Monday, August 30, 2010
love german books: Friedrich Christian Delius: Portrait of the Mother...
love german books: Friedrich Christian Delius: Portrait of the Mother...: "You know how you remember the first single you ever bought? Or the first band you ever saw live? Well, Friedrich Christian Delius was the fi..."
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Kagame, der Kongo und der Verdacht des Völkermords « Böhms Logbuch
Es ist noch gar nicht lange her, dass dieser zum Vorbild hoch gejubelt wurde:
Deaconess Course
Dithero tsa Tirelano mo Kutlwanong
Dithero tsa Tirelano mo Kutlwanong
Thero ka Sontaga 13 morago ga moletlo wa Borarobongwe, e le ka 29. 08. 2010 44/2010
Mo leineng la Modimo o e leng Rara le Morwa le Mowa o o Boitshepo!
1. Sefela sa 299 - 274/280
2. Thapelo:.Morena, Modimo Rara yo o mo legodimong, le kajeno re a go kopa gore o re abele Mowa o o Boitshepo gore o re thuse go farologanya lorato lo o lo bitsang ka molao wa gago mo go rona, le lorato lo o re ratang ka lona ka fa Efangeleng ya ga Morwao Jesu Keresete gore re gomotsege ka lorato lwa gago, re tsoselediwe go go rata bogolo go dilo tsotlhe, le bakaulengwe ba rona, jaaka re ratilwe ke Morwao. O re utlwe ka ntlha ya ga Jesu Keresete, Morwao, Morena wa rona. Amen.
3. Epistolo ka fa thulaganyong ya 6 e kwadilwe mo go Baefeso 6:1-7;
Efangele ka fa thulaganyong ya 1 e kwadilwe mo go Luka 10:25-37.
4. A go ipolelwe tumelo ya bokeresete! 5. Sefela sa 298 - 273/279
6. Thapelo ya mmadi wa thero. 7. Epistolo ka fa thulaganyong ya 2 e kwadilwe mo go
1 Johane 4:7-12, e re: "Baratwa, a re rataneng; gonne lorato lo tswa Modimong, mme mongwe le mongwe yo o nang le lorato o tsetswe ke Modimo, e bile o itse Modimo. Yo o se nang lorato, ga a a ka a itse Modimo; gonne Modimo ke lorato. Lorato lwa Modimo lo bonetse mo go rona ka gore Modimo o rometse Morwaa-ona mo lefatsheng yo o tsetsweng a le esi, gore re tshele ka ene. Lorato lo ntse jaana: Ga se rona re ratileng Modimo, mme ke ona o ratileng rona, wa romela Morwaa-ona go nna thuanyo ya maleo a rona. Baratwa, fa Modimo o re ratile go le kalokalo, le rona re tshwanetse go ratana. Ga go ope yo o kileng a bona Modimo. Fa re ratana, Modimo o nna mo go rona, le lorato lwa one lo tletse mo go rona." Amen.
8. Thero: Barategi mo Moreneng wa rona Jesu Keresete, go buiwa tse dintsi ka ga lorato. Modimo o rata go re thusa go farologanya sentle fa gare ga mefutafuta ya tse di bidiwang lorato mo bathong. Le lorato lo lo kaiwang lorato mo bathong ke tse di itumedisang, mme re tshwanetse go tlhokomela tota gore re tlhaloganye lorato lo Modimo o lo bitsang lorato mo Lefokong la gagwe, gore re se itsietse ka go latela tlhaloso ya lorato lo lo fapaanyeng tota le lo lo kaiwang lorato ke Modimo. Mo dikgweding tse di fetileng re setse re utlwile gore Modimo o kaya lorato, fa e le lorato fela lo lo tsamaelanang le ditaolo tsa ona tota. Lorato lo lo kaiwang ke batho, fa e le lorato, gongwe thatano e e diragalang fela ka go tlola ditaolo tsa Modimo, ga se lorato lo Modimo o lo bitsang lorato mo Lefokong la lona. Ga se lorato, mme ke ditlolo tsa molao wa ona mo matlhong a Modimo. Mo Lefokong la thero ya kajeno re bona, fa Modimo o bua ka moapostolo wa ona go re thusa go tlhaloganya selekanyo sa lorato lo Modimo o lo bitsang lorato, fa e le lorato
1. lo ba ba tsetsweng sešwa ba ratang ka lona,
2. lo ba ba itseng Modimo wa nnete ba ratang ka lona,
3. lo ba ba dumelang mo thuanyong ya ga Jesu Keresete ka lona,
4. lo bana ba Modimo ba ratanang ka lona.
1. Lefoko la thero ya kajeno le bua ka ga lorato lwa motho yo o tsetsweng ke Modimo.Yo o iseng a tsalwe sešwa ka metsi le Mowa o o Boitshepo ga a kgone go rata ka lorato lo Modimo o lo bitsang mo go ene, o sa ntse a le nama fela, gonne se se tsetsweng ke nama ke nama. Ke gore ga a ka ke a rata ka lorato lo lo kaiwang lorato ke Modimo. O sa ntse a tshwerwe mo thateng ya dikeletso tsa nama ya gagwe. Mme go eletsa, le go batla ga nama ke go tlhowa Modimo, ke go ganetsa Modimo, ga se go o rata. Go batlega gore Modimo o tsala motho sešwa ka metsi le ka Mowa, mo kolobetsong gore phetogo e tsene, motho a tsene mo pusong ya Modimo, a laolwe ke thato le lorato lwa ona, go tingwe dikeletso tsa nama, go tshubiwe maitkutlo a mašwa le lesedi la lorato mo mothong.
2. Ka thuto ya bobedi ya Lefoko la thero ya kajeno go tshwaiwa lorato, fa e le lwa ba ba itseng Modimo. Yo o ratang o itse Modimo. Ke gore yo o sa itseng Modimo wa nnete ga a rate ka lorato lo lo kaiwang ke Modimo, fa e le lorato. Ke Lefoko le le re tsoseletsang gore re gopole botlhe ba ba sa dumeleng mo Modimong wa nnete, ba ba latelang medimako, le ba ba sa rateng go amogela tumelo ya bokeresete ya go dumela mo Modimong o e leng Rara le Morwa le Mowa o o Boitshepo. Yo o sa itseng Modimo o wa nnete ga a rate tota, le fa a bua tse dintsi ka ga lorato, le thatano, le kutlwano, le kamogelano fa gare ga batho.
3. Tseo di bonala bogolo ka thuto ya boraro ya Lefoko la thero ya kajeno. Modimo wa nnete ke o o romileng Morwaaona Jesu Keresete mo lefatsheng gore a tsalwe ke Maria wa lekgarebe, a bogisiwe, a ineele mo losong, mo losong lwa sefapaanong gore a baakanyetse batho ba merafe yotlhe, ba dipaka tsotlhe thuanyo, a duele molato wa maleo a batho, a fenye loso le Satane ka tsogo ya gagwe mo baswing, a re baakanyetse manno mo pusong ya Modimo, mo botshelong jo bo sa khutleng mo kgalaleong ya Modimo. Thomo ya ga Morwa Modimo ke selekanyo tota sa lorato lwa Modimo, jaaka go kwadilwe mo Lefokong la thero ya kajeno gore lorato lwa Modimo lo bonetse mo go rona ka gore Modimo o rometse Morwaa-ona mo lefatsheng a le esi gore re tshele ka ene. Ka thomo ya ga Morwaa-ona Modimo o supile tota, fa e le lorato. Ke wa lorato lo lo bipang bontsi jwa maleo a rona. Go itse boammaaruri joo, le go dumela jalo ka pelo yotlhe ka go rata Modimo tota. Fa motho a sa dumele gore maleo otlhe a gagwe a itshwaretswe ke Modimo ka fa tsholofetsong ya ona, yo o belaelang ka boammaaruri joo, o supa, fa a ise a itse Modimo wa nnete. Yo o sa o itseng o ka o rata jang?
Go rewa botlhe ba ba fetolang thulaganyo e ya Modimo e e reng: Ka lorato lwa ona Modimo o re baakanyeditse thuanyo, tetlano, boitshwarelo, pholoso le botshelo jo bo sa khutleng, ke raya ba ba e fetolang ka gore ke bone ka lorato lwa bone, fa ba ipaakanyetsa tsotlhe tseo, o ka re: ba ba gopolang gore ba ka reka Modimo. Modimo ga o rekwe gore o re baakanyetse sengwe, gongwe o re rate. O re baakanyeditse tsotlhe ka lorato lwa ona, le go re rata, re ise re o rate. Lorato lwa Modimo lo ntse jaana: Ga se rona re ratileng Modimo, mme ke ona o ratileng rona, wa romela Morwaa-ona go nna thuanyo ya maleo a rona. Modimo o re ratile go le kalokalo. Ka fa tlhagong ya rona re ne re sa itse boammaaruri jwa lorato lo lo kalokalo. Re senoletswe ke ona ka Lefoko la ona, jaaka Lefoko la thero ya kajeno le tiisa le re: Ga go ope yo o kileng a bona Modimo. Morwa yo o tsetsweng a le esi, yo o fa sehubeng sa ga Rara, ke ene yo o re boleletseng ka Efangele ya gagwe. Ka re dumela tse re di baakanyeditsweng ke Morwa Modimo, re rata Modimo wa nnete.
4. Ka lorato lo lo kalokalo Modimo e bile o tsoseletsa lorato mo dipelong tsa rona gore re utlwe kaelo ya Lefoko la thero ya kajeno gore re ratane le bakaulengwe ba rona. Le a re: Baratwa, fa Modimo o re ratile go le kalokalo, le rona re tshwanetse go ratana. Fano go a batlega gore thatano ya rona e se nne lwa boitimokanyo, mme e nne lorato lo lo tshwailweng ke Modimo mo Lefokong la ona le le lo tshwaileng ka gore lorato lo bopelotelele, lo bopelontle, lorato go lo fufege; lorato ga lo ipoke, ga lo ikgogomose, ga lo boatla, ga lo ipatlele, ga lo gakele, ga lo sale bosula jwa motho morago; ga lo itumelele tshiamololo, mme lo itumelela boammaaruri. Lo iphapaanya le dilo tsotlhe, lo dumela dilo tsotlhe, lo solofela dilo tsotlhe, lo itshokela dilo tsotlhe. Fa re itlhotlhomisa ka fa selekanyong se sa lorato lo lo kaiwang lorato ke Modimo, re lemoga ka pele gore ga re a rata jalo, ga re a rata, jaaka Modimo Rara, le Morwa o re ratile. Ka moo re ipona molato, re hutsafalela tlolo ya rona, mme ga re latlhe tsholofelo, mme re tabogela mo loratong lo Modimo o re ratileng ka lona gore lo bipe bontsi jwa maleo a rona. Ka lorato lo lwa ona o tshube lorato mo dipelong tsa rona gore re tsoselediwe go o rata bogolo go dilo tsotlhe, le go rata bakaulengwe ba rona, jaaka re ratilwe ke Modimo o e leng Rara, le Morwa, le Mowa o o Boitshepo. Amen.
9. Thapelo: Modimo, Mong-wa-thata-tsotlhe, o re fe tumelo e e siameng ya nnete, o e atise mo go rona ka malatsi otlhe, o re fe lorato le tsholofelo, re tle re go direle le bangwe-ka-rona ka fa natefelong ya gago, ka lorato lo o re ratileng ka lona ka ene Jesu Keresete, Morwao, Morena wa rona. Amen.
Thapelo ya Morena: Rara wa rona yo o mo legodimong ...
10. Sefela sa 224 - 210/218
A kagiso ya Modimo e e fetang tlhaloganyo yotlhe e boloke dipelo tsa rona le maikutlo a rona mo go Keresete Jesu, Morena, Morepholosi. Amen.
Thero eno e kwadilwe ke E. A. W. Weber, ka ngwaga wa 2010
Kgatiso le go rongwa ga dithero tseo go tshegediwa ke kopano e e bidiwang The Lutheran Heritage Foundation.
Dikgang tse di Khutshwane - IziNdaba eziFingqiweyotsa Kereke ya Lutere- zekerike ngokobuLuthere
Dikgang tse di Khutshwane - IziNdaba eziFingqiweyo
tsa Kereke ya Lutere- zekerike ngokobuLuthere
August 2010 - ngesiZulu
Nansi imisho eminye kaC. F. W. Walther ehunyushelwe esiZulwini:
Isifundo seshumi nanye:
Ngokwesikhombisa izwi likaNkulunkulu alihlukaniswa ngokufanele, uma kududuzwa labo kuphela ngevangeli abazikhalela izono zabo ngokumethanda uNkulunkulu, uma kungaduduzwa nabo abazikhalela ngokumesaba uNkulunkulu, nolaka lwakhe, nesijeziso sakhe.
Isifundo seshumi nambili:
Ngokwesishiyakalombili izwi likaNkulunkulu alihlukaniswa ngokufanele, uma kufundiswa ukuthi izono ziyathethelelwa ngenxa yokudabuka kanye nokukholwa.
Isifundo seshumi nantathu:
Ngokwesishiyakalolunye izwi likaNkulunkulu alihlukaniswa ngokufanele, uma ukukholwa kubizwa ngendlela yokuthi umuntu unamandla okuzenzela ukukholwa, noma okusiza ekukutholeni, uma kungazanywa ukukufaka enhliziyweni yomuntu ngokumshumayeza izithembiso zevangeli.
Isifundo seshumi nane:
Ngokweshumi izwi likaNkulunkulu alihlukaniswa ngokufanele, uma ukukholwa kubizwa njengesisusa nesizathu sokuthethwa kahle nokusindiswa, uma kungashunyayelwa ukuthi sithethwa kahle, siyasindiswa ngokukholwa, uma kuthiwa sithethwa phambi kukaNkulunkulu, sisindiswa ngenxa yokukholwa, noma uma kubhekwa ukukholwa ukuthi kuyinzuzu (kuyathenga, ngoba ngokukholwa siyamukela intethelelo, asiyizuzi, izuziwe nguKristu.)
Isifundo seshumi nanhlanu:
Ngokweshumi nanye izwi likaNkulunkulu alihlukaniswa ngokufanele, uma ivangeli lenziwa, libe intshumayelo edabukisayo.
Ukungeniswa kombhishobhi omusha weKerike ngokobuLuthere eNingizimu Afrika
Ngomhla ka 21. 3. 2010 ngesonto elithiwa Judika umbhiobhi omusha wekerike lakithi, umfundisi uDr. Karl Peter Paul Wilhelm Weber ungenisiwe esikhundleni sakhe ngokwesimiso sekerike ngumbhishobhi uDr. David Tswaedi eMofolo North. Umbhishobhi omusha ufikile emhlabeni ngomhla ka 5. 9. 1961, eseqedile ukufunda ezikoleni nasekholishi wagcotshelwa ubufundisi ngomhla ka 2. 8. 1992, nokungeniswa ukuba ngumfundisi webandla laseWittenberg eduze naseMkhondo/Piet Retief, lekerike elithiwa FELSiSA. Ngomyaka ka-2000 ikerike lakithi lambiza, nokumngenisa ukuba ngofundisayo ekholishi lekerike lakithi eTshwane ngoDecember. Khona ePitoli wenza ubunyanga betheoloji eUNISA. Kwathi umfundisi uRradikobo Ntsimane ethuthele eThaweni, umf. uDr. Weber wamgeniswa ukuba ngumphathi wekholishi. Uganiwe noAngelika, indodakazi yomf. omk. uGünther Scharlach, banabantwana abane.
