The Butterfly Effect Gospel Reading: Luke 21: 25-36 Dear Community of Christians, The first Advent contains a lot of anticipation, especially in the hearts of children. And this joy is contagious. And now, how different are the words of the Gospel: “there will be distress among the peoples of the earth and helplessness in the face of the surging sea and its mighty waves.” Can we find any connection between these two extremes? Dear community, I could not believe my eyes, when I looked in my archive and found my sermon of the first Advent Sunday in 2016. I have to confess; I could not say other, or better words of today. Let me share those past thoughts today as well: “Distress, mistrust and anxiety seem to become the common methods of public life to entangle our thinking. It seems only a matter of time that our hearts and minds will be poisoned by such methods. Now it is our personal responsibility to review these poisonous methods and to provide them with our healthy behaviour. To divide the world into tribes, races and nations, or ‘here the good, there the evil ones’, or ‘here the guilty ones and there the innocents’. This should no longer be a method to split smaller or greater communities.” These words were spoken 4 years ago dear community, and we are in the middle of this process. Then I continued: “In the last third of the 20th century an American scientist spoke about the butterfly effect, and asked, is it possible that the flap of a butterfly's wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas? He has opened the possibility that a butterfly flap causes a serious alteration to the events on the earth. Understood in this way, this describes effects in the field of nature. Meanwhile, we need to know that this effect is also in the social interaction of people. We can experience it mostly in a negative sense, whether in the splitting of families, in working or social communities, or splitting public opinion. Can we not also assume that there is a butterfly effect in a positive way? Whenever we turn selflessly with the power of our prayer towards the spiritual world, whenever we connect ourselves with the power of Christ, do currents of peace and love not flow out into the world? It is increasingly important that everyone gains the inner certainty that every prayer that comes from the power of community begets an inexhaustible source of peace for the world. Not only that the power of prayers remain when heaven and earth pass, but they will be carrying the people through the distress already in the here and now.” Indeed, four years later, this distress becomes even more concrete. But also, the other effect can be seen; more and more people awakened to the reality that there is a spiritual life beside the material world. The butterfly wings of love can cause an awakening of love for people who are entangled in the land of darkness. Rev. Ute Koenig
0 Comments
Dear friends, When you receive our new program, you might be astonished with how many different events you will find, in a time where common activities are not allowed. I have decided to continue our work as a spiritual and religious community, despite all the limitations. It goes without saying that each individual is free to decide whether or not to participate personally in any of the activities. My position in favour of this decision is based on two different points of view with regard to political events. Medical problems and issues cannot be decided by politicians and certainly cannot be solved. And there has never been a public debate between the different scientists about their different view on this virus and its consequences. This debate is still missing to this day. Independently of the official media, newspapers and television, there are other sources that provide quite different information, including other figures on the disease itself. It is not possible for a clear-thinking person to simply disqualify the critical scientists as frivolous or marginal. I hope that you will understand my decision to trust the spiritual strength of our Community, and that our inner efforts will be of help and encouragement to us all. In this program for the end of 2020 you will be able to discover some innovations. For our great future building projects, we asked a graphic designer to develop a new logo for us. All who were involved in this process are now very thankful for this beautiful Logo. From now on, you will see this Logo regularly as we present our work to the public. And you might discover a new name on the last page of the program. As you know the correspondent of the Christian Community in Ireland, Audrey Flynn, has taken another important task in her life. We wish her well in her future work; however, she continues to support our work in other ways. Now Brian Walsh, who was already connected with the congregation, has offered to help as the correspondent and has become a great help in many different fields of work. You might especially discover this on our website, which is now much more up to date. Brian will also give talks on the 12 senses, which have such an important role in our life for today and for the future. Brian's reflections will certainly give us interesting insights into how we might connect with our senses. I am also very thankful for Alan’s contribution during the Holy Nights. As we know from our own experiences that the time of the twelve Holy Nights are the most open time to connect ourselves with the spiritual world