A lar\u00adge com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces many chal\u00adlenges. Ever\u00adyo\u00adne, young and old, is nee\u00added for good togetherness!<\/p>\n
\tWhat do you think, is it pos\u00adsi\u00adble to imple\u00adment this advice? What do you think is the most dif\u00adfi\u00adcult thing to do? A lar\u00adge com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces many chal\u00adlenges. It takes ever\u00adyo\u00adne, young and old, to live well tog\u00ade\u00adther! Our hope is nou\u00adris\u00adhed when we accept the rough trai\u00adning ground in our ever\u00ady\u00adday life and mas\u00adter it in com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty with others. That was the last sen\u00adtence of Mat\u00adthi\u00adas\u00bb ser\u00admon last Sun\u00adday. It is this sen\u00adtence that I would like to\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":7063,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[35],"wpfc_sermon_series":[81],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-bernhard-hohl","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-creatio","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-6957","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"has-post-thumbnail","8":"hentry","11":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nOur hope is nou\u00adris\u00adhed when we accept the rough trai\u00adning ground in our ever\u00ady\u00adday life and mas\u00adter it in com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty with others.
\nThat was the last sen\u00adtence of Mat\u00adthi\u00adas\u00bb ser\u00admon last Sun\u00adday. I would like to take up this sen\u00adtence this morning.
\nWel\u00adco\u00adme to the wor\u00adship ser\u00advice, the important church event whe\u00adre fel\u00adlow\u00adship is very important! Jesus Christ\u2019s most pre\u00adcious pos\u00adses\u00adsi\u00adon is his church. It is as important to him as a bridegroom\u2019s bri\u00adde. A Chris\u00adti\u00adan longs for fel\u00adlow\u00adship. He wants to share his faith with others. He is gra\u00adteful for a coun\u00adter\u00adpart when aff\u00adlic\u00adtions and needs cau\u00adse us dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties. Jesus shapes, forms his church, it is to take shape; he wants to bring it to the goal and com\u00adple\u00adte it.
\nSha\u00adring faith with others. Being the\u00adre for each other, sup\u00adport\u00ading each other in faith, that\u2019s not so easy. It\u2019s often easier to talk about poli\u00adtics, the wea\u00adther or a cool film you\u2019\u00adve seen. But the ques\u00adti\u00adon of how you are doing in your jour\u00adney with Jesus is almost taboo. Can you over\u00adco\u00adme your chal\u00adlenges in faith in com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty with others?
\nOr do you have to con\u00adfess like the sick man at the Pool of Bethes\u00adda: \u00abI have no man\u00bb?
\nIt is said that the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing sto\u00adry took place a long time ago in Ame\u00adri\u00adca: A pri\u00adma\u00adry school tea\u00adcher asked her class during a reli\u00adgi\u00adon les\u00adson: \u00abWhich of you would like to go to hea\u00adven when you grow up?\u00bb All the child\u00adren stret\u00adched their arms up in the air wit\u00adhout hesi\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon. Except Char\u00adlie! The tea\u00adcher tur\u00adned to him in ama\u00adze\u00adment, \u00abWell Char\u00adlie, do you real\u00adly not want to?\u00bb The boy ans\u00adwe\u00adred: \u00abOf cour\u00adse I want to go to hea\u00adven, but not with that lot\u00bb and poin\u00adted into the round!