Ibandla laseMofolo North lenze umsebenzi omkhulu ngokulungisela umkhosi wokungenisa umbhishobhi omusha esikhundleni. Kwamiswa amatente amabili amakhulu ukulungisela ibandla elikhulu eladlula abantu abayingukulungwane indawo yokuhlala, nokwamukela ibandla elidkhulu ngezandla ezimbili ngokulungisela abantu abaningi kangaka okwaya emathunjeni. Ababendla ezifundamfundisi omkhulu saseBotswana, nesaseNorth West, naseGoli, naseMpumalanga, nesaseKwaZulu/Natal babekhona, nababethi bamacilongo, nabahlabeleli bahlobisile umkhosi lowo ngamaculo abo.
Iningi labafundisi nabafundisi abakhulu bekerike lakithi babefikile ukugubha lomkhosi omuhle nombhishobhi omusha wabo. Abafundisi bamakerike anobudlelwane bekerike nelakithi babefikile, baletha izibingelelo zamakerike akubo, ngisho umfundisi omkhulu wesifundamfundisi esithiwa SID sekerike elithiwa Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod wabingelela egameni lomongameli wekerike lakubo, umf. uDr. Mischnik, nokufisela umbhishobhi omusha isibusiso sikaNkulunkulu, kanjalo nomfundisi omkhulu wesifundamfundisi esithiwa RMD, yizo eziyizifundamfundisi omkhulu zalelikerike ezisekelayo umsebenzi wekholishi nekerike lakithi. UProf. Dr. Werner Klän wabingelela egameni lombhishobhi uJörg Vogt wekerike elithiwa Selbständige Ev. Luth. Kirche laseJalimane, nokudlulisela izibusiso zikaNkulunkulu kumbhishobhi wekerike lakithi. Iphini lomfundisi omkhulu wekerike elithiwa FELSiSA, umf. uDr. Dieter Reinstorf wabingelela ibandla, nokudlulisela amazwi esibusiso, nokukhuluma amazwi amahle akhomba ithemba ukuthi nasesikhathini esizayo lamakerike amabili ngokobuLuthere azosebenzelana ngokuthandana nangokuhloniphana. Kwafundwa nezincwadi zokubingelela ezavela emakerikeni amanye enhlangano ethiwa International Lutheran Conference, njengekrike ngokobuLuthere laseKorea, nelaseIndiya. Umf. uPeter Weber wasoHlangeni ukhulumile egameni lomongameli wemishane ethiwa Mission of Lutheran Chruches, umfundisi uChristoph Weber, owayengaseJalimane, wafisela umbhishobhi omusha izibusiso zikaNkulunklulu, nokubonga umbhishoi uDr. Tswaedi ngokuthi wenze umsebenzi omkhulu wokuba yifolosi ekerikeni lakithi, wafisela umnewabo ukuba yifolosi impela, wamfisela ukuba izinkabi ezinye eziseyokweni zidonse kahle kanye naye, wathi: Ifolosi alikwazi ukwenza lutho, uma ezililandelayo zingadonsi kanye nalo ukuba inqola yeNkosi iphume odakeni.
Umbhishobhi omusha wabonga izibingelelo nokwamukelwa kahle enkonzweni enkulu, eyinkonzo yokubonga uNkulunklulu, nokumdumisa, waphatha intshumayelo ngokugcizelela izwi leNkosi elitholakala emlandweni ngokubamba izinhlanzi eziningi athi: Qhubekela ekujuleni, nihlise amanetha enu, nibambe. Kulawomazwi kuhlangnisiwe isithembiso esikhulu sokubamba abantu abaningi ukuba babuyiselwe eNkosini. Ayakhomba ungathi njengomfowabo ekhulumile ukuthi asiphumeleli ukwenza umsebenzi sisodwa. Ababebamba izinhlanzi eziningi kakhulu babaqhweba omana babo ababekomunye umkhumbi ukuba beze, bababambise. Wakhumbuza ukuthi asisodwa emkhunjini wethu wekerike, kukhona omakhelwane bethu, amakerike amelwe ukusiza ukubutha abantu abaningi. Akufanele ukuba sizame ukwenza umsebenzi ngaphandle kwabo. Uma sihluleka ukwenza okuthile ngenxa yobuthakathaka bethu, masingabi nezinhloni ukucela usizo kubo abathanda umsebenzi wekerike ngokobuLuthere njengathi, noma abasezweni lakithi, noma emazweni amanye asenyakatho eAfrika, noma amakerike aphesheya. Omakhelwane babo labaya babefika, baphumelela ukufikisa iningi lezinhlanzi ogwini.
Umfundisi uRadikobo Ntshimane wayephatha uhlelo lwenkonzo, wasiza ngokukhuluma isiTswana, isiZulu nesiNgisi. Ubaba-mbhishobhi uTswadi wangenisa umbhishobhi omusha esikhundleni sakhe. Umbhishobhi omusha wangenisa iphini lombhishobhi umfundisi omkhulu uVictor Vilakazi wesifundamfundisi omkhulu saseMpumalanga, futhi waphatha intshumayelo ngesiNgisi. Inkonzo yagcina ngokwabela isidlo seNkosi, samukeliswa ngabafundisi abangu-6 ukuba abasamukelayo basheshe basamukele. Ababethi bamacilongo babehola amaculo ukuba kubonakale intokozo enkulu obusweni babo bonke ababesondela ukwamukela umzimba negazi likaKristu e-altare. Umbhishobhi omusha waphetha inkonzo ngesibusiso seNkosi. Kwakhishwa umnikelo. Bonke babemenywa ukuhlangana ezimbizeni ezilungiselwe ngokudla okumnandi. Kwakulusuku lwentokozo enkulu egcekeni leNkosi.
Abafundisi bayamenywa ukuba bahlangane eCyara ngoAugust 31 - September 2, 2010
Okwemishane ethiwa eyamaKerike ngokobuLuthere
(The Mission of Luterhan Churches {Blecmar})
Emhlanganweni womkhandlu wemishane ngomhla ka 10. 3. 2010 eBleckmar umfundisi omkhulu uRoger Zieger wakhethwa ukuba ngumongameli omusha wemishane esikhundleni somfundisi uMarkus Nietzke owamukele ukubizwa yibandla laseHermannsburg elithiwa Kleine Kreuzkirche elalisekela umsebenzi wemishane yakithi kusukela ekuqaleni isihlukene nemishane yaseHermannsburg ngomnyaka ka 1892. Siyamfisela umongameli omusha wemishane isibusiso seNkosi, nothando olukhulu lokusebenzelana nekerike lakithi ngesineke esikulu ngokwesibonelo sokusebenzelana nokusizana okwakukhona phakathi kwabomongameli bemishane ababekhona ngaphambili nekerike lakithi, njengasesikhathini somfundisi uDr. F. W. Hopf, nesomfundisi uDr. Volker Stolle, nesomfundisi uJohannes Junker, nesomfundisi uGerhard Heidenreich, nesomfundisi uMarkus Nietzke. Umongameli omusha wemishane, umfundisi omkhulu uRoger Zieger, kwamanje ungumfundisi webandla laseBerlin-Spandau, nomfundisi omkhulu wesifundamfundisi omkhulu saseBerlin-Brandenburg sekerike elithiwa Selbständige Ev. Luth. Kirche (SELK). Uganiwe, unabantwana ababili. Umfundisi omkhulu uRoger Zieger uyangeniswa esikhundleni sokuba ngumongameli wemishane ngomhla ka 11. 7. 2010 emkhosini wobuthunywa eBleckmar.
Umkhandlu omusha wekerike elithiwa
"Free Evangelical Lutheran Synod in South Africa" (FELSiSA
Umhlangano wesinodi leFESiSA owawukhona eThekwini wanquma ukuba umongameli walo angabe esabizwa ngokuthi umfundisi omkhulu (Präses, president), kodwa abe ngumbhishobhi, ngokuba leligama likhomba impela ukuthi kuthiwa umholi wekerike, kungabi isikhulu sezwe, noma umphathisihlalo senhlangano ethile. Umfundisi omkhulu uPeter Ahlers uqedile umnyaka ka65, uphumile kulesisikhundla. Kwakhethwa umfundisi uDr. Dieter Reinstorf webandla laseCape Town ukuba ngumbhishobhi wokuqala wekerike lakubo, umfundisi uDieter Schnackenberg waseLüneburg ukuba yiphini lombhishobhi, umfundisi uRüdiger Gevers wasePanbult abe ngumfundisi wesithathu emkhandlwini wabo. Nabanumnzane ababili, uHerbert Schulz waseKirchdorf, noManfred Johannes waseSt. Paul's eArcadia, bangamalungu omkhandlu weFElSiSA. Umphathi wesikhwama sabo ungumnumnzane uBerno Niebuhr, naye ungowebandla elithiwa St. Paul's eArcadia. Umbhishobhi wekerike lakithi, uDr. Wilhelm Weber, wayemenyiwe ukudlulisela izibingelelo nezibusiso emhlanganweni wesinodi egameni lekerike lakithi, njengalokhu kwenzekile njalo ngaphambili ukuba umbhishobhi wekerike lakithi abe khona emhlanganweni wesinodi lakubo, Umbhishobhi uWeber wabonga ukusebenzelana nokusizana phakathi kwamakerike akithi amabili, waphawula ukusebenzelana okuthokozisayo kakhulu ebandleni lekholishi laseTshwane nebandla elithiwa St. Paul's eArcardia, naphakathi kwebandla laseKirchdorf nemishane ethiwa Mission of Lutheran Churches emsebenzini webandla lasePella nebandla elithiwa Our Saviour's laseWartburg ngokubiza umfundisi uChristian Tiedemann ukuba ngumfundisi wakhona. Wabonga ukusebenzelana nokusizana okukhulu okuphakathi kwebandla elithiwa St. Peter's laseWestville nebandla lekerike lakithi eNtshongweni, nokusebenzelana nokusizana okunye.
Okunye kweFELSiSA
Umfundisi uGerald Paul owayengumfundisi ebandleni laseWittenberg, nomfundisi uJosef Henning owayengumfundisi ebandleni elithiwa ELF eGoli bamukele ukubizelwa esebenzini wamabandla ekerike elithiwa Lutheran Chruch - Missouri Synod. EWittenberg umf. omk. em. UPeter Ahlers wamukela isicelo ukuba abambele khona eWittenberg, baze bathole umfundisi omusha. Umbhishbhi uDieter Reinstorf wamukela ukubizwa ukuba asuke eCape Town, abe ngumfundisi webandla lakubo ePietermaritzburg. Umvivinywa uTobias Ahlers uyaqhubeka ngokufnda kwakhe ebandleni laseWestville elithiwa St. Peter's, ongamelwa khona
I-Almanaki lekerike lakithi
I-Almanaki lekerike lakithi likhishiwe ngokusha lonyaka, liyabiza R15. Uma othile ebona iphutha maqondana namagama, nekheli, noma nezibalo, makazasise umbhishobhi ukuba kulungiswe.
Abafundisi ababemenyiwe ukuvakashela phesheya
Umbhishobhi omdala nomoshwa bamenywa ukuba khona emhlanganeweni omkhulu wesinodi lekerike elithiwa LC-MS, ngakholokhu baya eMelika umbh. uWeber waya eMelika ngomhla ka 26. 5. 2010, wacelwa ukushumayela emabandleni athile esifundamfundisi omkhlu esithiwa SID, neRMD, endleleni yokubuya uzoshumayela eFarven (kumf. uBermhard Schütze naseHermannsburg kumf. uMarkus Nietzke owayengumongameli wemishane yakithi elithiwa Mission of Lutheran Churches (Bleckmar). Emabandleni ekerike elithiwa Selbständige Ev. Luth. Kirche umfundisi wekerike lakithi uPaul Mogale owaseGaborone wayemenywa ukuhambela amabandla ekerike lakithi laseJalimane elisekelayo umsebenzi wekerike lakithi, ukuba abe khona emhlanganweni womkhandlu wemishane, mhla kwakhethwa umongameli omusha, kanye nomfundisi uChristoph Weber waseThekwini manje, umongameli wemishane eNingizimu Afrika ngokomthetho wezwe. Sebebuyele ekhaya. Umfundisi uPeter Weber umenywe ukuba khona eJalimane ngoSeptember. Izinkambo ezinjalo mazithele uthando lokusekela umsebenzi wekerike lakithi eAfrika njalo ngokusha.
Ukusebenzelana nokusizana phakathi kwamakerike ngokobuLuthere
Kungokukhulu, okudingekayo impela ukuba umsebenzi wobuthunywa ongukubamba abantu ngokomyalo weNkosi odlula amandla ekerike elibuthakathaka kokuningi elimelwe ukwenziwa ekerikeni, njengokuhola izisebenzi zekerike kahle, nokwakha, nokulungisa izindlu zamabandla, ukuthwala nezindleko ezinye ezingabakhona, njengezinyawo zabamelwe ukuphatha izinkonzo, noma amakilasi athanda ukulungiselwa ukubhapathizwa noma umqiniso. Umholi wekerike, nabaholi bamabandla abaphumeleli ukwenza wonke umsebenzi bebodwa, njengefolosi lingaphumeleli ukudonsa inqola noma igeja lilodwa, kuyadingeka ukuba izinkabi ezinye eziseyokweni nazo zidonse impela, kanjalo kudingeka ukuba omakhelwane babizwe ukusiza ukudonsa amanetha agcwele iningi lezinhlanzi ezibanjiwe. Ababekhona ngaphambili babengali ukucela usizo oluvela amakerikeni asemazweni amanye ngenxa yokuzikhohlisa ngokusho ukuthi bazophumelela ngokwabo. Kuhle kakhulu, uma siphumelela ukuzimela, nokwenza yonke imisebenzi, kodwa uma kukhona imisebenzi engenziwa ngokuswela, masiceleni izinsizo kwabanye abathanda ukusisiza, singali izinsizo lezo ngenxa yobandlulula obungafanele, sizamukele ngokubonga, ngokuthokozela ukusebenzelana nokusizana okufanele abantwana bakaNkulunkulu, ngisho usizo ngokusizwa ukuba izisebenzi zamukele amaholo azo kahle, nokuthi amabandla abe nabafundisi abayakwenza umsebenzi wabo ngokuthembeka. Usizo olunjalo lufanele ukuhlelwa kahle ngezimiso ezilungile phakathi kwamakerike nemishane, phakathi kwekerike namakerike. Usizo olunjalo maluqhubeke, noma umfundisi othile ephuma emsebenzini, kodwa usizo luqhubeke ngokuzwana okukhulu ukuba usizo olunjalo lunganqunywa kuphela ngamabomu, kodwa lusekelwe ngezithembiso ngokwesimiso esisekelwa ngokuthembeka okukhulu. Makwenzeke ngokwezimiso ezabusa ikerike nemishane yakithi kusukela ekuqaleni, ngisho esithi: Ikerike ngokobuLuthere liyaqhuba umsebenzi wemishane ngokobuLuthere kuphela. Imishane ngokobuLuthere ingasekelwa yikerike ngokobuLuthere kuphela, nesithi: Imishane ngokobuLuthere yenziwa ukwakha ikerike ngokobuLuthere.
