The idea of a kingdom of God is very old. The dream of man to live under the protection of a supernatural, perfect monarch is as old as society itself. That’s why crowned heads of state, from the Egyptian pharaohs to the kings of the Renaissance presented themselves as rulers by the grace of the gods. When Jesus picked up the kingdom idea he found a ready-made market for his vision. Placing God himself in charge of a worldly kingdom would get rid of the mortal middleman and the entire associated power struggle, the envy and the corruption. God’s will, his justice, omniscience and benevolence would do away with famine, war and decease. Perpetual love and happiness would be the order of the day. – That was the idea. Neither Jesus though, nor anyone else since then, has ever spelled out the details of how such a kingdom would function, function within the scope of so-called human imperfections. The recommended approach to it was then (in Jesus= time) not user-friendly, and that, with our greater scientific awareness has, if anything, become even worse today.

I have no idea how such a godly kingdom could work. I am struggling, just like everybody else apparently is, to make sense of a concept totally alien in today=s intellectual environment. You see, I am afraid any discussions on a dream as impossible as the emotion-laden expression Akingdom of God@, will very quickly end up in hypothetical statements like: AYou just have to believe. Love your neighbour, your enemy. Nothing is impossible to Him. Set your mind on the kingdom; believe in it with all your mind, all your heart and soul and all will be given to you. You have to change your mind, (ändert euern Sinn), become like little children, be re-born@. There are literally 100s of these clichés around; none of them come with practical instructions how to go about implementing them, or how to check your progress. All these expressions are by nature vague; and if in the end they do not produce anything like the biblical version of the kingdom, it can always be put down to human ineptitude, an inability to live up to divine expectation. Can our belief ever be strong and complete enough? Do we actually still want it? In the September Warte Brigitte Hoffmann answers with an emphatic, No! We no longer see any benefit for mankind in an exclusive society of God.

So, my contribution to this discussion session today centres around the fact that any new vision for a society, a world order (even a kingdom of God vision) must show tangible benefits (here and now) for the subjects of that society; such as an increase in health, wealth and happiness, social security, education, freedom, independence, and physical as well as intellectual challenges. With the demise of a general belief in an eventual reward in heaven people look for an earthly appreciation of their contribution to society, one way or another. And then there is the problem of artificial borders. I have said it before: Any kingdom we could these days ascribe to an ubiquitous and omnipotent God can have no borders. It will of necessity have to include and embrace all people: The good and the bad, believers and agnostics, the meek and the brazen of the whole Earth. Because firstly, with our awareness of the physical laws that control the elements we do not have the freedom of choice to invoke a great flood to rid the Earth of all people we think of as unfit or bad. And secondly, and perhaps more important still, a balanced society needs them. A healthy society can not be a monoculture, and expressions such as good and bad (or evil) are human inventions, always relative to personal, time dependent values. The old biblical image of a jealous deity favouring those that serve him, begrudging man any freedom of individual thought, any creative activity or soaring spirit, does not fit into today=s philosophy any more. So there can not be a border to this kingdom of ours, keeping people in or out on the strength of their character or their belief.

1. Respect Life and its environment, because it is the most precious heritage we can pass on.
2. Serve God and Money in the proportions that best befit you. Give to your God (or community) what you feel you owe them for your good fortune.
3. Understand your enemies, because they provide the challenges you need for learning the shortcomings our society has.
4. Trust in the goodness within yourself, your neighbour and the stranger who asks for help. Because that will make you a better person.
5. Apply your creative talents to the best of your ability, because this is the surest way to help society and honour God=s gift of life to you.
6. Know that you are God’s Temple, through which the Spirit of God unites you with all mankind. In that sense all people are Templers, (some of them just don=t know it yet).

Elder: Dr Peter Uhlherr

Musician: Monika Strasser

Hymns: - Beginning God is my strong salvation No. 35; V1,2,3,4.

Conclusion Amazing Grace No. 10; V1,2,3,4.

Text:- Lamentations 1: 17-19; 2: 11-12; 3: 19-33

Today’s text is taken from the Old Testament book of Lamentations also known as the Lamentations of Jeremiah. The full impact of this book cannot be appreciated without some historical introduction. I will provide that before I read our text.

Lamentations was written in Jerusalem in the first half of the 6^th century BCE, at the lowest point of Jewish history in the first millennium BCE. It was in the middle of two extraordinary centuries of upheaval, which saw the demise of a dozen or more kingdoms, and the rise and fall of no fewer than four empires in the region – the Assyrian, the neo Babylonian, the Median and the Persian. This was an era not only of political stress –obviously – for the Jews, but also of great social and religious stress. The entire existence of the Jewish people was threatening to unravel – and ultimately, it did! Ironically, the seeds of the devastation that Jeremiah laments, were already embedded in the affluence and influence in the golden age of the kingdom of Solomon, 400 years earlier. Solomon centralised Jewish worship in the temple, served by a dedicated priesthood. While affluence for the first time generated, within the kingdom, a social divide between the rich and powerful and the poor and impotent; liberal trade and diplomatic interaction with surrounding kingdoms led to the worship of foreign gods in the kingdom of the Jews especially Baal, the god of rain and Astarte, the goddess of fertility. The stage had been set for social and religious decay. It already began with Solomon’s united kingdom splitting in two after his death. Ten tribes formed the northern kingdom of Israel, based in Samaria; and two tribes formed the southern kingdom of Judah, based in Jerusalem. Israel was conquered by Assyria in ~720 BCE, its population was deported, and the kingdom was erased from subsequent history. Judah was also conquered by the Assyrians but retained the status of a vassal kingdom, autonomous, but heavily taxed. About this time Jeremiah began his prophetic career and became advisor to four consecutive kings of Judah. His political advice and his prophecy were closely interrelated. He very persistently advocated submission to whichever empire wielded the power at the time; he strongly advised against active resistance. He also very persistently called the rulers and the people to urgent repentance for their apostasy i.e. worship of false gods, and for the social injustice which split the population. He saw the power of the ruling empires as the weapon that God would surely ultimately use as His tool of vengeance, to devastate the kingdom and the people for their centuries of alienation from Him – the one God of the Jews. Jeremiah’s persistence in this message of doom made him very unpopular at all levels. During his life he was repeatedly tried for treason; sometimes acquitted, sometimes imprisoned; several times exiled. His life finally ended during exile in Egypt, when his exasperated compatriots stoned him to death. Obviously his warnings fell on deaf ears.

Over a period of a few decades, Jerusalem was besieged and captured three times. First by the Assyrians, who deported much of the population. Second, by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar, in order to quell an attempt at independence during the establishment of the neo-Babylonian empire. Again, much of the population, including the king and the temple priest Ezekiel, were deported; this time to Babylonia. The fact that two major prophets – Jeremiah and Ezekiel – were active at the same time is testament to the extreme distress of the period. The next king of Judah attempted another uprising, allied with Egypt, which had won its freedom from Babylon. But Nebuchadnezzar responded swiftly and besieged Jerusalem a second time. The siege lasted for 1½ years, 587-586 BCE. Jerusalem inevitably fell, and this time Nebuchadnezzar ensured that Judah would not rise again for generations. Jeremiah’s prophecy of doom was, in fact, fulfilled completely at this time. Nebuchadnezzar levelled Jerusalem; he destroyed the temple; and he deported the total remaining able-bodied population, leaving only the aged, infirm and sick, and the very young with their mothers. Without a labour force and with a devastated country and infrastructure, famine and pestilence raged for years. The Jews were allowed to return to Judah only 50 years later, when the Babylonian empire in turn fell to the Persians under Cyrus.

It is the devastation of Jerusalem, and the annihilation of the nation of Judah in 586 BCE that Jeremiah is lamenting.

Our text starts with Zion – the city of Jerusalem – speaking to the people of Judah: –

1:17 Zion lifted her hands in prayer,
but there was no one to comfort her;
the LORD gave Jacob’s enemies the order
to beset him on every side.
Jerusalem became a filthy rag in their midst.
1:18 The LORD was in the right;
it was I who rebelled against his commands.
Listen, O listen, all you nations,
and look on my agony:
my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.
1:19 my priests and my elders in the city
went hungry and could find nothing,
although they sought food for themselves
to renew their strength.
1:20 See, LORD, how sorely I am distressed.
2:11My eyes are blinded with tears,
my bowels writhe in anguish.
In my bitterness my bile is spilt on the earth
because of my people’s wound,
when children and infants faint
in the streets of the town
2:12 and cry to their mothers,
‘Where can we get corn and wine?’ –
when they faint like wounded things
in the streets of the city,
gasping out their lives
in their mothers’ bosom.
3:17 peace has gone out of my life,
and I have forgotten what prosperity means.
3:18 Then I cry out that my strength has gone
and so has my hope in the LORD.
3:19 The memory of my distress and my wanderings
is wormwood and gall.
3:20 Remember, O remember,
and stoop down to me.
3:21 All this I take to heart
and therefore I will wait patiently:
3:22 the LORD’s true love is surely not spent,
nor has his compassion failed;
3:23 they are new every morning,
so great is his constancy.
3:24 The LORD, I say, is all that I have;
Therefore I will wait for him patiently.
3:25 The LORD is good to those who look for him,
to all who seek him;
3:26 it is good to wait in patience and sigh
for deliverance by the LORD.
3:27 It is good, too, for a man
to carry the yoke in his youth.
3:28 Let him sit alone and sigh
if it is heavy upon him;
3:29 Let him lay his face in the dust,
and there may yet be hope.
3:30 Let him turn his cheek to the smiter
and endure full measure of abuse;
3:31 for the LORD will not cast off
his servants for ever.
3:32 He may punish cruelly, yet he will have compassion
in the fullness of his love;
3:33 he does not willingly afflict
or punish any mortal man.

The devastation of Judah is seen as God’s vengeance for the peoples’ centuries – long worship of false gods and for the centuries of materialism and social injustice. The prophet sees no real hope for imminent redemption; he advocates suffering in patience until God relents. He ends by declaring that the eventual restoration of God’s people is inevitable, because God’s love for His chosen people is too great for His anger to last forever.

Jeremiah, in his book of prophecy, looks forward to a new covenant between God and mankind, supplanting the covenant made with Moses. He is sometimes called the "father of personal religion" because he taught that worship will one day be independent of the temple in Jerusalem. Jeremiah was not a priest, and he antagonised the priesthood by criticising them for standing between God and His people – for making God accessible to the people only through priestly mediation in the temple. And now, suddenly Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed, and most of the population, including the priests were deported. Furthermore, Jeremiah persistently denounced the peoples’ materialism and the resulting social divide between the rich and the poor. Suddenly this divide was also destroyed, by the wealthy being deported, complete with their wealth. Jeremiah’s vision of personal worship as a sincere personal seeking of God, independent of priestly mediation, independent of ritual and in complete equality for everyone – this vision was suddenly realised in Judah. The prophecy’s realisation was clearly not under ideal conditions – it arose from the dire necessity of the people in a devastated country. Jeremiah prophesied that God’s new relationship with the people would see His law written upon the hearts of mankind – rather than on stone tablets; man would know God directly and receive His forgiveness without the mediation of a priest. After the return from exile of the people, the temple in Jerusalem was rebuilt and the priesthood was re-established; and so, Jeremiah’s prophecy was not totally fulfilled until the advent of Jesus, some six hundred years later.

Looking through the Bible, God appears to evolve over the millennia from a jealous, vengeful god, protective of his chosen nomadic tribe, who carry Him in a box wherever they wander; to a demanding God residing at the centre of a temple, attended by a priesthood in ritual worship; until, finally he becomes a loving God, residing within each individual. In actual fact of course, God did not evolve at all – He was the same in the days of Moses as He is today. It is only man’s perception of God that has evolved.

The concept of God within the individual has brought about a decentralising of worship – increasingly independent of time, place and ritual. Worship is diversifying.

If everyone in a congregation bows their foreheads to the ground simultaneously or raises their hands to heaven simultaneously, then they are under the control of priesthood. Performing the outward ritual does not guarantee any emotional or intellectual connection with God – it can be empty – there is no personal responsibility involved.

An outward show of worship has never been a reliable yardstick for righteousness or sinfulness. Who is to say whether a man kneeling at the altar is more or less sinful than another man sitting at a sports venue on a Sunday morning? We need only look at the dire troubles that several churches are experiencing at the present time with some of their priesthood or clergy. However, if I worship when I need to, and in a way that satisfies some emotional or intellectual need I have, then I am totally and solely responsible for my worship. Individuality and responsibility are inseparably linked.

Even with increasing freedom of worship, the accompanying increase in personal responsibility for our own spiritual development will ensure that communal activities will survive at least for the exchange of ideas, for direction and for mutual support. Even with diversity, there will always continue to be strength and comfort in numbers. But even we in the Temple Society are concerned about decreasing participation in communal worship. We spend much effort, both centrally and by way of services, to define and to refine our concept of the Kingdom of God to make it as comprehensible as possible and as practically meaningful or as attractive as possible for as many people as possible. In view of the liberality of our worship and thought, I feel it is the continuing process of engagement with the concept of God and his Kingdom that is beneficial of the Society and its members, more than if we generated a well-defined outcome. Rigidity is far more to be avoided than flexibility or diversity.

To illustrate, I want to outline three equally valid ways in which God can be viewed and worshipped. Firstly, I can believe in a personal God, with whom I am in direct contact; who hears my personal prayers – addressed directly to Him – who responds to these prayers in His own inscrutable way, and who is always there, not just for me, but for every single human being. Such a belief in a personal God can be very comforting and give strength in times of need, isolation, and in times of impotence to change my lot. To anyone who gains hope or strength from such a personal relationship with God, we can only say "go for it!" – it is beneficial. Unfortunately, every relationship has its inherent risks. It is only a small step to ascribe to a personal God, the power of punishment and reward; if we do that, we have become a slave to the concept; we have relinquished some of our responsibility; we have opened the door to fear and guilt, which are not beneficial!

Secondly by extreme contrast to the above, I can view God as the fundamental, unifying principle of the cosmos; not personally active, not personally accessible, nor even knowable, but all-pervasive, infinite in extent and in complexity. This tends to be the God of scientists, and the question immediately arises – how does this inaccessible God-principle relate to me as an individual, because I am only an insignificant, minute speck in the vastness of the whole cosmos? The answer is, that the vastness of the cosmos is made up only of a collection of minute, individually insignificant specks. Take away enough of these specks, and the whole will be altered.

I may be insignificant, but I am an integral part of the whole. Although I cannot influence distant galaxies, I can influence and interact with other, equally insignificant specks in my immediate environment; I can interact with matter, thought, or other living creatures. It is in my interest, and indeed it is my responsibility, to contribute to maintaining my immediate environment to the communal good, and hence to my own benefit. If I don’t do this, there is certainly nothing "out there" in the cosmos that will do it for me. Furthermore, the combined effect of many, individually perhaps insignificant, contributions is bound to be more successful than the single act. Such a cosmic view of God has built into it a driving force for individuals, not just to coexist, but to cooperate and to nurture each other because no one else will. If this is my view of humanity and its God, then surely my striving in my little corner of the cosmos is laudable, and worthy of encouragement. This view of God requires self-confidence to be effective and uplifting; a lack of confidence can quickly lead to my being overwhelmed in my insignificance and apparent impotence to bring about change.

Finally, God the creator at the beginning of time set the world on its dynamic course. In a distant corner of the universe he caused the earth to appear, and on that earth he caused humanity to appear. "How" is unimportant in this illustration. The article of faith is that humanity received from God, the twin gifts of self-awareness and free will. By giving man these mental powers, God has relinquished direct control over us: - God has no control over what I think and what I do! An immediate consequence of this is, that God is not responsible for what I think and do – it is my will! My growth and development as a human being is in my own hands, not in God’s hands. I am directly responsibility for any good that arises from my actions. But also, of course, I am responsibility for any evil, directly or indirectly caused by my existence.

God’s only influence on me is as an advisor. He has told us His plan for humanity – our spiritual growth and ultimate perfection. He has also given us a set of guidelines, rules, which, if we follow them, should lead to the realisation of His plan. In Jeremiah’s words, God has inscribed His law on men’s hearts. With this picture of God, I would make it my priority to live by His set of rules; and would that not be laudable and worthy of encouragement?

There are many other expressions of faith in God. Who is to say that one is right and another is wrong? In fact I have no difficulty in holding all three beliefs that I have outlined even though they are mutually exclusive – each at its time and in its place. My mental and emotional state dictates how I relate to God at any time. Occasionally I need Him to be there, focussed on my plight – as in Jeremiah – occasionally it is uplifting to acknowledge my insignificance when confronted by the grandeur of the whole; and in day-to-day living, among my fellow human beings, it is ever beneficial to be conscious of His rules of engagement; His law written on my heart.

There is strength in diversity; we are all searching for our own truth; and it is likely that there exist multiple truths. BUT, if someone says: I have discovered the truth; I know what the kingdom of God is; I have found the true way there – let me show you, so that you too can benefit from it!

Then, it is time to be concerned.

– end with the Lord’s Prayer –

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Saal - Bayswater Community Chapel - 8.8.04
Elder: Dr Rolf Beilharz

Welcome to everyone! A special welcome to the children of the Sunday School!

Hymn: We’ll begin by singing Hymn Nr. 4 All creatures of our God and King, verses 1, 2 and 3. Veronica has played the melody for this hymn in her opening music. The melody should be familiar to those who have sung English hymns.

Sing Hymn

In the planning for services for 2004, this Saal was given to Theo Richter. Theo is on a well-deserved, extended holiday and will come back in a week’s time. I was happy to take over this service from him. This explains why I am back again just one week after giving a Saal, in German, here last Sunday.

Children, today I’m going to speak to the grown-ups about Jesus. In the bible, that part of it called the New Testament, we can read about Jesus. If we do that, we can notice that there are stories about what Jesus did, like healing people for example, and other stories in which he taught. For the adults I’ll be talking about those stories in which we find what Jesus actually taught his listeners. I think that what Jesus taught his hearers is the most important material in the bible for us today to think about. If the adults have listened closely, they will now know what to expect.

Thank you children. I’ll now talk to the adults. Enjoy your afternoon in the Sunday School.

Are we interested in the teachings of Jesus, rather than in what people teach about Jesus? Where do we find the teaching of Jesus recorded? The gospels in the New Testament deal particularly with the life and preaching of Jesus. The “Sermon on the Mount” is a group of teachings of Jesus, which Matthew collected together in the three chapters 5, 6 and 7 of his gospel. In my opinion, this “sermon” is the clearest collection of what Jesus said his true followers ought to be. One of the things it says there is “You must be all goodness, just as your heavenly Father is all good.” As you will see, this means that we should try to be like God, impartially good to everyone, just as God is good to all of his creation.

We need not worry about the details of whether God exists at all, whether he created the Universe as it says in the bible and whether Jesus did miraculous things like rising from the dead in bodily form. It should be obvious that in the time that the bible was written, people’s understanding of the universe was completely different from ours today. We now know that the earth is a small part of our solar system which is a minor part of the total Universe. Similarly the authors of the bible also had completely different ideas about how life originated on earth and how humans evolved as a part of the totality of life which developed on this earth. Some important facts we can accept from today’s understanding are as follows.

1. The Universe exists. It seems to be still developing. It may have arisen in a very powerful explosion called the big bang. During certain critical phases of the development of planets in solar systems like ours there are conditions in which increasing complexity of chemical compounds can lead to self-replicating materials which can evolve into living beings. We actually know nothing about how the Universe started off. Yet it is reasonable to think that there may have been some very powerful force involved in starting it off.

2. Humans exist. Humans can think. We think about matters such as life and death. We are aware that humans lived before us. At many times in history there have been deep thinkers that came up with explanations of why humans live on earth and how they came to be there. Also, humans of all historical periods have had a feeling that things could be better than they generally are, and that humans themselves often are far worse in their behaviour than we would like them to be. Such notions of the evil that exists and the good that there could be, have in the past been expressed in the form of personalities: Gods are good, other beings such as devils or Satan are evil. Many cultures have religious myths dealing with this conflict between good and evil in terms of battles between supernatural personalities which are either good or evil. The Jews developed an advance on the belief in a multitude of supernatural beings in their religion. They recognised a single God as the creator of everything. The Jewish religion saw the Jews as specially chosen by this God as his favoured people. The history of the Jews, however, shows that even God’s chosen people were not free of evil. The Old Testament is full of discussions of how God will punish the people who have not kept his commandments. The original ten commandments God gave to Moses were very much rules of how decent people should behave towards each other, if they were to live in harmony with one another.

3. Jesus was a Jewish preacher who lived about two thousand years ago. At that time the Jews were expecting a messiah who would save them from oppression. The Romans had oppressed the people of Palestine for some time. Jesus created a great stir among the Jewish people with his teachings. People wondered whether he was the expected messiah. Eventually the Jews of the establishment, together with the Romans in authority, put Jesus to death. We can assume that what he taught was undermining the authority of the existing ruling classes. As a Jew, Jesus did not doubt the Jewish understanding of God as the creator of everything. He does not seem to have seen himself as a worldly leader, like the messiah expected by the Jews. His teaching focussed on the goodness of God and what God expects from the people he had created. Jesus saw God as being a loving parent to all he had created, not a judge taking pleasure in punishing those who had done wrong. And he called on people to actively change their behaviour for the better. As you will hear in our text, he called on people to become very much better than they had been as the chosen Jews. They should love even their enemies, not just their friends. They should be all goodness, like God himself is. Let’s read our text. It is from the gospel of Matthew, chapter 5 v. 38 - 48.

Read Text.

In an older version of the Bible in English, the expression used was “be ye perfect”. I have often thought that the perfection Jesus asked his listeners to achieve is best expressed in those words “be perfect”. Is it possible for us to be “all goodness”? Recently, Alfred Klink has at times argued that the evil in mankind is built into our very natures. You cannot have goodness unless you contrast it with existing evil.

An early Christian heretic living in Rome, called Marcion, concluded from the evil he saw in the world around him that the God who created our universe could not possibly be good. There was too much evil among people.