\nThe ques\u00adti\u00adon is, are the\u00adre peo\u00adp\u00adle here in the church with whom you would rather not share the home in hea\u00adven? Jesus builds his church with peo\u00adp\u00adle who could not be more dif\u00adfe\u00adrent. He loves them all. Ever\u00adyo\u00adne is important to Jesus! He wants to have ever\u00adyo\u00adne with him, grum\u00adblers, grum\u00adblers, sel\u00adfi\u00adsh, big, small, beau\u00adtiful, not so beau\u00adtiful, scep\u00adtics, posi\u00adti\u00adve, doub\u00adters, opti\u00admists, trou\u00adble\u00adma\u00adkers, acti\u00adve, pas\u00adsi\u00adve, socia\u00adble, her\u00admits\u2026 one could go on and on with this list. Wit\u00adhout excep\u00adti\u00adon, we all have much, much reason to give thanks that we are allo\u00adwed to belong to the church of Jesus. Klaus Heiz\u00admann has crea\u00adted a song of thanks\u00adgi\u00adving for God, which con\u00adta\u00adins the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing sen\u00adten\u00adces: \u00abRemem\u00adber, in Jesus he glad\u00adly for\u00adgi\u00adves you, you may approach him as you are. He loves you, even if you have cau\u00adsed him grief, he is clo\u00adser than you ever meant. He has pla\u00adced you in his church and makes you rea\u00addy to serve.\u00bb
\nJesus stret\u00adches out his hand and peo\u00adp\u00adle are allo\u00adwed to come to him and fall into his hand. Unfort\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly, being in a con\u00adgre\u00adga\u00adti\u00adon is not always as plea\u00adsant as fal\u00adling into the hand of God! It chal\u00adlenges us. But that is under\u00adstan\u00adda\u00adble when so many dif\u00adfe\u00adrent peo\u00adp\u00adle come tog\u00ade\u00adther in a con\u00adgre\u00adga\u00adti\u00adon. It can take some time to get to know some peo\u00adp\u00adle and to trust them enough to share ever\u00ady\u00adthing with them.
\nThe apost\u00adle Paul foun\u00added many churches. He took care of them. He pray\u00aded for them unce\u00ada\u00adsing\u00adly and wro\u00adte let\u00adters to them.
\nIn his let\u00adter to the Phil\u00adip\u00adpians, in the second chap\u00adter, the\u00adre is a pas\u00adsa\u00adge in which he reminds this con\u00adgre\u00adga\u00adti\u00adon of what is invol\u00adved in suc\u00adcessful tog\u00ade\u00adther\u00adness in the church: \u00abIsn\u2019t it important to you to encou\u00adra\u00adge one ano\u00adther in the name of Christ? It is important to you to com\u00adfort one ano\u00adther with his love, to have fel\u00adlow\u00adship with one ano\u00adther through the Holy Spi\u00adrit, and to show deep com\u00adpas\u00adsi\u00adon and mer\u00adcy to one ano\u00adther?\u00bb (Phil\u00adip\u00adpians 2:1 NG\u00dc<\/span>).
\nEncou\u00adra\u00adging each other, com\u00adfort\u00ading each other. Some peo\u00adp\u00adle can see from a distance that they are not well. Others are good at hiding it. They tend to keep to them\u00adsel\u00adves and don\u2019t like to talk about them\u00adsel\u00adves. They want to deal with their pro\u00adblems them\u00adsel\u00adves. It takes a lot for someone to admit that they are in a cri\u00adsis. Many are rather reser\u00adved: \u00abMay\u00adbe I just mean that this per\u00adson is not well? How should I approach them? I don\u2019t want to offend them!\u00bb
\nWe usual\u00adly have bad expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces with the \u00aball-world\u00adly\u00bb ques\u00adti\u00adon \u00abHow are you?\u00bb, becau\u00adse it tempts the other per\u00adson into a quick, fake \u00abThank you, good!\u00bb. Why don\u2019t you start by approa\u00adching your coun\u00adter\u00adpart with a lot of love: \u00abNice to meet you. I\u2019m glad you\u2019\u00adre here too, how was your week?\u00bb befo\u00adre con\u00adfron\u00adting them with what you noti\u00adce: \u00abYou look ter\u00adri\u00adble. Are you not fee\u00adling well. Have you had a bad night\u2019s sleep?\u00bb No, plea\u00adse don\u2019t do it like that! But it is important that we keep our eyes and hearts open to our neigh\u00adbours here. In a com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty as big as we are, it is more dif\u00adfi\u00adcult. But I am con\u00advin\u00adced that every man and woman can find their fami\u00adli\u00adar peo\u00adp\u00adle here. Don\u2019t run away right after the ser\u00advice! Go to the bis\u00adtro and have a drink or a bite to eat. If you are a cou\u00adple, sepa\u00adra\u00adte and sit alo\u00adne at a table. This awa\u00adkens sym\u00adpa\u00adthy among us. As soon as your part\u00adner has peo\u00adp\u00adle at the table with him, move over to him if you are still alo\u00adne. Join a small group or an inte\u00adrest group, and espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly don\u2019t miss the church weekend or the church holi\u00addays! I just want to encou\u00adra\u00adge all of us to reach out to others. When Paul wri\u00adtes here in this ver\u00adse: \u00ab[\u2026] to have fel\u00adlow\u00adship with one ano\u00adther [\u2026] through the Holy Spi\u00adrit\u00bb, then the Holy Spi\u00adrit will also put the right words on our ton\u00adgues that will lead to an open conversation!