IziNtshumayelo zokuSebenzelana ekuZwaneni
IziNtshumayelo zokuSebenzelana ekuZwaneni
Intshumayelo ngesonto 13 emva komkhosi wobuthathwemunye, ngomhla ka 29. 08. 2010 44/2010
Egameni likaNkulunkulu onguYise, neNdodana, noMoya oNgcwele.
1. Iculo 226/272
2. Umkhuleko: Nkosi, Nkulunkulu, Baba osezulwini, nanamuhla siyacela kuwe ukuba usabele uMoya oNgcwele ukuba asisize ukuhlukanisa uthando olubiza kithi ngomthetho wakho, nothanda osithanda ngalo ngokwevangeli leNdodana yakho uJesu Kristu ukuba siduduzwe ngothando lwakho, sivuselelwe ukukuthanda phezu kwezinto zonke, nawomakhelwane bethu, njengalokhu sithandiwe yiNdodana yakho. Mawusizwe ngenxa kaJesu Kristu, iNdodana yakho, iNkosi yethu. Amen.
3. Iphistola ngohlelo lwesithupha lilotshiwe kuzo izEnzo 6:1-7;
Ivangeli ngohlelo lokuqala lilotshiwe kuLuka 10: 25-37.
4. Isivumo senkolo: Ngiyakholwa nguNkulunkulu uYise ... 5. Iculo 6/43
6. Umkhuleko wakhe ofundayo intshumayelo 7. Iphistola ngohlelo lwesibili lilotshiwe
ku-1 Johane 4:7-12, lithi: "Bathandekayo, masithandane, ngokuba uthando luvela kuNkulunkulu, nabo bonke abathandayo bazelwe nguNkulunkulu, bayamazi uNkulunkulu. Ongathandiyo akamazi uNkulunkulu, ngokuba uNkulunkulu uluthando. Uthando lukaNkulunkulu lwabonakaliswa kithi ngalokho ukuthi uNkulunkulu wathumela ezweni iNdodana yakhe ezelwe yodwa ukuba siphile ngayo. Uthando lukulokhu, kungesikho ukuthi thina samthanda uNkulunkulu, kepha ukuthi yena wasithanda thina, wathuma iNdodana yakhe ibe-yinhlawulo ngezono zethu. Bathandekayo, uma uNkulunkulu wasithanda kanjalo, nathi simelwe ukuthandana. UNkulunkulu akazange abonwe-muntu; uma sithandana, uNkulunkulu uhlala kithi, nothando lwakhe luphelele kithi." Amen.
8. Intshumayelo: Bathandekayo eNkosini yethu uJesu Kristu, kuyakhulunywa okuningi ngothando. Namuhla uNkulunkulu uyathanda ukusisiza ukuhlukanisa kahle phakathi kwezinhlobonhlobo zakho okuthiwa uthando ebantwini. Nothando oluthiwa uthando ebantwini luyathokozisa, kodwa simelwe ukuqaphela impela ukuba siqonde uthando uNkulunkulu alusho ezwini lakhe ukuthi luluthando ukuba singazikhohlisi ngokulandela incazo yothando oluphambene ngokwempela nothando uNkulunkulu alusho ukuthi luluthando. Ezinyangeni ezidlulileyo sesizwile ukuthi uNkulunkulu usho ukuthi kuluthando okuhambelana ngokwempela nemiyalelo yakhe. Uthando olushiwo ngabantu ukuthi kuluthando, noma ukuthandana kwabo kwenzeka kuphela ngokweqa imiyalelo kaNkulunklulu akusilo uthando oluthiwa uthando nguNkulunkulu ezwini lakhe. Akusilo uthando, kodwa kuyizeqo zomthetho wakhe emehlweni kaNkulunkulu. Ezwini lentshumayelo yanamuhla siyathola ukuthi uNkulunkulu uyakhuluma ngomphostoli wakhe ukusisiza ukuqonda isilinganiso sothando uNkulunkulu alusho ukuthi luluthando.
1. Luluthando abazelwe ngokusha abathanda ngalo.
2. Luluthando abamaziyo uNkulunkulu abathanda ngalo.
3. Luluthando abakholwa inhlawulo kaJesu Kristu abathanda ngalo.
4. Luluthando abantwana bakaNkulunkulu abathandana ngalo.
1. Izwi lentshumayelo yanamuhla liyakhuluma ngothando lomuntu ozelwe ngokusha nguNkulunkulu. Ongakazalwa ngokusha ngamanzi nangoMoya oNgcwele uhlulekile ukuthanda ngothando uNkulunkulu alufunayo kuye. Onjalo useyinyama kuphela, ngokuba okuzelwe yinyama, kuyinyama. Kusho ukuthi akakwazi ukuthanda ngothando olushiwo uthando nguNkulunkulu. Usabanjiwe emandleni ezinkanuko zenyama yakhe. Kodwa ukukhanuka, nokufisa kwenyama kungubutha kuNkulunkulu, kungukuphambana nentando kaNkulunkulu, akusikho ukumthanda. Kuyadingeka ukuba uNkulunkulu azale umuntu ngokusha ngamanzi nangoMoya embhapathizweni ukuba kuvele inguquko, umuntu angene embusweni kaNkulunkulu, amukelwe phansi kombuso wakhe, aholwe yintando nothando lwakhe, kucinywe umlilo wezinkanuko zenyama, kuthungelwe umlilo wezifiso ezintsha, nowokukhanya kothando emuntwini.
2. Ngokwesibili kwezwi lentshumayelo yanamuhla kuyaphawulwa uthando ukuthi lungolwabaziyo uNkulunkulu. Kuthiwa: Bonke abathandayo bayamazi uNkulunkulu. Kusho ukuthi ongamazi uNkulunkulu weqiniso akamthandi ngothando olushiwo nguNkulunkulu ukuthi luluthando. Kuyizwi likaNkulunkulu elisigqugquzelayo ukuba sikhumbule bonke abangakholwa nguNkulunkulu weqiniso, abasalandelayo onkulunkulu-mbumbulu, abangathandi ukwamukela ukukholwa kobuKristu kokukholwa nguNkulunkulu onguYise neNdodana noMoya oNgcwele. Ongamazi loNkulunkulu weqiniso akanathando oluluthando impela, noma ekhuluma okuningi ngothando, nokuthandana, nokuzwana, nokwamukelana phakathi kwabantu.
3. Leliqiniso libonakala kakhulu ngakho okwesithathu okushiwo yizwi lentshumayelo yanamuhla. UNkulunkulu weqiniso ungothumile iNdodana yakhe uJesu Kristu emhlabeni ukuba izalwe nguMariya intombi, ihlushwe, izinikele ekufeni, yebo ekufeni kwesiphambano ukuba ilungisele abantu bezizwe zonke bezikhathi zonke inhlawulo, ikhokhele icala lezono zabantu, inqobe ukufa noSathane ngokuvuka kwayo kwabafileyo, isilungisele indawo embusweni kaNkulunkulu, ekuphileni okuphakade enkazimulweni kaNkulunkulu. Ukuthunywa kweNdodana kaNkulunkulu kuyisilinganiso ngokwempela sothando lukaNkulunkulu, njengalokhu kulotshiwe ezwini lentshumayelo yanamuhla ukuthi Uthando lukaNkulunkulu lwabonakaliswa kithi ngalokho ukuthi uNkulunkulu wathumela ezweni iNdodana yakhe ezelwe yodwa ukuba siphile ngayo. Ngokuthuma iNdodana yakhe uNkulunkulu uzifakazele impela ukuthi uluthando. Uluthando olusibekela inqwaba yesono. Ukwazi leliqiniso, nokukholwa yilo ngenhliziyo yonke kungukuthanda uNkulunkulu ngokuyikho. Uma umuntu engakholwa ukuthi zonke izono zakhe zithethelelwe nguNkulunkulu ngokwesithembiso sakhe, osangabaza ngaleliqiniso, uyafakaza ukuthi akakazi uNkulunkulu weqiniso. Ongamaziyo, angamthanda kanjani na?
Kuthiwa bonke abaguqulayo loluhlelo lukaNkulunkulu oluthi ngothando lwakhe uNkulunkulu usilungisele inhlawulo, ukubuyisana naye, intethelelo yezono, insindiso nokuphila okuphakade, ngisho abaluguqulayo ngokusho ukuthi yibo uqobo ngothando lwabo abayazilungisela konke lokho, ngokungathi: bayacabanga ukuthi baphumelela ukuthenga uNkulunkulu ngakho okwabo. UNkulunkulu akathengwa ukuba asilungisele okuthile, noma ukuba asithande. Nguyena osilungisele konke ngothando lwakhe, nokusithanda, singakamthandi. Uthando lukulokhu, kungesikho ukuthi thina samthanda uNkulunkulu, kepha ukuthi yena wasithanda thina kwesakuqaleni, wathuma iNdodana yakhe ibe yinhlawulo ngezono zethu. UNkulunkulu wasithanda kangaka. Ngokwemvelo yethu sasingalazi iqiniso lothando lwakhe olungaka. Salwambulelwe nguye ngezwi lakhe, njengalokhu izwi lentshumayelo yanamuhla liqinisa, lithi: UNkulunkulu akazange abonwe-muntu. Akakho oké wabona uNkulunkulu; iNdodana ezelwe yodwa esesifubeni sikaYise, yiyona embonakalisile ngevangeli lakhe. Njengoba sikholwa esikulungiselwe yiNdodana kaNkulunkulu, sithanda uNkulunkulu weqiniso.
4. Ngothando olungaka uNkulunkulu futhi wagqugquzela uthando ezinhliziyweni zethu ukuba sezwe iseluleko sezwi lentshumayelo yanamuhla ukuba sithandane nawomakhelwane bethu, lithi: Bathandekayo, uma uNkulunkulu wasithanda kanjalo, nathi simelwe ukuthandana. Khona lapha kuyadingeka ukuba ukuthandana kwethu kungabi olokuzenzisa nje, kodwa lube uthando oluphawuliwe nguNkulunkulu ezwini lakhe elaluphawula ngokusho ukuthi: Uthando luyabekezela, uthando lumnene, alunamhawu, uthando aluzigabisi, aluzikhukhumezi; aluziphathi ngokungafanele, aluzifuneli okwalo, alucunuki, alunagqubu; aluthokozi ngokungalungile, kepha luthokozela iqiniso; lubekezelela izinto zonke, lukholwa yizinto zonke, luthemba izinto zonke, lukhuthazelela izinto zonke. Uma sizihlolisisa ngalesisilinganiso sothando olushiwo uthando nguNkulunkulu, sizoqonda masinyane ukuthi asithandanga kanjalo, asithandanga, njengalokhu uNkulunkulu uYise, neNdodana isithandile. Ngakho lokhu sivuma icala lethu, siyasakhalela iseqo sethu, kodwa asilahli ithemba ekudabukeni kwethu, kodwa sigijimela othandweni lukaNkulunkulu osithanda ngothando olungaka olusibekela inqwaba yezono zethu. Siyethemba ukuthi uyathungela ukukhanya kothando ezinhliziweni zethu, sivuselelwe ukumthanda phezu kwezinto zonke, nokuthanda omakhelwane bethu, njengalokhu sithandiwe nguNkulunkulu onguYise kaJesu Kristu, noBaba wethu, neNdodana yakhe uJesu Kristu, noMoya oNgcwele osebenza kithi ngezwi namasakramente kaJesu Kristu. Amen.
9. Umkhuleko: Nkulunkulu, Mnini-mandla-onke, mawusiphe ukukholwa kweqiniso okuhle, ukwandise kithi ngezinsuku zonke, usiphe nothando nethemba, sikhonze kuwe nakubo omakhelwane ngokwentando yakho ngothando osithande ngalo ngayo iNdodana yakho, uJesu Kristu, iNkosi yethu. Amen.
Umkhuleko weNkosi: Baba wethu osezulwini ...
10. Iculo 191/182
Ukuthula kukaNkulunkulu okudlula ukuqonda konke makulondoloze izinhliziyo zenu nemicabango yenu kuKristu Jesu. Amen.
Lentshumayelo ilotshiwe ngo-2010 ngu-.E. A. W. Weber.
Ukucindezelwa nokuthunywa kwezintshumayelo kuyasekelwa yinhlangano ethiwa: Lutheran Heritage Foundation.
Russia in color, a century ago - The Big Picture - Boston.com
What a beautiful country! That was a long, long time ago ... wonderful.
Olivier Roy - Heilige Einfalt
Die Exkulturation der Religionen. Ueber die politischen Gefahren entwurzelter Religionen.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Cicero - Magazin für politische Kultur
Common sense - oder doch etwas mehr zivilisiert?
Auf jeden Fall finde ich das gar keine schlechte Schule fuers Benehmen mit anderen Kulturen/Religionen, oder liege ich da falsch?
Monday, August 23, 2010
South Africa: COSATU's Zwelinzima Vavi's Ruth First Memorial Lecture | Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal
Well, you ain't seen nothing yet ... listen to this and you know what SA is facing in future:
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Austrittswelle: Ganze Milieus kehren der Kirche den Rücken - Nachrichten Debatte - Kommentare - WELT ONLINE
Es ist traurig und wir koennen es beklagen. Stattdessen sollten wir lieber Busse tun und den Herrn um Erbarmen flehen und singen: "Wach auf, wach auf Du deutsches Land, Du hast genug geschlafen..."
SPIEGEL-Gespräch: "In dieser Gesellschaft brodelt es" - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - Kultur
Was würde der wohl von Südafrika schreiben - oder vom Rest der Welt?
SPIEGEL-Gespräch: "In dieser Gesellschaft brodelt es" - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - Kultur
SPIEGEL-Gespräch: "In dieser Gesellschaft brodelt es" - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - Kultur
Op-Ed Contributor - Universities Are Heading Toward Academic Bankruptcy - NYTimes.com
Tough choices ... and it might get back to the monastries of the Middle Ages as last resorts of faith, culture and learning.
Op-Ed Contributor - Universities Are Heading Toward Academic Bankruptcy - NYTimes.com
Op-Ed Contributor - Universities Are Heading Toward Academic Bankruptcy - NYTimes.com
Letters - The Pressures Faced by Today’s Clergy - NYTimes.com
Fascinating discussion - and this happens everywhere. The Church people think in these different ways all over the world...
Letters - The Pressures Faced by Today’s Clergy - NYTimes.com
Letters - The Pressures Faced by Today’s Clergy - NYTimes.com
Saturday, August 14, 2010
German economy motoring despite popular pessimism - CNN.com
German pessimism - negativity - feeling blue!
Perhaps it's just a reflex that nobody gets the idea, they could actually be having a good time ...
What did Helmut Kohl say: "Misere auf höherem Niveau"?
German economy motoring despite popular pessimism - CNN.com
Perhaps it's just a reflex that nobody gets the idea, they could actually be having a good time ...
What did Helmut Kohl say: "Misere auf höherem Niveau"?
German economy motoring despite popular pessimism - CNN.com
Cicero - Magazin für politische Kultur
Erinnert stark an die Zeit in der Apartheid - Selbstverteidigungsreflex
Cicero - Magazin für politische Kultur
Cicero - Magazin für politische Kultur
Weltweites Uni-Ranking: Deutschland auf Platz zwei hinter den USA - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - UniSPIEGEL
Interessant: So sieht's doch auch in der Theologie aus. 1. USA. 2. Deutschland... und dann ?
