Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today. Thich Nhat Hanh

Meditation: One of my daughters said: “Everything happens for a reason”, while my other daughter in her agony said: “There is no reason”. Sometimes we have hope. We want to and can find meaning and comfort in our faith in God’s future and purpose for us. At other times we lose hope. We can’t see neither rhyme nor reason. Our faith in God is shaken. The future seems uncertain. We all know both experiences. Faith encompasses both. If I always found meaning, faith would be merely positive thinking. If I never found meaning, I might not have discovered yet that God is a relationship and not a thought or belief system. When we have hope, let us share our hope freely with others. When we have lost hope, let us ask like Job asked his friends: “Can you see any hope for me?”

Prayer: Life giving God, we seek refuge in You, especially when we don’t have much hope. We want to believe that everything happens for a reason. But when darkness strikes, we are not so sure anymore. God, comfort us and assure us that You are coming towards us from the future. Comfort us like a friend would, and let us know that you can see hope for us. Amen

Where then is my hope— who can see any hope for me? Job 17:15

Learn this from me. Holding anger is a poison. It eats you from inside. We think that hating is a weapon that attacks the person who harmed us. But hatred is a curved blade. And the harm we do, we do to ourselves.”  Mitch Albom

Meditation: Anger when carried unexpressed for too long becomes depression. Depression when carried for too long becomes anger turned against one’s self. Eventually depression is so painful that it either leads to physical or mental illness or to rage that suddenly erupts. When injustices that happened to us are not addressed, we become poisoned from the inside. Eventually the family we live in will be exposed to those toxins. Either because depression takes the person emotionally away, or because rage inflicts harm on those we love the most. Anger needs to be expressed and released in a safe space or it becomes poison. God invites us to allow our anger to come out, so we no longer harm ourselves and end up locked in depression or rage. God does not want anger to separate us from ourselves and from those we love.

Prayer: God, the anger about injustice needs to be honored and expressed. Jesus did so in the here and now. Help us to not think we are “above anger”, when in reality it eats us up inside. You love us too much as to allow anger and rage to destroy us or those we love. Help us to direct anger to where it belongs. Help us to find safe places where we can release the toxins of anger, depression and rage. Amen

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger. Ephesians 4:26

The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil. Hannah Arendt

Meditation: That Hitler could commit his atrocities against humanity depended on millions of bystanders. Ordinary German people, who knew something was going on. They knew people were disappearing over night, but as bystanders they did not want to know more about it. They wanted to remain uninvolved and “innocent”. They remained lukewarm. They were not active Nazis and they did not join the resistance movement either. Those millions of German bystanders made Hitler possible. Those bystanders allowed evil to be committed million times over by staying “neutral”, “ignorant” or “apolitical”. By not making up their mind on which side they wanted to stand,  they did not stop and therefore condoned evil. In the USA today, millions of consumers are getting ready for the holidays. They know something is going on. They know many people’s health insurance coverage or legal rights are disappearing over night, but as holiday shoppers, they do not want to know more about it. The current government relies on the distraction and manipulation of the masses. And the masses allow to be distracted and manipulated. The masses remain lukewarm. Millions of American consumers are making injustice possible.

Prayer: God, people worry about turkey meals and holiday cheer, while immigrant parents are in jail, waiting for deportation, separated from their children. God, we make wish lists for Christmas, and the only wish a woman with a precondition has is to still be able to afford or even have access to health insurance. God, the masses hang out in malls, and the DACA recipients anticipate leaving and living in a country they do not remember. God, evil and injustice are happening, and we, the masses, go on with our business as usual. God, let us not allow history to repeat itself. Amen

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. Revelation 3: 14-16

The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists. Hannah Arendt

Meditation: The current president creates fiction wherever he goes. The people he put in charge of major federal agencies do not believe in science and do not adhere to facts. Everything is up for “interpretation”. Own agendas are being pushed, under the premise that reality is “just perspective”, and that random narratives can be created that will replace scientific reality. Scientific and proven facts are called “fake news”. It is deeply concerning that major players within the current government collude upholding this fiction creating philosophy. The current federal legal investigation is being called a “witch hunt”, while government bound news channels create a reality for its constituents where there is no distinction anymore between fact and fiction, true or false. Our democratic country is being undermined from within. Totalitarian rule is what our current president idealizes. It is amazing how we suddenly experience Christians and Scientists as urgently called upon to join forces. The alleged conflict of the past between religion and science suddenly feels ridiculous. Today’s mandate in our current culture war has to be for religion’s spiritual ethics & morals to join forces with scientific proven facts to contradict and hold accountable an emerging totalitarian regime that hides behind a democratic façade.