Other Christians invented the myth of Lucifer. Lucifer had been a powerful angel in the court of God who wanted to displace God as the most powerful being. On discovery of the plot, Lucifer was banished to hell, together with other angels who had plotted with him. From hell Lucifer organised an army of former angels including the ones that tempted Eve and so gave eternal sin to mankind when Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge. This myth allows God the creator to remain all good, while letting mankind, the creation of God, be evil. In this myth evil is a by-product, a component of creation.

I see our task as striving to become better, despite the fact that we all have tendencies towards evil. In this talk I will now explore how we might understand the nature of mankind, from what we know today about life. We need not waste our energies on interpreting old-fashioned ideas, which we know to be false.

All of life has evolved. The genetic system in all organisms with proper cells has the same chemistry and works in the same way. This tells me that all the life forms we see around us to day originated from the same source. I don’t know how life started, but it seems eminently possible to have done so from chemicals available early in the world’s history. I also don’t know whether there was just one single origin, or whether life started several times. I do think though that there was only one successful step to proper cells, from which all forms of life more complex than bacteria then evolved.

Natural selection by the environment is a wonderful, creative mechanism for continually adjusting living forms to their environment. Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace recognised the existence and main features of natural selection more than 150 years ago. The way natural selection works has been clarified by the research of many biologists and animal and plant breeders since then. Natural selection has played an important role in the evolution of life. The recognition and study of genes has contributed further to the details of how life works. Genes carry information, which makes individuals different from others. And genes carry this information from parents to children.

Natural selection favours some individuals above others in every environmental niche. Environmental niche means that environment in which a particular form of life, a species, lives. A species includes all those organisms that can successfully reproduce together. Populations of every species become adapted to their particular localised environments. This is because the genes of those individuals most successful in reproducing themselves become more frequent in future generations in each local area.

If the localised environments of the same species become different, a single species can break into local populations. Individuals of different local populations can become too different to interbreed successfully. In this way one species can split into 2 or more species. The number of species and the complexity of life forms can increase in this way every time environments change. If there is a global, catastrophic change in environment, say after a meteor impact or after volcanic outbursts, many species can go extinct. This allows surviving species to take over and adapt to niches previously held by others.

All organisms need resources from the environment to live. Plants use energy from the sun. They grow wherever energy from the sun can reach them and temperature is not too cold or too hot. Animals have to eat something to live. Typically they eat plants or other animals. The fact that animals move about means that they have to be much more complex than plants. Both need hard material for structure, wood for plants and bones for animals. On top of that, animals need muscles, a nervous system and a control centre, the brain, to move the wonderfully effective, moveable skeleton so that all movement becomes efficient. As many of you know, I recently fractured a bone above the wrist when I fell off my bike. Currently, I watch with fascination how the movement of my fingers and wrist is coming back after the operation corrected the fractured bone. There is still some way to go, but I am very thankful for the big improvement that has already occurred.

Adaptation of animals to their environment means making the most efficient use of available environmental resources. Natural selection towards better reproduction and survival never stops. In all complex life forms, the sexual reproductive system is continually reshuffling genes and producing genetic variation. All genetic combinations producing sickly, or inefficient organisms are left behind. The result is that in all natural species, individuals generally live in harmony with their environment and nothing changes until the environment does.

In the past, the earth has had a small number of huge environmental catastrophes. In those catastrophes, many species died out and the survivors recolonised the earth. The biggest evolutionary changes have occurred after such extinctions. When the dinosaurs died out, the little original mammal with fur and the protobird with feathers, both with control of body temperature, took over most of the environmental niches vacated by the dinosaurs. Primates, apes and eventually humans have evolved among the mammals. All mammals have again adapted to their particular niches and are using the available resources as efficiently as is possible.

In the special case of humans, there was a rise in their mental abilities, which allowed them to use more of the existing resources of their environment than chimpanzees and other apes. This started another burst of evolution, this time in the brain of humans, rather than in their body. This evolution of the human brain set mankind apart from all other animals.

Note that this fact, mankind is different from all other animals, was recognised by the ancients. The Old Testament starts with a story of the creation of the world, the plants and the animals, and finally humans. Humans were made in God’s image. They lived in a paradise, the garden of Eden, innocent like the animals. But then humans got something, which made them similar to God. Whatever this is, sets them apart from the rest of creation. What is it? The ancients called it the knowledge of good and evil, which, Adam and Eve got by eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Today we recognise this as the evolution of high mental abilities, the spiritual side, or soul, of mankind and it may yet turn out to be very dangerous.

At present, mankind with its technology is using resources thoughtlessly, at a very high rate and polluting the environment. Will we do this until the resources run out? With all these resources available, the human population numbers are rising dangerously. So far there is little evidence that population size is being environmentally checked. Humans are not in harmony with their environment. This may trigger another environmental calamity on earth, which could precipitate another extinction, of humans as well as many other species.

I don’t want to dwell on the possible end of humanity. Our topic is the present day and how we should use the present time in our lives. Humans do have the capacity to be evil. What does that mean? Why are we evil?

Individual organisms develop and change over time from a fertilised egg to eventual death. If organisms did not die and leave room for their children, evolution would at best be very slow. Those organisms that reproduced merely by cloning, could not compete in evolution with those species where descendants continually reshuffle their genetic material. This happens in the sexual process of reproduction. Organisms with the sexual mechanism were able to adapt quickly to the conditions after major catastrophic climate changes.

There is a feature of natural selection that has been largely ignored. Once an organism has become as efficient as it can be in its lifetime developmental path, this optimised path becomes protected from change until a new environment, or selection by man, forces it to change. You may know that in mammal and bird embryos, the initial stages of development in the egg or the uterus are the same as those of reptiles and even fish. It is only later that the differences between fish, birds, dogs and humans become obvious. This is because the initial stages within egg or uterus take place in a watery environment similar to that of fish where the developmental path was originally optimised. Early development most efficient for fish has remained most efficient for mammals, even for humans. This is an example of a general phenomenon. We humans, like many other animals, share much of our path of development, and we share many other features, with other animals. The way the heart works, blood circulates, the lungs supply the needed oxygen, the various organs work is identical or very similar to those of many animals. What we have is life-systems that have been optimised by natural selection for efficient use of resources and no mammal differs greatly from us in these basic processes of life.

Our interest in human nature usually concerns behaviour. Here we also find many similarities with other animals. In all natural animal species, if their environment requires a behaviour to be correct the first time it is used, this will have been naturally selected to occur automatically when required. Babies automatically suck nipples, natural ones as well as artificial ones. Such behaviour is called instinctive. It is found wherever a particular behaviour was needed to survive, or reproduce. Most reproductive behaviour is instinctive, governed mainly by hormones and genes. All those combinations of genes whose animals could not reproduce or survive well, did not leave progeny and were culled out of the adapted species by natural selection.

Mankind is a social animal. Our tendency to associate in groups is instinctive. Why? There are many species of animals where individuals are safer if they aggregate into groups, or they do things, like migration, together. Broadly there are two kinds of benefit of being in a group. First, it is easier for a group to defend each of its vulnerable members from a predator, than it would be for each individual if it met the predator by itself. Second, hunting in a group allows animals to catch and kill larger prey than individuals hunting by themselves. All our domestic ungulates like cows, sheep and horses are safer from predators in groups. Wolves and lions can catch bigger prey animals than single hunters.

Humans, and dogs, benefit in both ways, defence from large predators like lions or bears, and by hunting bigger prey in groups. So, natural selection in the past has given us a tendency to want to live together with other humans in groups. Where is the evil?

Selfishness is necessary to survive. Babies are born in such an unfinished, helpless state that they depend entirely on help from others. Their behaviour is completely selfish. It is demanding and tailored towards getting attention from others. A mother’s reaction to babies is also largely instinctive. But among teenagers and adults, selfishness must be moderated by the advantages of living in groups. In non-human animals a dominance order develops in every group. Individuals learn which animal must be given respect and by behaving appropriately, fighting is prevented.

Human intelligence helps us to control selfishness and to think in terms of the benefit of groups. So-called “group selection” evolves human groups that work well together. Groups living harmoniously can replace groups where there is continual infighting. Humans have both a tendency towards being selfish and towards favouring the whole group. I believe that what we have called evil is the selfish tendency in individuals becoming so strong that other group members feel disadvantaged.

Only humans recognise evil. Other animals rely on dominance behaviour. It is only the dominant animals that can be selfish without punishment. Getting this balance between individual needs and the harmony of the whole group right is what is important. Those human societies that get this balance right, do not have strife or murders in the group. Selection among groups favours them.

Please note that my description of biology is greatly simplified. However, it does allow me to describe biologically what the vision of the “Kingdom of God” is. This vision cannot describe non-human animals. Among humans, it is that condition in which individuals in a population live so that each individual satisfies his or her personal needs and allows everyone else to do the same.

At this point we can turn again to what the ancients already knew. The teachings of Jesus about humans striving for the kingdom of God on earth, describe behaviour that prevents infighting within social groups, allowing harmony to prevail. He did not know modern biological words. But he saw clearly that selfish or cheating behaviour among humans destroys trust. Children in a well functioning family have an innocent, positive view of the world. Without trust, an innocent, positive world view is impossible. Reason can tell adults that trust, and avoiding selfish exploitation of others leads to harmony. If disharmony exists then the exaggerated unselfishness of our text, turning the other cheek to be hit again, is a way of starting to get harmony back. The double commandment of love among humans, love God and his creation and love others as you want them to love you sets a standard for the perfection of mankind. It is a strikingly apt description of what mankind should achieve if we want to survive as a contented humanity in a world which remains generally wholesome. Such a world is what existing life is in harmony with. Clearly, present humanity has a long way to go to reach this standard. We should at least point out to the world around us that we have an attainable goal worth striving for.

What makes me sad is that most science is done by excluding religion. And most religions seem to be a long way from utilising biological facts to explain what their religious founders were talking about. Everyone has to express his or her thoughts in the words of their time. Clearly, many deep thinkers in all eras had a good knowledge of human behaviour and what constitutes happiness and contentment. That knowledge of human behaviour should not be dismissed merely because it is expressed in language based on an earlier understanding of our world. I am fortunate that the Temple Society lets me combine modern biology and the thoughts of Jesus to point out possibilities for mankind to achieve harmony among humans and with the world and the life on it.

We finish with the Lord’s Prayer.
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Your Kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins, As we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us when in temptation And deliver us from evil.
For the Kingdom, the power and the Glory Are Yours forever.
Amen.

We conclude this service by singing verses 4 and 5 of our hymn (Nr 4, All creatures of our God and King)

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SAAL Bayswater 1-8-2004 
Elder: Dr Rolf Beilharz

Wir singen zuerst aus dem Losungslied der Tempelgesellschaft (Nr. 1) die Verse 1, 2, 3 und 4. Bitte denkt ein bisschen nach über die Gedanken die uns in diesen Versen ansprechen.

Unser Text für heute steht im ersten Brief des Apostels Paulus an die Gemeinde in Korinth, Kapitel 13. Paulus hatte im Kapitel davor von den geistigen Gaben der Menschen geschrieben und will uns jetzt noch das Allerbeste erklären.

Lese den Text

Nach dem Apostel Paulus ist also Liebsein wichtiger als alle anderen Tugenden und geistigen Gaben. Die Korinther sollten nach diesem Liebsein streben.

Paulus hat Jesus nicht persönlich gekannt. Er hat als gelehrter Jude die Christen verfolgt. Er muss diese Nachfolger des Predigers Jesus als Irrlehrer gesehen haben. Er wollte diese Irrlehre ausrotten. Dann aber, auf einer heißen, ermüdenten Reise nach Damaskus in welcher er viel Zeit zum Nachdenken hatte, ist ihm etwas geschehen. Er hatte eine Vision die ihn überzeugte dass die Christen mit ihren Lehren der Liebe, eher Recht hatten als er der sie verfolgte. Paulus hat dann in seinem weiteren Leben neue Christliche Gemeinden gegründet in den Städten des Mittelmehres. Sein Gebiet lag ausserhalb Jerusalem und seiner Umgebung. In Jerusalem waren Petrus und Jakobus die Leiter der Gemeinde. Paulus war nie ganz mit diesen ersten Aposteln ausgekommen, so dass sie die Arbeit unter sich teilten und Paulus die Christenheit in fremde Gebiete brachte.

Heute will ich unseren Text, das Hohelied der Liebe von Paulus, mit den Lehren von Jesus vergleichen. Ich habe für heute noch etliche Stellen aus dem Matthäusevangelium ausgewählt, welche einen Einblick in die Lehre Jesus geben. Bei Matthäus findet man nämlich die Bergpredigt, in den Kapiteln 5, 6 und 7, in welcher der Evangelist eine Sammlung der Aussprüche Jesus zusammengestellt hat. Also, lasst uns darin lesen.

4. 17 Ein Vorwort zur Bergpredigt Von der Zeit an fing Jesus an zu predigen und zu sagen: Tut Buße, das Himmelreich ist nahe herbeigekommen!

5. 21 - 24 Ihr habt gehört, dass zu den Alten gesagt ist: "Du sollst nicht töten; wer aber tötet, der soll des Gerichts schuldig sein." Ich aber sage euch: Wer mit seinem Bruder zürnet, der ist des Gerichts schuldig; wer aber zu seinem Bruder sagt: Racha! der ist des Rats schuldig; wer aber sagt: Du Narr! der ist des höllischen Feuers schuldig. Darum, wenn du deine Gabe auf dem Altar opferst und dir fällt ein, daß dein Bruder etwas wider dich habe, so lass da vor dem Altar deine Gabe und gehe zuvor hin und versöhne dich mit deinem Bruder, und dann komm und opfere deine Gabe.

Am Ende des 5. Kapitels steht wir sollen nicht nur unsere Freunde lieben sondern “Ihr sollt vollkommen sein, gleichwie euer Vater im Himmel vollkommen ist”.

6. 24 Niemand kann zwei Herren dienen: entweder er wird den einen hassen und den anderen lieben, oder er wird dem einen anhangen und den anderen verachten. Ihr könnt nicht Gott dienen und dem Mammon.

6. 30 - 33 So denn Gott das Gras auf dem Felde kleidet, das doch heute steht und morgen in den Ofen geworfen wird: sollte er das nicht viel mehr euch tun, o ihr Kleingläubigen? Darum sollt ihr nicht sorgen und sagen: Was werden wir essen, was werden wir trinken, womit werden wir uns kleiden? Nach solchem allem trachten die Heiden. Denn euer himmlischer Vater weiss, daß ihr das alles bedürfet. Trachtet am ersten nach dem Reich Gottes und nach seiner Gerechtigkeit, so wird euch solches alles zufallen.

7. 1 - 2 Richtet nicht, auf dass ihr nicht gerichtet werdet. Denn mit welcherlei Gericht ihr richtet, werdet ihr gerichtet werden; und mit welcherlei Mass ihr messet, wird euch gemessen werden.

7. 9 - 12 Welcher ist unter euch Menschen, so ihn sein Sohn bittet ums Brot, der ihm einen Stein biete? oder, so er ihn bittet um einen Fisch, der ihm eine Schlange biete? So denn ihr die ihr arg seid, könnt dennoch euren Kindern gute Gaben geben, wie viel mehr wird euer Vater im Himmel Gutes geben denen, die ihn bitten! Alles nun, was ihr wollt, daß euch die Leute tun sollen, das tut ihnen auch. Das ist das Gesetz und die Propheten.

Ist das nicht eine klare eindeutige Lehre. Jesus sagt uns wie wir uns zu verhalten haben. Unser Verhalten aber entspringt unserer Lebenseinstellung. Und diese Einstellung ist auch ganz deutlich von Jesus beschrieben. Wir sollen vollkommen sein, wie unser Vater im Himmel. Und das heißt daß wir alle Leute so behandeln sollen wie auch wir von anderen behandelt werden wollen. Also, keine Vorteile sollen wir aus anderen Menschen ziehen. Ausbeutung anderer ist nicht vereinbar mit dem Trachten nach Gottes Gerechtigkeit. Vielmehr sollen wir anderen helfen auch wenn sie uns nötigen und sogar schlagen.

Diese Lehre der Bergpredit mag hart klingen, wenn wir sie zum erstenmal wirklich klar verstehen. Aber Jesus sagt uns dass unser Lohn ein göttlicher sein wird, also etwas viel besseres als was wir zum Beispiel durch Erwerb von materiellen Dingen, von Mammon, haben können. Wir sollten ernstlich versuchen nach der Lehre Jesus zu leben. Wenn Jesus recht hat, und das erwarten wir doch, wird es sich herausstellen dass die besseren persönlichen Beziehungen, die wir dadurch bewirken, unmessbar besseren Lohn uns bringen werden, seelischen Lohn, als jeder materielle Gewinn. Und zu dieser Lehre haben uns die Gründer der Tempelgesellschaft wieder zurück geführt als das wichstigste in der Christenheit. Alles andere ist dagegen nebensächlich.

Im 22. Kapitel des Matthäus, Verse 34 bis 40 steht nochmal ein Jesuwort das für uns eine komplette Zusammenfassung aller seiner Lehren sein kann. Da aber die Pharisäer hörten, dass er den Sadduzäern das Maul gestopft hatte, versammelten sie sich. Und einer unter ihnen, ein Schriftgelehrter, versuchte ihn und sprach: Meister, welches ist das vornehmste Gebot im Gesetz? Jesus aber sprach zu ihm: “Du sollst lieben deinen Herrn von ganzem Herzen, von ganzer Seele und von ganzem Gemüte.” Dies ist das vornehmste und größte Gebot. Das andere aber ist ihm gleich: “Du sollst deinen Nächsten lieben wie dich selbst.” In diesen zwei Geboten hanget das ganze Gesetz und die Propheten. Auch in dieser Zusammenfassung seiner Lehre spricht Jesus von der Liebe. Es stimmt also dass unser heutiger Text, das Hohelied der Liebe von Paulus, das gleiche sagt wie die Lehre Jesus.

Ich möchte jetzt noch einige Beispiele der Gedanken der Gründergeneration der Tempelgesellschaft vorlesen. Hier sind einige Paragraphen aus Christoph Hoffmanns Buch Occident und Orient. Dieses Buch ist geschrieben worden als der Anfang der Templerkolonisation in Palestina erfolgreich abgeschlossen war. Man hatte die Anfangsschwierigkeiten überstanden. Die Zukunft der Kolonien schien gesichert. Hoffmann selbst war inzwischen in seinem 60sten Lebensjahr. Er hatte also seine stürmische jüngere Schaffenszeit hinter sich und konnte auf sein Lebenswerk aus einer Situation relativer Zufriedenheit zurückschauen. Hoffmann hatte nicht nur theorisiert, sondern mit seinen Mitstreitern ihre Einsicht der religiösen Wahrheit in die Tat umgesetzt. Das Beispiel einer erneuerten Christenheit bestand, und könnte, mit Gottes Hilfe, zu weiterem Segen der Menschheit führen. Also, lasset uns hören was, neben anderem, in dem Kapitel "Der Glaube des Tempels" steht. Lese von S. 15: Es erhellt hieraus ... bis S. 16 ... wie es die Evangelien erzählen, dargestellt ist.

Jetzt singen wir noch die Verse 9 und 10 von dem Lied Christoph Hoffmanns, Nummer 1 im Gesangbuch. Bei Vers 10 bitte den Vers unten am Blatt singen.

Den ersten Templern war die Vervollkommnung der Menschheit ein zu erreichendes Ziel. Es ist dieselbe Vervollkommnung die in der Bergpredigt von Jesus als Ziel aufgestellt worden ist. Die Propheten hatten bessere Zustände der Menschheit sich vorgestellt und ihre Hörer aufgefordert danach zu streben. Interessant ist daß unter den ersten Templern die Vervollkommnung des Menschen bis zur Überwindung des Todes als möglich galt. Heute ist das nicht mehr so. Die meisten Leute heute sind von der Unabwendbarkeit des Todes überzeugt. Es haben sich also einige Glaubensinhalte innerhalb der Tempelgesellschaft über die Jahre verändert. Das muss ja geschehen wenn man wirklich, wie Hoffmann schrieb, durch gründliches Forschen neue Erkenntnisse erreicht. Wie verstehen wir heutzutage was es heißt nach Vollkommenheit zu trachten.

Ich habe mir schon öfters überlegt wie ein Mensch etwas als wahr erkennt.

Gleich wie andere Tiere haben Menschen Reaktionen, welche zum Überleben unbedingt nötig sind. Diese sind in unseren Genen verankert. Zum Beispiel können alle gesunden Säuglinge schon bei der Geburt von der Mutter Brust, und auch aus künstlichen Saugzapfen, saugen. Kinder lernen dann im Spiel die vielen Möglichkeiten ihrer Körperteile, die Hände, Beine, usf. zu beherrschen. Aber das wichtige für den Menschen ist doch seine Gedankenwelt. Wie lernt der Mensch welche dieser Gedanken wahr sind?

Was heißt eigentlich wahr? Was sind wahre Gedanken? Wir könnten wahrscheinlich lange darüber diskutieren. Deshalb möchte ich nur ganz kurz sagen, Wahrheit ist wie die Welt ist, und auch die Erkenntnis warum die Welt so ist wie sie ist.

Spielend lernen Kinder durch eigene Beobachtung wie die Welt, wenigstens in der Kinder Umgebung aussieht und funktioniert. Die Eltern, Lehrer und Altersgenossen geben ihnen Erklärungen warum ihre Welt so funktioniert. Wir Eltern scheinen uns nicht daran zu stören, Erklärungen zu geben die wir selbst schon lange nicht mehr als wahr erkennen, z.B. über den Weinachtsmann. Mit dem Reiferwerden kommen dann schon die richtigen Erklärungen, und verdrängen die falschen. Mir ist wichtig zu sagen dass fast alles, das ein Mensch weiss und als wahr hält, von anderen Menschen übernommen wurde. Man glaubt etwas ist wahr, weil jemand es einem gesagt hat, oder weil man es irgendwo gelesen hat. Dazu ist noch zu sagen daß es dem Menschen leichter fällt anzunehmen was eine Respektsperson oder eine geliebte, verehrte Person sagt, als was ein Fremder, Unbekannter oder Aussenseiter sagt.