Weltweites Uni-Ranking: Deutschland auf Platz zwei hinter den USA - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - UniSPIEGEL
Weltweites Uni-Ranking: Deutschland auf Platz zwei hinter den USA - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - UniSPIEGEL
Global Village: Schiffbruch in Dubai - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - Panorama
So schnell geht das... dann schon besser in Afrika, wo's warm ist - wenigstens im Sommer.
Global Village: Schiffbruch in Dubai - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - Panorama
Global Village: Schiffbruch in Dubai - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - Panorama
Friday, August 13, 2010
BBC News - Africans want to see real benefits before they pay taxes
Perhaps there is something for us to learn here:
BBC News - Africans want to see real benefits before they pay taxes
BBC News - Africans want to see real benefits before they pay taxes
Rede von Fritz Stern - Ein Aufstand für menschliche Würde - Politik - sueddeutsche.de
Trying to talk in hours where words are just not up to articulation of the unspeakable.
Here's another attempt to try it anyway.
Rede von Fritz Stern - Ein Aufstand für menschliche Würde - Politik - sueddeutsche.de
Here's another attempt to try it anyway.
Rede von Fritz Stern - Ein Aufstand für menschliche Würde - Politik - sueddeutsche.de
Mercy Journeys with Pastor Harrison: "We do not exist in order to justify every move of...
Mercy Journeys with Pastor Harrison: "We do not exist in order to justify every move of...: " We must never forget that Lutheran theology arose from the exegesis of Holy Scripture. It lives by the correct underst..."
Mercy Journeys with Pastor Harrison: "Aversion to Facts and Action"?
Mercy Journeys with Pastor Harrison: "Aversion to Facts and Action"?: "Before all, theology is life, designed for real life, and should determine it. It must be harmonious and constant, must not allow itself to..."
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
Visitation: Old Christian Custom – new challenges to the Church
| 2010 |
Lutheran Church in Southern Africa
Wilhelm Weber |
[ VISITATION: OLD CHRISTIAN CUSTOM - NEW CHALLENGE TO THE CHURCH ] |
This paper investigates the origin of visitation to establish a way forward for the LCSA under the guidance of the Holy Spirit through God's word in Holy Scripture in establishing the present situation where we are right now having been brought here by God's goodness and forbearance. Therefore we also look back at our history to understand the foundational principles of both our Lutheran confessional theology and its faithful practice today in the hope to find positive solutions in these Lutheran treasures for the future challenges facing us and our children. May the triune God have mercy on us in this and the coming Ages as he has had in the past. To him be all glory now and forever. Amen. |
Introduction: Visitation in our History
- Reformation (Melanchthon, 1529)
- Dr. Martin Luther: Large and Small Catechisms
- LCMS (Walther, 1992)
- Dr. Herb Mueller: South Illinois District
- VELKD [LWF] (Hahn, 2006)
- The church is continuously being visited by the public
- Visitation needs to be public/transparent
- Visitation facilitates publicity
- The public has a right to visitation
- Does Church do, what it proclaims?
- Proclaim the gospel [Liturgy]
- Teach the faith [Mission]
- Help people [Works of mercy]
- Proclaim the gospel [Liturgy]
- The church is continuously being visited by the public
- Reformation (Melanchthon, 1529)
Practise of visitation
- Evaluation and organisational Management and counselling, which follows up an preparatory phase using letters, papers, questionnaires and evaluation sheets with personal contact/visitation by experts/supervisors/counsellors and a follow-up phase.
- The visitor shares his ideas, plans and wishes with congregation/pastor/dean.
- A working group/committee is put in charge of the canvassing and reporting on the congregational realities concerned: Worship, teaching and training, personnel, resources, liabilities, facility, finance, plans and development.
- A questionnaire like that used in LCSA twenty years ago might be helpful: What does God want of us? Where are we? Where does God want us to be? Bible study is required to determine this.
- Talks with pastor, elders, committees, congregants – alone, in groups and as congregation.
- The bookkeeping, library and statistics of the congregation should be scrutinized/investigated to establish whether they serve the purpose of the congregation and the mission of the Church.
- The development of the pastor and his co-workers, possible moves/shifts in the Church [calling] and optimization/best-fit solutions are tabled too.
- Less paper and more meeting/talking face to face.
- Development of a joint vision for the congregation/church based on God's word and guided by that. That should lead to a mission statement [Leitsatz]
- How is this vision to be achieved/reached? Concrete steps to achieve this goal are planned and laid down. What projects/activities need to be carried out, left out, changed to achieve this?
- It could be a good idea to have a team of visitors – like Melanchthon/Luther had cf (Melanchthon, 1529) – to promote the competency in service and ministry [Project planning/fund raising/utilization of facility etc] even over and across church borders.
- The visiting bishop/superintendent should take the opportunity to preach in the Sunday worship service – and celebrate the Lord's supper with the congregation/diocese. This goes a long way to show that both he and the congregation are "under the word" and live from there.
- Mourning about negatives
- Expression of appreciation, Joy and gratitude
- Celebration of the gifts in the Church, diocese and congregation
- Guidance by the gospel
- New steps and plans integrated into the prayer to God and his divine support, mercy and peace.
- Mourning about negatives
- Perhaps a "Thank-you-party" would be in order.
- The visitor shares his ideas, plans and wishes with congregation/pastor/dean.
- Congregational development and renewal is to result from the self-analysis process making use of the basic ideas put forward in the SWOT principles:
- Strengths: attributes of the person or company that are helpful to achieving the objective(s).
- Weaknesses: attributes of the person or company that are harmful to achieving the objective(s).
- Opportunities: external conditions that are helpful to achieving the objective(s).
- Threats: external conditions which could do damage to the objective(s).
- Strengths: attributes of the person or company that are helpful to achieving the objective(s).
- Congregational situation is analysed and evaluated:
- Analysis and evaluation of the teaching and practice of the pastor, co-workers and the congregants
- Plans and developments
- Buildings, facilities and finances
- Advice of ongoing training and education at all levels
- Advice of ongoing training and education at all levels
- Analysis and evaluation of the teaching and practice of the pastor, co-workers and the congregants
- As part of the development of strategies and plans to enable the organization to achieve its objectives, then that organization will use a systematic/rigorous process known as corporate planning.
- Set objectives – defining what the organization is going to do
- Environmental scanning
- Internal appraisals of the organization's SWOT, this needs to include an assessment of the present situation as well as a portfolio of products/services and an analysis of the product/service life cycle
- Analysis of existing strategies, this should determine relevance from the results of an internal/external appraisal. This may include gap analysis which will look at environmental factors
- Strategic Issues defined – key factors in the development of a corporate plan which needs to be addressed by the organization
- Develop new/revised strategies – revised analysis of strategic issues may mean the objectives need to change
- Establish
critical success factors – the achievement of objectives and strategy implementation - Preparation of operational, resource, projects plans for strategy implementation
- Monitoring results – mapping against plans, taking corrective action which may mean amending objectives/strategies
- Set objectives – defining what the organization is going to do
Goal:
- Visitation est reformation et gubernatio
- Unity/Catholicity of the one holy Christian Church is to be strengthened, encouraged and practised even at congregational level and care should be taken to prevent negative developments at local level putting the church at large at risk.
- The visitation by the Bishop in the local congregation signifies and encourages this overarching unity/catholicity of the congregation in the Church.
- The local congregation is entirely church, but never the entire church. (Gruenwaldt, 2006, p. 86)
- By visitation the Church watches by means of its supervisors that the Word of God is proclaimed scripturally/purely and that the sacraments of the Lord Jesus Christ are administered according to his institution so that the Church of Jesus Christ lives and grows in his congregation.
- Visitation is to serve a policy orientated/guided by the gifts of its personnel.
- Biblical vision and mission of the Church
- Body of Christ
- God's migrants/people on the go
- House of living stones
- Letter of Christ
- Vine and grapes
- Ship/fishers of men
- Shepherd and flock
- Body of Christ
- Visitation est reformation et gubernatio
Biblical associations
- Vocabulary: ἐπισκοπεῖν
– visitare
- Ex.3,16
- Ps.79,15
- Jer.15,15
- Gn.21,1
- Lk.1,68
- Acts 15,14
- Lk.1,68.78
- 1.Pt.2,12; 5,6
Ez.34,12- Sirach 7,39
- James 1,27
- Jos.8,1
- 1.Sam. 11,7; 15,4;
- 2. Sam.24,2
- Ezra 7,14
- Acts 15,41
- Ex.3,16
Preliminary questions?
- Is Visitation more like comfort, encouragement, admonition and consolation or more like supervision?
- Mutuum colloquium et consolation fratrum et sororum
Migrant missionaries had authority, practiced "out of the box-thinking" and were weaving an ecumenical network
- Is it a correct observation that previously visitation concentrated that there would be "no other gospel!", whereas today it probably faces mainly problems of relationships and teamwork.
- There is not so much room for decrees and ordinances, but rather cooperation in thinking, planning and execution of ideas should have precedence.
- Visitation is more like a "treasure quest" than a "search for mistakes/faults" (Krause, 2006, p. 53)
- Is Visitation more like comfort, encouragement, admonition and consolation or more like supervision?
Present challenges
- Limitation and shrinking of resources
- Demographic developments [urbanization; orphans; migration; depopulation of rural areas; aging congregations;]
- What kind of Church/congregation/diocese is financially sustainable?
- What kind of Church structure and social setup is required to awaken and grow faith and promotes a spiritually vital development of congregations?
- It is not only a question of finance, but rather one of the gospel: What optimally serves the spreading of the gospel?
- Communication needs to be transparent, truthful and open. Hide-and-go-seek is not the name of this game.
- Tension between "control and contact" (Krause, 2006, p. 52) should be addressed with the "authority of the pleading Christ" (ebd) i.e. non vi sed verbo
- Limitation and shrinking of resources
Visitation and other means of guidance and counselling
- Visitation and supervision
- Supervision applies the paradigm of pastoral-psychological therapy
- Help for self-help
- Assist with conflicts and confusion concerning ones role to play
- Promotes reorientation in ones relations and occupation
- Ecclesial questions are mostly disregarded
- The "burn-out" syndrome or "Elia's exhaustion" is also a matter of personal spirituality.
- Pastors often work predominantly from a realization of their deficiencies, rather than being orientated from Christ's promises.
- Supervision applies the paradigm of pastoral-psychological therapy
- Visitation and team-talk
- Here we look at the paradigm of financial corporations.
- Questions of motivation and performance, optimization of work conditions and efficiency of labour efforts. Measurable goals determine the evaluation.
- Although it is clear that the Holy Spirit remains Lord of all and the giver of life, we should not fall into the trap of excluding efforts to work as efficiently as possible. Good administration and stringent organisation are not satanic.
- Continual visitation can make good use of setting goals jointly to enhance and promote accountability and responsible stewardship.
- Here we look at the paradigm of financial corporations.
- Visitation and congregational guidance
- Here the paradigm of organizational development is utilized
- Clarification of congregational goals, evaluate its means of communication and to enhance the chances of development.
- Procedures and structured processes for decision making are laid down to enable congregations to find ways to communicate smoothly and find solutions "outside the box". That is its chance, but also its limitation; because this process is not primarily interested in determining what the gospel demands, but rather to establish what the congregation "wants". The gospel vision is however vital to move forward under the promise of the Lord.
- Here the paradigm of organizational development is utilized
- Visitation in context of ecclesial fields of tension
- Grow and "let go"
- Bishop Axel Noack says: "Joyfully grow smaller – bravely grow bigger" = fight against the resignation and desperation.
- Less congregations, pastors, facilities and localities. This demands some work at mourning [Trauerarbeit]
- Necessity of setting criteria to differentiate between essential and necessary, superfluous and dispensable.
- An important axiom is: "The inversion of reason is that we should no longer just see the upkeep of good and beloved tradition as decisive, but rather its impact on the future."
- Find hidden potential for growth and positive development for growth inward and outward.
- Bishop Axel Noack says: "Joyfully grow smaller – bravely grow bigger" = fight against the resignation and desperation.
- Tension between independence and regional/international cooperation and partnership
- Desire for independence and the necessity to cooperate in joint ventures
- Restructuring and regionalization [compare the LTS, but also the Arcadia Lutheran Ministry; Themba; Ntshongweni; Tshwane leadership foundation]
- It is vital to realize that these projects are not just a result of deficiencies, but rather the optimal chances of cooperation/teamwork.
- Desire for independence and the necessity to cooperate in joint ventures
- Tension between Churches taking care and serving others through pastors – or having these Churches having people participate in this ministry/service.
- This needs a clarification of professionals and volunteers
- Too much demand on full-time workers and the delegation process spirals out of control. [Manfred Seitz writes: "The pastor is nurturing the congregation, but she devours him" (Krause, 2006, p. 61)]
- Unity of the body of Christ
- Professional assist volunteers to become of age as responsible congregants.
- This needs a clarification of professionals and volunteers
- Tension between the orientation towards the inside and the outside
- "Hold on to what you have!"
- Faith is never a mother tongue – but requires the learning of another language – the language of the liturgy and of Church dogma!
- Diakonia: Faith active in good works/works of mercy!
- Practical neighbourhood service
- Hospital and prison ministries
- Suffering and mourning amongst your people
- Practical neighbourhood service
- "Hold on to what you have!"
Possible developments
- Inclusion and support of laity as important participants in the work of the Church
- Growth of missionary competence by cooperation with MLC/missionaries
- Agreement in concrete goals, which are attainable and don't lead to frustration because they are beyond realistic achievement. The "visitation continua" is an requirement for this and the willingness to work on these things: correct, apply and adapt on the go.
- Fulbert Steffensky writes: "We don't have time for self-pity and mournfulness. There is lots to do. Perhaps most of all we need serenity and pride in the task entrusted to us to combat the spirits of sorrow, which hold us captive and tend to paralyse us." (Krause, 2006, p. 69)
- Inclusion and support of laity as important participants in the work of the Church
Bibliography
Gruenwaldt, K. (2006). Bericht ueber eine Klausurtagung. In K. G. Hahn, Visitation - urchristliche Praxis und neue Herausforderung der Gegenwart (pp. 85-92). Hannover: VELKD.
Hahn, K. G. (2006). Visitation – urchristliche Praxis und neue Herausforderung der Gegenwart . Hannover: VELKD.
Krause, B. (2006). Herausforderungen der Gegenwart. In K. G. Hahn, Visitation - urchristliche Praxis und neue Herausforderungen der Gegenwart (pp. 51-69). Hannover: VELKD.
Melanchthon, P. (1529). Instruction for the visitors of parish pastors in eclectoral Saxony. St. Louis .
Walther, C. F. (1992). Duties of an evangelical Lutheran Synod. In C. F. Walther, Essays for the Church Vol.2 1877-1886 (pp. 6-63). St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House .
Dikgang tse di Khutshwane - IziNdaba eziFingqiweyo
Dikgang tse di Khutshwane - IziNdaba eziFingqiweyo tsa Kereke ya Lutere- zekerike ngokobuLuthere
August 2010 - ngesiZulu
Nansi imisho eminye kaC. F. W. Walther ehunyushelwe esiZulwini:
Isifundo seshumi nanye:
Ngokwesikhombisa izwi likaNkulunkulu alihlukaniswa ngokufanele, uma kududuzwa labo kuphela ngevangeli abazikhalela izono zabo ngokumethanda uNkulunkulu, uma kungaduduzwa nabo abazikhalela ngokumesaba uNkulunkulu, nolaka lwakhe, nesijeziso sakhe.