Prayer: God, we mourn how this culture is slowly being dismantled to have a small group of the super-rich take over this country. With the increasing elimination of ethics, morals and science as pillars of our culture, anything goes. Any lie can claim to be truth, and corrupted media are being used to brain wash and manipulate the masses. God, we experience not only the total attack on and undermining of spiritual values and of science, but we fear the takeover of democracy by totalitarian forces. God, we pray that Your Spirit of truth may empower science, law and religion to join forces, so we as a nation might withstand what is happening. Amen

Jesus words: “Why can’t you understand one word I say? Here’s why: You can’t handle it. You’re from your father, the Devil, and all you want to do is please him. He was a killer from the very start. He couldn’t stand the truth because there wasn’t a shred of truth in him. When the Liar speaks, he makes it up out of his lying nature and fills the world with lies.” John 8:42-44

True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. C.S. Lewis

Meditation: We are living in a time in history when narcissism seems to have become the “new normal”. It is apparently OK to behave and be self-absorbed, self-obsessed, conceited, self-centered and egotistic. The Christian Church throughout the centuries tried to prevent narcissistic behavior by prescribing humility. Humility was a very important value also in the Pietistic tradition. I grew up being taught to “think less of myself” as not to develop pride or hubris. This religious attempt to prevent and correct narcissistic tendencies backfired however. If you tell a developing young person to “be humble”, understood as “thinking less of themselves”, those youngsters often start to develop symptoms that range from low self-esteem to self-hatred. The religious zeal to prevent pride or hubris (today also classified as narcissism), often caused spiritual damage. Self-denial or self-deprecation can end up being just as destructive as narcissism can be. While narcissism is behavior that damages the other person, “false humility” is a stance and behavior that damages one’s own healthy sense of self. The third alternative is true and healthy humility. It emerges out of a solid sense of being loved and a healthy sense of self-love. As we love ourselves, we naturally begin to make space for others in our life. Healthy self-love, self-respect and self-care are essential characters of a person following Jesus’s example. As we develop a healthy relationship with ourselves, the spiritual development will be to think of ourselves less and of others more, because we can afford to do so. As we have a solid and kind relationship with ourselves, we can make room for others in our life. We develop compassion, kindness, patience and gentleness with others, because we have first learned to practice those loving virtues with ourselves.

Prayer: God, sometimes we Christians are trying to correct character flaws by going to the opposite extreme. We do not realize that our reactionary behavior and thinking can cause just as great harm. As Your dearly beloved, help us to continue to grow in those loving virtues and behaviors that include compassion, kindness, gentleness and patience with self and with others. Help our country to overcome the current narcissistic epidemic with those precious fruits of Your Spirit. And we are grateful. Amen

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12

To find joy in another’s joy, that is the secret of happiness. Georges Bernanos

Meditation: This Saturday our church is preparing a lantern walk for about 60 children and their families. The story of St. Martin’s will be acted out, including St. Martin riding on a live horse. Usually the children who participate are enamored with the lanterns, the singing and walking around the church in the dark, with the horse and the story of a rich man sharing this coat with a poor man. German waffles and German soups help make the families and children feel nurtured and at home. Watching the families, I can see how the parents delight in their children’s joy. Many have driven quite a distance to get them here. Parenting teaches us to rejoice more in our children’s joy than seeking joy for ourselves. Our happiness is to witness our children’s joy. God is like a parent who rejoices in us. As we participate in the outings and adventures of life and remain connected with God through all of them, we remain in God’s love and delight. It is comforting to know that God ultimately wants our joy and is ready to walk a long distance with us, so we will find places where we feel nurtured and at home.

Prayer: God, when we hurt, You hurt. When we feel joy, You rejoice. Help us see ourselves held in such a loving and intimate relationship with You. And we are grateful. Amen

Jesus said: “If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” John 15:10-11

Every time God forgives us, God is saying that God’s own rules do not matter as much as the relationship that God wants to create with us. Richard Rohr

Meditation: I don’t know about you, but Germans like rules and regulations. At any street intersection (without a red light) Germans always yield to the person that comes from the right. This person no matter what has the right to drive first. This makes life easy. Or does it? In the US there is more negotiation involved. Usually the person who stops first is allowed to drive first. But at times, somebody would allow (by hand gesture) the other person to drive first. One model insists on the law no matter what, the other model has some rules in it, but relies on relationships and communication to work things out. In some ways God wants to be the one negotiating with us, being in relationship with us and figuring things out together with us, instead of just being the rule enforcer, the law giver and judge. As parents we also constantly come to intersections with our teens. If we opt to uphold the rules no matter what, we might be “right”, but we will likely lose the open communication with our teens. In my experience parenting based on the “forgiveness model” works much better. We uphold clear guidelines while at times also negotiating. This way we remain in trusting and forgiving relationship with our teens whose job is to push against rules and boundaries to find out where they end and where others begin.