So geschieht in jedem Kulturkreis, und in jeder Religion, dass die wichtigen Werte und Normen an jüngere Mitglieder weitergegeben werden. Daher muss folgen daß Menschen aus verschiedenen Kulturkreisen ganz andere Wahrheiten haben und ihrem Leben zugrundelegen. Das kann Verständigung zwischen verschiedenen Kulturen sehr schwierig machen.

Ganz selten gibt es einzelne Menschen die in einem Kulturkreis mit den überlieferten Normen nicht zufrieden sind. Solche Menschen, es können Wissenschaftler sein, oder auch solche die später religiöse Reformatoren werden, finden daß die überlieferten Erkenntnisse nicht mit ihren eigenen Beobachtungen, oder ihren logischen Schlußfolgerungen, übereinstimmen. Wenn sie starke Personalitäten sind, kann es sein daß ihre neue Erkenntnis von anderen angenommen wird und daß die alte Vorstellung dann als falsch verworfen wird. In der Geschichte gibt es viele Beispiele von solchem Erkenntnisgewinn. Aus der flachen Erde wurde die Erdkugel. Aus dem Himmel, dem Reiche Gottes, wurde der Weltraum. Aus dem Sündenfall von einem vollkommenen, gottgemachten Geschöpf nach unten, wird der Mensch jetzt erkannt als spezialisiertes Produkt der Evolution aus niedrigerem Leben.

Naturwissenschaft ist so angelegt daß alle Erkenntnisse immer wieder skeptisch angeschaut werden. Das macht es neuen Erkenntnissen leichter veraltete Erklärungen zu verdrängen. Trotzdem gibt es auch in der Naturwissenschaft gewaltige Meinungskämpfe, bis neue Erkenntnisse angenommen werden.

Die Struktur der Religionen ist anders. In meisten Fällen werden neue Erkenntnisse wieder verdrängt. Meistens bleiben neue Erkenntnisse nur bei kleinen Teilen der Religion, bei Sekten, hängen. Wenn diese aussterben gehen ihre Erkenntnisse wieder verloren. Festzuhalten ist: Wahrheit ist was Menschen in der jeweiligen Kultur, Wissenschaft oder Religion glauben dass es wahr ist.

Bei den vielen Religionen und wissenschaftlichen Meinungen in der Welt, können nur einige wenige wirklich wahr sein. Es ist möglich daß alles was heute als wahr gilt einfach nur der jetzt bestehende Erkenntisstand ist und trotzdem doch der Wirklichkeit unserer Erde, oder desWeltalls, nicht entspricht.

In diesem heutigen Stand unseres Wissens, sollen wir vollkommen werden. Jetzt leuchtet ein was Hoffmann meinte als er schrieb der Tempel erwarte von seinen Mitgliedern sie sollten durch gründliches Forschen in der Erkenntnis fortschreiten und zu allen Gaben des Geistes tüchtig werden. Je besser man die Umwelt und den Menschen versteht, desto besser kann man seine Gaben zu Nutzen bringen. Wir können studieren. Die Tempelgesellschaft kann Experten aus verschiedenen Erkenntniszweigen als Älteste einsetzen. Auf jeden Fall sollten wir uns hüten die Ideen anderer zu verwerfen. Wir sollten unseren Geist offenhalten, die Vielfalt verschiedener Meinungen als legitimen Tatbestand erkennen und die verschiedenen Meinungen auf Wahrheit prüfen. Mit wachsender Weisheit sollten wir uns dann fest darum bemühen wirklich nach Jesu Lehre zu leben. Wenn wir das fertigbringen, und wenn dieses Trachten dann wirklich den versprochenen Lohn bringt, dass das Reich Gottes unter uns wächst, dann werden wir der Menschheit zu einer wahrhaft besseren Zukunft helfen können. Wäre das nicht ein schöner Lohn für unser Leben?

Jesus und auch die Tempelgründer waren Menschen die durch eigene Erkenntnis uns der Wirklichkeit der Welt näher gebracht haben. Beide haben sich für ihre neue Erkenntnis eingesetzt, bei Jesus bis in den Tod. Und was war diese Erkenntnis?

Dass Menschen in ihrer Natur die Möglichkeit haben einander zu lieben, und dadurch in Frieden miteinander und mit allen anderen Geschöpfen der Erde in Harmonie zu leben. Menschen können in Frieden leben. Sie müssen nur sich selbst beherrschen lernen und immer wieder friedlich werden. Das hat auch Paulus in unserem heutigen Text gesagt.

Wir müssen nicht darauf warten dass Gott uns das Paradies schenkt. Wir, die Geschöpfe Gottes, können durch unsere Verwirklichung des Doppelgebotes der Liebe, auf unserer Erde das Gottesreich herbei führen. Jesus glaubte dass seine neue Erkenntnis direkt von Gott, den er als liebenden Vater der Menschen verstand, an ihn gekommen ist. Christoph Hoffmann hat viel Studium und Bibelforschung in seine Erkenntnisgewinnung gesteckt bis er sich klar wurde was der Kern der Christenheit ist. Dasjenige das Jesus über die Liebe gelehrt hat. Wir in der Tempelgesellschaft sind mit dieser Erkenntnis aufgewachsen. Wir haben sie einfach in uns aufnehmen dürfen ohne selbst viel damit arbeiten zu müssen.

Aber, die meisten Menschen, auch unter den Christen, haben von dieser Erkenntnis keine Ahnung, dass wir Menschen selbst das Reich Gottes gestalten können. Wir Templer sind die Treuhänder denen die Tempelgründer diese Erkenntnis gegeben haben. Sollen wir diese Erkenntnis allmählich wieder verlorengehen lassen, oder sollen wir sie, zum Wohle der ganzen Menschheit, immer wieder an die Welt weiterreichen. Wenn wir Templer unser Salz wert sind müssen wir das zweite wählen. Wir müssen also sehen dass die Tempelgesellschaft sich stärkt und ihre Wahrheit der weiteren Menschheit vermacht. Wir freuen uns, wenn Freunde auch ausserhalb der TSA mit uns arbeiten wollen. Wie nötig diese Arbeit ist zeigen uns jeden Tag die Nachrichten. Da hören wir wie die Menschen in vielen Teilen der Welt sich gewaltsam töten und die arme Erde durch Nebeneffekte der Kriege grausam verseuchen. Unsere Arbeit wird nicht leicht sein.

Wir schließen mit dem Gebet des Herrn. Wer es kann möchte bitte aufstehen.
Vater unser im Himmel,
geheiligt werde dein Nahme,
Dein Reich komme,
Dein Wille geschehe, wie im Himmel so auf Erden.
Unser tägliches Brot gib uns heute,
und vergib uns unsere Schuld,
wie auch wir vergeben unsern Schuldigern.
Führe uns, wenn wir in Versuchung sind,
und erlöse uns von dem Bösen.
Denn dein ist das Reich und die Kraft
und die Herrlichkeit in Ewigkeit.

Amen

Wir singen noch das Lied Nr. 64 Lobe den Herren, die Verse 1, 2 und 3.

Wir danken Sonja Glenk für ihre schöne Musik, und den Damen die unsere Kapelle so schön mit Blumen schmücken.

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Elder – Hermann R. Uhlherr

Music (piano) – Ingrid Laemmle-Ruff

Good morning to you all.

Jesus had performed many miracles, by healing the sick and even recalling back to life people who were dead for all intents and purposes, this had enhanced his reputation.

His appearance in an area or town attracted an ever-increasing crowd, with high expectations of witnessing or experiencing something unique.

So, when Jesus and his disciples came to his home town Nazareth in Gallilee, he carried on as they always did, he began to teach in the local synagogue. The synagogue being a very important religious centre among the Jews at the time. It provided a place where they could study the scriptures and worship God. Jesus, like others, took advantage of the custom which allowed visiting teachers to participate in the worship service, by invitation of the synagogue leaders.

In to-day’s text from Mark 6, I think there are several points raised for us to consider, since they also relate to our situation.

In his gospel, Mark frequently reports that Jesus’ teaching and actions produced amazement in people. In these instances it was Jesus’ inherent authority that seemed to amaze those present. He did not quote human authority or the law, as the Pharisees, scribes and others did. He seemed to speak with a far greater authority and wisdom, which could not have come from human laws, but must have been influenced by a higher, a divine power.

The villagers of Nazareth were astonished, the reputation of Jesus had reached them and his preaching had made an impression on them, and they admitted that he had done great miracles in Capernaum. But they started to doubt and question him. How was he able to do all this? We know his family! Not really very significant people! So while everybody expected something, it is the expectation of curiosity, not that of faith. Jesus never satisfies this sort of expectation. Rather he usually, unmasks the unbelief of his listeners and this is enough to turn them against him. Jesus knew the pain of being a stranger, of being misunderstood among his own people.

That Jesus was unable to get through to the people of his home town is not surprising. They believe they know him too well, after all he grew up amongst them. His family, mother, brothers and sisters still lived there and are specifically named. Jesus seems a normal person to them, nothing special. So there is not enough distance between Jesus and them for a full acceptance and belief in his power, not enough trust and faith in what he said, to achieve any miraculous healings they had heard of from other places.

Here – we may ask ourselves – how long did it take us to give full credit to our own very competent children, when they grew up?

Jesus could not expect acceptance of his radical teachings in his home town of Nazareth, I think we can understand why, as the proverb indicates – "Familiarity can breed contempt and suspicion." – This is when Jesus said – ‘A prophet never lacks honour except in his home town, among his relations and his own family’.

We could say the whole atmosphere was wrong;

So in such a situation, inherent prejudice will form an impenetrable barrier to understanding, to belief and ultimately to faith.

Jesus present return to Nazareth was after a long absence during which he travelled beyond Gallilee, teaching, healing and performing miracles, much to the astonishment of all. His reputation had preceeded him on his return to his homeland of Gallilee and his home town of Nazareth. Indeed before he had set out to spread his good news of God’s love for mankind and his kingdom, he had begun his teaching in the synagogue of Nazareth as part of the services on the sabath, where we read (in Luke 4: 16-30) – "His words roused the whole congregation to fury, they leapt up, drove him out of town to the bow of the hill meaning to hurl him over the edge. But he walked straight through the whole crowd and went away". So it seems Jesus had left Nazareth not on friendly terms, and one could understand that perhaps he felt some trepidation upon returning to the synagogue of Nazareth after a prolonged absence. The crowd may also have been a little curious with expectations to see and hear Jesus after what they had heard of him from afar, long after that first disastrous meeting. However as we heard in to-day’s passage, there was still the underlying prejudice, not to say suspicion and mistrust, about whether Jesus was any different from the one they had known previously; they could not imagine that he may have changed, had suddenly become a very forceful and persuasive man, a man who had people hanging on his words and people who followed him around the countryside.

It appears not even his own family accepted and defended the new, grown-up Jesus. They may have not agreed with his behaviour; we can imagine that it was causing them embarrassment that he had left them previously. They may have felt offended because they saw his activities as blasphemous, an interpretation of course completely at variance with what had actually happened, and they may have even been afraid of any consequences from associating with him.

Their motives were selfish, but I would say not that uncommon, even to-day. We heard that Jesus was sad that all he receives from his relatives and friends is mistrust and non-acceptance of his teachings, which were driving his whole existence and were his life’s work.

While his family may not have withheld a wondering admiration or denied the reality of his wisdom and teaching, and perhaps even asked the right questions about the origin and meaning of such wisdom, their wonder does not turn into faith, but rather into doubt and through prejudice into disbelief and anger.

At this point I would like to dwell a little on what we are told about the relationship of Jesus with his family and friends in general, and during his visit to his home town.

In his message Jesus asks each and every person – that is the individual – to accept the word of God and the plan for humanity above all else. This will obviously divide families and communities and may cause resentment towards each other, if not fully understood. However, it is just as obvious that causing conflict was not the purpose of Jesus’ mission, but one could say a natural consequence, if the words of Jesus were misunderstood or not seen in context. Words of Jesus which could lead to potential divisions within families are illustrated by various passages in the New Testament.

For example in Matth 12: 46-50: "Whoever does the will of my heavenly father is my brother, my sister, my mother". Or

Matth 10: 34-37: "I have not come to bring peace, but a sword I have come to set man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a sons wife against her mother-in-law and a man will find his enemies under his own roof," as well as in other passages.

And in to-days text Mark 6: 1-6: "A prophet never lacks honour except in his home town, among his relations and his own family."

Jesus recognized the conflict he caused in his and other communities, but that does not mean that Jesus had turned his back on them, but rather that they refused to accept his activity and his teaching. As we read in to-days text, " he was astonished at their lack of faith", and I expect sad as well.

– "He was astonished at their lack of faith." –

Jesus main message, which is based on faith, is "the twin commandments of love". The following words by Jesus: "Love God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind", is the first and greatest, the second is like it, "Love your neighbour as yourself". (Matth 22: 37-39). So, on that topic, allow me to-day to present to you a few personal thoughts.

Jesus said – Love of or loyalty to God is required of all of us before anything else, including love for anyone else.

This demand is a huge barrier for most of us and, in my view, is directly connected with our faith, since love of God could be seen as an abstract, not tangible or physical requirement. However to love your neighbour as yourself can be grasped more easily, but also that needs some exploration and requires more than what it seems on the surface.

To me it is clear that these commandments are addressed to the individual – to each one of us – and not to a family or wider community as a whole, which after all is made up of individuals. Now before we rush to condemn self-love, let us see what we really mean to condemn. For me it is that combination of selfishness and lack of selfworth that prevents us from loving ourselves and thereby also loving others like our family and neighbours, that is what we condemn or should condemn. So true self-love or selfworth is an attitude which should be seen as quite natural and important because it is the basis on which we are able to build the far more difficult aspect of love of our neighbours, including family, and that being the practical path leading to faith in and love or loyalty to God. Simply said – true love and respect for our neighbour begins with true love and appreciation of ourself in order to help us to find and ‘love’ God.

A person who cannot accept and value what he or she is, is incapable of loving others. ‘Self love’ that is self acceptance, self respect and knowing yourself, is the prerequisite for brotherly love. Jesus had demonstrated brotherly love at its highest development. He could be equally close to all people, the common bond was the spiritual goal, love of God. He had stronger ties for instance with his disciples, than he had with his blood relations his family, it appears.

Now, while some of Jesus’ messages may seem paradoxical and can easily lead to confusion, as does the ignoring or chastising by Jesus of his closest family members, both are connected. Most humans quite instinctively tend to merge into a group such as our family, a religious community, a workgroup or various interest groups in which we feel comfortable and strong and may even identify with. But because of this identification we are largely unconscious of our own true individual identity and strength. It is in this context that strong family bonds or in particular possessive or ‘smother’ love can suppress our individuality, we may constantly act with the thought of what will other people think or do. Also it makes no difference whether it is an outer identification with blood relatives such as mother or father, or with wife or husband, which may keep us from becoming an individual, because we are living through or for someone else; or whether it is an inner, unconscious identification where we carry an inner voice and dominating spirit of our dearest neighbours, our family, within us.

However, let me stress here, that Jesus’ words cannot be justification for quarrelling with the members of one’s family, neighbours or anyone else, no excuse for hurting them or anybody, with the excuse that this is finding ourself or our individuality. We must not confuse this individuality with egoism or selfishness. When we have reached a recognition of our own identity, we will find we can then relate much more positively and authentically with our family and with other individuals. The result of finding our individuality is not a matter of then being isolated, quite the contrary, however it is initially a lonely process that one can only undertake by oneself. This process requires the highest level of personal development and spiritual maturity, it takes a constant effort and is difficult to achieve, since it asks great self-discipline of us. That leads us back to the first and greatest commandment given to us by Jesus, namely that of – "Loving God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind".

To even begin to comprehend what that requires, let alone fulfil it, is a question of our Faith, our belief in God and in the divinity of man. This is the core of what Jesus proclaimed and taught, and this is what Jesus referred to in to-days passage when he was astonished at their lack of faith.

Human knowledge and intellect alone are not enough to arrive at an understanding of Jesus’ core message. We need faith to appreciate Jesus’ words, a faith with its roots in religion or a link to a deeper dimension. One cannot prove faith, one can only experience faith, it is a gift granted to us. We are all meant to have this experience but it may only come to those who earnestly seek it. If we question the existence or look for proof or physical signs of such faith, we are not going to be satisfied, because those very human and logical actions and doubts prevent us from accepting what our logical, scientific but finite minds are not able to comprehend and understand. For many people to-day, God is just not relevant, they are indifferent to whether such a divine power exists or not. Faith in God, I think, cannot be a matter of our intellect or will, but rather can only be a function of what we refer to as our soul. So important seems this connection with our soul, that without it there is nothing of any value in our life, Jesus said.

Faith is the important element in our life, but the nature of faith is often misunderstood. When Jesus speaks of faith, he does not mean what we might call – doctrinal faith. He never asks anyone to believe in any philosophical or metaphysical creed of any kind. When Jesus speaks of faith, he is referring to a persons capacity to affirm life in spite of what life may bring and particularly in the face of doubts and hardships. I said before, faith has little or nothing to do with our formal, intellectual beliefs or our will, which may actually hinder from practising faith in our life. It does however have a great deal to do with our connection to our soul, our inner core, because our soul with its capacity for love can inspire our faith.

Boundless, absolute faith doesn’t normally just happen, we have to look for it, be receptive to it, long for it and practise it when we are blessed with it, so that it becomes an intrinsic part of us and of our life. As I said previously, a big hurdle for many of us is that religious faith in no way depends on acquired, objective knowledge. When we begin to realise the nature and strength of the resources we possess within us, we are reminded of Jesus’ words when he said: [John 14: 12] "He who has faith in me will do what I am doing and he will do greater things still" –

Therefore we can assume that the spiritual advancements of humanity do not end with Jesus. Rather, what he did and taught was meant to be a new beginning for humanity, showing us the way by strengthening our faith and real love for one another. We may well ask ourselves, do we really need to listen to Jesus if we have God’s spirit within us? Can we not communicate directly with God, one-on-one without a middleman?

Of course direct communication can and does happen every time when we pray, when we ask for guidance, and strength or help. Furthermore, nowhere in the Gospels has Jesus placed himself between God and the individual, or made himself the middleman for us to get in touch with God. Rather he has always been an example, giving a helping hand when asked, and as the master showing us the way, clearing our mind from misconceptions and doubts as to what is the right path to follow. Jesus especially reminded us of the divinity of man, man as part of God and the divine power within all humans, waiting to be recognised and actualised.

In the Temple Society we are free to believe and see religion in our own personal way; we are able to search and find, each one of us for ourselves, what God, Jesus, Spirit, Faith and soul mean to us personally. My personal belief, based on my understanding of what Jesus taught is the belief that the highest, all enveloping, all fulfilling spirit, is the basis for our life and manifests through God’s spirit within man, it becomes evident to us through our faith.

This faith as demonstrated by Jesus is not just an opinion or only a feeling or perception; it is the powerful living force in our soul, which enables us to overcome adversity, hardships and doubts in our lives. This is in order to fulfil our purpose here on earth – striving for God’s kingdom together with our fellow humans.

Believing in God and having faith involves the risk of being ridiculed and rejected by many, even by our families, friends and neighbours. But I feel that having such faith has potentially a more positive outcome, than denouncing the existence of God, for where does that lead or help us?

It comes down to individual and personal choice and decision regarding how we want to approach and live our life.

We in the Temple Society can be very thankful that, because of the beliefs, faith, wisdom and guidance of our founders and forefathers, we are free to search for the true message of Jesus.

The fact that our community was always small in number and is still small and seemingly insignificant, does not diminish the importance of the task or the path we have taken.

If our beliefs are true and our faith is strong, then even small steps along the right path are positive, are not wasted, they can be an example of the right attitude which brings about changes in our approach to life and lifestyle, as well as in our relationship with others, starting with family, friends and neighbours. I think that is what we should not belittle or disregard and forget, when we are frustrated, severely tested or have to suffer pain and hardships in our life.

If we are able to deal with such situations in a positive way, then, I believe, God’s spirit could be at work and could be glimpsed amongst our community. That is one small indication of us being Temples of God, as individuals and as a community.

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Saal Sunday 11 July 2004 in Bayswater 15:15

Elder Alfred Klink

followed by community discussion

Music Christa Imberger

A Good Afternoon to you all.

The text for today comes from the book of Job, the most faithful servant of God as the bible calls him. Our opening hymn "Ich singe dir mit Herz und Mund" symbolises the faith of Job, the trust he has in a just and kind God watching over him and guiding his every step. "Thou art the fount of grace, I know, and spring so full and free, whence saving health and goodness flow each day so bounteously". It is a simple, childish uncomplicated belief, and that’s wherein its beauty lies.

Let us start this morning’s service with singing that Hymn, number 47, "Ich singe dir..." verses 1,2,3,4, and 6 (note there is no 5)

The belief in a higher consciousness controlling events in our lives is deeply ingrained in mankind. It is so fundamental in our everyday activity and our social interaction, we often don’t recognise it until pointed out to us. For such an aptitude to be in the human genome there must be (or must once have been) an evolutionary benefit arising from it, such as feeling safe in a fundamentally hostile environment. While we now know the physical forces involved in making the sun rise in the morning, making the clouds move, the rain fall and the lightning strike, we still have the need to believe, way beyond any scientific facts, in an environment responding to our personal needs. There is a little story of a farmer and his field of wheat that illustrates this simple trust in the fundamental goodness of nature.