Isifundo seshumi nambili:
Ngokwesishiyakalombili izwi likaNkulunkulu alihlukaniswa ngokufanele, uma kufundiswa ukuthi izono ziyathethelelwa ngenxa yokudabuka kanye nokukholwa.
Isifundo seshumi nantathu:
Ngokwesishiyakalolunye izwi likaNkulunkulu alihlukaniswa ngokufanele, uma ukukholwa kubizwa ngendlela yokuthi umuntu unamandla okuzenzela ukukholwa, noma okusiza ekukutholeni, uma kungazanywa ukukufaka enhliziyweni yomuntu ngokumshumayeza izithembiso zevangeli.
Isifundo seshumi nane:
Ngokweshumi izwi likaNkulunkulu alihlukaniswa ngokufanele, uma ukukholwa kubizwa njengesisusa nesizathu sokuthethwa kahle nokusindiswa, uma kungashunyayelwa ukuthi sithethwa kahle, siyasindiswa ngokukholwa, uma kuthiwa sithethwa phambi kukaNkulunkulu, sisindiswa ngenxa yokukholwa, noma uma kubhekwa ukukholwa ukuthi kuyinzuzu (kuyathenga, ngoba ngokukholwa siyamukela intethelelo, asiyizuzi, izuziwe nguKristu.)
Isifundo seshumi nanhlanu:
Ngokweshumi nanye izwi likaNkulunkulu alihlukaniswa ngokufanele, uma ivangeli lenziwa, libe intshumayelo edabukisayo.
Ukungeniswa kombhishobhi omusha weKerike ngokobuLuthere eNingizimu Afrika
Ngomhla ka 21. 3. 2010 ngesonto elithiwa Judika umbhiobhi omusha wekerike lakithi, umfundisi uDr. Karl Peter Paul Wilhelm Weber ungenisiwe esikhundleni sakhe ngokwesimiso sekerike ngumbhishobhi uDr. David Tswaedi eMofolo North. Umbhishobhi omusha ufikile emhlabeni ngomhla ka 5. 9. 1961, eseqedile ukufunda ezikoleni nasekholishi wagcotshelwa ubufundisi ngomhla ka 2. 8. 1992, nokungeniswa ukuba ngumfundisi webandla laseWittenberg eduze naseMkhondo/Piet Retief, lekerike elithiwa FELSiSA. Ngomyaka ka-2000 ikerike lakithi lambiza, nokumngenisa ukuba ngofundisayo ekholishi lekerike lakithi eTshwane ngoDecember. Khona ePitoli wenza ubunyanga betheoloji eUNISA. Kwathi umfundisi uRradikobo Ntsimane ethuthele eThaweni, umf. uDr. Weber wamgeniswa ukuba ngumphathi wekholishi. Uganiwe noAngelika, indodakazi yomf. omk. uGünther Scharlach, banabantwana abane.
Ibandla laseMofolo North lenze umsebenzi omkhulu ngokulungisela umkhosi wokungenisa umbhishobhi omusha esikhundleni. Kwamiswa amatente amabili amakhulu ukulungisela ibandla elikhulu eladlula abantu abayingukulungwane indawo yokuhlala, nokwamukela ibandla elidkhulu ngezandla ezimbili ngokulungisela abantu abaningi kangaka okwaya emathunjeni. Ababendla ezifundamfundisi omkhulu saseBotswana, nesaseNorth West, naseGoli, naseMpumalanga, nesaseKwaZulu/Natal babekhona, nababethi bamacilongo, nabahlabeleli bahlobisile umkhosi lowo ngamaculo abo.
Iningi labafundisi nabafundisi abakhulu bekerike lakithi babefikile ukugubha lomkhosi omuhle nombhishobhi omusha wabo. Abafundisi bamakerike anobudlelwane bekerike nelakithi babefikile, baletha izibingelelo zamakerike akubo, ngisho umfundisi omkhulu wesifundamfundisi esithiwa SID sekerike elithiwa Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod wabingelela egameni lomongameli wekerike lakubo, umf. uDr. Mischnik, nokufisela umbhishobhi omusha isibusiso sikaNkulunkulu, kanjalo nomfundisi omkhulu wesifundamfundisi esithiwa RMD, yizo eziyizifundamfundisi omkhulu zalelikerike ezisekelayo umsebenzi wekholishi nekerike lakithi. UProf. Dr. Werner Klän wabingelela egameni lombhishobhi uJörg Vogt wekerike elithiwa Selbständige Ev. Luth. Kirche laseJalimane, nokudlulisela izibusiso zikaNkulunkulu kumbhishobhi wekerike lakithi. Iphini lomfundisi omkhulu wekerike elithiwa FELSiSA, umf. uDr. Dieter Reinstorf wabingelela ibandla, nokudlulisela amazwi esibusiso, nokukhuluma amazwi amahle akhomba ithemba ukuthi nasesikhathini esizayo lamakerike amabili ngokobuLuthere azosebenzelana ngokuthandana nangokuhloniphana. Kwafundwa nezincwadi zokubingelela ezavela emakerikeni amanye enhlangano ethiwa International Lutheran Conference, njengekrike ngokobuLuthere laseKorea, nelaseIndiya. Umf. uPeter Weber wasoHlangeni ukhulumile egameni lomongameli wemishane ethiwa Mission of Lutheran Chruches, umfundisi uChristoph Weber, owayengaseJalimane, wafisela umbhishobhi omusha izibusiso zikaNkulunklulu, nokubonga umbhishoi uDr. Tswaedi ngokuthi wenze umsebenzi omkhulu wokuba yifolosi ekerikeni lakithi, wafisela umnewabo ukuba yifolosi impela, wamfisela ukuba izinkabi ezinye eziseyokweni zidonse kahle kanye naye, wathi: Ifolosi alikwazi ukwenza lutho, uma ezililandelayo zingadonsi kanye nalo ukuba inqola yeNkosi iphume odakeni.
Umbhishobhi omusha wabonga izibingelelo nokwamukelwa kahle enkonzweni enkulu, eyinkonzo yokubonga uNkulunklulu, nokumdumisa, waphatha intshumayelo ngokugcizelela izwi leNkosi elitholakala emlandweni ngokubamba izinhlanzi eziningi athi: Qhubekela ekujuleni, nihlise amanetha enu, nibambe. Kulawomazwi kuhlangnisiwe isithembiso esikhulu sokubamba abantu abaningi ukuba babuyiselwe eNkosini. Ayakhomba ungathi njengomfowabo ekhulumile ukuthi asiphumeleli ukwenza umsebenzi sisodwa. Ababebamba izinhlanzi eziningi kakhulu babaqhweba omana babo ababekomunye umkhumbi ukuba beze, bababambise. Wakhumbuza ukuthi asisodwa emkhunjini wethu wekerike, kukhona omakhelwane bethu, amakerike amelwe ukusiza ukubutha abantu abaningi. Akufanele ukuba sizame ukwenza umsebenzi ngaphandle kwabo. Uma sihluleka ukwenza okuthile ngenxa yobuthakathaka bethu, masingabi nezinhloni ukucela usizo kubo abathanda umsebenzi wekerike ngokobuLuthere njengathi, noma abasezweni lakithi, noma emazweni amanye asenyakatho eAfrika, noma amakerike aphesheya. Omakhelwane babo labaya babefika, baphumelela ukufikisa iningi lezinhlanzi ogwini.
Umfundisi uRadikobo Ntshimane wayephatha uhlelo lwenkonzo, wasiza ngokukhuluma isiTswana, isiZulu nesiNgisi. Ubaba-mbhishobhi uTswadi wangenisa umbhishobhi omusha esikhundleni sakhe. Umbhishobhi omusha wangenisa iphini lombhishobhi umfundisi omkhulu uVictor Vilakazi wesifundamfundisi omkhulu saseMpumalanga, futhi waphatha intshumayelo ngesiNgisi. Inkonzo yagcina ngokwabela isidlo seNkosi, samukeliswa ngabafundisi abangu-6 ukuba abasamukelayo basheshe basamukele. Ababethi bamacilongo babehola amaculo ukuba kubonakale intokozo enkulu obusweni babo bonke ababesondela ukwamukela umzimba negazi likaKristu e-altare. Umbhishobhi omusha waphetha inkonzo ngesibusiso seNkosi. Kwakhishwa umnikelo. Bonke babemenywa ukuhlangana ezimbizeni ezilungiselwe ngokudla okumnandi. Kwakulusuku lwentokozo enkulu egcekeni leNkosi.
Abafundisi bayamenywa ukuba bahlangane eCyara ngoAugust 31 - September 2, 2010
Okwemishane ethiwa eyamaKerike ngokobuLuthere
(The Mission of Luterhan Churches {Blecmar})
Emhlanganweni womkhandlu wemishane ngomhla ka 10. 3. 2010 eBleckmar umfundisi omkhulu uRoger Zieger wakhethwa ukuba ngumongameli omusha wemishane esikhundleni somfundisi uMarkus Nietzke owamukele ukubizwa yibandla laseHermannsburg elithiwa Kleine Kreuzkirche elalisekela umsebenzi wemishane yakithi kusukela ekuqaleni isihlukene nemishane yaseHermannsburg ngomnyaka ka 1892. Siyamfisela umongameli omusha wemishane isibusiso seNkosi, nothando olukhulu lokusebenzelana nekerike lakithi ngesineke esikulu ngokwesibonelo sokusebenzelana nokusizana okwakukhona phakathi kwabomongameli bemishane ababekhona ngaphambili nekerike lakithi, njengasesikhathini somfundisi uDr. F. W. Hopf, nesomfundisi uDr. Volker Stolle, nesomfundisi uJohannes Junker, nesomfundisi uGerhard Heidenreich, nesomfundisi uMarkus Nietzke. Umongameli omusha wemishane, umfundisi omkhulu uRoger Zieger, kwamanje ungumfundisi webandla laseBerlin-Spandau, nomfundisi omkhulu wesifundamfundisi omkhulu saseBerlin-Brandenburg sekerike elithiwa Selbständige Ev. Luth. Kirche (SELK). Uganiwe, unabantwana ababili. Umfundisi omkhulu uRoger Zieger uyangeniswa esikhundleni sokuba ngumongameli wemishane ngomhla ka 11. 7. 2010 emkhosini wobuthunywa eBleckmar.
Umkhandlu omusha wekerike elithiwa
“Free Evangelical Lutheran Synod in South Africa” (FELSiSA
Umhlangano wesinodi leFESiSA owawukhona eThekwini wanquma ukuba umongameli walo angabe esabizwa ngokuthi umfundisi omkhulu (Präses, president), kodwa abe ngumbhishobhi, ngokuba leligama likhomba impela ukuthi kuthiwa umholi wekerike, kungabi isikhulu sezwe, noma umphathisihlalo senhlangano ethile. Umfundisi omkhulu uPeter Ahlers uqedile umnyaka ka65, uphumile kulesisikhundla. Kwakhethwa umfundisi uDr. Dieter Reinstorf webandla laseCape Town ukuba ngumbhishobhi wokuqala wekerike lakubo, umfundisi uDieter Schnackenberg waseLüneburg ukuba yiphini lombhishobhi, umfundisi uRüdiger Gevers wasePanbult abe ngumfundisi wesithathu emkhandlwini wabo. Nabanumnzane ababili, uHerbert Schulz waseKirchdorf, noManfred Johannes waseSt. Paul’s eArcadia, bangamalungu omkhandlu weFElSiSA. Umphathi wesikhwama sabo ungumnumnzane uBerno Niebuhr, naye ungowebandla elithiwa St. Paul’s eArcadia. Umbhishobhi wekerike lakithi, uDr. Wilhelm Weber, wayemenyiwe ukudlulisela izibingelelo nezibusiso emhlanganweni wesinodi egameni lekerike lakithi, njengalokhu kwenzekile njalo ngaphambili ukuba umbhishobhi wekerike lakithi abe khona emhlanganweni wesinodi lakubo, Umbhishobhi uWeber wabonga ukusebenzelana nokusizana phakathi kwamakerike akithi amabili, waphawula ukusebenzelana okuthokozisayo kakhulu ebandleni lekholishi laseTshwane nebandla elithiwa St. Paul’s eArcardia, naphakathi kwebandla laseKirchdorf nemishane ethiwa Mission of Lutheran Churches emsebenzini webandla lasePella nebandla elithiwa Our Saviour’s laseWartburg ngokubiza umfundisi uChristian Tiedemann ukuba ngumfundisi wakhona. Wabonga ukusebenzelana nokusizana okukhulu okuphakathi kwebandla elithiwa St. Peter’s laseWestville nebandla lekerike lakithi eNtshongweni, nokusebenzelana nokusizana okunye.
Okunye kweFELSiSA
Umfundisi uGerald Paul owayengumfundisi ebandleni laseWittenberg, nomfundisi uJosef Henning owayengumfundisi ebandleni elithiwa ELF eGoli bamukele ukubizelwa esebenzini wamabandla ekerike elithiwa Lutheran Chruch - Missouri Synod. EWittenberg umf. omk. em. UPeter Ahlers wamukela isicelo ukuba abambele khona eWittenberg, baze bathole umfundisi omusha. Umbhishbhi uDieter Reinstorf wamukela ukubizwa ukuba asuke eCape Town, abe ngumfundisi webandla lakubo ePietermaritzburg. Umvivinywa uTobias Ahlers uyaqhubeka ngokufnda kwakhe ebandleni laseWestville elithiwa St. Peter’s, ongamelwa khona
ngumfundisi uHelmut Straeuli, umvivinywa uHelmut Paul ebandleni laseArcardia elithiwa St. Paul’s, ongamelwa khona ngumfundisi uMatthias Albers.
I-Almanaki lekerike lakithi
I-Almanaki lekerike lakithi likhishiwe ngokusha lonyaka, liyabiza R15. Uma othile ebona iphutha maqondana namagama, nekheli, noma nezibalo, makazasise umbhishobhi ukuba kulungiswe.
Abafundisi ababemenyiwe ukuvakashela phesheya
Umbhishobhi omdala nomoshwa bamenywa ukuba khona emhlanganeweni omkhulu wesinodi lekerike elithiwa LC-MS, ngakholokhu baya eMelika umbh. uWeber waya eMelika ngomhla ka 26. 5. 2010, wacelwa ukushumayela emabandleni athile esifundamfundisi omkhlu esithiwa SID, neRMD, endleleni yokubuya uzoshumayela eFarven (kumf. uBermhard Schütze naseHermannsburg kumf. uMarkus Nietzke owayengumongameli wemishane yakithi elithiwa Mission of Lutheran Churches (Bleckmar). Emabandleni ekerike elithiwa Selbständige Ev. Luth. Kirche umfundisi wekerike lakithi uPaul Mogale owaseGaborone wayemenywa ukuhambela amabandla ekerike lakithi laseJalimane elisekelayo umsebenzi wekerike lakithi, ukuba abe khona emhlanganweni womkhandlu wemishane, mhla kwakhethwa umongameli omusha, kanye nomfundisi uChristoph Weber waseThekwini manje, umongameli wemishane eNingizimu Afrika ngokomthetho wezwe. Sebebuyele ekhaya. Umfundisi uPeter Weber umenywe ukuba khona eJalimane ngoSeptember. Izinkambo ezinjalo mazithele uthando lokusekela umsebenzi wekerike lakithi eAfrika njalo ngokusha.
