Gottesdienst 3.Mai 2020 German Church Atlanta
Welcome
Old Testament Reading
Genesis 1: 1-4, 26-28-31, 2: 1-4
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and be good stewards over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation. These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created. 1
Song
Acts 17: 20-34 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” At that, Paul left the Council. Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others. Gospel
John 15: 1-8
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 2
Apostles‘ Creed I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. Song Children’s Devotion The Children’s devotion is about how we discover God’s presence and God’s family in new and surprising ways during this time of crisis. Usually a family means just the parents and the children…maybe a set of grandchildren or aunts and uncles. But during these times strangers, teachers, people of the community can become family to us. God works in mysterious ways to broaden our view of what family and what Love really means. This story is a beautiful example of what it means to be a community rooted in Love and what God’s family can look like as we care for one another: A Connecticut school teacher is being hailed a hero after taking on the care of the newborn baby brother of one of her students, after his entire family tested positive to coronavirus. Luciana Lira, 32, is a teacher at Hart Magnet Elementary in Stamford, where her students include a seven-year-old Guatemalan asylum seeker named Junior. On April 4, Luciana received a call from Junior's mother, Zully, who explained that she had tested positive to COVID-19 and was going into labor. Zully told Luciana that she and her husband had no one else in the United States to help them out, and had listed her as their emergency contact. Luciana quickly called Zully's husband, Marvin, who explained that both he and Junior believed that they had also come down with the coronavirus and were awaiting test results. Marvin told Luciana that he was worried that he might potentially infect his newborn, and asked her a stunning question: Would she take care of the baby until he received test results that cleared him of COVID-19?
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Luciana made a spur-of-the moment decision and selflessly said yes. Doctors performed an emergency C-section on Zully, delivering her a baby boy named Neysel. But while the newborn was healthy, Zully was gravely ill with the coronavirus and was quickly placed onto a ventilator. Luciana, meanwhile, became a temporary guardian and took baby Neysel home to her husband, Alex. Less than a week later, test results returned showing that Marvin and young Junior had both tested positive for COVID-19, meaning that Luciana would be tasked with caring for baby Neysel longer than anticipated. However, the selfless teacher was up to the task - stepping in to become an instant mom while simultaneously continuing to teach her elementary school students remotely. Miraculously, on April 18, Zully was taken off the ventilator after her condition improved. Two days later, she was finally able to be introduced to her newborn baby boy via a Zoom video call. Heartwarming snaps taken during the occasion show Luciana holding up Neysel as he appears to wave at his mom who is on the screen. Zully was seen smiling back as she sat staring at her phone from her hospital bed. On April 24, Zully was released from hospital and was allowed to return home. She was escorted back to her residence via ambulance, where she was reunited with husband, Marvin, and older son, Junior. The trio are all still suffering from coronavirus, and will have to wait to be cleared of the virus until they can finally meet little Neysel in person for the very first time. Luciana says she is willing to look after the newborn until his family are fit and healthy again. The selfless teacher has won praise from friends and strangers alike. One old associate paid tribute to Luciana on Facebook, writing: 'This pandemic is not what any of us imagined...but this unselfish act reminds us that our humanity makes us all essential. How will each of us respond when we are asked to simply show up and help?�
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Song
Sermon
Song
Intercessory Prayer 5
He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands
The Lord’s Prayer Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not in temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen
Psalm 121 I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Blessing Abschlusswort
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Sermon
I. »A friend is someone, who hears the melody of your hearts and sings it for you, when you have forgotten about it.« This is a quote from a German friendship album. Years ago, many people in Germany had those, and today friendship books are being designed for small children. But a friendship album back then was not only for children, it was also for teenagers and even for adults. It was an album filled with beautiful, with good words, written down by friends for friends. Why? Good words make friends. Good words remind us what friendship is about. Good words carry, when I need to be carried. II. Good words for difficult times – those are that also Jesus gave to his friends on the way. His co-travelers and friends, who walked with him from town to town and who were now the ones who listened after his death and resurrection to the sorrows and needs of the people. They ate with the people, the comforted and healed, they shared their hope with them and told them about the Kingdom of God, about Love and about Peace. With these, his companions, Jesus shared good words. Words that were supposed to comfort and carry them. After the good bye. When the friends would be on their own. When they needed anquoring and community. When he did not want them to forget their friendship and their connection. »We will remain connected!«, this is what his words are promising his friends. And he used an image that everybody was familiar with in the area where they lived: The vine. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit. That Jesus talks this poignant and yet mysterious about himself can only be found in the Gospel of John. Here everything is about closeness and about connection. God and we humans belong together, this is what the image says. III. One time during the fall season I spent some time in an area where vineyards were everywhere. It was harvest season and everywhere you could see people harvesting: Ripe and full grapes, bigger ones, smaller ones, light and dark colored ones. Winegrowing has its own science: what kind of grape, where to plant it, the quality of the soil and the climate – and every plant has its own character. I was fascinated how the winegrowers talked about their plants a little bit like children. They talk about growing the wine and the different needs that each plant has, and about what kind of support they can give. And they also talk about how to prune the branches so that the plant can grow to become strong in the long haul. “You need to make room, as you will take about the sun light from the others” they say when pruning. Or: „You still need to grow a little more, so that you will be stronger.”