and also to receive their grace for the whole year. It seems more important than ever to give ourselves openly to this time. Of course, this is only one view of this time. The spiritual world needs also our attention. As Rudolf Steiner mentioned many times, our prayers, our intensive thinking and our offerings to this spiritual world is sustenance for its inhabitant’s. And with the help of art, music, and community endeavour these twelve special nights will come to fruition with a small concert. I am very grateful to Frolieb Tomsits and her colleague for having the courage to come to Ireland in spite of difficult external conditions. Our community life is greatly enhanced by her talent and generosity in sharing her skills. I think that the forces of trust on the one hand, and the forces of courage on the other hand are what we need now in these circumstances. Only with these forces can we stand up to the opposing forces. Rev. Ute Koenig
Revelations and the Challenge of our TimeGospel Reading: Revelations 22: 12-21 Dear Community of Christians, For most religious communities in the world, a dramatic church year is coming to an end. By living with the contents of the Gospel throughout the year, we have also arrived at the last book of the Gospel, the Revelation of John. Many words of Christ, and also of the parables, have comforted and strengthened us during the year. But the book of Revelation has a wider meaning. Here speaks not the incarnated Jesus Christ, but the Risen One, the angels, and the whole spiritual world speak to the people on earth. There is a very moving moment in this book when John, overwhelmed by what he has heard and seen, has spiritually received, falls down in prayer before the One who has told him everything. Then the One said: “Do not do that. I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers, those who herald the future and those who take the words of this book into their hearts.” This is an unalterable promise, but of course it is also linked to the hope that people will remain truly connected to the world of the angelic hierarchies, to the Lord of destiny, of whom Revelation says: “I am the first and the last, the very beginning and also the ultimate purpose of the world.” The church year is coming to an end, but the dramatic time of now, is probably far from over. This means that we should not underestimate the spiritual dimension of the current crisis. There is a spiritual and a social demand in what we are being asked to do. And that is the test! Can we completely overcome fear? Can we overlook the fact that we are being tested? The dark powers, visible and invisible, that work behind-the-scenes, have an effective method of enforcing their intentions. Above all through fear. There are many things about which we can be fearful. But behind all the different colors of fear stands the fear of death. Or more accurately for a languishing death, when slowly all the comfort we are used to in our personal life and in our physical body is taken away from us. And this fear is also present when we act against the restrictions, a fear that we will get punished. It holds us back from acting. Standing against this fear is our knowledge that we are embedded in the spiritual world. We know it, because we have experienced it many times in life. But now we have to make it visible in daily life, through our conscious behavior. When we step away from fear, then we can freely offer something. Important impulses for the world. These are seeds, and sprouts of potential for the future. Within every ending is planted a new beginning. Rev. Ute Koenig
Heaven and Earth: The End and the New BeginningGospel Reading: Revelations 21: 1-27 Dear Community of Christians, In the book of Matthew, the first book of the Gospels, there is a chapter which is called Proclamation to the Pharisees. When Christ presented his apocalyptic images to them, “He said: Yes, I tell you: Before the time of this generation shall have come to an end, the first signs will appear. The heaven and the earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” And now we have heard the end of these gospels, in the Book of Revelation: “I saw a new heaven and a new earth.” How can we understand what was prophesized by Christ, and the prophesy belonging to our time, and to the future, found in Revelations? Which incredible dimension of change lies between these two statements? How can we understand with our daily consciousness that there will be no sun, no earth anymore? That means, all that lives, crawls, grows and flourishes will one day cease to exist. Is there a thought that can help us to understand? When we die, our consciousness is no longer informed by what we have experienced with our earthly senses. The initiate Rudolf Steiner describes how our consciousness will not be extinguished after death. It cannot die. However, when we cross over into the life after death, we do not arrive in this world as a blank canvas. Every human being brings into this world of spirit his life experiences, his mental work, his feelings and desires, his will impulses and actions; all that has been inscribed in our life forces is with us. Immediately the question may arise, what kind of consequences does this have for our physical life on earth today? If we become aware that we bring everything described into the world after death, it must actually affect the spiritual world. Now it is clear, people will accomplish, in time, the transformation of