Cédric Brügger
Pastor of the seetal chile
As a follower of Jesus, I am in this world, but I try to align myself with God’s standards. As far as possible, I voluntarily integrate myself into the state structure and pray for the government. Followers of Jesus are the salt and light of the world, so it is important to shape the culture – but how should this be done? Which path is the right one? The decisive characteristic and criterion is love for God, for fellow followers of Jesus and for our fellow human beings. The state and I followers of Jesus…
God created the earth and he wanted to establish order on the earth. This has its roots in the heavenly order. The key point here is that God is the King! This is why Israel had no king for a long time. However, the people increasingly said goodbye to theocracy and wanted a monarchy. No matter what form of government we live in, we should submit to it. Followers of Jesus are not called to criticise things, but to be the salt of the world.
All people have parents and we cannot choose them. It is a biblical principle that we should honour our father and mother. This is the key to a fulfilled life. The basic prerequisite for being able to honour my parents is God’s love for us. Being accepted by him makes it possible for me to honour my parents. When I honour my parents, I am ultimately honouring God, who placed me in this family! Today we are going to deal with the…
«He will not break the bent reed or extinguish the smouldering wick. […]» (Isaiah 42:3 NLB). This is today’s daily reading. It describes the promised servant of God. Jesus Christ fulfils every aspect of what is promised about him. He is the gentle servant of God who does not break the bruised reed or snuff out the smouldering wick. The one who meets us weak people as a patient physician and wants to show himself strong in our weakness. In this way we can…
«EIFACH muetig – with Jesus as our role model…» is our new theme for the year. There are various images for the relationship between Jesus and the Church. One of them is the bride and bridegroom. If the relationship between Jesus and his bride is seen through the eyes of the old wedding ceremony, much becomes clear. The basis is the marriage contract, which primarily places the bridegroom under obligation and grants the bride protection. The bride, on the other hand, is completely preoccupied with preparing for the upcoming wedding…
Advent is a time of spring for the Church. It awaits the coming of Jesus like a person in love with their beloved. She can hardly wait to embrace him. The lover overcomes every obstacle to be close to his beloved. «Arise, my friend, my beauty, and come!» This is Jesus» invitation to each individual and to the Church. It is time to follow him and immerse ourselves in spring. Spring is a sign of anticipation and…
Following Jesus costs me everything. The first followers of Jesus, the disciples, were sobered by the fact that not even those who had an advantage according to their understanding would enter the kingdom of God through their own means. How were they simple men supposed to manage this? What then is the benefit of discipleship? The disciples asked Jesus the same question, because they had left everything behind for him. Following Jesus promises a double gain. On the one hand, I gain a lot in the community of believers,…
Following Jesus Christ costs me everything – even my life. Following him has a price. I can only decide in favour or against it, there is no middle ground. However, this decision is always voluntary. The price of following Jesus means that Jesus Christ should be the most important thing for me. The goal of Jesus» call to discipleship is not self-denial or cross-bearing, but the willingness to follow him. Discipleship costs me everything Followers of Jesus say that he…
The goal of following Jesus is to become more like him. But this goal is never achieved on earth. I quickly allow myself to be led astray on this path. We are distracted by what is not yet going as we would like. But looking back, I can see that a lot has already changed. On the path of discipleship, I repeatedly encounter two challenges. Do I draw conclusions about God from the difficulties – or do I draw conclusions about the difficulties from God? Following Jesus is an attempt to…
The people of Israel were instructed to celebrate festivals at certain times as soon as they were in the Promised Land. One of these is the Feast of Firstfruits. The first part of the grain harvest belongs to God. Only when this has been sacrificed may the rest be eaten. Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the Feast of Firstfruits. In a sense, he is also the first of many, as is the case with grain – he is the first to rise from the dead. Followers of Jesus…
God took up residence on this earth in the tent of revelation. God took up residence among his people with his glory. The glory of God shows itself as a manifestation of his power. But this glory was too great for people to bear. That is why it was veiled. Since Jesus Christ, however, the Holy Spirit dwells in every person who follows Jesus. This makes the body a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, life is then a service to God and reflects…
