Sermon

Sermon on 2 Tim 1,7 Dear Friends, Confirmands, Sisters and Brothers, Has everything been said about Corona and Faith? For several months now, people all over the world have been talking about viruses, epidemics, keeping distance, hygiene measures and, above all, masks, masks, masks. Masks that take your breath away and leave the glasses foggy. Masks that cover the face. Masks that people who leave the house forget, such as the house key or the handbag. Lately, increasingly in a more irritated, disgruntled tone. Frustration easily leads to conspiracy theories. Their supporters are currently winning on the ground, and increasingly improbable scenarios are being tinkered with, with which der media are flooding the sure ground of reasonable action. Even those who take science seriously, wear a mask and keep their distance, still notice something like an underlying dis-ease after six months, which is characterized in different manifestations. The old looseness and light-heartedness have been lost. Many people are afraid of literally infecting others, especially vulnerable seniors in their own family or in nursing homes. But keeping distance also destroys connection, a sense of belonging and community in families, cliques and circles of friends. Many people feel lonely, even though they maintain relationships, but only virtually via Skype or

Zoom. Home office can be a very nice thing, but there is no conversation with colleagues. Homeoffice can make you lonely. Others struggle to walk through a pedestrian zone or park and no longer be able to look anyone in the face because it is covered by masks. The pedestrians who walk through a park do not know most people who pass by them. And yet the presence of unknown, anonymous fellow human beings creates a certain sense of familiarity that many only noticed when it was lost due to shutdown and distance rules. Doctors who are closely monitoring the spread of the virus are pouring water into the wine these days: The virus remains unpredictable and constantly changing. It will take months before a vaccine is developed. A favourable scenario would provide for a suitable vaccine to be available from the middle of next year. But even then, it would still take several years for the greater part of the population to be vaccinated. It would take at least two to three years before all precautions can be lifted. And this only applies in this favourable scenario, i.e. in the event that a vaccine can be found quickly and then produced in large quantities. So, anyone who relies, which is very reasonable, on medical expertise and a wise political calculation, must expect a longer period of virus protection. And all the many who want to be reasonable among us, but at the same time plagued by bouts of frustration and loneliness, wonder how in the

world they should have the patience to endure the unpleasant protective measures for years to come. Such resignation is responded to by the sermon text from the 2nd Letter of Timothy. Especially in times like these today, we are paying particular attention to God's promise: "God has not given us the spirit of fear, but the spirit of love, strength and a sound mind. " Yes, what does that mean? How does that look like? Here's a little story: A daughter comes to her father crying. 'I'm so exhausted, life is so hard. Every time I overcome an obstacle, the next one appears. I don't think I can live like that.' The father wipes the tears from her face and leads her by the hand into the kitchen. He fills three pots with water, places them on the stove and turns on the stove. "What are you doing?" the daughter asks, but her father does not answer. Instead, he goes to the pantry. When he comes back, he brings potatoes, eggs and coffee beans. "What are you doing?" the daughter asks again, now a little annoyed. Her father still says nothing. In the first pot he puts the potatoes, in the second the eggs and in the third the coffee beans. His daughter gets increasingly impatient. "Please, tell me what you're doing," she demands, but her father remains silent. Finally, he takes the pots from the stove, empties them

out by putting the potatoes and eggs on a plate and then pours the coffee into a cup. "What do you see?" he asks. "Potatoes, eggs and coffee," the daughter replies. "I don't understand how this is going to help me!" "Look and touch more closely," says the father. She touches the soft hot potato. She removes the shell from the egg and notices how hard it is now underneath. And she takes a sip of the hot dark coffee. "I still don't understand," she says. "The potatoes, the eggs and the coffee beans all had to face the same obstacles. They were all put in hot water," her father explains. "The potatoes that were first and hard and impenetrable, the boiling water made them soft and sensitive. The eggs were first fragile, but the water made them hard and strong. And the coffee beans were not changed much by the boiling water. No, they changed the water themselves and turned it into something creative and new. He puts his arm around his daughter and smiles. "Which are YOU?" he asks. "A potato, an egg or a coffee bean? If you have difficulties in life: Do you become softer? Do they make you stronger? Or do you turn them into new possibilities with wisdom and creativity?" Dear congregation,

besides all the negative feelings that are trying to sneak into our hearts and minds during this "boiling water" time, when so many issues are burning and so many challenges are waiting for us, and while we all have such human moments of fear, I want us to ask ourselves: "Where have we become more soft-hearted and compassionate in the last few months? Where do we deal more gently with ourselves and with others? This is the spirit of love. Have we become aware how we have adapted and developed perseverance? Before we might have thought we could never live without certain habits and things, and here we are today, stronger than before, because we can live with less and yet experience deep moments of joy in the little things. Where have we become more patient, more perceptive and more grateful? This is the spirit of Strength. Where have we learned to turn away from too much media spectacle, too much negativity, too much poisonous words and thoughts? Where have we seen us sit still, just like that. Maybe read a good book, make a phone call that has depth, maybe more than before the pandemic. If you have slowed down and taken more time for things that were before the pandemic done with much haste, then that is the spirit of a sound mind. A Christian faith or church that creates fear and hysteria is turning into its opposite. Yes, one can even say that where fear arises from

supposed faith, faith in God, like Jesus showed us has long since evaporated. If we trust God, our fear of the world and its reality becomes less. Trust allows for new courage to grow, and for patience while developing a willingness to stand up for the common good of the world. The spirit of strength helps against boredom, lethargy and the inaction to which the viral epidemic has condemned many people. The spirit of love helps against the isolation and loneliness into which many people had to retreat to wait in quarantine until the risk of contagion will subside. The spirit of a sound mind helps against short-circuit reactions, anger and scaremongering. Our faith needs a sound mind, because it is, of all things, more than a superficial joyful feeling that arises in the divine service on Sunday after a large dose of prayer and song. Faith as strength, love and a sound mind are not pills that would be taken every Sunday in high doses under the supervision of the pastor. No, they are better understood as gifts that take us believers into a process of growth. This spiritual process of growth helps us to meet the challenges of life, to deal with them while meditating, acting and changing things. It starts with wearing masks, and it doesn't stop at the

political engagement, the peaceful demonstrations and the avoidance of plastic. And so we all can practice daily to remember and trust in this Spirit given to us by God. We can give the Spirit space in our lives: Daily by taking a moment, in a time of silence or meditation, Sundays together in worship, so that we might become able to act in the Spirit of Strength and Love and Sound Mind in our everyday life. And the peace of God, which does not get hindered by any mask, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. Let us Pray together: Let me be awake, my God, and ready to meet you. Let me be strong, my God, in the demands of the day. Let me be comforted, my God, and be safe in you when I fall. Let me be open, my God, and ready to love you, the people and myself. Amen