It goes like this: A farmer had sown down a field with wheat; he watched the seed sprout and come up, took joy in the lush green growth of the blades and watched in anticipation the ears develop and the seeds swell and ripen as summer approached. Then one fine Sunday morning, shortly before harvest time, he went for a stroll with his young daughter out to the field where to his horror, instead of the golden waves of corn he expected, he saw a sea of undulating bright blue before him. Weeds had come up and overnight burst into flower all over in-between the blades of corn, almost covering it. Corn flowers! How could this happen to him. He had been so careful in selecting his seeds, in cultivating the field and fertilising it properly. This must be the work of the devil. Only a terrible enemy could have played such a costly prank on him.– For those of you without a farming background, corn flowers are a serious weed infestation in cereal crops that can drastically reduce the harvest yield. Something like Paterson’s Curse here in Australia. – As he stood there, contemplating his misery and what he had done to deserve this, he suddenly heard his girl shouting joyfully from a distance, and looking around he saw her skipping towards him waving a huge bunch of the blue corn flowers she had just picked. "Look father look", she shouted, "look at all this heaven-like beauty, surely God himself must have made it for us".

I like the story. It is refreshing for the soul if you can see a bit of good in everything. It is easier, of course, if your livelihood does not depend on it. I had the pleasure of sitting in on the Ruff’s family service a couple of weeks ago in Bentleigh, listening to a pictorial presentation of the story of the lost sheep. Woolly critter-pictures, each marked with the name of one of the Sunday School kids attending the Service, were stuck all over the wall and one of them would now and again "get – lost". The kids loved it, but it made me think, at what age should a person see more behind the story of the wayward son than the joy of finding a lost sheep. When should the realisation hit home this is not a game of hide and seek, but a serious attempt to teach us greater awareness of an individual’s responsibility for himself and towards society. That is, finding a mutually acceptable way of not getting lost! For the joy for the shepherd in finding a lost sheep diminishes rapidly as more and more sheep are lost. – I have spent a fair number of my early years on the land and, yes, for a time even minding sheep. And I tell you there is not much joy in store for a shepherd who repeatedly loses sheep. Either he gets the sack for being negligent, or he is just not suited to the job. So, a sheep that forever strays from the mob, or habitually gets lost, will soon finish up in a shepherds pie.

Hulda Wagner in the July Templer Record (page 4) also points out that in real life there is often an overriding greater responsibility to protect the 99 sheep than looking for one to the extend of neglecting the other 99. At what age then should we leave behind childish speech and childlike thoughts? Is it fair to treat grown-up persons like children, by giving them childish solutions to real problems? Should we, the Elders of the Temple Society be telling you, the grown-up Templers, pretend-stories with artificially idealised solutions? My attitude to this is No, we should not. We should not insult a group of intelligent, thinking and responsible people by treating them like children in our philosophy or religion of life. I would hate to see Templer Saals reduced to an entertainment, structured as a compromise in-between the level of children and grown-ups. In the end both will miss out on the substance they look for and need in our services. My grandchildren are fascinated by Harry Potter, I am not.

Following this service there is a discussion scheduled (after a short coffee break) where we can talk some more about this and you can share your thoughts on the subject for discussion.

Lets get back to Hiob and our text for today. It comes from Chapter 31 verses 29 to 32, and is part of Job’s argument to justify his righteousness before God. It reads like this:

• "Have I ever rejoiced at the destruction of him that hates me, or lifted up myself when evil found him?
• No, nor have I ever sinned by wishing a curse to his soul.
• Was there ever a guest in my house who went away hungry from the fleshpots on my table?
• To every stranger who sought shelter at my house I opened the door to welcome him."

Job tries to reason out the calamity that had befallen him by listing all his good deeds and his god-fearing lifestyle: God why did you let this happen to me? Have I not always done the right and proper thing? Did I not weep with him who was in trouble? Was not my soul grieved for the poor? Job searches for answers for the (to him) unwarranted tragedies that have come into his life.

The story of Job is best known for the way misfortune befell him. The phrase "Hiobs Botschaft" (Job’s News) became an idiom for terrible and shocking news, synonymous with a series of tragic events happening, one after the other. As a story it has a very disturbing theme. It shows mortal man as a mere pawn in the hands of the immortals in heaven, as the Gods settle their arguments of who’s right and who’s wrong in an almost sporting fashion. A setting very much like that depicted in the opening scene of Goethe’s Faust (written about 1800), where the heavenly prologue is clearly based on Job, particularly chapter 1, verses 6 to 12. Here the mocking spirit of Mephistopheles is not rejected by the Lord and seems to have its role in the total order. Goethe’s Pelagian view of evil comes out in more of his writings, "What we call evil is only the other side of good, the two sides of necessity belong together as a whole. Just as the torrid zone must burn and Lapland freeze in order that there may be a temperate region." Pelagius was a theologian and leader of a 5^th -century movement in the Christian Church. According to the doctrine named after him there is no original sin, and man does not need grace to avoid evil. Free will is sufficient to attain salvation. So widespread was his philosophy at that time that, when Pelagianism was finally condemned by the church in 416, nineteen bishops had to be deposed because they refused to accept the canons issued by the Council of Carthage. The book of Job (and the Faust setting) stories’ fascination lies in that they mirror the eternal problem of our intellectual existence, both as a problem and as a picture. The lesser gods, amongst them the devil, throw out a challenge to God: "People only praise you when they are well off. Take your protective hand from them and you will quickly see how they can change. They will turn against you for letting bad things happen to them." Today it would perhaps go something like this: I bet you I can make him do it; you’re on, bet you, you can’t. How much persecution can a man live with, or how much temptation withstand, how much suffering before he curses the creator who watches dispassionately, unfeelingly, uncaringly and seemingly oblivious of the mind-destroying pain emotional loss and bodily suffering causes the mortals. All that matters in the end is whether a man’s faith in a just (and merciful?) God will survive.

If you are familiar with the story of Job you know the extend of Job’s misery; but have you ever wondered how the other casualties in the story took their terrible fate? Did they really deserve to die before their time? The wife, the seven sons and the three daughters, or the 7000 sheep, the 3000 camels, the 1000 cattle, the 500 donkeys and all the servants. Did they all have to perish, just to prove a Devine point? What happened to their dreams, to their plans, their pain and to their faith? – I suppose they had a word for collateral damage even then, 3000 years ago.

The book of Job has many delightful passages. The lengthy discussion Job has with his three friends who have come to comfort him in his misery is interpreted in the "Die Gute Nachricht Bibel" as "Wer den Schaden hat braucht für den Spott nicht zu sorgen". (the nearest English equivalent is perhaps, "to add insult to injury"). And when God finally confronts Job out of a thundercloud to reasserts his omnipotence, he uses lyric phrases like: Where were you when I laid the foundation of the Earth; when I put the gates on the oceans. Do you know where the light was born? What is the source of Darkness? Where is the path to the rising sun and where the home whence the East-wind comes. Job finally apologises with, I have spoken unwise on a subject too high for me, and things above my understanding. God then forgives Job and rewards him with twice as much possessions than he had before, returned his health to him, a new family and granted him 140 years of life.

The jury is still out on who in the end won that heavenly wager. Perhaps it depends on who is telling the story. Same with the story of Heinrich Faust, who also won more by royal decree than anything else. Only the devil knows what it is all about, as he murmurs to himself departing from the scene: "Von Zeit zu Zeit sehe ich den Alten gern, und hüte mich mit ihm zu brechen. Es ist gar hübsch von einem hohen Herrn so menschlich mit dem Teufel selbst zu sprechen". In short, "I like it when He so nicely talks to me".

But, yes there is a but, does this redeeming compensation make everything all right? How do you feel about that? Does it confirm your faith in a benevolent creator? Perhaps in olden days it would have, when salvation was the ultimate and only goal worth striving for. If you care, here and now, about the suffering on this Earth, and in the realisation of our responsibility as humans towards our fellow man and the environment supporting us, the answer must be an emphatic No. It does not make it right. No dogmatic assertions will make it so. Any philosophy that settles arguments with pain and suffering, with killing and war instead of intellectual consensus should no longer be supported. The New Testament was a huge evolutionary step forward in religious philosophy, from the cruel world of the Old Testament towards a more humane vision on Earth. The mission, embodied in the man Jesus, sought was to lead by example and appeals to intellectual common sense. The next evolutionary step is long overdue, that is to recognise that our real struggle for existence is not with each other, but with nature. A combined effort to ensure an environment that will continue to support mankind. Loving your neighbour is is in itself not an achievement, but creating new ideas with him is. We should not perpetuate the attitude that physical punishment and reward is a proper way to teach. Not even dogs get trained that way anymore.

A few weeks ago I was invited by the school my grandchildren go to, to give a talk about traffic lights. A sort of "show and tell". Ursel and I took along a set of lights for demonstration and soon were surrounded by some 30 very curious young students. I told them about the history of traffic lights, how they evolved from the policeman with his white gloves to the levered arms, to the mechanical clock-faces on to the coded light signals. And how the motorists (and the pedestrians) took each innovation in their strides and quickly accepted the information presented in the new format. A big surprise seemed to be that inside the lantern all the lights are white, the colour comes from the coloured lens placed in front of each globe. Why can’t you have just one globe then and just change the lens to change the colour. Wouldn’t that be cheaper? Yes it would, but some people have a visual defect and are colour blind and so have difficulty in telling red and green apart. That’s why, the world over a standard with the vertical arrangement of red as Stop, yellow as Caution and green as Go was adopted, with red at the top. The session was supposed to last 3/4 of an hour, but the teachers kept on bringing in different grades and we were there for almost three hours, and questions came thick and fast. As a closing remark I told the kids to always exercise caution when crossing the road, even when it says walk. Picture a traffic light as your conscience, it may always be there, but some people sometimes ignore their conscience, especially when there is very little traffic around. The kids of the teacher’s grade made a project out of the session and send us an almost man-sized poster as a memento and thank-you.

Some standards are inevitable whenever people (especially strangers) have to interact: standards such as language, education, sanitation, money, traffic laws and yes, moral codes. The important issue is to remember they all are here to serve a social purpose, even religion. They are all human institutions whose fundamental purpose is to promote social evolution. If incorrectly applied they can become a barrier rather than a tool for progress. As society evolves and our scientific awareness solves many of the things that puzzled the people of the Bible, it is time our social conscience evolved with it and not become hung up on 3000 year-old philosophies. History has shown, that we have the capacity to grow, grow in understanding our own motivations for good and evil and we should learn to cultivate this understanding for the betterment of society. Is there a vision for a better society? A kingdom of God perhaps? History has also shown us it is up to us to create such a society with the god-given talent we have been given. Is it possible that we already do live in it, but just refuse to recognise it as such? Looking for the proverbial horse we are riding on. Voltaire, while at the court of Frederick the Great, wrote a satire about it, called Candide, in which he made fun of Leibnitz’s statement, eloquently explained by Pangloss (one of the characters in the story), that we live in the best of all possible worlds. We don’t have to live in a Panglossian world to appreciate the ubiquitous nature of good and evil. But there is no getting around the fact that both are part of our lives, perhaps even an essential, creative part of it, a part we cannot (perhaps should not) just wish away. Like in the story of Job, goodness can be made to shine through.

Think about it, what you call evil someone else may see as good; and vice-versa. Can you picture any action you do which, in spite of the best intentions, does not at the same time somehow disadvantage or hurt someone or something, somewhere? Is that the flip-side of good? The face of evolution?

Lets sing the Hymn number 64 "Lobe den Herren..." verses 1,2,3, and 4

Rejoice, my heart, rejoice and sing,
 a cheerful trust maintain;
For God, the source of everything,
thy portion will remain.

As mentioned before there will be a discussion following a short coffee break. My suggested theme for the debate is: Should normal services be deliberately structured at a level comprehensible to children? Nota bene, I do not mean children cannot attend normal services, only that the challenges facing us are given the appropriate consideration.

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SAAL Be: 23-5-2004.

Elder, Dr Rolf Beilharz

Welcome to our service on this pleasant autumn day.

We’ll begin by singing a hymn of thanks: Nr. 78 ‘O das ich tausend Zungen hätte’ (O that I had a thousand voices). We’ll sing the three verses in the hymnbook.

Ask the children whether 2 pieces of fish and 5 cups of chips/fries would satisfy a crowd of 25 children taken to a fish and chip shop for a birthday party. (The 2 children there shook their heads - no.)

Our text for today is from he gospel of Mark, chapter 6, the verses 30 to 44. Read text.

Last weekend the elders held a workshop on the faith of the Temple Society in the community chapel at Bayswater. We had advised in the Templer Record that others interested in the faith of the Temple Society could also come and we had several other Templers who were not elders present also. We discussed various topics.

We touched on the topic of research on the bible. We noted that the gospels of the New Testament are a collection of stories of what Jesus said and did. These were initially passed on by word of mouth and that the gospels were first written down from about 30 years to 50 or more years after Jesus died. There followed many years of copying the initial stories by hand. The possibility of mistakes and changes in the explanations of the stories occurring become enormously high as time passes. So there is no doubt in our minds that the bible we now have cannot be taken as literally true, with words dictated by God.

Much is known about the initial formation of the Christian church, and also the rather vicious exclusions, as heresies, of non-mainstream opinions. Theology is the field of scholarship in which this historical information is taught and researched. The Temple Society, ever since its foundation, has not educated its leaders in theology, because to us, putting into practice in life what Jesus said and taught has been more important than theological expertise. Nevertheless, the reason why we do this is that several of our founders, Christoph Hoffmann and at least one of the Paulus brothers, did study theology, and they concluded that what was needed in Christianity is the action that should follow from what Jesus taught.

When you know something about the beginnings of Christianity and you then read the gospels in the order in which they have been written, you can clearly see a story unfolding. Mark is the oldest gospel. Here we find, as in our text, some acts of Jesus that point to him as being more than an ordinary person. In our text he apparently fed several thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish. It doesn’t say there that the other people had not brought food with them which they could share, after the disciples had set the example. Perhaps many had some food in their bags. As we read, the disciples had suggested that Jesus should send the people to buy food in the farms and villages in the neighbourhood. So they were not isolated in a desert. If they had been in a desert with only 5 loaves and 2 fish, it would have taken a true, supernatural miracle to feed the people. Anyway, as time passed, Jesus became seen as ever more able to do miracles and in the latest gospel, that of John, Jesus, the word, whatever that means (perhaps thought or spirit) was already with God when the universe was created. In John’s gospel, Jesus was this word turned into flesh to be born as a human. And he returned to God after he died.

So, what has happened? To me it is clear that a man educated in Jewish scripture, Jesus, a human such as we are, taught wisdom about human nature to his fellow Jews. He said that people, by changing their attitude and how they lived could enter that state of true humaneness which God had set as the goal for humanity. The bible calls this state the kingdom of God.

Jesus taught in a time when Jews were expecting from prophecy that their saviour, a messiah, would appear. Jesus, the teacher who had created such an effect through his common sense teachings about how humans had to change in order to live in peace and harmony, came to be seen as the messiah and over time became more and more Godlike. We know that that process continued in the early Christian church until, in the 4^th century, 300 years after Jesus died, God was defined as a trinity of God the father, God the son (Jesus) and God the holy spirit. Early signs of this trend are captured in the gospel of Mark.

Fortunately, the ever-growing tendency to concentrate on the Godly personality of Jesus has not totally pushed aside what he taught. Passages like the Sermon on the Mount, three whole chapters in the gospel of Matthew, and parables and aphorisms of Jesus also in the other gospels, make so much sense in terms of human behaviour, that I am very happy to accept them as reflecting the original teachings of Jesus. He clearly told people that their wellbeing and their problems lay mainly in themselves. Whatever situation a person is in can be improved if that person looks on the bright side, rather than the negative side of his predicament. With this as background, I want now to discuss what the Temple Society sees as its faith. One source of finding this is in the gold brochure "Temple Society - Religious Perspective". This is a good summary, but very condensed. Let’s now look at the book by Christoph Hoffmann, the english translation of the first part of "Occident and Orient" which Christoph Hoffmann wrote in 1875, after the first difficulties of the migration to Palestine had been overcome.

1875 is a long time ago in terms of our modern scientific understanding. So we must expect some or many things written by Hoffmann to be wrong from our modern point of view. Let’s freely accept this and use our judgment. Hoffmann actually encouraged us to do just that in the chapter 3 "What Templers believe". On page 12 he explains that the TS does not stipulate any particular creed we must accept to become a member. Then he says "Much less do we wish to restrict free research in science or history through articles of faith. On the contrary, it is the Temple Society’s wish that its members carry out thorough research, in order to progress towards greater enlightenment and become proficient in the gifts of the spirit." I believe the "gifts of the spirit" are something from theological thinking of the past which most of us have left behind. They include speaking in tongues. But I strongly support the thought that Templers should do unfettered research in science to become more enlightened. Knowing the truth is always better than not knowing it, even when we don’t like it. We are encouraged to find the truth about the universe. This is a wonderful aspect of our religion.

In the next paragraph Hoffmann writes: "However, the Temple Society, like all other religious organisations, cannot do without the spiritual bond created by a common faith. So the Temple Society, too, has its belief which must be shared by anyone who wants to be a member. But this belief is identical with the goal which is to be reached and which is already expressed in the name "Temple". The spiritual and physical perfecting of man is the goal and the task of every religion and thus the goal and task of the Temple Society. Templers believe that human beings can come closer to perfection than they are at present, and are willing to take part as actively as they can in co-operative efforts to bring about this improvement." Striving for this improvement is our common goal.

So, Templers essentially accept that people can become better than they are and are willing to strive to do this. Note that this is actually a very simple way of describing what it takes to become a member. Accept that people can become better and agree to join in working towards this. In practice this work starts with oneself. Forgive others and they will forgive you. Don’t condemn others and people won’t condemn you. Change yourself for the better (take the beam out of your own eye) before you tell others how they should change (take the splinter out of the other person’s eye). All people prepared to strive for a better humanity in this way are welcome as members.

Please note however, we as individuals cannot measure how others are making mankind better, by whether they come to services on Sunday or to the functions we like to go to. Allow each member to do his or her own striving. It is not for us to judge others.

When you think about it, it is really very clear and simple what our faith is. We are striving to make humanity better and thus to make the world a better place for all creation. And don’t say this is all too hard to do. Every single simple step in the right direction is worth making.

So much for our discussion among elders and of what Christoph Hoffmann wrote. Let me now ask you: How would you explain to a friend from outside the Temple Society what we are and what it takes to become a member. Here are some thoughts that might help you.

The Temple Society has tried to take Jesus seriously, that is to say, we try to listen to what he actually said to his hearers, rather than to worry about whether Jesus is, or was, God and whether his death was the way by which God reconciles himself to all people who accept and believe that it was. We are interested in what Jesus taught.

In two of the gospels we read that Jesus started his ministry by preaching about the kingdom of God. For example, in Matthew (Ch. 4 v.17) it says: ‘From that day Jesus began to proclaim the message: "Repent; for the kingdom of Heaven is upon you."’ In Mark (Ch 1 v. 14) it says: ‘After John had been arrested, Jesus came into Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God: "The time has come; the kingdom of God is upon you; repent, and believe the Gospel."’ These passages suggest clearly that the kingdom of God is not something in the future, or in the after-life, but something on earth now. Jesus is asking his hearers to change their ways, to live as they would in the presence of the creator of the universe.

So seriously did the Temple Society take this preaching of Jesus, that it chose as its motto, its shorthand summary of what Christianity really is, the passage in the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew (Ch 6 v. 33): "Set your mind on God's kingdom and his justice before everything else, and all the rest will come to you as well." In our opinion, this is the essence of Christianity, according to Jesus. We must live as if we were in God's kingdom, and apply his justice (of forgiveness and treating others as we want others to treat ourselves), for then everything else will sort itself out also.

The kingdom of God is a vague term, it needs defining. What better way to do that than again to listen to Jesus. In the gospels there are many descriptions of the kingdom of God, as explained by Jesus usually in parables. It is something that acts like yeast in a dough, a tiny amount of it leavens the whole bread. It is something that, from the tiniest of seeds grows into a tall tree, to provide shade from the desert heat. In terms of our own behaviour, we must turn the other cheek rather than to hit back; we should go a further mile rather than to grudge going the first mile. It is a state that children find easier to achieve than rich people, who, presumably, cannot free themselves from worrying about their possessions.

All these descriptions of the kingdom of God and of what we must do to achieve it, are nothing more nor less than a thoroughgoing change of attitude on our part and the consequences of this change. We should give up selfishness and think of the good of the whole community. This is something we can do now. There is nothing stopping the kingdom of God appearing among us now, if we sincerely, and seriously, strive for it with all our heart and in the trust that we can achieve it. We can do it! Many of us are doing it already in the way we treat our family and friends. And whenever we succeed, our lives will become more content as happened to those people whom Jesus talked to and who took him seriously. This is the good news that Jesus brought us. If we strive for this above all else, then our worldly economic exchanges will also become fair and good for all of us.

Following Jesus does not require any intermediary between us and the higher power that Jesus called God. God can dwell in each of us. We can all be Temples of God. This is the biblical wisdom on which we have based our name, Templers. It follows that we need no special priests. Persons with appropriate talents are called to be elders, and to carry out their appropriate part in the service of the society. From the early part of the history of the Temple Society, the idea of living in communities in which people strive to live as in the kingdom of God was taken seriously. The society created such settlements in Palestine, the land which should have been the focus of attention of all Christianity. We believe that, at least in a small way, we did glimpse what true following of Jesus can be like. The settlements seemed to be successful despite great obstacles. Like every human group, we share the failings of humans. But outsiders, including Israeli historians, have generally commented favourably on the life in the communities.

We are no longer dominated by Palestine and the problems of becoming established in Australia. We are now Australians. Our current challenge is to make our religion understood by Australians, including our own children and grandchildren. Our founders and parents brought to Palestine and then to Australia a Christianity of common sense and action. Their message was simple, though not necessarily well understood by mainstream Christian churches. We must listen to Jesus just like the people of his time, so that we can also become influenced by his gospel of good news. We must change ourselves to follow him, to seek above everything else the kingdom of God and his justice. And we must do this in the only life about which we can be certain, the life we are living now.

If we look about us we see many problems, unstable personal relationships and children whose parents live apart, addiction to drugs of all kinds, AIDS, the frantic pursuit of material wealth with all the damage to personal relations that accompanies this, and so on. It reminds me of what Jesus said: "The harvest is great, there is so much work to be done, and there are so few people to do it." The Temple Society of Australia is called on to contribute to this reaping of the harvest. It welcomes any friend who also accepts that it is good to work towards a better world. May God remain with us and may we be given the strength and determination to continue striving towards the kingdom of God and his justice, here in Australia.