The people of Israel joyfully made a covenant with God. But just a few weeks later, they renounced their God. Their initial enthusiasm did not protect them from a disagreement. They exchanged God for something much worse. Followers of Jesus are also in danger of exchanging a life of abundance and freedom for a life that is dominated by a few things. But God forgives us for such missteps. However, it may be that we…
The people of Israel came to Mount Sinai – the mountain of God. There, God regulated and clarified his relationship with this people. He made a covenant with Israel. This covenant has its roots in the past. In what God had already done good for the people. But by entering into this covenant, it has implications for the future relationship. The covenant was an anchor point in the discipleship of Israel and has much to say for the discipleship of Jesus. God regulates…
Following Jesus Christ is compared to a race for a valuable prize. Everyone should run in such a way that they win. The promised goal, the prize, is eternal life in the presence of God. This image makes it clear that our living body is of great importance. The body shows who a person belongs to. I was recently on Facebook again after a long time. There I saw a comment on a profile of a former young child that was well…
Discipleship happens in the encounter with Jesus Christ. But different people react differently. Based on the biblical story of the four men who brought their paralysed friend, we encounter three types. They all encounter Jesus differently. The givers know exactly what is going on. They are present, but with a critical eye. The trusting ones show their faith in action. They are firmly convinced that Jesus Christ can help, and so they bring the needy person to him. The needy are in…
Moses followed his God. He believed that he meant well for him. He decided against his privileges as a member of the elite and instead opted for a life of hardship and suffering. He did this steadfastly because he kept his eyes firmly fixed on the one who is invisible – his God in heaven. For him, the worst of discipleship (suffering) outweighed the best of the world. We have now dealt with this a few times in the sermon…
Jesus Christ celebrated the Passover with his disciples on the day before his crucifixion. In doing so, he pointed some elements to himself. In doing so, he showed that he was the lamb that had to be sacrificed so that people could be set free. Just as the Jews remember the Exodus from Egypt on Passover, followers of Jesus remember the death of Jesus Christ on Good Friday. Jesus was a Jew and cultivated the traditions This morning I will take you with me…
Abraham was looking for a new home in heaven. He put his trust in God. Followers of Jesus Christ also hope for a new home in heaven. Through their new creation, they already have a share in it, but still live on earth with pain, suffering and death. However, they have the prospect of a promised land. This is the new earth and the new heaven. Heaven and earth come together there. The old has passed away, so there are no tears, no…
Listening to God is a basic requirement for a follower of Jesus Christ. But how do we listen to God? Three good ways to hear God are prayer, Bible reading and silence. These alone do not guarantee that we hear God, but there is a good chance that I will perceive, recognise and feel God’s impulses for my life. In many cases, listening to God also means first of all saying yes to your own story, your own life with all its natural limitations…
As a successor, it is important to know who exactly is being followed. The aim of following someone is always to become more like their role model. But what does this mean when we follow someone who not only says «Follow me», but about whom it is said: «Then Jesus wept»? This biblical passage shows us a lot about the nature of the one who says «Follow me». Many people ask themselves what would have happened if they had done this and that.…
Jesus Christ is the Word. As such, he was there from the beginning. He gave the world his light and thereby also life. His light shines in the darkness and cannot be overcome by it. At Christmas we celebrate the greatest gift. We celebrate that the Word became a man and lived among us. If we now believe in the word of Jesus Christ, that is, if we accept him as a gift from God, then we become children of God. My first godfather Bueb is…
«Advenire» means to arrive. During Advent, we remember and look forward to the arrival of Jesus Christ. It is both a look back and a look forward. We look back to the first coming and look forward to the second coming. Because we do not know when Jesus Christ will return, it is important to watch and not sleep. We need to get ready and be ready. In this time of waiting, we should hold on to Jesus Christ and keep our…
At first glance, the demands placed on a follower of Jesus Christ appear to be a pure imposition and sometimes even unattractive – because they often seem to put you on the losing side. However, when these are contrasted with a life with contrary moral ideas, they suddenly seem very desirable. The church is a good place to practise these things. But the crucial thing is not THAT we try to keep these guidelines, but our MOTIVATION. This should…