Prayer: Relational God, we thank You for valuing Your relationship with us more than insisting on upholding Your rules. Thank You that Your rules are meant for us people, and not us people for Your rules. Thank You that You look us in the eyes. Thank You that You forgive us when we overstep Your rules. Thank You that we are Your partners in driving on the road of life. Amen

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

Feeling real is more than existing; it is finding a way to exist as oneself… and to have a self into which to retreat for relaxation. Donald Woods Winnicott

Meditation: I remember years when I was not at peace with myself. This was in my twenties. I had separated from my family of origin and began my own life. I was at a complete loss as to who I was, given that before my whole identity and self-image had been based on my role as “pastor’s daughter” and as the “second mother” in our family system. Without my family I felt I was nothing. At the same time I felt the urge to exist as myself, without my family defining me. However, I did not feel real yet, and I had not found a good relationship with myself in which to retreat for relaxation. My search for “feeling real” and “having a self” required me to walk through years of emotional desert times and through anxious years of searching for who I was. Coming to the US and working as a chaplain gave me finally the experience of “feeling real”. Caring for people who faced ultimate challenges of life and death led me to feel real and exist as myself. I learned what “self-care” looked like after long and tiring nights of providing emotional and spiritual care to strangers. Instead of the “navel gazing” and desperate search of self in my twenties, my thirties led me to the care of others. This is how I became to feel real and learned to exist as myself in relationship with others. This is how I got to know and love myself.

Prayer: Gracious God, You accompany us on our journey of searching who we are and who we are meant to be. Your Spirit leads us through desert times and through desperate searches to find ourselves. Your goal is for us to have peace in You. Your goal is for us to fully accept and love ourselves and to find a community we can belong to or a vocation or a relationship that allows us to “feel real”. I pray for all who are seeking at this time for this peace and this “feeling real”. Take our fear. Let us know that You want to give us this peace of having a self into which to retreat for relaxation. Amen

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27

We take our kids for physical vaccinations, dental exams, eye checkups. When do we think to take our son or daughter for a mental health checkup? Gordon Smith

Meditation: Yes, it is important to normalize mental illness, as it is a health condition that most American families today have experience with. Yes, we need to start with our children, to make sure we are as concerned about their emotional and mental health as we are about their physical health. However, often times both mental illness or violent behavior are being hidden, denied, and not talked about, while families remain often uneducated about their family member’s condition. Especially in rural areas, families often do not have access to mental health professionals. Even if they wanted to have their loved one evaluated, they do not have access, either geographically or financially, to get their family member the help s/he needs. And additionally our current government is dismantling access to health care even further. Today rural areas in the US will have even less health and mental health coverage than before. As we see suicidal and homicidal persons emerge after years of lack of mental health care, we witness the price we are paying for our collective neglect of providing adequate mental health care to families and individuals. Let us start seeking and demanding mental health care for our children. And let us demand easy access and insurance coverage for mental health care for adults, especially to prevent and cure suicidal or homicidal violence.

Prayer: God, open our minds so we seek mental health care for our children. Help us as adults to humble ourselves and seek healing for our own mental health conditions. Help families step out of hiding and seek such care openly. When destructive illnesses of the brain combined with gun violence rampage families and communities, let us demand nationally both the restriction of gun access and the broad based provision of mental health care. God, let our politicians join our lament and change the gun laws in this country. Let them fight to provide mental health care for all. We grieve and lament with the families who lost their loved ones once again to senseless gun violence. We lament the extreme neglect of mental illness care in this country. Amen

I am bent over and greatly bowed down; I go mourning all day long. Psalm 38:6

 

 

All defensiveness and emotional tumult is a fear response because of your need for acceptance and ruthless control of the territory of your safe fantasy world. Bryant McGill

Meditation: When somebody gives us feedback that we do not like, or we are being called on a behavior that negatively impacted others, it is understandable that we are feeling vulnerable and sensitive. Suddenly we feel anxious, and we want to get back to the moment before, when everything was fine in our “safe fantasy world”. It is hard and humbling to hear how our behavior impacted others negatively, especially when our intent was a good one. Our “ego” wants to be accepted for our well intentions, yet in its pride it often fails to take responsibility for how its actual behavior impacted others. Defensiveness can originate from both fear or pride. We don’t like to be wrong. We don’t like to be called on a weakness of ours. We are getting defensive when somebody criticizes us. We want to control how others see us, as we hate to be seen in a way that we can’t control and that we did not intend. Pride isolates. Fear isolates. The Spirit of God wants to help us to remain connected. The Spirit wants to guide us in both speaking the truth with love, and in accepting the truth with humility. Even if we did not intent a certain outcome, we are still the ones responsible. Being humble means to listen, even if it is uncomfortable and painful. Overcoming defensiveness means to respect the other person’s perspective, even if we disagree. It means letting go of control. Seeing myself through others’ eyes can be surprising, uncomfortable, humbling. And yet, this is what God’s community is about. We are learning to give and receive feedback with love and with humility.

Prayer: Gracious God, seeing ourselves through the eyes of others can be challenging. You are calling us to live as part of an accountable community. We all impact each other, and conflict in Your Church is inevitable at times. Help us to listen before we disagree. Help us to consider before we get defensive. Let us see each other as brothers and sisters who have the best intentions. Take our fear, our defensiveness and our prideful ego and help us to be present, to listen and to consider others’ feedback. God, help us to apologize where we unintentionally hurt somebody else. Amen

Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. James 1:19