stay and not grow. Your whispering voice encourages us to take the next step, take a new direction, leave the familiar and even risk failure. Living means growing. Help us to trust You more and believe Your whispering voice more. Help us to choose the desert path into the unknown. You encourage us to walk toward the Promised Land. And that means accepting growing pains. We are grateful for Your whispering voice. Amen

 Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers, “Grow, grow.” Talmud

 

Mothers give up so much, so that their children can have so much. Catherine Pulsifer

Meditation: Yes, being a Mom means staying up when everybody else is sleeping, so that the lunch bags are packed for the next day and the laundry is at least washed and dried (if not folded). It means giving up self-centered thinking, as the children become always part of life’s equation and often number one. Being a Mom means giving up taking a shower whenever a child misses the school bus. It means giving up the idea of a clean house or a clean car, as both will always be in a state of creative chaos. Being a Mom means giving up the control of how the day will enfold. It means driving back to a place to look for forgotten glasses or lost phones. It means giving up a life that is undisturbed, as life becomes a constant interruption. We mothers give up so much, so that our children can have so much. At the same time we gain so much. Our children’s smiles, their hugs, the sentence “Mom, you are the best” or “Thank you”. It makes it all worthwhile. And when we see our children thrive and flourish, we know that our giving up becomes the wind under our children’s wings that will make them fly. And one day when they will have flown away, happy and strong, we will be able to sleep again, shower, have a clean car and be undisturbed. However, I know that I will miss the creative chaos around me. And so, I am happy to give up so much today. As I know that in hindsight these will have been the happiest years of my life…

 Prayer: Mother God, You are the One who strengthens me, so I can give up and share all that I have and all that I am with my family. Thank You for the many blessings I am receiving as a mother: my children’s kisses and hugs, their smiles and excited chatter, their creativity and boundless energy. All that I am giving up, I am also receiving back in multiple ways. Help me enjoy every moment, and let me admit when I get tired at times and exhausted. Let me admit my feelings of frustration at all the dirty dishes, the laundry spread all over the floor or the lack of support. Then You talk to me and encourage me to take some time away. And as I step out of my mother role for a while, Your Spirit comes to nourish me like a mother does. You give me all that I need. And I am grateful! Amen

But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control. Galatians 5: 22-23 (GNT)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. Howard Washington Thurman

Meditation: When I give myself permission to fully take in God’s love and then learn to love myself, I will not shy away from moments that feel like “bliss” moments. Those “bliss” moments that make me feel fully alive look different for each of us. I discovered my bliss in “being a therapist”. Yesterday I had the honor of counseling a woman from another culture who I have accompanied therapeutically for five years. And today I journeyed with a couple who is seeking to overcome obstacles in their relationship. When I am allowed to walk with people in such intimate ways, I feel like a fish in water, I feel like an eagle soaring, I feel like floating on water… My “bliss” makes me come fully alive. As I embrace that which turns out to be in line with who I am, I feel “aligned”, feel “congruent”, feel “alive”…Self-love includes the search and the surprise of finding my “bliss” and allowing to be surprised by joy.

Prayer: God of abundance, you want us to soar like eagles, swim like fish and float easily on top of the water. Show each one of us what that means. We all have different areas of “bliss”. When we love ourselves more fully, we no longer shy away from asking you to bless us by finding our “bliss”, discovering our joy and coming fully alive. God, you are the One that delights in us finding the places where we can most fully be ourselves and come fully alive. And we are grateful. Amen

You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever. Psalm 16:11

Listen to the wind, it talks. Listen to the silence, it speaks. Listen to your heart, it knows. Native America

Meditation: In the business of our lives we often don’t take the time to listen. Native American spirituality knows that everything in nature is interconnected, including our hearts with each other. When we listen to the wind or to the silence we will hear what we need to hear. And when we listen to our hearts, we will come to know what we need to know. When we commune with nature, it reveals something about who God is. God as our creator and God as the one who holds us in our first breath and in our last breath.

Yesterday my mother told me about a tragic car accident that happened to a German family of four. A family with two teenage daughters, just like my family. I did not know where to go with this and what to do. I did not know what to think or what to say. I was speechless. And so, I have been trying to listen, as I have nothing to say: Listen to the silence within me. Listen to my heart. I did not know this family personally, but I feel connected, as my parents knew them. In God’s hand – their life and their death. In God’s hand – our life and our death. I listen to the silence. It speaks. I listen to the wind. It talks. I listen to my heart. I know. I grieve. I mourn in silence.

Prayer: God of wind and silence, be with the only surviving daughter of this family. Help her breathe. Help her body survive. Help her soul survive. Surround her with loving kindness and care. Be with the grandmother who is torn between despairing grief and the care and concern for her granddaughter. Speak to her. Strengthen her heart when it wants to break into pieces. Surround her with loving kindness and care. We are all interconnected. We are all held in God’s hands. Amen

He sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety. Job 5:11 (NRSV)

 

 

 

 

 

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. Steve Job

Meditation: Our intuition is the amazing link between our Intuition and God’s Spirit. When we get in touch with our intuition (the bible would probably call this phenomenon “our heart”), we can get “in sync with God”. Many of us have been taught and trained to mistrust our intuition. Some Christian leaders teach that our heart is evil and always in opposition to God. I do not believe that. Our heart can commune with God, and our intuition lets us know when and how our will and God’s will are aligning with each other. Some Christian leaders teach us to only trust external authorities to reveal God’s will to us. They want us to follow only our rational intellect or certain authority figures or God how they understand him. However, when one day we awake spiritually, we realize that we have started living somebody else’s life. We are beginning to recover or uncover for the first time who we truly are. Only when we are willing to admit that we are living somebody else’s life can we get in touch with who we truly are and what we truly need. Our “inner voice” is the phenomenon when God’s Spirit communicates with our heart. “Having faith” means having the courage to listen to this inner voice, which is the dialogue of mutual delight. Our Spirit delights in God’s Spirit and God’s Spirit delights in us. And through this mutual delighting, we are getting in sync with God’s healing and empowering will for us. And as we are in sync, we are also getting in touch with our unique desires, hopes and dreams. We no longer need to follow nor live somebody else’s life.