Jesus Christ was challenged by the religious leaders. They wanted to set a trap for him, whereby he either had to turn to grace or to the law. But Jesus Christ takes a different path. He catches us humans in our dealings with offences that are against God’s law. In his grace, he meets the individual and straightens him out. In this way, the commandments of God are not abolished, but rather confirmed. Through this encounter with the holy God, we are called out into…
Often we humans are too busy to deal with religious matters. We keep a safe distance and hide behind what we already know and can do. But Jesus Christ wants to meet us and he does. He disturbs our busyness. But the knowledge of the holy evokes resistance in us. For we are anything but holy. Yet we recognise that we want the encounter with the holy. So we are in a tension like Peter.…
Today we come to the last sermon of the small summer sermon series on persons from the Old Testament. We accompany these people and see how they are on the way with a holy God. Today we come to the prophet who has the same name as my son – Hosea. A life in the service of God When we look at the prophets, we notice that they all have their one-sidedness. This is precisely the strength of the prophets. Last Sunday was about Jonah. His message was: «God…
Today we come to the second part of the summer sermon series, in which we accompany people as they go through life with their holy God. Last time we looked at the three friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego as they went all out for their God. They were ready to lay down their lives for him – but God saved them. This ultimately led to a great king who could not help but confess that only this God can save. Today we want to look at…
Through the story of three Old Testament friends, we want to immerse ourselves in what it means to follow a holy God. The three friends live in a foreign country and adapt as much as possible. They integrate well, but a conflict is inevitable at the latest when they have to decide between their faith and the demands of their king. They are even prepared to lay down their lives for this. Followers of Jesus Christ are also strangers in this world. They live here,…
The first king of the divided kingdom of Israel in the north was Jeroboam. God promised him and his family that they would remain in power forever if they only kept to one thing: To be faithful to the God of Israel. But Jeroboam was led by fear, which ultimately led to the downfall of his kingdom. Followers of Jesus Christ are called to leave behind all false securities and to trust God completely. The promise of God gives a future! This morning we look at…
The story of Cain and Abel is an example of a conflict between a human being and the holy God. First there is a difference which triggers something in Cain and influences his inner attitude. He throws God’s warning to the wind and looks for a scapegoat in Abel, on whom he finally takes out his anger. Cain projects the guilt onto Abel and makes him responsible for HIS problem. Today we are immersed in one of the first conflicts in human history.…
God introduces himself as «the jealous one». When it comes to the people of Israel, God cannot tolerate them following another God. For he has chosen them for himself. The holiness and jealousy of God belong close together. Because the people of Israel are supposed to be holy, God’s jealousy hits them when they become unfaithful to God. God’s jealousy seeks us human beings. In Jesus Christ, God comes close to us and intercedes for us. Jealousy is in our…
Through the story of the Good Samaritan we can learn a lot about how the application of our faith should be done. Being close to God does not equal being like God. Just because we spend a lot of time in the proximity of God does not necessarily mean that this influences our thoughts and actions. Therefore, help can sometimes come from the very people from whom it is least expected. Followers of Jesus are to emulate the example of the Good Samaritan. But Jesus Christ himself is even more merciful than the Samaritan. He…
Some passages in the Bible seem to disturb us. Because they do not fit into our picture, because they do not correspond to what we would expect from God. The righteousness of God is dependent on his holiness. Only when we bring this together do we understand why God acts differently than we imagine. In the face of things that do not correspond to God’s will, it is precisely his justice that is revealed. God cannot simply leave them as they are, but must do justice. Followers of Jesus Christ, on the other hand, should…
The desire to improve ourselves more and more is inherent in us humans. But unfortunately, this optimisation fails in the encounter with the holy God. Because even an optimised ego cannot stand before God on its own. The problem is so-called sin, which means missing the target. In order to restore man’s access to God, Jesus Christ died on Good Friday. He was the completely blameless sacrifice needed to bear all the guilt of the world.…