Ukusebenzelana nokusizana phakathi kwamakerike ngokobuLuthere
Kungokukhulu, okudingekayo impela ukuba umsebenzi wobuthunywa ongukubamba abantu ngokomyalo weNkosi odlula amandla ekerike elibuthakathaka kokuningi elimelwe ukwenziwa ekerikeni, njengokuhola izisebenzi zekerike kahle, nokwakha, nokulungisa izindlu zamabandla, ukuthwala nezindleko ezinye ezingabakhona, njengezinyawo zabamelwe ukuphatha izinkonzo, noma amakilasi athanda ukulungiselwa ukubhapathizwa noma umqiniso. Umholi wekerike, nabaholi bamabandla abaphumeleli ukwenza wonke umsebenzi bebodwa, njengefolosi lingaphumeleli ukudonsa inqola noma igeja lilodwa, kuyadingeka ukuba izinkabi ezinye eziseyokweni nazo zidonse impela, kanjalo kudingeka ukuba omakhelwane babizwe ukusiza ukudonsa amanetha agcwele iningi lezinhlanzi ezibanjiwe. Ababekhona ngaphambili babengali ukucela usizo oluvela amakerikeni asemazweni amanye ngenxa yokuzikhohlisa ngokusho ukuthi bazophumelela ngokwabo. Kuhle kakhulu, uma siphumelela ukuzimela, nokwenza yonke imisebenzi, kodwa uma kukhona imisebenzi engenziwa ngokuswela, masiceleni izinsizo kwabanye abathanda ukusisiza, singali izinsizo lezo ngenxa yobandlulula obungafanele, sizamukele ngokubonga, ngokuthokozela ukusebenzelana nokusizana okufanele abantwana bakaNkulunkulu, ngisho usizo ngokusizwa ukuba izisebenzi zamukele amaholo azo kahle, nokuthi amabandla abe nabafundisi abayakwenza umsebenzi wabo ngokuthembeka. Usizo olunjalo lufanele ukuhlelwa kahle ngezimiso ezilungile phakathi kwamakerike nemishane, phakathi kwekerike namakerike. Usizo olunjalo maluqhubeke, noma umfundisi othile ephuma emsebenzini, kodwa usizo luqhubeke ngokuzwana okukhulu ukuba usizo olunjalo lunganqunywa kuphela ngamabomu, kodwa lusekelwe ngezithembiso ngokwesimiso esisekelwa ngokuthembeka okukhulu. Makwenzeke ngokwezimiso ezabusa ikerike nemishane yakithi kusukela ekuqaleni, ngisho esithi: Ikerike ngokobuLuthere liyaqhuba umsebenzi wemishane ngokobuLuthere kuphela. Imishane ngokobuLuthere ingasekelwa yikerike ngokobuLuthere kuphela, nesithi: Imishane ngokobuLuthere yenziwa ukwakha ikerike ngokobuLuthere.
August 2010 - ngesiZulu
Nansi imisho eminye kaC. F. W. Walther ehunyushelwe esiZulwini:
Isifundo seshumi nanye:
Ngokwesikhombisa izwi likaNkulunkulu alihlukaniswa ngokufanele, uma kududuzwa labo kuphela ngevangeli abazikhalela izono zabo ngokumethanda uNkulunkulu, uma kungaduduzwa nabo abazikhalela ngokumesaba uNkulunkulu, nolaka lwakhe, nesijeziso sakhe.
Isifundo seshumi nambili:
Ngokwesishiyakalombili izwi likaNkulunkulu alihlukaniswa ngokufanele, uma kufundiswa ukuthi izono ziyathethelelwa ngenxa yokudabuka kanye nokukholwa.
Isifundo seshumi nantathu:
Ngokwesishiyakalolunye izwi likaNkulunkulu alihlukaniswa ngokufanele, uma ukukholwa kubizwa ngendlela yokuthi umuntu unamandla okuzenzela ukukholwa, noma okusiza ekukutholeni, uma kungazanywa ukukufaka enhliziyweni yomuntu ngokumshumayeza izithembiso zevangeli.
Isifundo seshumi nane:
Ngokweshumi izwi likaNkulunkulu alihlukaniswa ngokufanele, uma ukukholwa kubizwa njengesisusa nesizathu sokuthethwa kahle nokusindiswa, uma kungashunyayelwa ukuthi sithethwa kahle, siyasindiswa ngokukholwa, uma kuthiwa sithethwa phambi kukaNkulunkulu, sisindiswa ngenxa yokukholwa, noma uma kubhekwa ukukholwa ukuthi kuyinzuzu (kuyathenga, ngoba ngokukholwa siyamukela intethelelo, asiyizuzi, izuziwe nguKristu.)
Isifundo seshumi nanhlanu:
Ngokweshumi nanye izwi likaNkulunkulu alihlukaniswa ngokufanele, uma ivangeli lenziwa, libe intshumayelo edabukisayo.
Ukungeniswa kombhishobhi omusha weKerike ngokobuLuthere eNingizimu Afrika
Ngomhla ka 21. 3. 2010 ngesonto elithiwa Judika umbhiobhi omusha wekerike lakithi, umfundisi uDr. Karl Peter Paul Wilhelm Weber ungenisiwe esikhundleni sakhe ngokwesimiso sekerike ngumbhishobhi uDr. David Tswaedi eMofolo North. Umbhishobhi omusha ufikile emhlabeni ngomhla ka 5. 9. 1961, eseqedile ukufunda ezikoleni nasekholishi wagcotshelwa ubufundisi ngomhla ka 2. 8. 1992, nokungeniswa ukuba ngumfundisi webandla laseWittenberg eduze naseMkhondo/Piet Retief, lekerike elithiwa FELSiSA. Ngomyaka ka-2000 ikerike lakithi lambiza, nokumngenisa ukuba ngofundisayo ekholishi lekerike lakithi eTshwane ngoDecember. Khona ePitoli wenza ubunyanga betheoloji eUNISA. Kwathi umfundisi uRradikobo Ntsimane ethuthele eThaweni, umf. uDr. Weber wamgeniswa ukuba ngumphathi wekholishi. Uganiwe noAngelika, indodakazi yomf. omk. uGünther Scharlach, banabantwana abane.
Ibandla laseMofolo North lenze umsebenzi omkhulu ngokulungisela umkhosi wokungenisa umbhishobhi omusha esikhundleni. Kwamiswa amatente amabili amakhulu ukulungisela ibandla elikhulu eladlula abantu abayingukulungwane indawo yokuhlala, nokwamukela ibandla elidkhulu ngezandla ezimbili ngokulungisela abantu abaningi kangaka okwaya emathunjeni. Ababendla ezifundamfundisi omkhulu saseBotswana, nesaseNorth West, naseGoli, naseMpumalanga, nesaseKwaZulu/Natal babekhona, nababethi bamacilongo, nabahlabeleli bahlobisile umkhosi lowo ngamaculo abo.
Iningi labafundisi nabafundisi abakhulu bekerike lakithi babefikile ukugubha lomkhosi omuhle nombhishobhi omusha wabo. Abafundisi bamakerike anobudlelwane bekerike nelakithi babefikile, baletha izibingelelo zamakerike akubo, ngisho umfundisi omkhulu wesifundamfundisi esithiwa SID sekerike elithiwa Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod wabingelela egameni lomongameli wekerike lakubo, umf. uDr. Mischnik, nokufisela umbhishobhi omusha isibusiso sikaNkulunkulu, kanjalo nomfundisi omkhulu wesifundamfundisi esithiwa RMD, yizo eziyizifundamfundisi omkhulu zalelikerike ezisekelayo umsebenzi wekholishi nekerike lakithi. UProf. Dr. Werner Klän wabingelela egameni lombhishobhi uJörg Vogt wekerike elithiwa Selbständige Ev. Luth. Kirche laseJalimane, nokudlulisela izibusiso zikaNkulunkulu kumbhishobhi wekerike lakithi. Iphini lomfundisi omkhulu wekerike elithiwa FELSiSA, umf. uDr. Dieter Reinstorf wabingelela ibandla, nokudlulisela amazwi esibusiso, nokukhuluma amazwi amahle akhomba ithemba ukuthi nasesikhathini esizayo lamakerike amabili ngokobuLuthere azosebenzelana ngokuthandana nangokuhloniphana. Kwafundwa nezincwadi zokubingelela ezavela emakerikeni amanye enhlangano ethiwa International Lutheran Conference, njengekrike ngokobuLuthere laseKorea, nelaseIndiya. Umf. uPeter Weber wasoHlangeni ukhulumile egameni lomongameli wemishane ethiwa Mission of Lutheran Chruches, umfundisi uChristoph Weber, owayengaseJalimane, wafisela umbhishobhi omusha izibusiso zikaNkulunklulu, nokubonga umbhishoi uDr. Tswaedi ngokuthi wenze umsebenzi omkhulu wokuba yifolosi ekerikeni lakithi, wafisela umnewabo ukuba yifolosi impela, wamfisela ukuba izinkabi ezinye eziseyokweni zidonse kahle kanye naye, wathi: Ifolosi alikwazi ukwenza lutho, uma ezililandelayo zingadonsi kanye nalo ukuba inqola yeNkosi iphume odakeni.
Umbhishobhi omusha wabonga izibingelelo nokwamukelwa kahle enkonzweni enkulu, eyinkonzo yokubonga uNkulunklulu, nokumdumisa, waphatha intshumayelo ngokugcizelela izwi leNkosi elitholakala emlandweni ngokubamba izinhlanzi eziningi athi: Qhubekela ekujuleni, nihlise amanetha enu, nibambe. Kulawomazwi kuhlangnisiwe isithembiso esikhulu sokubamba abantu abaningi ukuba babuyiselwe eNkosini. Ayakhomba ungathi njengomfowabo ekhulumile ukuthi asiphumeleli ukwenza umsebenzi sisodwa. Ababebamba izinhlanzi eziningi kakhulu babaqhweba omana babo ababekomunye umkhumbi ukuba beze, bababambise. Wakhumbuza ukuthi asisodwa emkhunjini wethu wekerike, kukhona omakhelwane bethu, amakerike amelwe ukusiza ukubutha abantu abaningi. Akufanele ukuba sizame ukwenza umsebenzi ngaphandle kwabo. Uma sihluleka ukwenza okuthile ngenxa yobuthakathaka bethu, masingabi nezinhloni ukucela usizo kubo abathanda umsebenzi wekerike ngokobuLuthere njengathi, noma abasezweni lakithi, noma emazweni amanye asenyakatho eAfrika, noma amakerike aphesheya. Omakhelwane babo labaya babefika, baphumelela ukufikisa iningi lezinhlanzi ogwini.
Umfundisi uRadikobo Ntshimane wayephatha uhlelo lwenkonzo, wasiza ngokukhuluma isiTswana, isiZulu nesiNgisi. Ubaba-mbhishobhi uTswadi wangenisa umbhishobhi omusha esikhundleni sakhe. Umbhishobhi omusha wangenisa iphini lombhishobhi umfundisi omkhulu uVictor Vilakazi wesifundamfundisi omkhulu saseMpumalanga, futhi waphatha intshumayelo ngesiNgisi. Inkonzo yagcina ngokwabela isidlo seNkosi, samukeliswa ngabafundisi abangu-6 ukuba abasamukelayo basheshe basamukele. Ababethi bamacilongo babehola amaculo ukuba kubonakale intokozo enkulu obusweni babo bonke ababesondela ukwamukela umzimba negazi likaKristu e-altare. Umbhishobhi omusha waphetha inkonzo ngesibusiso seNkosi. Kwakhishwa umnikelo. Bonke babemenywa ukuhlangana ezimbizeni ezilungiselwe ngokudla okumnandi. Kwakulusuku lwentokozo enkulu egcekeni leNkosi.
Abafundisi bayamenywa ukuba bahlangane eCyara ngoAugust 31 - September 2, 2010
Okwemishane ethiwa eyamaKerike ngokobuLuthere
(The Mission of Luterhan Churches {Blecmar})
Emhlanganweni womkhandlu wemishane ngomhla ka 10. 3. 2010 eBleckmar umfundisi omkhulu uRoger Zieger wakhethwa ukuba ngumongameli omusha wemishane esikhundleni somfundisi uMarkus Nietzke owamukele ukubizwa yibandla laseHermannsburg elithiwa Kleine Kreuzkirche elalisekela umsebenzi wemishane yakithi kusukela ekuqaleni isihlukene nemishane yaseHermannsburg ngomnyaka ka 1892. Siyamfisela umongameli omusha wemishane isibusiso seNkosi, nothando olukhulu lokusebenzelana nekerike lakithi ngesineke esikulu ngokwesibonelo sokusebenzelana nokusizana okwakukhona phakathi kwabomongameli bemishane ababekhona ngaphambili nekerike lakithi, njengasesikhathini somfundisi uDr. F. W. Hopf, nesomfundisi uDr. Volker Stolle, nesomfundisi uJohannes Junker, nesomfundisi uGerhard Heidenreich, nesomfundisi uMarkus Nietzke. Umongameli omusha wemishane, umfundisi omkhulu uRoger Zieger, kwamanje ungumfundisi webandla laseBerlin-Spandau, nomfundisi omkhulu wesifundamfundisi omkhulu saseBerlin-Brandenburg sekerike elithiwa Selbständige Ev. Luth. Kirche (SELK). Uganiwe, unabantwana ababili. Umfundisi omkhulu uRoger Zieger uyangeniswa esikhundleni sokuba ngumongameli wemishane ngomhla ka 11. 7. 2010 emkhosini wobuthunywa eBleckmar.
Umkhandlu omusha wekerike elithiwa
“Free Evangelical Lutheran Synod in South Africa” (FELSiSA
Umhlangano wesinodi leFESiSA owawukhona eThekwini wanquma ukuba umongameli walo angabe esabizwa ngokuthi umfundisi omkhulu (Präses, president), kodwa abe ngumbhishobhi, ngokuba leligama likhomba impela ukuthi kuthiwa umholi wekerike, kungabi isikhulu sezwe, noma umphathisihlalo senhlangano ethile. Umfundisi omkhulu uPeter Ahlers uqedile umnyaka ka65, uphumile kulesisikhundla. Kwakhethwa umfundisi uDr. Dieter Reinstorf webandla laseCape Town ukuba ngumbhishobhi wokuqala wekerike lakubo, umfundisi uDieter Schnackenberg waseLüneburg ukuba yiphini lombhishobhi, umfundisi uRüdiger Gevers wasePanbult abe ngumfundisi wesithathu emkhandlwini wabo. Nabanumnzane ababili, uHerbert Schulz waseKirchdorf, noManfred Johannes waseSt. Paul’s eArcadia, bangamalungu omkhandlu weFElSiSA. Umphathi wesikhwama sabo ungumnumnzane uBerno Niebuhr, naye ungowebandla elithiwa St. Paul’s eArcadia. Umbhishobhi wekerike lakithi, uDr. Wilhelm Weber, wayemenyiwe ukudlulisela izibingelelo nezibusiso emhlanganweni wesinodi egameni lekerike lakithi, njengalokhu kwenzekile njalo ngaphambili ukuba umbhishobhi wekerike lakithi abe khona emhlanganweni wesinodi lakubo, Umbhishobhi uWeber wabonga ukusebenzelana nokusizana phakathi kwamakerike akithi amabili, waphawula ukusebenzelana okuthokozisayo kakhulu ebandleni lekholishi laseTshwane nebandla elithiwa St. Paul’s eArcardia, naphakathi kwebandla laseKirchdorf nemishane ethiwa Mission of Lutheran Churches emsebenzini webandla lasePella nebandla elithiwa Our Saviour’s laseWartburg ngokubiza umfundisi uChristian Tiedemann ukuba ngumfundisi wakhona. Wabonga ukusebenzelana nokusizana okukhulu okuphakathi kwebandla elithiwa St. Peter’s laseWestville nebandla lekerike lakithi eNtshongweni, nokusebenzelana nokusizana okunye.