Prayer: Liberating God, You commune with our hearts. You speak through our intuition. You dialogue with our Spirit so we can discern your life giving and loving will for us. You want us to live our own unique life and our own dreams. You set us free to attune our heart to Your Spirit instead of following certain external authorities who might mean well, but who cannot replace You and Your leading inner voice within our hearts. Our heart delights in You. And You delight in us. And for this Your leading as mutual delighting, we are grateful. Amen

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 (ESV)

 

Trauma isolates; the group re-creates a sense of belonging. Trauma shames and stigmatizes; the group bears witness and affirms. Trauma degrades the victim; the group exalts her. Trauma dehumanizes the victim; the group restores her humanity. Judith Lewis Herman (Trauma and Recovery

Meditation: To survive trauma and heal from it, we need community. The Church is an opportunity to offer trauma survivors a community. Sometimes we as church members do not even know how many trauma survivors live in our midst. This is because trauma survivors often do not talk about their trauma, as they often still feel shame or fear to be stigmatized. Christian communities can be harsh and judgmental whenever they lack grounding in God’s Grace. How can Church worldwide become a place where we allow trauma victims to be witnessed, affirmed, honored and restored in their humanity? Today we witnessed “church” happening when in the Parkland town hall meeting in FL traumatized people shared their pain, their stories, their prayers and questions with each other and the world. Victims, survivors, parents, teachers, administrators and the public of Parkland, FL came together to cry out. Moments of trauma and darkness were brought into the light. Answers of officials that were meant to “chain” and “tame” the trauma survivors’ questions, were “outed” as such and not accepted. We witnessed the powerful experience of healing community. Where in Church do we gather around the traumatized, the hurting, and the grieving in this way? Is Church worldwide still aware and involved in its mission to save individuals from their distress and isolation?

Prayer: God, the traumatized community at large, including the teachers, the youth and their parents are crying out in pain. Passionate questions are being raised about gun control and mental health support. Evasive answers are not being tolerated. Trauma is breaking out of darkness and comes into the light. Away with the answers that chain or tame the notion of what can be done. Instead a conscious embracing of the healing power that community holds. Thank you that people who are traumatized experience solidarity. Thank you that they can be angry together, cry together. Let Your Church learn from this transformative image of communal grief and healing. Amen 

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.^.  He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. Psalm 107: 13-14 (NIV)

 

When a great man dies, for years the light he leaves behind him, lies on the paths of men. Henry Wadsworth Longfello

Meditation: Today is my father’s birthday. He died of cancer before my daughters were born. However, the light of his life shines on in my life and in the life of my children. Every Sunday when I am preaching in German, I think of him. When I grew up, I sat in the pews of the church where my father was pastor for many years. Hundreds of times I listened to him preach. I even volunteered to play the organ as a teenager during funerals, only so I could hear my father’s preaching. He always found such loving and comforting words for those who were in distress and in deep sorrow. And this maybe because he lost his mother when he was only 11 years old, or maybe because God became the unconditional father figure he never had, or maybe because he was just a deeply spiritual, gentle and sensitive soul. My Dad died more than 17 years ago. However, his light is right here with me. When my teenage daughters volunteer to come to church with me (“to support me”, as they say) I feel touched. Even though they don’t understand what I am saying when I preach in German, they follow along by reading the English translation. I remember how formative my Dad was for my spiritual journey. And I can see his light reaching the next generation. His light shines bright on the paths of these young women.

Prayer: Gracious God, for my father’s life and the light of his gentle soul and forgiving spirit I am forever grateful. For his dedication to You and his peace loving ways, I am grateful. For his Spirit shining in my daughters’ personalities, I am grateful. For the gift of preaching every Sunday and following in his footsteps, I am grateful. I believe that my father’s spirit and his loving ways shall never die. Amen

 Jesus said: “And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:26

 

Let us remember we are all part of one American family. We are united in common values, and that includes belief in equality under the law, basic respect for public order, and the right of peaceful protest. Barak Obama

Meditation: Today on President’s day, our current president is golfing at his weekend resort in Florida, while High School students, parents and teachers protest in front of the White House. They demand the change of gun control laws in this country. For a few minutes many of the students laid down on the grass to symbolize the shooting victims in Parkland, Florida last week, and to remind of all the other students who have been gunned down in the recent past. There is a powerful wave of protest energy swiping our country. Have we reached the tipping point? First women and now teens and their families and teachers are protesting those in power who don’t care about the rights of victims, be it sexual abuse or gun violence. Yes, today we stand reminded: “We are all part of one family. And we are united in values, belief in equality, respect for the law and our right to protest peacefully!” May this new wave of protest bring about change. Even if not short-term, then long-term. Come 2020, most of the junior and senior High Schoolers all around the country will be able to vote and join in with many others who protest today…

Prayer: God, You will bring justice. When those who could do something preoccupy themselves with their own pleasures and their own safety, and when others allow to be bought and corrupted while resorting to “fake prayer” – God You see. God You hear. You hear the protest of each High Schooler, each parent and each teacher on behalf of all Americans who care. We pray for change in this country. Amen

How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;  light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.  But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. Psalm 13: 2-5 (ESV)