Please rise for prayer, if this is not difficult for you. The Lord’s prayer, which Jesus is said to have personally given to his disciples, is also a summary of what really matters in Christianity. Let us appreciate it thoughtfully as I say the prayer.

Let’s finish with a hymn of joy: Nr. 17. Brüder singt ein Lied der Freude, (Come, sing a song of joy) we’ll sing the first three verses.

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Mothers' Day Service in Bayswater

Elder Harald Ruff

Accompaniment: Monika Strasser

Hymns: 64. Praise to the Lord, the almighty, 86. One more step, 36. God, you call for faithful service, 53. Joy of your way, 113. The Lord’s my shepherd

Text: Mark 12: 13-17 Paying taxes

Readings: ‘O Mother’ from ‘In every tiny grain of sand – a child’s book of prayers and praise’ Collected by Reeve Lindbergh, Walker Books, 2000. Sunday School: - preparation of ‘thank-you’ hearts

Musical introduction: Monika Strasser

Good morning and welcome to you all. To commence our service today let us sing ‘Praise to the Lord’, hymn number 64. I chose this one because it’s a traditional hymn, and an old favourite, and also because on a chilly morning it will help us to warm up and to focus our thoughts about why we gather together on Sundays. Let it help us to reflect on whom we praise and give thanks to, and why.

Hymn: Praise to the Lord, the almighty

To kids:

Did any of you already know this hymn?

It’s one of my earliest memories of a Sunday service in the Bayswater Hall next door. It was a warm morning, sunny, and I was sitting with my elderly aunt. I can’t remember the elder taking the service, but I must have felt particularly good about it (or something) for it to be strong memory.

This hymn was written way back in 1665 – almost 350 years ago. Thinking about something that old can make us feel a bit insignificant (small, unimportant). It’s amazing to think that Christians have been singing this hymn for so long. We are just a few of so many people in this world who have sung it in the past or will sing it in the future.

But there is someone for whom we are not insignificant, but rather just the very opposite – to this person we are very important. And this person is very important to us – and that’s why today is special.

Questions to kids: (put on cards?)

What’s special about today?

What have you done for your mum today?

How about earlier in the week?

How important are they to us?

Why have a special day for mums? (to remind us in case we forgot; because mum’s work is never done and we should get at least one guaranteed day off – does it happen? Etc.)

How can we best reward or thank our mums for all their work?

Use coins? What has more value- mum or coins? Lots of coins? A note? A visa card? Could we ever pay for all the things that mums do?

What do you think mum would appreciate the most from you?

That you tidy tour room without being asked? Anja’s ‘secret jobs’?

Hug and kiss and ‘I love you’?

Why should we ‘be good’ to Mum?

Because you want (even expect?) her to be good to you;

because you should be (you should treat others the way you want to be treated).

So, a special welcome to all the mums, whose love and deeds we celebrate today, Mother’s Day.

Our second hymn is number 86, ‘One more step’. I selected this one because it is such a beautiful analogy of a mother’s role in our life, especially when we are young. Mum is right there next to us when we are small, and as we grow up she is there too. Later, when we have left home to start our own, she remains in our thoughts and her work is reflected in our behaviour, and we no doubt are in her thoughts too!

Hymn: 86. One more step

Children leave for Sunday School with Christine.

Today is the day on which we commemorate and give thanks and praise to and for the mothers, all mothers. We recognise their phenomenal achievement in bearing and raising the most complex life form on our planet - the human child! A mother’s love, we all know, is immeasurable and unquantifiable. And it is also taken for granted by many of us, especially when we are young. So, although most of us may shudder at what 'Mother's Day' has become in our modern society, how it has become a victim of commercialism, it certainly doesn't hurt to have one special day a year that, even if just for a while, focuses our thoughts on our mums!

As a child we often actively question or doubt a mother’s love, because we don’t realise that caring love has to be restrictive at times. But once we are adults we can recognise that ‘love’ comes in many guises.

We have to recognise the different forms or ways of expressing love, and that doing the right thing is often hard in the short term for all parties involved.

On this Sunday let us similarly focus our thoughts on God and our devotion and thanks to this protective parent-like force, which best expresses itself through our parents, who act as God’s agents for us. It is through their care and nurturing that his spirit in us is first and best awakened.

Our text for today comes from the Gospel of Mark, chapter eleven, verses 13 to 17, and is titled ‘paying taxes’.

Text: Mark 11: 13-17 Paying taxes

To me this text is about the practicalities and realities of life, and our struggle to juggle or balance these with what our Christian belief requires of us. The taxes are the things required of us, and in both the financial and the spiritual sense they can be, if you’ll pardon the pun, very taxing. And even as we sometimes struggle to achieve this balancing act, we have the outside influences of others, more things we can not control, to deal with as well – more harsh realities that include people trying to trip you up, trying to gain at your expense, just as the Pharisees try to trick Jesus in order to gain an advantage over him, and thus remove the threat he posed to their privileged position. And just like in our world, they regard a particularly honest and caring person as an easy target – to be like this requires great tolerance and forgiveness. A liitle of what we need when the umpteenth charity rings – what’s the right thing to do then?

In a similar vein, it is a typical human shortcoming, perhaps some kind of innate defence mechanism, to look for and highlight the shortcomings in others – it’s a way of making ourselves look better at the expense of others. This attitude may help us to gain in the emperor’s world, but certainly not in the Kingdom of God.

The text raises the classic conundrum of trying to serve two masters. As much as we may resent the way economics governs so much of our life and the world around us, it appears to be an inescapable reality – so it is left to us to deal with it as best we can. And Jesus thus gives his clever answer to the Pharisees, easily deducing their intent and dodging their trap. We give to the emperor that which is his, and give to God that which belongs to him. And yet the division between these two worlds, the harsh ‘real’ world and the ideal one, is not clear – in fact the two are interwoven in a very complex web. At best, we try to live our life obeying the laws of both the land and God – in reality most of them make sense and complement each other. Money and materialism lead many to do things that help no-one but themselves, or that even are to their own detriment. Many find it all too easy to stray. But conversely, money is also a great agent for positive change, especially when it is combined with Christian love.

We Templers have spent a large part of our existence as a community substantiating our faith in both spiritual and practical terms. This reflects our background and place in the society of the time. What we now need to do is get on with some basic practicalities – put ourselves and our belief and community in a context that others can easily recognise and understand, and even want to imitate. We have been doing it for 150 years, but sometimes we have, just like others, lost sight of some elements while focussing too hard on others. Overall though, we haven’t done too badly. As far as our children and others not a part of the community go - it’s like motherhood: look after the young because they can’t look after themselves. Be a role model and a practical guide for life. Mothers recognise both of these needs in their children, and so they try to instil both sets of values in them – the worldly and the emotional / spiritual. That is a goal we have set ourselves, to be such models for all to follow.

Our motto reminds us that if we live as God requires, then ‘all the rest will come to you as well’. I think we have to recognise that you don’t find the grace of God, but rather receive or earn it even. But you don’t have to do this alone.

Indeed, I would maintain that it is far easier and more effective to do in a community, as it allows us to meet the requirements of both the worldly and the ideal / emotional. Christian life is both a solo and a group challenge – for you, the individual, it is solo, but the expression of love is, logically, not!

Our text is about paying your dues – we need to pay taxes in order to have the services we require to survive. We know that we will ‘reap what we sow’. We need to honour God and follow Jesus’ teaching because that too will help us (and more importantly – others) through life. It’s what the Kingdom of God is all about. Don’t work for yourself – work for the greater good. Some may claim that the expression ‘Kingdom of God’ is old fashioned, but can we come up with a better summation? I don’t think so – it’s so broad, all encompassing, individual, and yet so clear and so precise! How can there be a better way of putting it than something that encapsulates all that the Kingdom of God implies! We certainly know that there is no higher ideal.

With this in mind let us sing our third hymn, ‘God, you call for faithful service’, number 36 in the hymnbook.

Hymn: 36. God you call for faithful service

So much of our understanding of the world and the way we live alters as we move through the various stages of life. This, for me, is particularly true for how we regard our parents, and particularly our mother, her role

in relation to us, and the effect she has upon us.

As a child we tend to be unaware not only of this special link, but also of the often onerous task of being a parent, particularly a mother. As a child you are very much the centre of your world. Everything revolves around you, and if it doesn't, you either drag it into orbit or push it away - you are your world at that age. The child has no concept of the sacrifices that are made for it. We are born very much in debt to our mother because of all she has had to sacrifice and experience. At this time our mother is truly paying her taxes.

I would never seek to equate a parent to God, and yet the comparison is so easy to make. To a young child the parents truly are a god, controlling everything in its life - as the child develops, this direct influence is reduced, leaving instead the less obvious - the attitudes to life and other people that the parents have instilled in it.

Just as God's spirit lives within us, so too does the spirit of our parents, their lasting gift to us and to the world. And in this way we continue to pay their taxes for them, at the same time hopefully paying our own in the way they have demonstrated for us. There are some things in us that are innate, handed to us by our parents in their genes, but we are not just the product of these biological codes. Our fathers are not just genetic donours, our mothers not just incubators. We are also products of our environment, products of how our parents raised and nurtured us. From them we gain our identity, and from them we grasp the fundamentals of our system of values and beliefs. Parents, and particularly mothers, play a vital role - let us not let our children (or our parents) down. Later our friends and community begin to have a stronger, and sometimes even pervasive influence. The task of guiding and role-modelling is thus not just a parent’s, but also a task for all with whom the child comes into contact. And we all recognise and accept that this way of serving God is not innate and does not come easily – we need to work at it. We are continually challenged by society and by our own weaknesses, like succumbing to pride, selfishness and materialism.

The final point that I would like to make and relate to our text is one that has developed and formed in my mind over recent years. It is the idea of preparation of one person by another. Just as our parents prepare us for the worldly, they also set in us the foundations of our identity. The basic mix of skills and attitudes that a person requires for life are laid down right from day one on this world, by our parents. And to this must surely belong our spiritual identity too.

For Christians this spiritual identity can be quite a complex thing that we expect our parents to instil. There is a clear guideline in the two great commandments of love, as laid down by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, but these are very broad, and can be interpreted many ways. We lack the comforting dogma and creed of other churches. Now to those of us with an established Christian belief, who actively seek to live our belief and ponder it and all its implications, such dogmas and creeds appear false and stifling, yet to a young person starting out in life, or someone who is 'looking for something', they provide a great handle to grasp, a cocoon to wrap oneself in and feel protected.

Here is the great challenge for our community, and indeed for all churches: to be relevant, and thus be in a position to demonstrate to all people, young and old, the value of ‘paying taxes’ to both masters, not just the one. In a sense they are also insurance premiums! And money is not the only way to pay these taxes, at least not God’s, anyway.

So when we come to the gifts we select for our mums, and for each other, we can honour mum with God’s gift, love, rather than just the emperor’s – money. We will find that this is a far greater gift both to give and to receive. And we can pass on God’s love simply by reaching out to those around us and being ‘their brother’. At times, of course, it is our financial support that they also need, but only in the short term – we do greater good for them and for ourselves in the long term if it is out behaviour that is correct, rather than the amount of money given being ‘appropriate’.

Similarly, we all recognise that parenting also equals giving, but not giving toys, but spirit – love, guidance, morals. Of course the toys have a place, but ultimately alll the toys are useless if there is no caring, guiding and nurturing love.

Our fourth hymn, ‘Joy of your way’ expresses these last two sentiments of love. It is number 53 in the hymnbook.

Hymn: 53. Joy of your way

Would you please rise, if you are able, for the prayer.

Dear Lord,

We give thanks that we are in the blessed position of being able to do those things that are required of us both by you and our society;
We recognise that we are in the fortunate position to be able to focus on others because we want for so very little;
We acknowledge that we are required to serve you and our community
Humbly, in gratitude and with reverence - We thank you.
We thank you for both the gift of mothers
And the gift of children.
Guide and support us as parents,
as we raise our children to recognise and follow your path.
And remind us of the sacrifices our mothers made and make for us,
So that we may be grateful and reward them for these.
Finally, help us to think today of the mothers no longer with us, but whose spirit still burns inside their children.
Amen.

Just as God has been portrayed as the shepherd of the flock, we too are the shepherds, guiding our children and keeping them safe. With this in mind, I selected an old favourite from my school days as our next hymn. It is, of course, 'The Lord's my Shepherd', number 113 in the hymnbook. We will sing all five verses.

Hymn: 113. The Lord’s my shepherd

Before Monika draws today's service to a close with some music, I would like to remind you of the beneficiary of today's collection. I hope you all read Silvia Anderson’s ‘Trailwalker’ report in the May TR. I would like to pass our collection today to Silvia Anderson as a donation to ‘Oxfam – Community Aid Abroad’ to assist it in achieving its vision of "a fair world in which people control their own lives, their basic rights are achieved and the environment is sustained". That sounds pretty much like a wordy version of ‘striving for the Kingdom of God’ to me. Let’s help them in their work, and in doing so help others whom we could not otherwise reach out to because they are so far from us.

The short German poem with which I shall close summarises so neatly the role of mother - the carer, by day and night; the bringer of joy; the consoler and granter of forgiveness; only the mother does all of these things. And she does it without a manual or special training. So let us pay tribute to mothers today, and recognise the vital role they play, as they shape and mould the future in their children.

Wer sorgt für mich bei Tag und Nacht?
Wer denkt dran, was mir Freude macht?
Wer verzeiht mir, wenn ich Unrecht tu?
Das, liebe Mutter, machst nur du!
Who cares for me by night and day?
Who makes sure joy comes my way?
Who forgives, when it's bad I've done?
Only you do that, my dear Mum!
Happy Mother's Day!

Musical conclusion – Monika Strasser

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Service Bayswater, Sunday 11^th April 2004

Elder: Dr Peter Uhlherr

Musician: Irene Blaich

Hymns: - Templer Hymn No. 1; V. 5,6,8,9. ‘Ostern verkündet die Hoffnung’ No. 88; V. 1,2

Text:- Mark 16: 1-8

When the Sabbath was over, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought aromatic oils intending to go and anoint him; and very early on the Sunday morning, just after sunrise, they came to the tomb. They were wondering among themselves who would roll away the stone for them from the entrance to the tomb, when they looked up and saw that the stone, huge as it was, had been rolled back already. They went into the tomb, where they saw a youth sitting on the right-hand side, wearing a white robe; and they were dumbfounded. But he said to them, ‘Fear nothing; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised again; he is not here; look, there is the place where they laid him. But go and give this message to his disciples and Peter: He is going on before you into Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.’ Then they went out and ran away from the tomb, beside themselves with terror. They said nothing to anybody, for they were afraid.

And they delivered all these instructions briefly to Peter and his companions.

The two events of the death of Jesus and his resurrection as the Christ are the source of Christianity; they are at the very core of our religion. They therefore demand our continuing attention. Today’s text is the story of the empty tomb in its simplest form. No earthquake, no temple curtain torn in two, no angels, nor terrified and trembling Roman guards. Just a youth, transmitting a simple message: …he is not here; tell his disciples he will meet them in Galilee.

This story of the empty tomb is unusually consistent in all four gospels – not just the parallel three synoptic gospels, but also the fourth (John). There is absolutely no question, no doubt, about what the gospel authors wanted their readers to believe, i.e. that Jesus had died and that he had returned in his physical body. The disappearance of the body is the main evidence; but other stories are also added in an attempt to strengthen the evidence. He eats and drinks and holds face to face conversations; his wounds are real and can be touched by Thomas. This physical resurrection is particularly important for Jewish Christians in Palestine at that time, because of their understanding of resurrection and eternal life in the physical body. The concepts of soul and eternal life had been absorbed by Judaism only relatively recently. Around Jerusalem – in Palestine – the physical interpretation was favoured. But in the diaspora – i.e. in Asia Minor, where Greek influence dominated – the already existing and well developed Greek philosophy of the eternal soul was preferred; there resurrection was viewed as a spiritual event. And in fact, the gospels appear to leave the door open for a spiritual interpretation as well – almost as though they were trying to satisfy both beliefs. All four gospels contain accounts that suggest the risen Christ was quite different from the man Jesus as the disciples knew him. Even his closest associates, when face to face with the risen Christ, did not recognise him until he identified himself; he does not come into rooms or leave – he simply appears and disappears, even behind locked doors. To many he appeared not as a living man, but more as a spiritual experience, a blinding vision as for Paul. And it is not surprising that Paul who was a diaspora Jew, educated in both Jewish law and Greek philosophy, should favour the spiritual resurrection. But I want to come back to the physical, bodily resurrection because that is very clearly the main position argued by the gospels.

The whole structure of the gospels, every event described, is based on Old Testament writings. Jews of the time would have been very aware of the connections being made between the activity of Jesus and the Old Testament, and hence they would have clearly understood the implications, the claims being made by the gospels.

If we ignore the Old Testament, we lose the justification; the immediate significance of the gospel stories and the events described there. Much of the gospels is just like an echo, and sometimes a resolution of old Testament passages.

Jesus’ life and teaching are presented largely as fulfilment of prophecy, long yearned for by Jews. His suffering and death are fulfilment of prophecy and his resurrection also has strong connections with Old Testament events and with apocalyptic expectations, which were strong in Judaism for a few centuries before and after Jesus’ life.

There are only two Old Testament figures who had some power over death. The Prophet Elijah was one of them. His life so pleased God that he was spared the ordeal of death. He did not die, but was taken physically to heaven. And so Elijah left no earthly remains – and neither did Jesus. Here was a precedent for the empty tomb. Because there was no physical or spiritual resurrection in Judaism at the time of Elijah, it was only by being alive in the presence of God in heaven that Elijah could be expected to return to earth knowing God’s plan for the end of the world. In fact we are told in the Gospels that both John the Baptist and Jesus himself were thought by some to be Elijah returned at the end of the world.

The second Old Testament figure to cheat death was the patriarch Enoch. Christoph Hoffmann, in the Templer hymn (V.5&8) that we have just sung, compares and contrasts Jesus and Enoch. Enoch achieved spiritual perfection through his earthly industry and again he was taken into heaven in the prime of his life, without having to endure death. He was raised in his living, physical body. He achieved everlasting life, like Elijah, by the grace of God. But there is a big difference with Jesus. Jesus achieved everlasting life by overpowering death, by passing through the state of death – again, entirely by the grace of God; through his personal relationship with God, he was resurrected in his physical body.

So Enoch and Elijah were raised into the presence of God in a living state – neither left any earthly remains. They are the Old Testament models for Jesus’ bodily resurrection and ascension to heaven; they are the precedents for the empty tomb. And contemporary Jews would have clearly understood the parallels.

From the Templer hymn we are left in no doubt that Christoph Hoffmann firmly believed that Jesus overcame, overpowered death, and by drawing the comparison with Enoch, who was raised in a living state into the presence of God, he suggests that Jesus also was raised in a living state – whether corporeal or spiritual is not clear.

Modern Templer thought, as exemplified by Richard Hoffmann for instance, favours a spiritual resurrection over a corporeal-physical one. And the basis for spiritual resurrection is Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. Firstly, Paul affirms the central position that the resurrection occupies in Christianity:

(1 Cor. 15: 14) "If Christ was not raised, then our gospel is null and void, and so is your faith". We cannot and must not deny a resurrection: He goes on (1 Cor. 15: 35): "You ask how are the dead raised? In what kind of body?" His answer is by analogy, and I personally find the analogy not all that helpful. (1 Cor. 15: 42-44): "What is sown in the earth as a perishable thing, is raised imperishable; sown as an animal body, raised as a spiritual body." the image that Paul goes on to describe is that of a seed placed in the ground – the physical body – undergoing a transformation; the seed disintegrates, the husk decays, a new structure is generated – a new body (the plant equivalent to the "spiritual body"), clearly identifiable, but different from the seed. Paul is saying that, at death, when the body falls away and decays, the spirit/soul does not just continue on unchanged for eternity; he is saying that, at some stage there is a transformation, a resurrection of the individual in a spiritual body.

To someone who does not believe in a resurrection, Paul’s argument does not help; it does not convince. The resurrection, in whatever form, is still an article of faith. In fact, Paul is quite aware of this, and at the beginning of 1 Corinthians he states this; (1 Cor. 1: 22-24): "Jews call for miracles; Greeks look for wisdom; but we proclaim Christ – nailed to the cross; and though this is a stumbling block to Jews, and nonsense to Greeks, yet to those who have heeded his call, he is the power of God and the wisdom of God." Paul is saying that there is no proof – not physical, not philosophical / intellectual – there is only faith. We are forced to the conclusion that the resurrection, just like the very existence of spirit, cannot be demonstrated experimentally, nor proved by intellectual arguments – we either believe it or we don’t. Without faith, the message is either a stumbling block or a nonsense.

During the period of Jesus’ trial, his passion and his death, the disciples were thrown into complete chaos – they were scattered in fear. They dissociated themselves from him and from his activities. On the basis of the message from the risen Christ, they reassembled in Galilee.

For forty days, the twelve chosen disciples received instruction; they were encouraged and were promised continuing support in their coming task. At Pentecost, they finally became fully enlightened and empowered. The experience with the risen Christ must have been extraordinarily powerful, because it turned a group of confused, fearful, uncertain men into committed, fearless apostles. They subsequently broadcast the message of the availability of the spiritual Kingdom of God for all mankind; and they did this successfully against religious and political opposition. They established the Christian church, on the basis purely of faith.