\nPaul calls us to com\u00adfort one ano\u00adther as well: \u00abIt is important for you to com\u00adfort one ano\u00adther with his love.\u00bb Com\u00adfort\u00ading the sad is even more dif\u00adfi\u00adcult. That\u2019s whe\u00adre we some\u00adti\u00admes strugg\u00adle to find the right words, whe\u00adther it\u2019s a death or a ter\u00adri\u00adble ill\u00adness. Com\u00adfort\u00ading others is some\u00adthing we should actual\u00adly learn from a young age. I remem\u00adber once in reli\u00adgi\u00adon class I gave a class the task of wri\u00adting a short let\u00adter to a class\u00adma\u00adte who had lost a parent, for exam\u00adp\u00adle, to express their sym\u00adpa\u00adthy. I expec\u00adted sen\u00adten\u00adces like: \u00abThis is so hard for you. I feel sor\u00adry for you! I am sad for you! I think of you!\u00bb But ever\u00adyo\u00adne stood as if in front of a moun\u00adtain. The\u00adre was only embar\u00adrass\u00adment. The notes remain\u00aded empty!
\nIt is important that we read careful\u00adly how Paul wri\u00adtes here: \u00abIt is important for you to com\u00adfort one ano\u00adther with his love.\u00bb You don\u2019t have to spend hours strugg\u00adling for words. God\u2019s love in you will gui\u00adde you to the right, appro\u00adpria\u00adte and hel\u00adping words.
\nHe wri\u00adtes here \u00abto show deep com\u00adpas\u00adsi\u00adon and mer\u00adcy to one ano\u00adther!\u00bb Anyo\u00adne who has ever recei\u00adved and tas\u00adted this knows how bene\u00adfi\u00adci\u00adal it can be! It feels good! One real\u00adly absorbs such love!
\nThe\u00adre has never been an Octo\u00adber as warm as this year, and yet the world is get\u00adting col\u00adder. Not becau\u00adse of the ener\u00adgy cri\u00adsis, but becau\u00adse loneli\u00adne\u00adss is spre\u00ada\u00adding. Being the\u00adre for each other, encou\u00adra\u00adging each other, com\u00adfort\u00ading each other \u2013 thank you Paul for poin\u00adting this out to us, and we don\u2019t have to squeeze it out of the tube, God\u2019s love and the Holy Spi\u00adrit are pul\u00adling the trigger!
\nWe come to the second ver\u00adse: \u00abWell then, make my joy com\u00adple\u00adte, and hold tog\u00ade\u00adther reso\u00adlut\u00ade\u00adly! Do not allow any\u00adthing to set you against one ano\u00adther, but tre\u00adat ever\u00adyo\u00adne with the same love and focus enti\u00adre\u00adly on the com\u00admon goal\u00bb (Phil\u00adip\u00adpians 2:2 NG\u00dc<\/span>). Jesus and his church are oppo\u00adsed. Jesus has an oppo\u00adnent. He does\u00adn\u2019t like it at all when we stick tog\u00ade\u00adther! Satan is deter\u00admi\u00adned to sepa\u00adra\u00adte us, to des\u00adtroy our fel\u00adlow\u00adship. He wants to set us against each other. But he shall not succeed.
\nThis is whe\u00adre God\u2019s love in us comes into play again: meet one ano\u00adther with this love! Aga\u00adpe, divi\u00adne love, is meant here! \u00aband direct your\u00adsel\u00adves com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly towards the com\u00admon goal.\u00bb Here we are again with Char\u00adlie! \u00abI want to go to hea\u00adven, but not with this lot!\u00bb When I look at you like this, I have to say that I\u2019m real\u00adly loo\u00adking for\u00adward to being with you in hea\u00adven! Look at each other in this room and look for\u00adward to hea\u00adven! Paul men\u00adti\u00adons a lot more in the\u00adse first 5 ver\u00adses of chap\u00adter 2. The\u00adre is not enough time to go into everything.