The holy God allows us humans to encounter him. However, there are passages in the Bible where people die because they came too close to God. This is also the case with Uzzah. He tried to save the ark of the covenant from falling over and ended up dying himself. This reaction of God is infuriating and meets with great incomprehension. However, this reaction is only consistent. For God’s holiness should not be met with too much levity. But if God is met with respect and…
We cannot force encounters with the holy God. But when we do encounter him, it can sometimes be terrifying. Nevertheless, we do not have to be afraid of this God. For if we use this fear properly, it leads us into fear of God. This in turn leads us to worship in reverence, as befits a holy God. I recently had a conversation with a person about this year’s teaser for the annual theme. This person expressed a basic…
God created the earth in six days and on the seventh he rested. Therefore, he blessed it and gave it a special meaning and endowed this seventh day with healing power. But he not only blessed this day, he sanctified it. He set this day apart from all others because it was the day when God himself rested from his creation. But God did not rest because he was exhausted, but because everything was perfectly yielded.…
God chose Israel to be his holy people. The overriding meaning of holy is set apart. Thus the people of Israel are also set apart from the other peoples because they are God’s own people whom he has chosen for his history with humanity. In this people there are priests whose main task is the service of God. Their lives are entirely dedicated to the service of God. Followers of Jesus Christ are also part of this holy people. They form a holy people of royal priesthood. The…
The Old Testament describes the very eventful history of the people of Israel. In the process, however, hope for restoration flickers up again and again. Hope for a time when things will be peaceful, when there will be no more restrictions and no more suffering. Such hopeful texts are often accompanied by the expectation that a Messiah – an anointed one of God – will appear. A hallmark of him is such miracles. The New Testament evidence is clear that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah. Through him…
Advent focuses on the direction and anticipation of Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ. His first coming brought salvation to us humans, but Advent is not only about the first coming, but also the second. Jesus will come again one day, but we don’t know the exact time. It happens unexpectedly. While his first coming brings hope for all people, his second coming brings separation. It separates those who belong to him from…
Followers of Jesus Christ have a firm hope. A hope that gives security and support in times of uncertainty and fear. No matter how miserable and frightening the personal and social circumstances, hope has the potential to carry us through such times. But there is not only a hope, but also a responsibility. This is to bear witness to hope – not fear. Christians are to be bearers of hope and do deeds of hope.…
Through Jesus Christ, heaven on earth has dawned. But this Kingdom of God is very different from what we would expect. It is a kingdom that consists of the weakness of us humans. God chooses that which is weak and not that which is strong. God calls men and women into his service who would not be chosen by the standards of the world. In this way God shows that he has the power to make something out of hopeless cases. Since we humans…
Life on this earth is not only characterised by beautiful moments. There are numerous challenges and difficulties. The Bible outlines a different future here. A future in which everything is peaceful and healthy, a future in which there is no war and death. This future kingdom has dawned on this earth with Jesus. However, only imperfectly and in a tension of already there and yet not yet there. Nevertheless, the Kingdom of God that has dawned on this earth can already…
«Hope dies last» is a common saying. The Bible also speaks of hope. But this Christian hope is very concrete. It is a trust in the trustworthiness of God. It has its foundation in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This resurrection hope gives a perspective for the moment, but also for an uncertain future. Such hope moves and motivates. Such hope gives meaning to life. As forewarned in a sermon almost six months ago, I bring…
In Switzerland, mountains are omnipresent. They are all around us. But even in our own lives there are proverbial mountains where we are stuck and don’t know what to do. We also encounter mountains in the Bible, and God often comes into contact with people on mountains. On the mountains, heaven and earth touch. Jesus Christ himself often went up mountains and met God there. In the past, the Israelites had to go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem on Mount Zion,…
At Pentecost, things were turned upside down with the reception of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the completely different, incomprehensible one, and yet he appears to us humans in a perceptible and audible way. The Holy Spirit – God in us. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the events of Babel are reversed. People from different countries understand each other again. With Pentecost, the Christian Church comes into being. This event is the day of its birth, and the Holy Spirit still wants to be present in…