The Kingdom of God that the apostles proclaimed is a gift to everyone, without exception; it is there for the taking. It is a state of existence, available here and now; and all we need to do is to accept it. To accept it in two senses – believe and receive. There is just one stumbling block, as pointed out by Paul: logic and deduction do not by themselves lead to the Kingdom of God. No amount of debate and argument will bring us nearer to the Kingdom of God. Increased understanding is not a guarantee of spiritual progress. Only appropriate behaviour brings with it spiritual development, based on faith in Jesus and his teaching. "He who has faith in me will do what I am doing", said Jesus. (John)

In mundane every-day physical matters we unthinkingly develop extraordinary faith! We don’t have to know how a car works in order to drive; how a computer works in order to use it constantly. We use things in the absolute faith that someone else had the knowledge and did the right thing. In physical matters we don’t even think of our actions as requiring faith – but they do; at every turn! We are not conscious of that particular faith. Spiritual matters are quite another thing. Almost by definition there is no knowledge of spiritual nature. When we act in spiritual matters, we are totally reliant on faith, and we are very conscious of our lack of knowledge. The very existence of spirit cannot yet be proved – and so the concept of spirit may be a stumbling block to some or a nonsense to others, as Paul wrote.

In our human – moral and ethical – behaviour, we have chosen the message of Jesus as our guiding principle; we have put our faith in the teaching of Jesus. I sometimes get quite angry, I feel guilty and ashamed on behalf of "Christianity" vis-à-vis my many non-Christian colleagues and friends. How arrogant, judgmental and sometimes exploitative Christianity has long been, and still is! Who are we to claim that our particular spiritual belief is the only path to improvement and growth? There are many religions or philosophies, which are at least as spiritual as Christianity. Their images, descriptions and methods may well lead to spiritual development at least as efficiently as our own. Their codes of moral and ethical behaviour may lead to a sense of right and wrong, compassion and love at least as highly developed as our own, and in some cases probably more so. Millions of people having these attributes and living essentially by the same code of conduct as ourselves are supposed to burn in eternal hellfire because they obtained their guidance from a different source – perhaps from a pantheon of deities, a guru or from within themselves through meditation. According to the Church the only way this can be rectified, i.e. that these people can be saved, is for them to embrace Christianity.

On the other hand, Christians who have enslaved and pillaged whole nations for their own personal gain, will bask for ever in the glory of God, provided that, with their last, dying breath, they say "I repent"! OK – I am being extreme, and rather cynical. But I am trying to point out a principle that operates on all scales and at all levels, and that we need to look at very, very carefully. In particular, we need to assess, objectively, our own behaviour and especially our own motives.

Christians believe that they have received a code of behaviour through the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is our faith. The code of behaviour will lead to the growth of the God-principle that we believe is within every person.

Motivations other than Christian faith underlie codes of behaviour that lead to the same outcomes. I have known Hindus who are far better "Christians" than many so-called Christians.

Our code of behaviour – Jesus’ instructions – is quite definite and concrete – obey my commands, set your mind on God’s Kingdom before all else. The outcome, however, is spiritual – the growth of the Kingdom of God. Even if we don’t understand the process – even if we don’t have exact knowledge of what the Kingdom of God represents – the outcome is assured our personal and communal improvement, provided we follow the instructions. That is our faith. Someone who does not share our faith, but uses a different source of instructions, may follow the same or an analogous path and achieve the same outcomes – personal and communal growth and betterment. The description – the words – may be different from ours, but who is to say that theirs is not also the Kingdom of God?

Bodily resurrection; spiritual resurrection; son of God; Father; Holy Spirit; Trinity – What effect do these concepts have on the outcome of obeying Jesus’ commands?

I will leave you with that question, and close with the Lord’s Prayer.

(Similar content in previous services: Ba 9.4.82, Be 17.4.87, Ba 13.4.90, Be 24.4.88, Be 96, Be 15.4.01)

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AGÁPE, Maundy Thursday 8^th April 2004 Bayswater Chapel

Elder: Herta Uhlherr

Music: CDs & Elisabeth Wagner (hymns), Nr. 11 An Evening Prayer (forgive), Nr. 93 Prayer of St Francis

Welcome: A warm welcome to you who have gathered for our first Agápe celebration here. I hope it will be an experience, an experience of being deeply connected with one another and with God. This service is based on the TGD’s model, with variations.

Begin with music – Palestrina Sanctus – time out from normal worries.

Celebrating an Agápe-meal together goes right back to what is probably the oldest Christian tradition – in the small, original Christian communities a meal was shared in remembrance of the last supper Jesus ate with his disciples.

Our celebration will include various elements, like music, prayer, eating and drinking together and bringing to mind the basic thinking behind an Agape celebration, namely

remembrance, agápe – selfless love of one’s fellows and God, and togetherness, community.

Poem from TGD

a) Remembrance (commemoration)

When you think about it, all religious celebrations are commemorative – they remember, or go back to historical or mythic events and, particularly, to the (perhaps symbolic) meaning of these – think e.g. Christmas and Easter, Passover and Pentecost …

The meal Jesus and his disciples shared was a Jewish Passover meal, which commemorates the exodus from Egypt; in other words, it reminds of and celebrates God’s guidance and protection. That is what the Israelites experienced, and their faith in the one, the personal God grew out of this experience. Remembering this can help us to perceive guidance and protection in our own lives, and to be empowered by this perception.

However, the Christian gospel writers had something else in mind. Luke (22:19) [or Mark 14:22] says "Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to them saying ‘This is my body which is given for you. Do this in memory of me’."

This was not meant to put in place a sacrament. Every Sabbath and every Passover meal began with the head of the household breaking bread, saying grace (or the blessing) over it, and then sharing it out to all at the table, just as Jesus was doing here. – Except that it was not an ordinary Passover meal for him. He knew that this was probably the last time he would eat with his disciples. In his mind, therefore, breaking bread became an image associated with the breaking of his body – of his death, which he could see coming all too soon. And a sign of remembrance: "Do this and remember me – and what I taught you" – every time you perform this everyday action. It was a well-chosen sign, because already a few days later, on the road to Emmaus, the disciples recognized the stranger accompanying them as Jesus when he broke bread.

In memory of Jesus of Nazareth and of what he taught. In memory of his suffering (or passion), of his readiness to go to a brutal death for his message, for what he believed to be the truth.

Even that is not unique. Countless others have suffered – and died – because of what they believed, or for others. But the fact that he, the one sent by God, our Master and example, did this of his own free will, in as much as he could have avoided it by not going to Jerusalem for Passover – this has changed the way suffering is understood. No longer, as so often before, is it seen as a curse from God; neither is it seen as meaningless.

Jesus taught us to empathise, to suffer with those who are suffering – he not only taught it, but lived it. In this sense he did die for us, not as a sacrifice to atone for our sins, but as an example of Hingabe, of devoted service to others to the point of laying down one’s life for them. So remembering Jesus is always also to remember all those who suffer – the sick, the bereaved, the desperate.

Quite likely we have been the one in crisis at some time, or have been the one standing by anxiously, waiting, praying, while a loved one suffered. For Jesus, the horror and anguish of his imminent torture and death really sank in in the Garden of Gethsemane "My heart is ready to break with grief" (Matt. 26:38) (for himself and his friends) He asked his closest friends to "stay here and keep watch with me, watch and pray". But, worn out by grief, they fell asleep, several times. (See also Mark 14:32f).

Instead of reading the passage, we’ll hear music. It’s from Taizé, voices repeating "Bleibt hier and wachet mit mir, wachet and betet" and a soloist singing: "My soul is sorely troubled". "Father into your hands I commend my spirit." "Peace be with you – as the Father sent me, I send you." The background feeling is "Father, not my will but yours be done" – ‘Hingabe’ in the sense of surrender, acceptance of the inevitable.

CD ‘Bleibet hier’

b) Love

A second aspect of this meal, held in remembrance, is love, as the name Agápe suggests.

Unlike English, Greek has several words for love, including eros for erotic attraction, philia as in philosophy the love of sophia-wisdom, and agápe, selfless, altruistic love. In the New Testament, agápe is used to describe God’s love for human beings, which we see active in Jesus, especially love for the poor, the vulnerable, the outcasts. But it is also used for love of God and one’s fellow humans, and love for one’s enemies. It’s the love referred to in the twin commandments.

Concern for the weak, the sick and the suffering is meant to be a vital part of our lives, too. When we empathise – Mit-leiden – i.e. give loving attention to ill or suffering fellow humans, their situation does not change as such, but our loving empathy gives them strength and support, which helps to make many a load easier to bear.

Imagining oneself in the other’s situation, walking in their shoes, so to speak, can lead to understanding which can be a prerequisite for reconciliation, an important aspect of an Agápe-meal – making peace with one another and with God. The early Templers had a Versöhnungsfeier with bread and wine on Maundy Thursday evening (but 100 years ago it seems that its emphasis may have been slightly different). [See Hans Lange in Damals in Palästina, p. 147]

I’m probably not wrong in saying that each of us has experienced the deeply distressing, gut-wrenching feeling of being in serious conflict with another person – it affects our thinking and the way we behave. Only making up with the other removes this load from our hearts and shoulders and allows us to be ourselves again.

Jesus goes so far as to say that conflict in our relationships impairs our relationship with God. In the Sermon on the Mount, he talks of a man about to offer a sacrifice – relate – to God. Jesus says that if the man and his brother, his fellow human being, are at odds with one another, the man should leave his offering at the altar and go and first be reconciled to his brother. (Matt. 5:24). Love of neighbour and love of God are inseparable.

However, it is hard to imagine reconciliation as a group activity – it is personal, and one needs to have reached the point of being able to do so. In that case, how can we incorporate the idea of reconciliation into our service? Perhaps by resolving to clean up old upsets (as our youth also encouraged us to do last Sunday for the sake of peace). Perhaps by sending healing light together to those, whom we paid too little attention to, whom we didn’t take seriously when that would have been important, whom we hurt without meaning to. Mostly we don’t mean to hurt, but we can be thoughtless.

Let’s Sing hymn No. 11 An Evening Prayer V. 1-3 which is about forgiveness

A further aspect of celebrating Agápe is community. This is implied when Luke (22:15) writes that Jesus took his place at the table and said, "How I have longed to eat this Passover lamb with you before I suffer!" Jesus wanted to experience fellowship – close companionship – with his disciples one last time. He wanted to strengthen the feeling of community, of fellowship, with one another and with himself, especially for the time ahead when he would no longer be physically with them.

Eating together creates community. As Peter Lange wrote in an article for the March Warte and Templer Record last year, for him, sitting together at table for a meal expresses the essence of community. "And this communal eating has the potential of becoming a communion meal", where each participant can relate to their neighbour and share their joys and concerns, as well as food, in a safe and friendly environment. In most cultures hospitality was a sacred requirement – if you ate with someone, you could not then do him harm. Hospitality signifies that you want to share, not just your food, but your time and your attention.

Perhaps that’s why Agápe meals were held first, before all other celebrations in the original Christian communities, which were often isolated and in hostile social environments. They needed the strength which a community gives.

But there was more. Community was part of their new faith. In being together they celebrated being with Jesus and, through him, with God, in loving communion, as Jesus indicated when he said, "when two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in your midst."

Prayer and Silence

Lets join hands for prayer. Then we’ll have a quiet time for reflection, while music plays.

You, Lord, are love. Strengthen the bonds of love between us. Help us to increasingly express your unconditional love, in the spirit of sharing what is granted us, and caring for one another so that each of us feels at home, and knows that she or he is loved and valued – here at the table, and when we are apart. (release hands)

Music – CD quietly: Galway, Bach Adagio

Now let us quietly think of those who cannot be with us today…of those who need strength and support and our good thoughts…of those whom we have hurt…To all these we send love and light. Short Silence…

In a moment, bread and wine will be distributed. The traditional words for Sabbath and Passover go something like:

"We praise you, Eternal One, our God, King of the World, who brings forth bread from the earth."

Music turned up a little, then quieter

Instead of the traditional Jewish grace, I’ll now use words I am more comfortable with: "We give thanks to the Infinite Intelligence that creates the fruit of the vine."

Music turned up while filling glasses with wine / grape juice.

Lord, bless this meal prepared from the gifts of your creation, so that it may make us strong and cheerful. Bless us table companions, so that conflict will not mar the lives of those you call to live together in loving community.

Eating together (Platters prepared by Renate Weber)

We’re coming towards the end of our celebration. Let us sing No. 93 ‘Make me a channel of your peace’

Let us say the Lord’s Prayer together.

A sincere thankyou to those who helped create this celebration. My hope is that we have all been able to experience a sense of connectedness with each other and with godly love, the agápe lived by Jesus – may we be able to take it with us and remember it in our "normal" lives. – There is a basket for donations if you want to contribute.

Reminder: tomorrow Good Friday Service in Bentleigh; Sunday Easter service and egg hunt in Bayswater.

We’ll finish with the Celtic blessing

CD Deep Peace (of the quiet earth, the shining stars, of the gentle night to you… Moon and Stars point their healing light on you… )

Go in peace.

Note: Agápe – I’ve put the accent on to help with pronunciation. Some say ág – uh – pay’. In Greek the emphasis is on the second syllable, not on the first.

We had a spare chair for our unseen Teacher.

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Service at Tanunda 4 April 2004.

Elder: Kurt Beilharz

Willkommen bei unsenn Ostersaal am Palmsonntag. Es hat mich mich ausserordentlich gefreut, als Uli mir von eurer Tradition erzählte, und erwähnte, daß bei euch zwei Lieder besonders für Ostern bestimmt sind. Das zweite kannte ich dem Text nach nicht, aber die Melodie kennen wohl die meisten. Ja, da wollte ich schon mit machen. Damit wir gleich in die richtige Stimmung kommen, fangen wir mit dem Lied No 30 an. "O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden. Wir singen die Verse 1,5 u.6.

O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden, voll Schmerzen, voller Hohn;
Haupt, zum Spott gebunden mit einer Dornenkron;
O Haupt sonst schön geschmücket mit höchster Ehr und Zier,
Doch nun von Schmach gedrücket, gegrüßet seist du mir!

Wenn ich einmal soll scheiden, so scheide nicht von mir;
Wann ich den Tod soll leiden, so tritt du dann herfür!
Wann mir am allerbängsten wird um das Herze sein,
So reiß mich aus den Ängsten kraft deiner Angst und Pein!

Erscheine mir zum Schilde, zum Trost in meinem Tod
Und laß mich sehn dein Bilde in deiner Kreuzesnot!
Da will ich nach dir blicken, da will ich glaubensvoll
Fest an mein Herz dich drücken! Wer so stirbt, der stirbt wohl!

Die Vorgeschichte zu Ostern steht im Markus Evangelium Kapitel 11 die Verse 1 bis 10.

Im letzten Vers hörten wir, wie die Menschen Jesu zujubelten. Gelobt sei das Reich Davids. Sie glaubten, wie sie schon lange gehofft hatten, daß nun wieder einer da ist, der ein starkes jüdisches Reich aufstellt, besonders da sie unter der Herrschaft der Römer litten. Die ganze Menschheit sehnt sich nach Frieden. Aber nur ein starkes Reich kann diesen Frieden garantieren. Wenn nun mehrere Länder sich zusammen tun, ist es noch etwas leichter.

Solange die Welt nach Macht zielt gibt es Krieg, und die Kleinen sind dann die Leidenden. Die Juden hatten jedenfalls keine Möglichkeit, so etwas zu bewerkstelligen. Jesus wußte das. Doch sein Ziel lag ganz woanders. Im Lied hieß es: Das Haupt voll Blut und Wunden war sonst so schön geschmückt und war nun von Schmach gedrückt, aber es soll mir nun gegrüßt sein. Was wir nämlich begrüßen sollten, ist den Unterschied zu sehen, der zwischen dem Denken Jesu und der Meinung der jüdischen Bevölkerung stand. Er gab uns die neue Hoffnung nach dem Leiden. Die größte menschliche Schwäche, die ich sehe, ist, daß wir in unserrn täglichen Leben mehr politisch denken als moralisch. Ich will das so erklären: Wir tun vieles was moralisch richtig ist automatisch, ohne zu denken. So haben wir es schon als Kinder gelernt. Wir helfen andern, und führen ein anständiges Leben.

. Wir denken und handeln aber politisch, wenn es darum geht, ob wir Vorteil aus einer Sache ziehen können. Als Beispiel möchte ich erzählen, was zu Sylvester in Bentleigh passierte. Wilhelm Imberger gab bekannt, daß der Erlös von der Lotterie dem gemischten Chor für die Reise nach Perth im Jahre 2005 zugute kommt. Wie die Lose angeboten wurden, legte ich $20 auf den Tisch. Die Verkäufer waren erschrocken, als ich sagte, ich möchte für dieses Geld Lose. Ich will nicht erzählen wieviele Preise ich gewann. Dann kam die Versteigerung eines großen Schokoladekuchens.

Weil keiner, und es waren nur zwei oder drei, die überhaupt mitmachten, mehr bot, gewann ich den Kuchen für $47. Warum bot niemand mehr? Wer hat die Antwort? Die Annvort ist einfach politischer Art. Sie haben sich gefragt: Was mache ich mit dem Kuchen? Daß die Fahrt des Chors das Ausschlaggebende war, kam ihnen nicht in den Sinn. Wenn ich hätte jemand beschämen wollen, hätte ich den Kuchen ein zweites Mal zur Versteigerung angeboten, oder hätte einfach $50 dazu gelegt. Ich will mich nicht zum Helden stempeln. Also, warum dann? Für mich ist das Traurige, daß die Menschen so selbstsüchtig sind. Dies zeugt nicht von hoher Moral und weit entfernt von Nächstenliebe.

Jemand sagte vor Kurzem zu mir: es ist doch so schwer Grenzen zu ziehen zwischen den verschiedenen Aufgaben im Leben. Politic, Religion, Wissenschaft, die Natur und was man noch anführen möchte. Nach einiger Überlegung ist es mir gelungen wenigstens zwischen Religion und allen andenl, aber besonders Politik die Grenze zu ziehen. Das habe ich hoffentlich klar mit der Geschichte von Sylvester demonstriert.

Es gibt heute noch Menschen, die an Zauber, böse Geister usw glauben. Früher gab es Götter für Wind und Wetter. Selbst die meisten Israeliten, denen die neue Botschaft vom einzigen unsichtbaren Gott schon Jahrhunderte gepredigt worden war, wollten etwas Sichtbares. Am Ende unseres Liedes hieß es: Da will ich nach dir blicken, fest an mein Herz dich drücken. Hier beweist der Dichter, daß wir Menschen immer auch etwas Handfestes haben müssen, um glauben zu können.

Elia mußte sich viele Jahre verstecken, da er gegen den Baal Kult gepredigt hatte. Ich glaube wir alle kennen den Streit auf dem Karmelberge, wo 400 Baalpriester kein Feuer herbeizaubern konnten. Elia lud dann alle Anwesenden ein, zu seinem Altar zu kommen. Was er dann sagte, hat mir geholfen zu sehen, was heute viele nicht verstehen, nämlich daß bei religiöser Moral kein Platz ist für Meinungen. Meinungen sind immer politischer Art. Jede Glaubensrichtung hat ihre Meinung. Deshalb schießt sie an ihrem Ziel vorbei. Elia fragte: Wie lange hinkt ihr aufbeiden Seiten? Ist der Herr Gott, so wandelt ihm nach; ist' s aber Baal, so wandelt ihm nach. Er sagt mit anderen Worten, wenn ihr eine Meining habt, dann kommt Baal, oder irgend ein Gott in Betracht. Auf der andem Seite gibt es nur diesen einen Gott. Dieser Gott ist ein Gott der Moral. Dieser Gott ist aber nicht sichtbar wie die Sonne, nicht spürbar wie der Wind. Es ist die eine Macht die alles treibt. Ihr müssen wir glauben und Vertrauen schenken für uns selbst. Dazu gehört noch die Hoffuung, denn Glauben und Vertrauen genügen vielleicht nicht immer.

Jesus fand dasselbe Problem bei seinen Mitmenschen. Er muß schon bei seinem Einzug in Jerusalem sehr traurig gewesen sein. Aber sein Entschluß war gefaßt. Wenn er sich opfert, werden vielleicht einige Notiz von seiner Botschaft nehmen, denn er sah keinen andern Weg. Die Säuberung des Tempels und auch sein Erscheinen, schon in Ketten vor Pilatus und dem Hohenpriester, waren dazu angetan, die Aufmerksamkeit der Bevölkerung auf sich zu lenken. Daß sein Tod die Jünger und andere Anhänger aufweckte hätte ihn bestimmt erfreut. Wissen konnte er auf keinen Fall, daß sein Glaube sich so ausbreiten würde. Es ist nur schade, daß die Kirche, die nach der Verbreitung des christlichen Glaubens, das politische Denken auch dann wieder übernahm. Dagegen steht, daß auf der anderen Seite der Grundgedanke trotz alledem überlebte.

Die Liebe zum Nächsten wurde zwar schon zur Zeit der Urvölker geübt. Aber sie hat durch Jesus einen verständlicheren Wert bekommen. Zuerst der Familienzusammenhalt, dann später der Zusammenhalt im Stamm machten den Menschen darauf bewußt, daß man die andem nicht nur respektieren muß, sondern auch für sie sorgen, so weit es möglich war. Wenn ich etwas weit greife, kann ich sogar den Kannibalismus in größter Not hier einschließen. Denn das überleben der Familie war das wichtigste. Wir wollen von dem Lied N032 den 1sten und 4ten Vers singen.

1) Amen! Lob und Preis und Stärke sei dem Vollender seiner Werke,
Dem Todesüberwinder Dank! Singt dem auferstandnen Helden,
Und alle Himmel, alle Welten und dieser Erdkreis sei Gesang!
Ihm, der vom Tod erstand, ihm der einst überwand,
Hallelujah! Sein ist die Macht! Er hat's vollbracht!
Die Welt ist seiner Ehre voll!

4) Unser Herz darf nun nicht wanken; die bangen, zweifelnden Gedanken
Besiegt des Glaubens Zuversicht. Wie ein Fels des Herrn im Meere
Steht unerschüttert Jesu Lehre, umglänzt mit Seligkeit und Licht.
Der Himmel Bau zerfällt; die Herrlichkeit der Welt wird verschwinden.
Doch fort und fort steht Jesu Wort, bleibt Trost und Heil in Ewigkeit.