heaven and earth. Admittedly, something about this idea seems too simple. Have all the dark, heavy, and evil forces, which humans bring into the world after death, simply disappeared from existence? But actually, they do exist as a reality. This forces us to conclude that we have to convert these powers while here on earth. These powerful forces are seemingly invincible for us humans, and we might fail. But if we have the will to connect ourselves with Christs divine word, with his sacrifice of Love, we may gain strength to stand against these adversarial forces. He offers his help, for all those who accept it, for this tremendous task of transformation of evil forces. And on our journey to transform the world of matter. This is already predisposed in the beginning of Christ's activity on earth. Therefore, the one who sat on the throne could say, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, both the beginning and the ultimate purpose of the world...” Rev. Ute Koenig
The Angelic WorldGospel Reading: Revelations 14: 1-20 Dear Community of Christians, Not so long ago, pictures of Christian motifs were naturally found in every house. It could be an image of the Holy Family, an image of Jesus Christ or an angel. Some people prayed in front of them, for others it was only part of their decoration. But at least there was still an expression of religious feeling. Today when we hear of angels, their devotion towards their task, and their words, as it is mentioned in the Book of Revelation, it takes an intense personal effort to decipher the images and their words. We know that in world, and human history there have been phases of development in which the presence of the spiritual world has been experienced very tangibly. But the dreamy knowledge of the constant presence of the spiritual world had to change. Man had to become independent. Human beings had to gain their autonomy. Today we are in the middle of this process towards achieving this independence. A general religious feeling has no place anymore in society. What we have achieved in terms of self-reliance can be seen in our enormous technical achievements. Like God, Man created with his technology a New World. But now we run the risk of feeling like Gods who have the attitude of ruling the world and we misuse the Independence of the Spiritual world. Do the words of Revelation still have a reality for us? “Have reverence for the divine world, the source of all revelation. The hour of the divine decision has come.” Can we find a relationship towards those words? A decision always means choosing; one side, or another? Now it is man who has to decide, but the spiritual world creates the conditions which will lead to the decision. Hence people have to ask themselves: Does what happens on earth have the moral weight, the moral power to serve the further development of mankind, as the Divine World powers work for it? Or does it only serve the self and its own development of power? This question applies to humanity, and to the individual destiny. The answer to this, that will be the decision. In the world of angels there is no morality. The angels and their task are one. The morality of humans must be developed on earth, and we have to educate ourselves in this direction continuously, through the activity of our conscience. Our naïve child-like faith is no longer sufficient in view of the reality of the spiritual world and its entities. The spiritual world, the angelic world asks for our commitment for the future of our human earthly world. This can only be achieved through the development of our selflessness and love towards every small deed. This then forms the new morality and our relationship towards technology, which must always be rooted in our individual development. Rev. Ute Koenig
The White GarmentGospel Reading: Revelations 7: 9-17 Dear Community of Christians, The writer of the book of Revelations was a living human being, initiated into the secrets of world evolution. The scope of his insights into world development included past, present and future. The way he describes that there are people present in the spiritual world with white robes, with purified thoughts, feelings and willing impulses, is a consoling image. These images are recognized on a spiritual level. This recognition was also present when he described the following image: “all angels stood in a circle about the throne and the elders and the four living Beings, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped the divine Ground of the world”. How can we find help to understand such images? Let us consider if we stand as human beings in the Centre of the life-sustaining sun, in our current state of incomplete soul. It becomes immediately clear, this is impossible. If we really think that the sun is just an assembly of fiery material elements, we might never come to the understanding where the ideas, the intuition of human beings comes from. Are they also just airy, fiery material elements? The great works of art would have never been created if we think in this way. The fact is that behind our visible sun, the spiritual creative power - the actual fundamental conditions of life work actively. It should make us aware that today the most important inner activity is to acknowledge the presence of spirituality as reality. In a next step, the presence of the spiritual and visible sun could convey to us that there is enough reason to be thankful every day. Hiding behind the