Okunye kweFELSiSA
Umfundisi uGerald Paul owayengumfundisi ebandleni laseWittenberg, nomfundisi uJosef Henning owayengumfundisi ebandleni elithiwa ELF eGoli bamukele ukubizelwa esebenzini wamabandla ekerike elithiwa Lutheran Chruch - Missouri Synod. EWittenberg umf. omk. em. UPeter Ahlers wamukela isicelo ukuba abambele khona eWittenberg, baze bathole umfundisi omusha. Umbhishbhi uDieter Reinstorf wamukela ukubizwa ukuba asuke eCape Town, abe ngumfundisi webandla lakubo ePietermaritzburg. Umvivinywa uTobias Ahlers uyaqhubeka ngokufnda kwakhe ebandleni laseWestville elithiwa St. Peter’s, ongamelwa khona
ngumfundisi uHelmut Straeuli, umvivinywa uHelmut Paul ebandleni laseArcardia elithiwa St. Paul’s, ongamelwa khona ngumfundisi uMatthias Albers.
I-Almanaki lekerike lakithi
I-Almanaki lekerike lakithi likhishiwe ngokusha lonyaka, liyabiza R15. Uma othile ebona iphutha maqondana namagama, nekheli, noma nezibalo, makazasise umbhishobhi ukuba kulungiswe.
Abafundisi ababemenyiwe ukuvakashela phesheya
Umbhishobhi omdala nomoshwa bamenywa ukuba khona emhlanganeweni omkhulu wesinodi lekerike elithiwa LC-MS, ngakholokhu baya eMelika umbh. uWeber waya eMelika ngomhla ka 26. 5. 2010, wacelwa ukushumayela emabandleni athile esifundamfundisi omkhlu esithiwa SID, neRMD, endleleni yokubuya uzoshumayela eFarven (kumf. uBermhard Schütze naseHermannsburg kumf. uMarkus Nietzke owayengumongameli wemishane yakithi elithiwa Mission of Lutheran Churches (Bleckmar). Emabandleni ekerike elithiwa Selbständige Ev. Luth. Kirche umfundisi wekerike lakithi uPaul Mogale owaseGaborone wayemenywa ukuhambela amabandla ekerike lakithi laseJalimane elisekelayo umsebenzi wekerike lakithi, ukuba abe khona emhlanganweni womkhandlu wemishane, mhla kwakhethwa umongameli omusha, kanye nomfundisi uChristoph Weber waseThekwini manje, umongameli wemishane eNingizimu Afrika ngokomthetho wezwe. Sebebuyele ekhaya. Umfundisi uPeter Weber umenywe ukuba khona eJalimane ngoSeptember. Izinkambo ezinjalo mazithele uthando lokusekela umsebenzi wekerike lakithi eAfrika njalo ngokusha.
Ukusebenzelana nokusizana phakathi kwamakerike ngokobuLuthere
Kungokukhulu, okudingekayo impela ukuba umsebenzi wobuthunywa ongukubamba abantu ngokomyalo weNkosi odlula amandla ekerike elibuthakathaka kokuningi elimelwe ukwenziwa ekerikeni, njengokuhola izisebenzi zekerike kahle, nokwakha, nokulungisa izindlu zamabandla, ukuthwala nezindleko ezinye ezingabakhona, njengezinyawo zabamelwe ukuphatha izinkonzo, noma amakilasi athanda ukulungiselwa ukubhapathizwa noma umqiniso. Umholi wekerike, nabaholi bamabandla abaphumeleli ukwenza wonke umsebenzi bebodwa, njengefolosi lingaphumeleli ukudonsa inqola noma igeja lilodwa, kuyadingeka ukuba izinkabi ezinye eziseyokweni nazo zidonse impela, kanjalo kudingeka ukuba omakhelwane babizwe ukusiza ukudonsa amanetha agcwele iningi lezinhlanzi ezibanjiwe. Ababekhona ngaphambili babengali ukucela usizo oluvela amakerikeni asemazweni amanye ngenxa yokuzikhohlisa ngokusho ukuthi bazophumelela ngokwabo. Kuhle kakhulu, uma siphumelela ukuzimela, nokwenza yonke imisebenzi, kodwa uma kukhona imisebenzi engenziwa ngokuswela, masiceleni izinsizo kwabanye abathanda ukusisiza, singali izinsizo lezo ngenxa yobandlulula obungafanele, sizamukele ngokubonga, ngokuthokozela ukusebenzelana nokusizana okufanele abantwana bakaNkulunkulu, ngisho usizo ngokusizwa ukuba izisebenzi zamukele amaholo azo kahle, nokuthi amabandla abe nabafundisi abayakwenza umsebenzi wabo ngokuthembeka. Usizo olunjalo lufanele ukuhlelwa kahle ngezimiso ezilungile phakathi kwamakerike nemishane, phakathi kwekerike namakerike. Usizo olunjalo maluqhubeke, noma umfundisi othile ephuma emsebenzini, kodwa usizo luqhubeke ngokuzwana okukhulu ukuba usizo olunjalo lunganqunywa kuphela ngamabomu, kodwa lusekelwe ngezithembiso ngokwesimiso esisekelwa ngokuthembeka okukhulu. Makwenzeke ngokwezimiso ezabusa ikerike nemishane yakithi kusukela ekuqaleni, ngisho esithi: Ikerike ngokobuLuthere liyaqhuba umsebenzi wemishane ngokobuLuthere kuphela. Imishane ngokobuLuthere ingasekelwa yikerike ngokobuLuthere kuphela, nesithi: Imishane ngokobuLuthere yenziwa ukwakha ikerike ngokobuLuthere.
Sermon at St. Pauls on Ps. 73 [10th Sunday after Trinity]
10th Sunday After Trinity, 2010-08-08: Ps. 73
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
A. 1] On the 10th Sunday after Trinity (or 11th after Pentecost), the Christian Church commemorates the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70. To make it very clear right from the beginning: This is by no means the opportunity for us Christians to look down on the people of Israel, or the Jews in an attitude of haughtiness, contempt, or condescension. Rather it is the occasion of looking into the mirror to see what happened to the chosen people of God, and to consider this as an admonition that applies to us as well. For God’s people in the New Testament, the Christians out of the heathen – in spite of our calling, in spite of God’s benevolence bestowed upon us – we are and remain endangered from within by unbelief, doubt, arrogance, pride, and self-assuredness. This morning, psalm 73 may well serve as such a mirror to us. Looking thoroughly into it, we will find our true mirror-image; listening closely to God’s word, we will discover ourselves the way we really are, and the way God wants us to be; meditating on Asaph’s prayer, we may eventually detect what we urgently need to be on good terms with God.
A. 2] Looking into this mirror of psalm 73, we see a split image: On the one hand, we look into the abyss of dark deliberations, night thoughts indeed, especially about other people and their demeanour. But on the other hand, we observe a brightly illuminated picture, filled with expressions of confidence, trust, and reassurance towards God. And then midway between these two opposing impressions, we find reflections of Asaph’s pondering while he is trying to comprehend his own way of thinking, and thereby, God’s way of acting. In all this, we may see reflected ourselves – the way we compare ourselves to others, and therefore complain about them and go blaming God; then again how we turn to God in order to gain ground feeling dizzy from this look into the abyss. Looking into this mirror, we may also discover the means to take refuge to, when we feel that those dark cogitations are dragging us down, so we may escape to a secure place and find a safe stronghold. Finally we must not forget that a mirror usually has got a frame, and so does our psalm have.
A. 3] Following the psalmist step by step, we will in this sermon meditate on three aspects: 1) The dark side of our hearts and its nocturnal, nightmare-like considerations; 2) the pivotal point midway between these two sides; 3) the bright side of God’s helpfulness, assistance, and recourse; and finally, we will have a look at the framework.
B. 1] The dark side of our hearts and its nocturnal, nightmare-like considerations
How familiar do these complaints sound to my ears, moreover to my mind! Oh yes, those evil people! Those big shots and loudmouths! Those big bosses, who lord over their employees! Those milords who look down on all the others so haughtily and snootily! – There was this classmate of mine whose father was very successful in the tobacco business only a few years after the II World war; and his son had a weekly allowance, at least five times as much as mine was. Imagine my feelings when he would ‘graciously’ share some of his treats with me. – Then there was that fellow student at the university – fortunately not a member of our church – who dedicated his exams thesis to the famous German theologian Karl Barth (who had deceased already two decades prior to our exams). – The ladies among us will probably remember that tiny pretty girl in her pink (or purple, or azure) petticoat from the neighbourhood who always caught the attention of aunties and grannies and was very versed in taking advantage of this fact. And generously would she introduce you to her friends, and parents.
And nowadays, when we watch the news on TV, or read the economic news in the papers, with all that money burnt because of greed and avarice – verse by verse we find applications from what we hear in this psalm. I remember one prominent German banker, when asked about losses in the dimension of 50 Mio Euros (500 Mio Rand) due to overtrading, make light of this minus: “Oh, that’s just peanuts!” Most probably, you can easily envisage the furious reactions coming from the public. You do not have to dig deep in order to reach feelings similar to those of our psalmist, like envy, anger, jealousy.
Particularly tempting are these thoughts if you can feel assured that the judgements you make with regard to others, are in line with God’s assessments. Surely we will be enraged when we see someone openly challenge God and His knowledge; most certainly we will be upset at all those people who frankly oppose God by maintaining that He does not care whatever they do.
Moreover, if we are in the position of applying God’s standards as revealed to us in His Law – and notably against fellow humans who obviously do not care about God and His holy will: In this case, more than ever will we have pronounced our judgment: Impious people who deserve nothing but God’s wrath and His ultimate ire! As a friend of mine used to say: I am a dangerous person anyway. I am much more dangerous when I am right. But I am most threatening to others, when I know that I am right! And at the same time, we will feel sorry for ourselves and wallow in self-pity: “Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning” (v. 13+14).
Do we not empathise with these sentiments, do we? And we walk around burdened with sorrow and sullenness; we sit around depressed by discontent and desperation. In our heads, the windmill blades rotate: When will God eventually interfere; when will the Most High finally bring to an end this neglect and disdain? For, if I were in the position to govern the world, I would easily liberate the world from those evil people with their evil thought and their evil assaults, and get rid of them all. -
Surprisingly, this could be the point, when the gloomy picture changes.
B. 2] The pivotal point midway between these two sides
To get rid of them all, what an attractive perspective! But all of a sudden, the psalmist brings the rotating windmill blades in his brain to a halt. Looking back on the mental movements that had been going on within himself, he has to agree: “My feet had almost slipped”, and: “If I had said, ’I will speak thus’”– so apparently he was close to giving in to his dark thoughts and to drowning in his fallacious speculations.
Reviewing this whole process, he discovers, much to his surprise, that he was thinking, feeling, estimating, and making judgements just along the lines those criticized by him were moving. Focused on their faults, concentrated on their misinterpretations, hooked to their wrongdoings, he himself slips and slides into the very same kind of mindset and demeanour: Inflected into his complaints, curved into his self-pity, he starts to accuse God of neglect, of being idle, and even being unjust. Later on, when he has found back to his senses, he will compare this habit to that of a “brute beast” (v. 22). In the light of God’s presence, we become aware, what it is all about – how we are, how we behave, what we really look like, even in the eyes of God. This may be painful, and this pain in itself is not yet the solution to our problem, but to be alarmed at our true condition may be a first step toward recovery.
It is very interesting and of utmost importance to us to see what hinders his precipitation into the abyss of weltschmerz/world-weariness, self-contempt and hatred of God. The turn of events took place when, “I entered the sanctuary of God”. As a Levite, the singer of this psalm has access to the temple. That is where he belongs, moreover, that is, where the presence of God abounds. It is exactly in this very presence of the Lord, that his perspectives change. It is precisely in the proximity to God that his attitude undergoes a radical change. All of a sudden, Asaph stops comparing his fate to that of the obnoxious scorners of God, or at least he gives up trying to come to terms with these differences and inequities, as he thought, by his own means.
Being near to God in the House of the Lord, he feels no longer forced to make his self-esteem dependent on this fatal comparison. Being close to God, he is capable of letting go this whole approach of matching with the others and competing with them. In this environment saturated with God’s dedication and friendliness, he comprehends that he will never find his identity, nor will he find peace of mind by contrasting his concept of life to those who deliberately do not agree with him. How come? Because in the Lord’s House, he is in touch with God, and is so in a salutary way. Nothing else would be of any help at all. For being in touch with God in general, still could mean, that we would have to be frightened, or threatened, or endangered. It all depends on how the relationship between us and God, between God Himself and us, is designed and defined.
In any case, as soon as God draws near to us friendly, kindly, graciously, that will change everything essentially. Whenever God reveals Himself to us helpful, supportive, and charitable, that will open up new horizons. We have to remember that this revelation, that this self-disclosure on God’s side occurs especially in the Lord’s House. Having said this, it happens here! It is here that we encounter God’s mercy. It is here, in the church, that we come to know of His affection. It is here, when the Gospel of Christ is preached, that we experience His boundless fondness towards us. For Christ, our heavenly brother, who is “the image of the invisible God” (Col 1:15), and thus “the mirror of the fatherly heart” (LC II, 3, 65), He is the one to allow us to look at God’s true attitude towards us. It is here, whenever we look at Christ crucified, that we learn how much God cares for us. As it was for Asaph, this will be the turning point for us as well: Because in His House, in His Son, in His Word, in His means of grace, God shows Himself warm-hearted and merciful, willing to soothe our pain, prepared to ease our sorrow, and ready to remove the recalcitrant reflections of our hearts whatsoever, that notion will make us safe and secure.
B. 3] The bright side of God’s helpfulness, assistance, and recourse
Indeed, the notion of God’s gentleness and kindness makes us safe and secure. And it is only God’s gentleness and kindness, His readiness to keep and save us that in the end will help us overcome the dark phases in our lives. Otherwise, we certainly would be doomed to perish, just in the same way as the psalmist foresees the fate of the wicked ones. There would be no difference. But now, and all of a sudden, the whole picture has changed. God presents Himself as a place of recourse. God shows Himself as a realm of refuge. God proves to be the strength we can rely on, He turns out to be reliable in the midst of all our doubts, He appears to be accountable right in the midst of our afflictions. Just in the very moment, when all our deliberations are stuck in a dead-end street, He will be with us with a word of comfort. Just in the hour of deepest resignation, we may feel His soothing attendance.