Wir feiern Ostern als ein Freudenfest. Wir haben Grund dazu. Denn durcb-Jesu Hilfe sind wir frei geworden. Frei sind wir von bösen Geistern und Zauber, wenn wir einen starken Glauben haben. Diesen Glauben können wir stärken durch ein größeres Wissen. Das Lied sagte: Unser Herz darf nun nicht wanken; die bangen zweifelnden Gedanke besiegt des Glaubens Zuversicht. Glauben, Zuversicht und vor allem Hoffuung ist was unser Leben immer meistem kann. Daß wir oft Schwieriges erleben müssen ist bekannt. In Jesu Leidensgeschichte ist aber auch manches, das wir als Mitleidende für uns selbst nützen können. Wenn wir nämlich bei unserem eigenen Leid an das Stück im ersten Lied denken, wo es heißt: So reiß mich aus den Ängsten kraft deiner Angst und Pein. Er hat Angst und Pein leiden müssen. Wir leiden am Ende auch mit unserm Tod. So bleibt Jesu Wort für uns alle Trost und Heil.

Wir wollen beten

Unser Vater, geheiligt werde dein Name
Laß uns dein Reich finden
Dein Wille geschehe überall auf Erden
Gib uns unser täglich Brot
und gib uns die Kraft unsern Peinigern zu vergeben, wie du uns vergibst.
Laß uns nicht in Versuchung kommen
Damit wir vom Bösen erlöst werden.
Denn dein ist das Reich, und die Kraft
Und die Herrlichkeit in Ewigkeit.

Amen

Ostern fällt auf der nördlichen Halbkugel in die Frühlingszeit. Es bedeutet das Erwachen neuen Lebens. Wer sich in der Natur auskennt, weiß wie bedeutsam und wie dies zu nehmen ist. Wer seine Sache ernst nimmt, wird auch bei den Festlichkeiten an Ostern die Gabe Jesu nicht vergessen.

Für den Rest des Tages wünsche ich euch allen noch et\vas Frohsinn.

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Service – Good Friday April 9 2004 in Bentleigh.

Elder, Christa Lingham

I welcome you all here today to our Good Friday Service. Good Friday is the day we remember the crucifixion and death of Jesus. It is another step in the cycle of both religious calendar as well as the change of season from summer through to autumn. In Australia Easter is often seen as the last chance to go camping or to enjoy the outdoors in pleasant warm weather prior to the closing in of the colder winter months. I know we spend time this time of year to start collecting the wood for our fire. By the end of April or the beginning of May the first fire for winter has been lit.

So to the lead up to Easter sees the preparation of change. For many, especially those who are Roman Catholics, the lead to Easter starts with period of Lent. In Germany – where many of us have our heritage Fasching or Karneval is celebrated in the lead up to Lent. Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday is celebrated by many of all faiths. – its origin as a religious observance may not be known by many. Pancakes were made to use up fats and eggs in the house prior to Lent as these were forbidden during the Lenten period Ash Wednesday is known to all Australians since the Ash Wednesday fires. How many realise that the name comes from the religious calendar – not from the bad bush fires that turned so much of the state to Ash. Children have remarked to me that they did not realise that the name came from the religious celebration that marked the start of Lent. It was the practice in Rome for penitents to begin their period of public penance on the first day of Lent. They were sprinkled with ashes, dressed in sackcloth, and obliged to remain apart until they were reconciled with the Christian community on Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter. When these practices fell into disuse (8th-10th century), the beginning of the penitential season of Lent was symbolised by placing ashes on the heads of the entire congregation.

Maundy Thursday – Grün Donnerstag - this is the one I really appreciate. How many of us had Maultaschen last night? I love Maultaschen and I look forward to this every year. I know I could make them at any time but somehow it is much more special just having them once a year. That is what traditions and rituals are about – just anticipating the event and following the customs on the appropriate day build significance to the day.

Good Friday – the day of Christ’s crucifixion has been celebrated as a holy day and a day of fasting since the second century. Many people observe the day of fasting or the abstinence from meat on Good Friday. This is why we eat fish, as eating fish was not seen as eating meat.

We will sing the first three verses of "Lord of the Dance" Hymn 66.

The text for today is taken from the traditional story of the crucifixion of Christ – the familiar tales that shapes our experiences of Good Friday and Easter. The text is taken from the Gospel according to Mark, chapter 14. Verses 53-65 and 6672.

Jesus is brought before the Council and Peter denies Jesus. This reading is taken from the Good News Bible.

The Easter story is a spiritual, mystical story. It is also the tale of a pre – ordained ending that could not be changed. The capture and death of Jesus too was foretold in the Scriptures – and all things had been foretold had to happen. Again, there is ritual rightness about it – because unless the prophecy in the Scripture came true, man could not earn salvation.

In reading the passage as Jesus faces the Council. It can be seen that what ever was necessary to prove Jesus guilty of a crime that required punishment by death was being done. The logic that takes the statement that Jesus makes admission that he is the Messiah – the Son of God to mean that he is God is one we often see. In fact the words used by Jesus is the "Son of Man". However when we really want to hear something we can easily mishear or only hear those parts we want to. The people of the council were no different – the need of the mob was to find Jesus guilty and to have him put to death.

The second part of the reading relates to Peter’s denial of Jesus. All of us would like to think that we would never deny our or our faith or belief in Jesus. In reality we probably have denied our faith – not necessarily in the verbal sense by the use of the words I do not believe (similar to Peter’s denial of Jesus) we probably all have in our actions. Our belief and faith is shown by the way we live our lives and in our attitudes towards others. This is often far more difficult than simply saying, "Yes I am a Christian." Living your life true to Jesus’ teachings is much harder and as such all of us at one time or another have denied our faith although we always do pick ourselves up and try harder in the future.

For some the mystical nature of the Easter story is not easy to relate to. The death and resurrection of Christ and his subsequent appearance is more than they can comfortably believe. This where the nature of the story where events are managed to fit the prophecies can be important. We cannot prove or disprove historically if the story is true. What is important is that the form of the story and the events surrounding the crucifixion was important to the Gospel writers. It is one of the few stories that all four writers tell and the essential elements in all four are the same. The questioning of Jesus by the council and the fact that the answer to the question "Are you the Son of God?" is all important to the group asking for the death of Jesus. The three times denial of Peter of knowing Jesus is also told in all four Gospels. These important elements are necessary as it fulfils the prophecy regarding the Messiah. Also necessary to the story is the crucifixion of Jesus, as well as that of his rising. These elements too, are constant in the story. As is actually stated earlier there were many opportunities for Jesus to be arrested prior to the event at the Garden of Gesthemane. However, as it is stated it is important that the prophecy was fulfilled. This is why people can have difficulty believing the whole story. I must admit I was one of them. The resurrection and the appearance of Jesus to the disciples is a part of the story I found hard to accept as I grew older. As a child the whole story made perfect sense as of God and Jesus could create whatever miracles that were required. In last few years I have revisited the story of the Passion in a different way and strangely this has brought me back to reliving the story of the Passion in a more spiritual way. The medieval mystic, Julian of Norwich, expressed it this way and this is what the early evangelist and generations of believers came to know:

"The passion of Christ is comfort for us.
"He comforts us readily and kindly and says:
"All will be well, and every kind of thing will be well."

In the small town in which I live, it was decided a few years ago to hold an ecumenical service on Good Friday. The form this takes is take the Catholic notion of the Stations of the Cross, know also as the Way of the Cross or the Via Crucis. The historical context goes back to the early Christians making their pilgrimage in Jerusalem. As pilgrims it was important to see the sites important to the story of Jesus. The fourteen stages of the cross are fourteen events on Jesus Journey from the place where he was condemned to die to the Calvary where he died. Eventually this led to the following the path of his last days. As travel became more difficult and it was no longer passible to visit the holy sites, villages all over Europe started creating "replicas" of the stations of the cross with small shrine commemorating the places along the route to Jerusalem. These shrines became the set 14 stations that are known to day and were placed in almost every Catholic Church in the world.

What matters most in the Stations of the Cross is to follow Jesus Christ in his passion and to see ourselves mirrored in him. To face life's dark side in ourselves and in our world, we need images of hope, and Jesus offers images of hope in his passion. By accompanying him on the Way of the Cross, we gain his courageous patience and learn to trust in God who delivers us from evil.

When Rupanyup did its very first Stations of the Cross about 30 or 40 of us gathered in the local Catholic Church. The local catholic priest explained the historical context and then pointed out the 14 stations in the local Catholic Church. We were all given a sheet that spelt out all the stations and where in our town they were. On it too, are all the readings, hymns and responses.

In Rupanyup, our stations take us through the main street. It is led every year by a different church leader; that is the Catholic Priest, the Anglican minister and the Uniting Church minister. The first station is always at the Catholic Church, which also happens to be the at the north end of town and meanders down the main street, stopping at various places including the post office, the Uniting Church and the Anglican Church. The final destination is the Nursing Home, which just happens to be at the south end of town. The path taken is one that is easily accessible by cars, wheelchairs and go carts so it is all inclusive. There is a wonderful silence and peace (except for birdsong) in the town as we wander through the pale early morning sunshine (and even light mist) that brings a particularly contemplative feel to the journey, although many are talking nineteen to the dozen on the walks between the stations.

The fourteen Stages are as follows. At each stage the passage from the Gospels relating to the gospel is read out and accompanying reflection. I have not included the reflections in the description of the Stations.

The passage relating to the trial and judgement of Jesus is read out. Pilate brought Jesus outside and said to the people, "Look at your king!" At this they shouted, "Away with him! Crucify him!" Then Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified.

This gives you time to reflect on this part of the tale. At the end the refrain – repeated at all the stations –

Jesus was led away, and carrying the Cross by himself, went out to what is called
the Place of the Skull, Golgotha. Jesus emptied himself, and took the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men.
He humbled himself, to death and a Cross

Simeon said to Mary his mother:
"This child is destined to be the downfall and the rise of many in Israel, a sign that will be opposed. And you yourself shall be pierced with a sword, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be laid bare

A man named Simon of Cyrene, was coming in from the fields, and they pressed him into service to carry the Cross.

He who welcomes you welcomes me; and he who welcomes me, welcomes him who sent me. And I promise that whoever gives a cup of cold water will not want for a reward. But I am a worm and no man; the scorn of all, despised by the people. All who see me scoff at me. A great crowd of people followed him, including women who beat their breasts and lamented over him.

I am like water poured out; all my bones are racked.
You have brought me down to the dust of death

They stripped off his clothes and began to mock him saying:
"All hail, king of the Jews!"

After carrying his Cross, Jesus came to the Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha).
There they crucified him and two others with him.

Jesus said, "I thirst!" and they gave him wine. "It is finished"!" he cried, and gave up his spirit.

When the soldiers came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers thrust a lance into his side, and blood and water flowed out.

Joseph of Arimethea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus, and wrapped it in perfumed oils. Then he buried Jesus in a tomb close at hand.

You were buried in a garden tomb,
like a seed fallen into the ground,
waiting to rise again.
Lord, help us rise again
after dying with you.
May all who have fallen asleep
rise again.

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THANKSGIVING AND PRESENTATION SERVICE

Elder Herta Uhlherr

For the last moments before we begin, I invite you to settle down and quietly collect your thoughts…

Children – to the front (blanket)

Prelude – CD ‘We share the joy?’ (x2)

Welcome – Hartmut Beck introduces Herta Uhlherr and Peter Lange

A warm welcome to you all – especially to the young families whose babies are being presented today, and to their wider families and friends. (I will be indicating what happens in this Thanksgiving and Presentation service as we go, and we hope that you will feel at home here).

I bring you greetings from Melbourne from the Regional Council and the Elders – and my Mama Meta and Hermann.

We’ll begin Thanksgiving by singing hymn no. 75 Now thank we all – Nun danket alle Gott.

Sing English preferably, or German – one verse – 1^st one.

Presentation services are about babies, so we might get the odd noise occurring. Let’s try to stay relaxed about this – after all we’re delighted to have the young families here!

Now a short prayer, which we’ll follow by a few moments’ silence to help us get still and centred.

Prayer – We give thanks for life, and for the many good and beautiful people and things in our lives. We open our hearts and minds to the warmth of communal celebration – may we be conscious of the Presence in and around us of the loving, creative Power many of us call God.

Our thoughts go to all our loved ones, near and far, to those people who are alone, or sick, or have other burdens to bear, and we give thanks for those who are better. With all the countless others praying on this Sunday, we ask for more light, compassion and peace in and around us and all people on this our Earth.

…silence… amen. Thankyou.

When summer turns into autumn, around the equinox – today – many societies – especially agricultural communities – celebrate a harvest festival, often combined with a thanksgiving service. Most of us no longer cultivate fields, (though we may have a vegie patch) but we still depend for our food on those who do. A Thanksgiving service appropriately reminds us not to take the Earth’s bounty for granted. At this time, Templers traditionally give thanks, not only for the fruits of the Earth (see display) but for God’s greatest gift, our children.

Human beings everywhere, whether "primitive" or civilised", whether in ancient times or today, have always had a sense that the arrival of a new being in their midst calls for some kind of special acknowledgment. By bringing their babies before the community, the parents invite us to share in the joy, introduce their children and allow them to be greeted and surrounded by great goodwill. By their presence here, members of the community signal the open-hearted welcome they extend to the new babies and their parents.

Our Presentation gets its name from the account of the infant Jesus’ presentation in the Temple at Jerusalem, described in Luke 2:22.

Templer Presentation is an acknowledgment of several things:

Firstly, our heart-felt gratitude for and celebration of the safe arrival of these children.

Secondly, that making the effort to participate in something more formal, like this ceremony, helps to deepen family bonds and to strengthen community ties.

Thirdly, that being totally responsible for the physical, mental and spiritual welfare of a mysterious, vulnerable little being newly arrived on Earth is pretty awesome. When this realization sinks in, many parents are moved to ask for the blessing of the higher powers on their baby, and on their own endeavours to guide and nurture this precious individual, as he grows and seeks to find his own way in the world – and to unfold his full potential. At presentation, we all ask together for blessing, because asking together, of one accord, is more powerful than asking alone.

And lastly, that, although most of us feel reasonably strong, clever and competent, it is nonetheless reassuring to have a community network to support us, should we become unable, for a time, to do as well as we would like by our families. As a community we pledge to stand by these families, should the need for our involvement arise. And we will try to do what we can to make this world a safer place for these children, and for all children.

Before we proceed to the actual presentation, let us sing hymn No. 122, "We share the joy", all three verses. Wally will play the tune through first, then we’ll join in.

The families with children to be presented today are:

Mark Turner and Ingrid née Slip with their son Oscar David Turner, born 28^th August 2003, and
Russell Cooke and Marita née Beck with their son Samuel Russell Cooke, born 15^th October 2003.

Congratulations, and a sincere and heartfelt welcome to Oscar and Samuel.

Mark and Ingrid, Russell and Marita, we encourage you to give your child access to the wisdom and the richness of great teachings and philosophies, so that your children may come to understand the importance of the message of faith, hope and love that wise teachers like Jesus proclaim. Jesus said that he came so that we might have life in all its fullness – a full-filled life; we believe that his ideas are worth devoting time and thought to.

We trust you to surround Oscar and Samuel with truth, goodness and beauty, with those values that bring harmony to their hearts and minds, to your family and to the world.

Would you please bring your sons up now.

Blessing of each child.

Dear God,

We give thanks for the safe arrival of these children and for the love and goodwill that surround them. May they take their place in the world with confidence and strength, in touch with Your Spirit of love, creativity and joy that is within them, and may their lives bring a sense of fulfilment, and uplift those they come in contact with.

Bless these parents and all parents, grandparents, and godparents, carers, teachers and mentors, so that they and the children they bring up may be filled with Your wisdom, serenity and patience, and shine as living expressions of Your love – as Your temples. Amen.

To celebrate new babies and the wonder they inspire, we’ll now hear Jenny and Ingrid singing "I believe".

There is an opportunity now for children to go and do things out the back.

Our readings for this day of thanksgiving come from the Psalms, many of which are full of praise and gratitude. While God, however we imagine "Him", does not need our praise and gratitude, it is very good for us, for our mental health and happiness , to give thanks – for all the good things in our lives, – and even for those we judge "bad", and which later, in hindsight, we may be able to acknowledge as having helped us to grow more mature, and stronger in mind and character.

From Psalm 100 – "Let all the earth acclaim the Lord and worship him in gladness. Enter his presence with joyful songs. Give thanks to him, for he is good and his love is everlasting; his faithfulness endures to all generations".

I have come to realize that "God is good" does not mean he makes our lives easy, safe and convenient, but that, in the inevitable times of crisis, we can experience his powerful presence – the Force – upholding us and supporting us through the suffering – if we ask for and are open to this help. When we are in crisis, faith that this help is available may be a strong factor in keeping us sane and functioning.

Psalm 107:8 – "Let us give thanks to the Lord for his love, and for the marvellous things he has done for humanity" – for instance, that, over countless millennia, conditions have evolved on this tiny part of the universe that allow us humans to live for a while. How splendid, how privileged is that in the infinite picture of the cosmos!

Then, Psalm 139:13 which says: "You it was who fashioned my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. You fill me with awe…"

Some of you will have seen on TV some time ago the extraordinary programs on the human body. One in particular left me with a feeling of total awe, the one about how babies are formed, how many different factors have to be exactly right for a new human being to be created successfully – in the Psalmists vivid words: to be "knitted together in its mother’s womb." – I can’t believe it’s all just an automatic biological process – the divine creative Lifeforce surely plays an important part in fashioning each unique new child, and, I believe, has an interest in its fulfilling its potential.

At a Presentation service, it is appropriate to remind ourselves that bringing up children is sacred work – one of the most important things we’ll ever do. It is sad, and rather stupid, that Western society generally does not acknowledge this.

We are given our children in trust, to care for and nurture for a while. We will most likely be required to sacrifice some personal comfort and convenience in attending to their needs. – It occurred to me that the words sacred and sacrifice may well be related. When you are tempted to resent having to make sacrifices for your children, it may help to remember that your child-rearing is sacred work and serves not only them, but the divine Lifeforce with a capital L.

Ted Noffs, founder of the Wayside Chapel in Kings Cross, adapted the ‘Beatitudes’ from the Sermon on the Mount for his naming ceremonies. I’ll give you the gist of a few of them:

Blessed are the parents able to teach their children what is real and what is not; that the media and virtual reality, celebrities and "reality’ shows deal in hyped-up images, not in the truly real.

Blessed are the people who realise that a little child is real, and that new potential is born with every new boy or girl. It takes only one child to create a new age – for example, see the influence Jesus had. So why not be optimistic?

Blessed are the people who realise that future generations looking back will consider our materialistic, me-first attitudes primitive. The world desperately needs Einsteins and Galileos of the spirit who can lead humanity to a greater understanding of the deep spiritual-scientific principles underlying the cosmos and humanity’s development towards the harmonious, creative and compassionate state that we call the "kingdom of God".

We do important, sacred work if we can help our children to become what they are meant to be, namely unique and wonderful expressions of the creative Lifeforce. We are a true blessing to our children if we can help them be in touch with their innate wisdom, love, joy and creativity – that is, with what many call the Holy Spirit within, by virtue of which we call ourselves Temples of God. If they have been made aware, and are confident of their connection with this unlimited energy of the universe – if they have faith in the Godforce within – then this will naturally show in their lives. They will be happy, healthy in mind and body, successful and radiant human beings, who will be a blessing to all whose lives they touch. – We wish that for all our children, don’t we, whatever age they are now!

Our Community has a sound basis for creating the kind of supportive atmosphere that will encourage and guide our children, as well as our grown-ups. But we will be effective only so long as we remember, – each one of us – to keep tuned into the light, the unconditional love and the peace of the Godforce within. Without that, a Temple is nothing but an empty shell.

Such things are not taught in most schools here, where education is geared to the outer world and to how much money one can make. Yet the depression so many people fall into may well reflect their experience that it profits them nothing at all if they "gain the whole world" – accumulate all kinds of material things – but "lose their soul", their connection with the inner world, with an awareness of a deeper, spiritual dimension.

Our children will become increasingly capable of using their own strengths, intellect and will wisely – if we have laid the foundations that enable them to have confidence in themselves and in their inner guidance. We do this largely through our own example, which we try to base, as much as we can, on Jesus’ teachings. Needless to say, it is vital that what we tell our children matches what they see us doing. Otherwise we’ll only make them confused and cynical. It takes discipline and self-knowledge to be – and stay – a good example – that’s one reason we pray for grace, and help with our sincere endeavours to do the best we can by our children and by one another.

To sum up:

We welcomed and asked for blessing on our babies and their families. We reflected on our responsibilities towards our children as parents, and as a community, to care for them physically, but also to help them discover and get in touch with their deeper, spiritual side. Without this connection humans are forever haunted by a feeling that something meaningful is missing from their lives.

Now, as we approach the end of this time of thanksgiving, we give thanks once more for life, for our ups and downs, for the people we love and for our community, for the warm and joyful fellowship we can experience when we celebrate together, and for the guidance available to those who ask.

Let us say the Lord’s Prayer together. Our version comes after hymn 129 in the hymnbook. It’s ok if you say it your way, the main thing is to say it consciously.

Prayer: Our Father…

There is a collection box over here. To round off this service, Anja Leszinsky will sing "May the Lord bless you today". Thanks

Postlude – CD

Thank you all for being here. Now I wish you all a lovely afternoon over coffee and cake.

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Saal März 2004. Tabulam and Templer Home for the Aged

Willkommen und herzlichen Dank für euer Erscheinen. Heute möchte ich von der Vorgeschichte zu Ostern sprechen. Nach dem Programmm der Ältesten in der Tempelgesellschaft wurde der heutige Text vorgesehen, und ich halte mich gerne daran, denn jedes Thema hat seinen Reiz. Diesen Reiz auszuschöpfen, ist mir immer ein besonderes Vergnügen. Hier hätte ich gerne, daß wir aus dem Lied Nr 15 die ersten drei Verse singen. Es heißt Der Herr ist gut.