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The vine needs a lot of care. And so the wine grower regularly comes along and checks. He cares, he nurtures. Remaining connected, growing and overseeing growth – this is what deeply matters, even in the human family. IV. How does this connection show in our time of the Corona virus? And we are trying to understand the words of Jesus in a time when exactly this is what everything depends on: Our deep sense of being connected with each other. The last weeks have been hard: Social isolation, staying at home, physical distancing, for some of us quarantine. No Kindergarten, no school, no office, and for many people this also means: No work, no money. Others are working feverishly around the clock in the hospitals, nursing homes and grocery stores. Some come home and only crash, others irritate each other a lot by being at home all the time, and others have been all alone at home for weeks now. How do we remain connected with those who belong to us? Those who we cannot see right now. Not meet, not being able to hug. Telephone – yes, that might help. But not for such a long time. It is hard to understand that at this time it is exactly the physical distance that protects us the most. Therefore, we are looking for new ways of finding closeness: with zoom meetings – at least we can see each other. With chalk messages written on the side walk, when talking with the neighbor across the fence or like in New York when many go out on their balconies at 7 o’clock every day and clap for the medical workers going or returning from their work at the hospital. The Christian community is often described with the image of a family. God’s family. Jesus as our brother, we, as God’s children. In the past years the general understanding what makes a family has been changing. Thank God! It has opened up, has become more colorful. Father, mother, child – that is today only one concept among many. Trustworthy relationships exist in a great variety. Responsibility, nurturing, empathy, love, trust and respect – those are values that bring and hold people together, regardless of age, background or gender. And therefore this worldwide crisis opens our eyes for how colorful and large the human family in this world is. And also the Christian family, the church, discovers how many cousins she has. Sometimes God becomes visible within another religious community. Sometimes surprisingly in a neighborhood, in the hospital or even in a department store. V. And so Jesus offers us this image: „ As human family you are deeply rooted in God.“ Yes, during these weeks we discover more often than during ordinary times: “God is part of all of this”. God belongs to this human family. Jesus affirms: All those who do 8
the will of God in Heaven, those are my brother and sister and mother (Matthew 12:50) Jesus, the Christ, he is our brother. He is the vine and we are the branches. God connects himself with us, and we can abide, we can remain in him who we belong to. During these difficult days it is important to ground ourselves. We seek roots to hold onto. We want to connect once again with this God, our Parent, and with our siblings. We are a part of the whole. To feel belonging during this time, that feels good. What might the early Christians have thought for whom the Gospel of John had been written? Maybe they had similar questions as we have today: „Showing what God’s love means today…? How can I do that? I am myself often shaken and tossed back and forth. Especially in times like ours today, when I do not understand the world anymore. For: who of us, if we are honest is always completely sure about their faith and belief? The woman in the senior citizen home for example: Her Spirit is awake, but her body is becoming increasingly weaker. She has much time to reflect on her life, what went well and what went less well in the past 90 years. In her room she has a picture of the famous German artist Barlach with the doubting Thomas, the disciple of Jesus who needed to touch the resurrected in order to be able to believe. She says: „This image has accompanied me my whole life – and often I have been Thomas.« And yet, she held onto her relationship with God. In the midst of her doubts, she remained connected. Or the confirmands. They are looking for what it means when somebody is a Christian. They group of teens are visiting a hospital chaplain who gets their full attention. When she starts talking about the work she does in the hospital all are touched: “She is there when people are in crisis” one of them says. She is there for those who are grieving and for those who feel helpless and exhausted. She stays with the family members of a patients and is there for the firemen. She remains with people when God seems to be absent. „And when I come to my breaking point, the chaplain says, then I have a colleague that I can call on by day and by night, to get support and counseling myself.” She remains in her faith as she knows she does not have to do this by herself. Or the teacher who teaches about different religions. Often, she asks herself what she really believes. Somehow, she is a Christian, but what does that mean concretely? One of the mothers of her students gives her a small bottle of holy water that she brought from her pilgrimage to Mecca – a generous gesture, when usually this mother is rather shy. The teacher is touched that she has apparently been considered worthy of such a gift. She shows the water to her student during their next session. A lively hour where the students ask questions and share and want to learn so much more… To abide, to remain in faith means also to remain in conversation with others. To remain in faith does not mean to be immune from any doubt, to know everything, or 9
to have no question of God, of life, and all that which is so incredibly unfair and injust in this world. The abide in faith means to remain in the “nevertheless”. Nevertheless our doubt. Neverthless our suffering. Nevertheless our insecurity about the future: We are holding onto Love. We seek Love, we nurture and care for Love, we strengthen Love wherever and whenever we can. VI. And the amazing thing is: I am not alone in this attempt. The image of the vine and its branches was never meant to be about one person alone, but it is an image for a community: One gardener, one vine plant, but many branches – many ways, many people who can mutually support each other. Together these people can find where words like „love your neighbor as yourself“ or „Do not be afraid“ or „I will bless you so that you will be a blessing“ have a place to land: Maybe Sunday mornings during worship in our living rooms, maybe during our Zoom Coffee hour, maybe when greeting and talking to our neighbor during a walk through the neighborhood, maybe during the zoom classroom meetings or during the telephone call with the mother or the brother in Germany or another home country. VII.How was the quote from the friendship album again? » A friend is someone, who hears the melody of your hearts and sings it for you, when you have forgotten about it.” Jesus’s words about the vine and the branches can remind us of this. We are not alone. There is a friend who shares the same roots with us, who keeps the melody of our hearts alive through the love that he left with us. Let us try to remain connected with this love! There, wherever we are and to our ability. Together. And in always new and suprising ways! Amen
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