Such pacification of our hearts and minds, however, does not come from the bottom of our hearts themselves, or from the thorough scrutiny of our minds. Rather we must be buoyed up by God’s promise. It is inevitable that God Himself takes the initiative. Necessarily, it must be Him to take our hand in order to lead us out of that self-made trouble that we are stuck in. Necessarily, it must be Him to give us strength so that we are not defeated by our self-contracted weakness. Necessarily, it must be Him to open up the gates of our self-built prisons, so that we may be set free. Necessarily, it must be Him to provide a place of shelter, so that we must not drown in our self-created misery. Necessarily, it must be Him to secure a space of refuge so that we will not be crushed by the evil powers within us and around us.
And so God has done and continues to do. You are looking for a place of refuge amidst your angst and fear of life? Well, here it is, because you are assured to be God’s child when you were baptised, just as it was done this morning in the baptism of Juandré Christoph. – You are searching a shelter to safeguard you against the sin that tries to dupe you from within and subdue you from without? Well, here it is, as you are ascertained that Christ has overwhelmed the deadly powers of sin when He died for you on Calvary. – You are seeking a new perspective for your life going beyond the walls of isolation you have constructed around you? Well, here it is, in that God by His word of absolution acquits you of all the delinquencies and defaults you are burdened with. – You are in need of having your feeble faith strengthened and fed, so it may survive? – Well, here is the nourishment provided to precisely this purpose, in the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ distributed to you in the Lord’s Supper. – You are in search for some encouragement and empowerment to manage the challenges you are facing in everyday life and in your spiritual life as well? Well, here it is, in the promise given to you by the risen Christ Himself: “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Mt. 28:20). It is here, in the House of the Lord, that this comes true. It is here, in the midst of the Christian congregation that this becomes a reality. It is here, in the presence of our God, that all this proves truthful.
C.] The mirror’s frame
Two statements, rather two confessions form the frame of our psalm: “Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart” (v. 1), and: “I will tell of all your deeds” (v. 28 c). In the last verse, the psalmist points to what he has been doing all the time while declaiming this prayer, and in the first verse he highlights the conclusion that he has drawn from pondering the experience that he faced. But see, the decision to proclaim what God has done to me, and the subject and substance of God’s doing, are intimately connected to one another: God’s benevolence, God’s beneficence, are bent on being made known, indeed God Himself is eager to announce and apply His loving kindness to everybody who needs them, rather who are in need of Him. This is the basis and foundation of every missionary effort, be it to the Jews, be it to our fellow citizens in this part of the City of Pretoria, Arcadia. Asaph, the pious psalmist has learnt this himself; therefore he cannot but share what he has experienced with God. There is no doubt about God’s goodness, good will and friendliness to those who needily, yet full of expectation approach Him. Beyond all question, we may depend on Him, can lean on Him, and are allowed to count on Him. Even if our hearts might still be weak, and our minds inert, may we deep down inside still waver and tremble, yet Asaph’s credo holds true: “God is the strength of my heart!” (v. 26). May this conviction deeply take root in our hearts, so that we may be assured of God’s affection towards us, and cannot but tell others about it – even and especially the Jews – and may God’s benign cordiality capture our souls throughout, so that we may be at peace with Him, now and eternally, amen.
(© Prof. Dr. Werner Klän, Lutherische Theologische Hochschule Oberursel, Germany)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
A. 1] On the 10th Sunday after Trinity (or 11th after Pentecost), the Christian Church commemorates the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70. To make it very clear right from the beginning: This is by no means the opportunity for us Christians to look down on the people of Israel, or the Jews in an attitude of haughtiness, contempt, or condescension. Rather it is the occasion of looking into the mirror to see what happened to the chosen people of God, and to consider this as an admonition that applies to us as well. For God’s people in the New Testament, the Christians out of the heathen – in spite of our calling, in spite of God’s benevolence bestowed upon us – we are and remain endangered from within by unbelief, doubt, arrogance, pride, and self-assuredness. This morning, psalm 73 may well serve as such a mirror to us. Looking thoroughly into it, we will find our true mirror-image; listening closely to God’s word, we will discover ourselves the way we really are, and the way God wants us to be; meditating on Asaph’s prayer, we may eventually detect what we urgently need to be on good terms with God.
A. 2] Looking into this mirror of psalm 73, we see a split image: On the one hand, we look into the abyss of dark deliberations, night thoughts indeed, especially about other people and their demeanour. But on the other hand, we observe a brightly illuminated picture, filled with expressions of confidence, trust, and reassurance towards God. And then midway between these two opposing impressions, we find reflections of Asaph’s pondering while he is trying to comprehend his own way of thinking, and thereby, God’s way of acting. In all this, we may see reflected ourselves – the way we compare ourselves to others, and therefore complain about them and go blaming God; then again how we turn to God in order to gain ground feeling dizzy from this look into the abyss. Looking into this mirror, we may also discover the means to take refuge to, when we feel that those dark cogitations are dragging us down, so we may escape to a secure place and find a safe stronghold. Finally we must not forget that a mirror usually has got a frame, and so does our psalm have.
A. 3] Following the psalmist step by step, we will in this sermon meditate on three aspects: 1) The dark side of our hearts and its nocturnal, nightmare-like considerations; 2) the pivotal point midway between these two sides; 3) the bright side of God’s helpfulness, assistance, and recourse; and finally, we will have a look at the framework.
B. 1] The dark side of our hearts and its nocturnal, nightmare-like considerations
How familiar do these complaints sound to my ears, moreover to my mind! Oh yes, those evil people! Those big shots and loudmouths! Those big bosses, who lord over their employees! Those milords who look down on all the others so haughtily and snootily! – There was this classmate of mine whose father was very successful in the tobacco business only a few years after the II World war; and his son had a weekly allowance, at least five times as much as mine was. Imagine my feelings when he would ‘graciously’ share some of his treats with me. – Then there was that fellow student at the university – fortunately not a member of our church – who dedicated his exams thesis to the famous German theologian Karl Barth (who had deceased already two decades prior to our exams). – The ladies among us will probably remember that tiny pretty girl in her pink (or purple, or azure) petticoat from the neighbourhood who always caught the attention of aunties and grannies and was very versed in taking advantage of this fact. And generously would she introduce you to her friends, and parents.
And nowadays, when we watch the news on TV, or read the economic news in the papers, with all that money burnt because of greed and avarice – verse by verse we find applications from what we hear in this psalm. I remember one prominent German banker, when asked about losses in the dimension of 50 Mio Euros (500 Mio Rand) due to overtrading, make light of this minus: “Oh, that’s just peanuts!” Most probably, you can easily envisage the furious reactions coming from the public. You do not have to dig deep in order to reach feelings similar to those of our psalmist, like envy, anger, jealousy.
Particularly tempting are these thoughts if you can feel assured that the judgements you make with regard to others, are in line with God’s assessments. Surely we will be enraged when we see someone openly challenge God and His knowledge; most certainly we will be upset at all those people who frankly oppose God by maintaining that He does not care whatever they do.
Moreover, if we are in the position of applying God’s standards as revealed to us in His Law – and notably against fellow humans who obviously do not care about God and His holy will: In this case, more than ever will we have pronounced our judgment: Impious people who deserve nothing but God’s wrath and His ultimate ire! As a friend of mine used to say: I am a dangerous person anyway. I am much more dangerous when I am right. But I am most threatening to others, when I know that I am right! And at the same time, we will feel sorry for ourselves and wallow in self-pity: “Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning” (v. 13+14).
Do we not empathise with these sentiments, do we? And we walk around burdened with sorrow and sullenness; we sit around depressed by discontent and desperation. In our heads, the windmill blades rotate: When will God eventually interfere; when will the Most High finally bring to an end this neglect and disdain? For, if I were in the position to govern the world, I would easily liberate the world from those evil people with their evil thought and their evil assaults, and get rid of them all. -
Surprisingly, this could be the point, when the gloomy picture changes.
B. 2] The pivotal point midway between these two sides
To get rid of them all, what an attractive perspective! But all of a sudden, the psalmist brings the rotating windmill blades in his brain to a halt. Looking back on the mental movements that had been going on within himself, he has to agree: “My feet had almost slipped”, and: “If I had said, ’I will speak thus’”– so apparently he was close to giving in to his dark thoughts and to drowning in his fallacious speculations.
Reviewing this whole process, he discovers, much to his surprise, that he was thinking, feeling, estimating, and making judgements just along the lines those criticized by him were moving. Focused on their faults, concentrated on their misinterpretations, hooked to their wrongdoings, he himself slips and slides into the very same kind of mindset and demeanour: Inflected into his complaints, curved into his self-pity, he starts to accuse God of neglect, of being idle, and even being unjust. Later on, when he has found back to his senses, he will compare this habit to that of a “brute beast” (v. 22). In the light of God’s presence, we become aware, what it is all about – how we are, how we behave, what we really look like, even in the eyes of God. This may be painful, and this pain in itself is not yet the solution to our problem, but to be alarmed at our true condition may be a first step toward recovery.
It is very interesting and of utmost importance to us to see what hinders his precipitation into the abyss of weltschmerz/world-weariness, self-contempt and hatred of God. The turn of events took place when, “I entered the sanctuary of God”. As a Levite, the singer of this psalm has access to the temple. That is where he belongs, moreover, that is, where the presence of God abounds. It is exactly in this very presence of the Lord, that his perspectives change. It is precisely in the proximity to God that his attitude undergoes a radical change. All of a sudden, Asaph stops comparing his fate to that of the obnoxious scorners of God, or at least he gives up trying to come to terms with these differences and inequities, as he thought, by his own means.
Being near to God in the House of the Lord, he feels no longer forced to make his self-esteem dependent on this fatal comparison. Being close to God, he is capable of letting go this whole approach of matching with the others and competing with them. In this environment saturated with God’s dedication and friendliness, he comprehends that he will never find his identity, nor will he find peace of mind by contrasting his concept of life to those who deliberately do not agree with him. How come? Because in the Lord’s House, he is in touch with God, and is so in a salutary way. Nothing else would be of any help at all. For being in touch with God in general, still could mean, that we would have to be frightened, or threatened, or endangered. It all depends on how the relationship between us and God, between God Himself and us, is designed and defined.
In any case, as soon as God draws near to us friendly, kindly, graciously, that will change everything essentially. Whenever God reveals Himself to us helpful, supportive, and charitable, that will open up new horizons. We have to remember that this revelation, that this self-disclosure on God’s side occurs especially in the Lord’s House. Having said this, it happens here! It is here that we encounter God’s mercy. It is here, in the church, that we come to know of His affection. It is here, when the Gospel of Christ is preached, that we experience His boundless fondness towards us. For Christ, our heavenly brother, who is “the image of the invisible God” (Col 1:15), and thus “the mirror of the fatherly heart” (LC II, 3, 65), He is the one to allow us to look at God’s true attitude towards us. It is here, whenever we look at Christ crucified, that we learn how much God cares for us. As it was for Asaph, this will be the turning point for us as well: Because in His House, in His Son, in His Word, in His means of grace, God shows Himself warm-hearted and merciful, willing to soothe our pain, prepared to ease our sorrow, and ready to remove the recalcitrant reflections of our hearts whatsoever, that notion will make us safe and secure.
B. 3] The bright side of God’s helpfulness, assistance, and recourse
Indeed, the notion of God’s gentleness and kindness makes us safe and secure. And it is only God’s gentleness and kindness, His readiness to keep and save us that in the end will help us overcome the dark phases in our lives. Otherwise, we certainly would be doomed to perish, just in the same way as the psalmist foresees the fate of the wicked ones. There would be no difference. But now, and all of a sudden, the whole picture has changed. God presents Himself as a place of recourse. God shows Himself as a realm of refuge. God proves to be the strength we can rely on, He turns out to be reliable in the midst of all our doubts, He appears to be accountable right in the midst of our afflictions. Just in the very moment, when all our deliberations are stuck in a dead-end street, He will be with us with a word of comfort. Just in the hour of deepest resignation, we may feel His soothing attendance.
Such pacification of our hearts and minds, however, does not come from the bottom of our hearts themselves, or from the thorough scrutiny of our minds. Rather we must be buoyed up by God’s promise. It is inevitable that God Himself takes the initiative. Necessarily, it must be Him to take our hand in order to lead us out of that self-made trouble that we are stuck in. Necessarily, it must be Him to give us strength so that we are not defeated by our self-contracted weakness. Necessarily, it must be Him to open up the gates of our self-built prisons, so that we may be set free. Necessarily, it must be Him to provide a place of shelter, so that we must not drown in our self-created misery. Necessarily, it must be Him to secure a space of refuge so that we will not be crushed by the evil powers within us and around us.
And so God has done and continues to do. You are looking for a place of refuge amidst your angst and fear of life? Well, here it is, because you are assured to be God’s child when you were baptised, just as it was done this morning in the baptism of Juandré Christoph. – You are searching a shelter to safeguard you against the sin that tries to dupe you from within and subdue you from without? Well, here it is, as you are ascertained that Christ has overwhelmed the deadly powers of sin when He died for you on Calvary. – You are seeking a new perspective for your life going beyond the walls of isolation you have constructed around you? Well, here it is, in that God by His word of absolution acquits you of all the delinquencies and defaults you are burdened with. – You are in need of having your feeble faith strengthened and fed, so it may survive? – Well, here is the nourishment provided to precisely this purpose, in the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ distributed to you in the Lord’s Supper. – You are in search for some encouragement and empowerment to manage the challenges you are facing in everyday life and in your spiritual life as well? Well, here it is, in the promise given to you by the risen Christ Himself: “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Mt. 28:20). It is here, in the House of the Lord, that this comes true. It is here, in the midst of the Christian congregation that this becomes a reality. It is here, in the presence of our God, that all this proves truthful.
C.] The mirror’s frame
Two statements, rather two confessions form the frame of our psalm: “Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart” (v. 1), and: “I will tell of all your deeds” (v. 28 c). In the last verse, the psalmist points to what he has been doing all the time while declaiming this prayer, and in the first verse he highlights the conclusion that he has drawn from pondering the experience that he faced. But see, the decision to proclaim what God has done to me, and the subject and substance of God’s doing, are intimately connected to one another: God’s benevolence, God’s beneficence, are bent on being made known, indeed God Himself is eager to announce and apply His loving kindness to everybody who needs them, rather who are in need of Him. This is the basis and foundation of every missionary effort, be it to the Jews, be it to our fellow citizens in this part of the City of Pretoria, Arcadia. Asaph, the pious psalmist has learnt this himself; therefore he cannot but share what he has experienced with God. There is no doubt about God’s goodness, good will and friendliness to those who needily, yet full of expectation approach Him. Beyond all question, we may depend on Him, can lean on Him, and are allowed to count on Him. Even if our hearts might still be weak, and our minds inert, may we deep down inside still waver and tremble, yet Asaph’s credo holds true: “God is the strength of my heart!” (v. 26). May this conviction deeply take root in our hearts, so that we may be assured of God’s affection towards us, and cannot but tell others about it – even and especially the Jews – and may God’s benign cordiality capture our souls throughout, so that we may be at peace with Him, now and eternally, amen.
(© Prof. Dr. Werner Klän, Lutherische Theologische Hochschule Oberursel, Germany)
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