\nIn the 5th ver\u00adse he wri\u00adtes in sum\u00adma\u00adry: \u00abThis is the atti\u00adtu\u00adde that should govern your dealings with one ano\u00adther; it is the atti\u00adtu\u00adde that Jesus Christ mode\u00adled for us\u00bb (Phil\u00adip\u00adpians 2:5 NG\u00dc<\/span>). After rea\u00adding this list of 5 ver\u00adses, two things moved me.
\nOn the one hand, it sad\u00adden\u00aded me that Paul seems to have found such short\u00adco\u00admings in the churches he foun\u00added on his mis\u00adsio\u00adna\u00adry jour\u00adneys and then visi\u00adted again: Unkind\u00adness towards each other; lack of encou\u00adra\u00adge\u00adment, com\u00adfort, com\u00adpas\u00adsi\u00adon and mer\u00adcy. The\u00adre is divi\u00adsi\u00adon, quar\u00adrel\u00adling, etc. On the other hand, I was real\u00adly hap\u00adpy to sen\u00adse from this let\u00adter that it is Jesus Hims\u00adelf who makes this bene\u00adfi\u00adci\u00adal tog\u00ade\u00adther\u00adness in a con\u00adgre\u00adga\u00adti\u00adon pos\u00adsi\u00adble. To deal with each other in this way is not an illu\u00adsi\u00adon, but it is pos\u00adsi\u00adble! Thanks to Jesus it is pos\u00adsi\u00adble! In ver\u00adse 13 of the same chap\u00adter 2 Paul wri\u00adtes: \u00abGod hims\u00adelf is at work in you, making you not only wil\u00adling but able to do what plea\u00adses him\u00bb (Phil\u00adip\u00adpians 2:13 NG\u00dc<\/span>). (Other trans\u00adla\u00adti\u00adons: gives the will and the accom\u00adplish\u00adment.) God Hims\u00adelf empowers us and equips us for this.
\nThis frees us to be tru\u00adly tog\u00ade\u00adther! That binds us tog\u00ade\u00adther! This is how we as see\u00adtal chi\u00adle beco\u00adme a fami\u00adly, a place to be at home.
\nAs indi\u00advi\u00addu\u00adal mem\u00adbers of this fami\u00adly, we must not think dis\u00adpa\u00adra\u00adgin\u00adgly of our\u00adsel\u00adves and others, becau\u00adse God has a dif\u00adfe\u00adrent stan\u00addard! God sees ever\u00ady\u00adthing quite dif\u00adfer\u00adent\u00adly! \u00abIn rea\u00adli\u00adty, it is often the see\u00admingly wea\u00adk\u00ader or less important parts of the body that are espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly neces\u00adsa\u00adry. In this way, the\u00adre is no divi\u00adsi\u00adon in the body, but all mem\u00adbers care for each other in the same way. If one suf\u00adfers, all the others suf\u00adfer with it, and if one is hono\u00adu\u00adred, all the others rejoice with it. So tog\u00ade\u00adther you form the body of Christ, and each one belongs to it as a part\u00bb (1 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 12:22\u201327 NLB<\/span>). Paul cle\u00adar\u00adly says: The\u00adre is not\u00adhing use\u00adl\u00adess in the spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal body of Jesus Christ. The smal\u00adlest cell is nee\u00added; the smal\u00adlest detail is nee\u00added for a per\u00adfect body! In con\u00adclu\u00adsi\u00adon, I can only say: Good that you exist and good that you are here!
\nAmen!
\n
\n
\n
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRead the pas\u00adsa\u00adge Phil\u00adip\u00adpians 2:1\u20135 together!<\/p>\n
\n\tHow do you mana\u00adge to keep your eyes in the ser\u00advice not only on fami\u00adli\u00adar faces, but also on unfa\u00admi\u00adli\u00adar ones?
\n\tDo you approach stran\u00adgers? If yes, how?
\n\tDo you rela\u00adte to other gene\u00adra\u00adti\u00adons in the com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty (youn\u00adger or older)?
\n\t\u00abAll mem\u00adbers care for one ano\u00adther in the same way.\u00bb (Is this an illu\u00adsi\u00adon of Paul)
\n\tHave you ente\u00adred your names in the Advent calen\u00addar? As guests and\/or as hosts?
\n\tPray that new visi\u00adtors to see\u00adtal chi\u00adle will find their way into the com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty quick\u00adly and well!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"