In every culture there are certain principles of how society is structured. This includes evaluations of what is good or bad, how to behave in public and what a successful life looks like. But in every culture there is a blind spot, an area where God’s good plan for his creation is not being followed. When a blind spot is discovered, it is necessary to start there and to right this wrong. People quickly fall prey to the danger of not preserving creation.…
The world is open to young people. They have a large part of their lives ahead of them. What is worth living for? This question is not only asked by young people, but by everyone. For what is it worth investing one’s life? People look for supposed fulfilment in three areas. We look for meaning in what we do, in what we own, or in what others think of us. Although all these things are common nowadays and also widely…
In the beginning, God created human beings as man and woman – equal and with a common mission. But the Fall changed this situation. Instead of ruling together, from now on men ruled over their wives, a few over all others. But through Jesus, these relationships were restored. Jesus Christ showed a new understanding of dominion. If anyone wants to be the leader, let him be the servant of all. To begin today’s sermon, I would like to share with you a…
Ever since Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, shame entered their lives. To this day, shame dominates our lives and interferes with people’s ability to relate to each other. Just as Adam and Eve made clothes out of fig leaves, we too cover our inner shame in various ways. In doing so, we quickly fall into a shame-guilt spiral. But Jesus» death on the cross has cleared the way to myself. He wants me…
God is often addressed as YHWH in the Old Testament. This name is so sacred to the Jews that they do not pronounce it. It is precisely this God who also created the earth. We want to trace the one who says «I am who I always am» (Exodus 3:14) and ask what this being means for my existence. Followers of Jesus Christ may participate in this being, because through his «I am» words he directly connects with it. This allows…
Man is created in the image of God. He reflects God. In this status lies a tremendous responsibility, which is incumbent on man. But the image that human beings present is crumbling and has mighty cracks. Man does not manage to live up to his responsibility. But there is hope. In Jesus Christ we find the perfect image of God – without scratches. Followers of Jesus may share in the perfect image of God through him. Through Jesus Christ they find their true destiny -.…
In the Kigo theatre we immersed ourselves in the Christmas story. A story that comes from another world. A world that does not at all correspond to ours – at least that is how it seems. So much seems strange. Angels are practically only known as decorative items. Sheep at best as a side dish for chips and herb butter, and shepherds at best on the packaging of Penaten cream. And yet this story also has something to say to you and me. Just like the wise men from the east…
Knowing God is the most important thing. My lip service and even miracles in the name of God are insignificant if I do not know God. Knowing God means that I put all my trust in him. This trust is called faith. By being rooted on a good foundation – Jesus Christ – good deeds can come about. Faith and being rooted can be seen in the fact that my life is driven by love. I lived in Bern for almost four years. Often when I had visitors…
Ask – receive, seek – find, knock – it will be opened to you. This is how simply Jesus describes the life of prayer. Unfortunately, this statement does not correspond very well with our experience. How often do we ask, seek, knock, but there is no response. This is because most of the time we pray with too much of an «I» fixation. Our Father in heaven wants to do us good and knows exactly what is good for us. But first we have to recognise what we should ask, seek and knock for. It goes…
People tend to look down on others and judge their behaviour, lives, etc. This is often done out of sheer arrogance to boost their own self-esteem. This is often done out of sheer arrogance to increase their own self-esteem. Jesus asks us to start with ourselves first. We are to recognise the bars in our lives and stop doing so. In doing so, we realise that it is impossible for us humans to live up to the high standard of the Sermon on the Mount. This in turn drives us into the arms of Jesus Christ, who mercifully accepts us. Overcoming our own (religious) arrogance.…
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to do good. However, it should not be about being praised. Love for fellow human beings and God should be the supporting motive and result in a giving lifestyle. For some time now, I have been financially supporting a family in India in their livelihood. When I visited the family in January 2020, I assumed that they thanked me for my support. So I spent the few days…