Der Herr ist gut, in dessen Dienst wir stehn,
Wir dürfen ihn in Demut Vater nennen!
Wenn wir nur treu auf seinen Wegen gehn,
So sehn wir ihn vor zarter Liebe brennen.
Dies Wort gibt uns im Kampfe Kraft und Mut:
Der Herr ist gut.

Der Herr ist gut. Er will der Sünder Schuld
Nicht unerbittlich mit dem Schwerte rächen;
Es ist bei ihm ein Reichtum der Geduld,
Er heilet gern der Irrenden Gebrechen,
Er segnet uns durch seines Sohnes Blut.
Der Herr ist gut.

Der Herr ist gut und teilt sich willig mit,
Sein Wesen ist ein Brunnen edler Gaben;
Er geht uns nach und fragt bei jedem Schritt,
Ob wir nicht was zu bitten haben.
Wo ist ein Herr der so mit Knechten tut?
Der Herr ist gut.

Als Jesus in Jerusalem einzog, war er vielleicht der Einzige der nicht jubelte. Er tat was er seinem Vorsatz zugrunde, tun mußte. Das Abendmahl, das er mit seinen Jüngern feierte, war ein symbolischer Akt, um noch einmal zu zeigen, was Nächstenliebe bedeutet. Daß auch keiner ausgeschlossen war, nicht einmal Judas lschariot, von dem er wußte, daß er ihn verraten würde. Von einem Verrat als solchem, konnte kaum die Rede sein. Es war vielmehr eine Identifizierung Jesu, da die römischen Söldner ihn kaum kannten. Wie es dann weiter ging, entnehmen wir dem Markus Evangelium, Kapitel 14 und die Verse 32-42:

Und sie kamen zu einem Hofe mit Namen Gethsemane. Und er sprach zu seinen JÜngern: Setzet euch hier, bis ich hingehe und bete. Und nahm zu sich Petrus und Jakobus und Johannes, und fing an zu zittem. und zu zagen. Und er sprach zu ihnen: Meine Seele ist betrübt bis an den Tod; bleibet hier und wachet. Und ging ein wenig fürbaß, fiel auf die Erde und betete, daß, so es möglich wäre, die Stunde vorüberginge.

Und sprach, Abba mein Vater, es ist Dir alles möglich, überhebe mich dieses Kelchs; doch nicht was ich will sondern was Du willst. Und kam, und fand sie schlafend und sprach zu Petrus: Simon, Schläfst du? Vermochtest du nicht eine Stunde zu wachen. Wachet und betet, dass ihr nicht in Versuchung fallet. Der Geist ist willig aber das Fleisch ist schwach. Und er ging wieder hin uind betete und sprach dieselben Worte. Und kam wieder und fand sie abermals schlafend denn ihre Augen waren voll Schlafs, und sie wussten nicht was sie ihm antworteten.

Und er kam zum drittenmal und sprach zu ihnen: Ach wollt ihr nun schlafen und ruhen? Es ist genug die Stunde ist gekommen. Siehe, des Menschen Sohn wird überantwortet in der Sünder Hände. Stehet auf und lasst uns gehen, siehe, der mIch verrät ist nahe.

Der Garten Gethsemane ist uns allen, wenIgstens dem Namen nach ein Begriff. Die grösse seines Entschlusses, sich für seinen Glauben zu opfern bedrückt Jesus. Er nimmt nur seine Lieblingsjünger, nämlich Petrus, Jakobus und Johannes etwas weiter. Er erhoffte von diesen wohl etwas mehr Beistand. Er findet aber doch, daß er im Grunde, auf sich allein angewiesen ist. Er weiß, daß sie sich der Größe seiner Tat kaum bewußt sind.

Er hat noch eine kleine Hoffnung, wenn er zu ihnen sagt: Bleibet hier und wachet. Er wollte nicht bewacht sein, sondern er wollte, daß sie geistig wach bleiben für das Kommende. Er konnte doch nicht genau wissen, wie sich sein Schicksal entwickeln würde. Er ging dann etwas weiter und betete. In Wirklichkeit bat er Gott, ihn wenn möglich zu schonen, obwohl er wußte, daß so etwas nicht mehr möglich war. Wir alle können uns, ob bewußt oder unbewußt, in eine Ecke treiben, aus der es kein Zurück mehr gibt. Das war es ja, was Jesus getan hatte, sich selbst in eine Sackgasse begeben. Natürlich bringen wir uns selbst kaum in eine lebensbedrängende Lage, wie Jesus es tat.

Wenn wir sangen: Der Herr ist gut in dessen Dienst wir stehn, müssen wir uns dieser Tatsache voll bewußt sein. Er ist gut, wenn wir in seinem Dienst stehn. Dazu gehört, daß wir ihm helfen. In seinem Dienst stehen heißt doch auch wohl, ihm Vertrauen schenken. Wenn wir das nicht tun, dann hilft er uns auch nicht den Mut und die Kraft zu unserem persönlichen Kampf zu finden.

Ja, er betete, und--sagte aber am Schluß: Doch nicht was ich will, sondern was du willst. Er vertraut also in Gott und weiß, egal wie schlecht es für ihn ausgehen wird, es wird zum Guten sein für die Menschheit. Wir erwarten dann wohl ein gutes Ende für uns selbst. Wir sprechen schon davon, was wir unseren Nachbarn Gutes tun können. Wenn es aber dann daraufhinaus gehen könnte, daß wir die Verlierer sind, dann ziehen wir uns lieber zurück.

Dies ist ein Beispiel, wie wir unterscheiden können zwischen hoher Moral und politischem Denken. Jesus vollführte seinen moralischen Entschluss, während die andem ihn aus politischen Gründen aus dem Wege haben wollten. Leider passiert dies jeden Tag, und ist wirklich kein Zeugnis von hoher Moral. Politisch denken wir, wenn wir etwas zu unserem Vorteil vornehmen und nicht zu dem Vorteil der Allgemeinheit.

Jesus war kaum erstaunt, daß er seine Jünger schlafend fand. Wie konnten sie verstehen was auf dem Spiel stand. Wenn man sich zu wenig damit befaßt was in der Welt vor sich geht, versteht man natürlich nicht, warum auf einmal etwas schief geht. In Wirklichkeit geschieht nichts plötzlich. Auch ein Unglück wächst wie eine Pflanze oft lange, ehe wir es erleben.

In Vers 38 heißt es: Wachet und betet, daß ihr nicht in Versuchung fallet. Der Geist ist willig; aber das Fleisch ist schwach. Welcher Art ist die Versuchung von der Jesus spricht? Ich denke es ist die Versuchung, nichts zu tun. Den Ereignissen möglichst den Rücken hindrehen. Wieviele sagen sogar bei einem Unfall: Ich will nichts damit zu tun haben. Selbst wenn der Geist willig.wäre, haben wir immer mit dem tierischen Teil unseres Seins zu kämpfen, welches teil meist der Gewinner ist. Das kann jeder an sich selbst erproben. Leider denken wir meistens nicht einmal darüber nach.

Jesus ging noch zweimal, und mußte seine Jünger wecken. Sie haben nicht unbedingt geschlafen. Aber sein geistiger Kampf war zu Ende. Seine körperlichen Leiden waren nur der Ausklang. Was das Endresultat sein wird, nämlich daß 2000 Jahre später beinahe eine Milliarde Menschen sich als Christen ausgeben, konnte er nicht voraussehen. Die Gedanken der Jünger waren also sicherlich woanders. Es ist immer schwierig, die Gedanken eines andern zu erraten, wenn wir mitten in einem großen Geschehnis stecken. Wenn man weiß, wie ein anderer zu einem gewissen Thema steht, kann man seinen Gedanken schon nahe kommen. Die kleineren Einzelheiten sind dabei weniger notwendig zu·wissen.

Können wir jetzt die letzten beiden Verse des angefangenen Liedes Nr l5 singen:

Der Herr ist gut. Kein Elend ist so groß,
Er hat so Kraft und Neigung uns zu schützen;
Umschließet uns der ew’gen Liebe Schoß,
So können wir im stillen Frieden sitzen;
Das macht sein Schutz, daß man hier sicher ruht.
Der Herr ist gut.

Der Herr ist gut und bleibt es bis zum Tod.
Wir sollen ihm in seinen Annen sterben;
Er will uns führen aus der letzten Not
Und alles, was er hat, uns lassen erben,
Und Ruhe geben, Wie er selber ruht.
Der Herr ist gut.

Es kommt nun darauf an, wie wir den Trost, den diese beiden Verse ausdrücken, aufnehmen. Jesus hat von diesem Trost gewußt. Dieser Trost kann auch zu uns kommen durch unser Vertrauen in Gott, in unser Schicksal. Man kann natürlich sagen, so war es geplant für mein Leben. Wer aber steht hinter dem Plan? Gott, die Allmacht, der Schöpfer? Wir können es nennen, wie wir wollen. Am Ende ist ein Etwas, das die Welt leitet. Wir können das oft selbst erleben, wenn wir durch eine Fügung das Richtige tun, selbst wenn unser Verstand etwas Anderes sagt. Das Endresultat ist der Beweis dafür.

Wir wollen beten:

Unser Vater, geheiligt werde dein Name
Laß uns dein Reich finden.
Dein Wille geschehe überall auf Erden.
Gib uns unser täglich Brot,
und gib uns die Kraft unsern Peinigern
zu vergeben, wie du uns vergibst.

Laß uns nicht in Versuchung kommen
Damit wir vom Bösen erlöst werden.
Denn dein ist das Reich, und die Kraft
Und die Herrlichkeit in Ewigkeit.

Amen

Weil uns Jesus so vieles gegeben hat, dürfen wir unser religiöses Empfinden auf eine fröhliche Art feiern. Wie mein Großvater Sawatzky schon in den zwanziger Jahren sagte: Wir feiern unsere Religion in all unserm Tun.

Musik

Ich möchte allen noch einen schönen Sonntag wünschen

[This Service was also used at Tanunda 4 April 2004 by Kurt Beilharz]

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SAAL Bayswater: 14-03-2004. Sommerfest

Elder: Dr Rolf beilharz

Welcome to our Sommerfest of 2004. I welcome particularly the members and friends who have come from far away. Peter Lange, the president of the Temple Society is visiting us from Germany. He will also speak in this service. I know there are other visitors from Germany, several members of the Hänel family with a friend and Ella Mutschlechner, visiting her daughter Andrea, our youth exchange visitor.

Herzlich willkommen ihr Besucher aus Deutschland. Es wäre nett wenn alle Besucher aus Übersee aufstehen würden, so dass wir sie erkennen können um nachher persönlich mit ihnen zu sprechen.

I also welcome all visitors from Country Victoria, from Sydney and elsewhere in NSW, and from anywhere else. For those of you who are not Templer Members, we welcome you to our festival and wish that you will enjoy what is on offer and experience goodwill and friendship among us.

Today= s religious service consists of two main parts. After a hymn I will speak about the bible text. Then the choir sings. Then Peter Lange, the president of the Temple Society continues the service, which will conclude with a prayer and another hymn. Sonja Glenk will then play the postlude music to complete the divine service. Please don= t then rush away. Some Templers who have recently been in Israel will make a presentation to the Peter Lange and me, of material which is the result of cooperation of Israeli researchers about the Temple Society in Palestine and our heritage groups. Peter and I will try to keep our parts short, so that you will not miss out on the Pretzels and other items starting at 11 o= clock.

We begin with hymn Nr. 31 Geh aus mein Herz, or Sing o my heart. Sing in English or in German as you please. We sing verses 1, 2 and 5.

The text for today= s service is in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 16, verses 10 to 13.

This text is a teaching of Jesus and is self-explanatory in its simple message. Essentially it says that if you love money and are prepared to cheat to get it, even in a small way, you miss out on what God= s will is for people. Elsewhere in the bible Jesus= question A What good is it to a person if he gains the whole world but damages his soul?@ is also self-explanatory. We all know the answer to this question. A Having good relations with people satisfies deep human needs much more than becoming personally rich@ .

These teachings of Jesus describe human nature. Jesus in the language of his time speaks in terms of God having created mankind to be good, which is that state which allows people to satisfy their deep needs.

The text I read has a similar teaching in the gospel of Matthew. Matthew has arranged his gospel in themes. The three chapters 5 to 7 contain the teaching theme. We call it the Sermon on the mount. In chapter 6, the statement that man cannot serve two masters is followed by further explanations like this. Don= t be anxious about food and drink, or clothes. Surely life is more than food, or clothes. Animals and birds don= t worry about such things, yet God looks after them. You can= t extend your life by worrying about it. Such worrying is what heathens might do. But you, my followers, should A set your mind on God= s kingdom and his justice before everything else, and all the rest will come to you as well.@ Where have we read this before? It is the motto of the Temple Society and is up there on the Chapel wall.

In today= s words, God= s kingdom is that state of happiness which people achieve when they satisfy their deep needs. There they will be able to trust others fully. People will consider the good of the community before their own selfish desires. In the bible this is A loving your neighbour as you love yourself@ . You cannot reach that state while your mind is concerned with getting rich. But you can experience it when you give freely to those in need and accept gratefully when others help you. You can practise God= s justice, which is to forgive others, as others will then forgive you.

Unfortunately, today= s western economies and our lives are based and evaluated entirely on money. Are modern humans happy and do they live in peace? No! Everyone is afraid of the next terrorist attack. And the whole public policy focuses on making better weapon systems that will defend our riches against the terrorists. Modern people in our western societies are the very opposite of satisfied in their basic human needs for peace, harmony, trust of and good relations with others.

Like Jesus in his time, we can see the answer to our problem clearly. And no one else can give the necessary peace and harmony to us. It is we ourselves who must change our thinking away from selfish insistence on our rights to striving above all else for the peace and goodwill that mankind is capable of producing. We Templers have set ourselves a very practical goal. The need for this in our world is enormous. We welcome anyone who wishes to join us in striving above everything for this goal. For then, at least in our communities, all the other worldly things will fall into their proper place as well.

That is a summary of our religion. It should express itself entirely in the way we live. Let our Sommerfest be a celebration of goodwill and friendship. I invite you to enjoy our Sommerfest in this spirit.

Now we will hear from the Choir.

The community then sings the hymn Nr. 47, Ich singe dir mit Herz und Mund, or O Lord, I sing with mouth and heart, the verses 1,2,3 and 8. To be sung in German or English.

Sonja plays the postlude music.

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Good morning to everyone,

I am grateful for the opportunity of addressing you all at our Sommerfest Saal this morning. Six weeks ago I arrived here in Bayswater, and since then I have already met so many of you and everyone has shown me so much friendship and hospitality. It is a wonderful feeling to have such friendly relations with others. For me it is like coming home. My life is enriched by being among you.

It is my task as President of the Temple Society to promote, as well as I can, the mutual bonds between all of us. As Christians and Templers we are all called to pay attention to what Jesus and his apostles said about our attitude towards our neighbours and fellow citizens. Paul, the apostle who brought Christian thinking to the Western world, said in his letter to the Christian community in Rome the following noteworthy words, and I quote:

"My friends, I implore you: love in all sincerity, loathing evil and holding fast to the good. Let love of the Christian community show itself in mutual affection. Live in agreement with one another. And if possible, so far as it lies with you, live at peace with all." (Rom. 12:9-10,16,18)

Dear Templers, what Paul is demanding here, is in fact the foundation of everything a Christian community is striving for. It has been the foundation of our Templer faith since the day when this faith was expressed and formulated for the first time. And I would say that it has always been the strong point of Templer communities that they have seriously tried to put these principles into practice.

Many Templers are worried about the fact that younger people are not much interested in our community life. I ask you: Can we blame them for that? Perhaps we cannot, if we are not able to demonstrate to them what community life is worth to us and could also be worth to them. Is it not invaluable that we can experience among us friendship, faith, trust, reliability? Do we realize clearly enough what inner value these qualities represent? Perhaps we should point to that inner value more often when we talk to younger people. It is something we really need for a fulfilled life.

I want to make it clear that the Temple Society has not passed its use-by date. Although it is almost 150 years old, it is modern in its aspiration for better relations among people. While we do not follow Christoph Hoffmann’s thoughts in every detail, we still uphold his idea of establishing Christian communities for the wellbeing of humanity. In an age of increasing individualism and the loneliness resulting therefrom, we want to offer in our communities the warm atmosphere of being accepted by others, of being supported by them and of sharing their company.

Let us not forget that the friendly relations with others in our community are a treasure we possess. Let us not keep it hidden. Let us think of Paul’s directions for life in a community when he says: Let love of the Christian community show itself in mutual affection. There will be a future for our community if we do not neglect this principle.

May God bless us in everything which we earnestly undertake!

A fortnight ago at our farewell service in Boronia, the little bell of the Boronia Hall sounded for the last time in that old community building. In my talk there, I expressed the wish that this bell might sound again somewhere else in the future. Today it is standing here in front of us. Eventually, it will in the belltower of this beautiful chapel.

I am now going to let it also sound in this community building.

May the spirit of former community life in Boronia always inspire the services and functions in this chapel. May the bell always remind us of what we are striving for!

Sounding of the bell

Let us now direct our thoughts towards God, the everlasting power around and within us, when we hear words of prayer. First I will say a prayer attributed to St. Francis, and then we’ll all join in "Our father in heaven". If possible, please rise.

O Herr, mache mich zu einem Werkzeug deines Friedens, dass ich Liebe übe, wo man sich hasst, dass ich verzeihe, wo man sich beleidigt, dass ich verbinde, wo Streit ist, dass ich die Wahrheit sage, wo der Irrtum herrscht, dass ich den Glauben bringe, wo der Zweifel drückt, dass ich Hoffnung wecke, wo Verzweiflung quält, dass ich Freude mache, wo der Kummer wohnt. Ach Herr, lass du mich trachten: Nicht, dass ich getröstet werde, sondern dass ich tröste, nicht, dass ich verstanden werde, sondern dass ich verstehe, nicht dass ich geliebt werde, sondern dass ich liebe.

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; And where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek To be consoled as to console; To be understood as to understand; To be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

We"ll now sing Hymn No. 47 Ich singe dir mit Herz und Mund "Lord, I sing with mouth and heart" Verses 1,2,3 and 8. You may sing in German or English

Presentation of Doctoral Thesis of Dr. Dan Goldman by Hans Wennagel and Gertrud Blessing. (See also April ‘Templer Record’)

Dr. Goldman is a remarkable man. I have met him myself in Stuttgart and have since had many letters from him. He is a straightforward person and a real, good friend. His letter, which was recently published in the Templer Record, is written in a spirit we no longer thought possible between Israelis and Templers, between Jews and Christians. There is hope that a new generation in Israel now stands for tolerance, understanding and friendship.

This book is an excellent work on Templer architecture. He has contributed much to the present knowledge of Templer work in Palestine and we are grateful to him for this.

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When many years ago the former Regional Head of the Templers in Germany, Jon Hoffmann, had returned to Stuttgart from a visit to Australia, he expressed his feelings in the following words from the Old Testament: "Der Herr hat Gnade zu meiner Reise gegeben". (The Lord has had his grace shine upon my journey).

With these words he was referring not only to his safe return from his long trip, but also to the course of his entire life. With the quotation from the Bible he tried to express that, when you look back on your life and on its many turns and changes, you suddenly realize that all the different events were in some unaccountable way meaningful and essential for your life. You realize that what first looked as if it would do you harm, later proved to be of benefit to your life. It is this aspect of faith which gives one the assurance that behind all worldly events there is some divine spirit guiding one’s life and fitting together what had fallen apart.

It appears to me that the early Templers of Australia were perhaps looking back in a similar way when they were leaving the camp in Tatura. They had lost their settlements in Palestine and what for many generations had been their homeland. They had encountered hatred and enmity in their immediate surroundings. They had experienced deportation and internment. Their tireless endeavour to establish Christian communities seemed to have come to an end.

But then there was Boronia. There was a new beginning. There were new prospects. The Australian government had not decided to send them back to Germany. Instead it had offered them the opportunity of settling in this country which was on its way to form a nation out of people of many ethnic groups. And the Templers accepted that opportunity. They built new houses for their families and looked for jobs in order to earn their living.

Perhaps they remembered that old Biblical verse which I mentioned in the beginning: "The Lord has had his grace shine upon our journey". Perhaps they realized that this new chance would be a turning point in a long period of disaster. Instead of accusing God of leading them the wrong way, they assembled again in prayer to praise this God who had given their lives a new meaning. The first Templer community hall, which they built here in Boronia in a combined effort and which was opened in 1957, gives evidence of their new thinking.

Now that the decision has been made to no longer use this hall for Templer functions, it does not mean that the striving and hard work of the early Boronians were in vain. They have, in a convincing way, set an example, and other Templers have followed them in erecting community buildings in other places. But we have to keep in mind that it is not the building that forms a community, it is the people who are called on to form bonds of friendship, of good neighbourhood and of common religious thinking. Our farewell to this community hall will therefore not be a farewell to our Templer aims. With God’s further guidance we will wholeheartedly continue in our striving for better relations among people.

Let us always remember what a group of determined people have accomplished here in the past. Their determination, their leadership, their sense of community and their willingness to sacrifice time, energy and financial resources will not be forgotten. They have given us motivation, encouragement and confidence.

Let us now be united in our prayer to God, as so often in the past in this venue:

Almighty, everpresent God, through the teachings of Jesus you have indicated where our life should be directed to. Let us grasp that we are called upon to have good relations with one another and to create communities of people of good will. Give us strength to overcome the difficulties and hardship which we encounter in our life. Let us be aware of your guidance wherever we are and whatever happens to us.

Our father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
Your Kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us when in temptation and deliver us from evil.
For the Kingdom, the power and the glory are yours forever.

Amen.

On behalf of all Templers, I am now going to strike the bell of this community hall for the last time in this building. I personally witnessed the bell being cast in Stuttgart many, many years ago (in 1959). It was later shipped to Australia and donated by the Templers in Germany to the Boronia Templer Community as a gesture of friendship and common identity. It served the Community here for many years, calling the members to their Sunday Services.

I hope that in the future it will again be rung in a new place to the praise of God.