gratitude, is amazement about everything we can learn and experience. - In order to expand the force of amazement, - striving for knowledge must be added. Some of those amazing daily occurrences happen, but actually we are not consciously involved. Probably we were unable to recognize it, and we turn to others for what THEY think, assuming they know better, and we possibly follow guidelines which we cannot reconcile with our conscience. Conscience is a voice in our soul, it is the Christ sun in us and it is the most important spiritual skill we have, to work on our clear thinking, our emotions, our feeling and to overcome our egoistic weaknesses. Even if we are not successful in our one life, we have already begun cleaning the garment of our soul, and at the same time, we contribute a healing quality for mankind. Rev. Ute Koenig
King of Kings, and Lord of LordsGospel Reading: Revelations 19: 11-16 Dear community of Christians, Let me begin with a little story that came along my way. One day there came a journeyman to the front of the city gate. And he suddenly discovered that Death was sitting at the entrance of the gate. The journeyman asked Death: “what are you doing here, what is your purpose here at the gate”? Death answered: “I am here to collect 500 people”. Full of horror, the journeyman ran to the market place and reported the arrival of Death. Fear and horror seized the people. Then, in this city there died not only 500, but 1000, and even more. After a time, the journeyman passed the city gate again and still saw Death sitting there. Full of furious anger, the journeyman said, “you said, you would take 500 people and now there are 1000 and even many more”. Then Death answered: “I have fulfilled my task and fetched 500 people. The other, many 1000s, are on your account.” This little story can teach us quite a lot. The fear that the journeyman has spread all over the place killed so many more people than was meant. In our time, the fear that is spread out by the media about the dangers of the virus, lies like a spell over the souls of men. This disease may or may not be dangerous to the extent that it is described. But we have to ask ourselves, what are we scared of? One day Death will certainly also be part of our destiny. And everybody knows this. What we are confronted in the last Century, and in this Century has an intensity with regard to death and evil that has never been seen before. Do we recognize, as people of our present time, that we are confronted with these two facts: death and evil? In view of death, we might fear, that we have to look back on our lives and have to recognize where we have failed. As we look back, we are caught, thoughtlessly, and gullibly, in dark tasks and evil deeds. And this is mostly outside of our consciousness. But this means that we must face up to it. In the time of the old mysteries: special people on the path of initiation had to go through trials and ordeals to become an initiate. One of the first, most important tasks was they were confronted with overcoming fear. In doing so, they developed the capacity to trust in, and be part of the Spiritual World. Could it be that in our time mankind as a whole has to go through an initiation? To bring to bear the influence of the spiritual world. And now we are tested, can we see and recognize the working of the evil forces and the shadow of death? When we do so, then we can recognise and counter this fear with trust in the Spiritual World. Rev. Ute Koenig
The Woman Clothed with the Sun, Moon and Stars Gospel Reading: Revelations 12: 1-17 Dear Community of Christians, John the Evangelist, who also wrote the book of Revelations, presents a powerful picture to us: “A woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, her head adorned with the crown of the twelve stars. And she was with child and cried out in the labour and pain of giving birth”. What he actually describes is the human being in its divine figure, and how the hierarchies, the divine trinity have created the human being up to this moment. When Christ fulfilled his sacrifice on earth, his deed was to save the part of the divine nature of the human being for the future that was lost in the past. Now Humans can be sure of the attendance and help of Christ. But this next step to come to our-self is a very difficult and painful birth. The step the human being has to develop now is to come to his true, unique individuality, the “I am”, that was already predisposed at the creating, but must now be brought to perfection by man himself. This should then make him able to take responsibility for his thinking, his feeling and his willing. For all his doing. We can feel great pain when we are in the middle of this difficult birth process. Because there are powers who don’t want man to regain spiritual forces. The dragon, in the picture of revelation, represents this dark force. He waits to devour the new born essential element, this pure spiritual being, the “I am”. Now the question for human beings is: who will win this battle? These forces want to bind and fix the human soul to the earthly matter unconditionally. We can clearly see how everything in everyday life today is aimed at binding us to money and goods, and that it is all about having a healthy physical body. The question that is currently not being asked, above all else, is, are our souls healthy? Is it not touching to know that the spiritual world has so much trust in the divine human creation? That it enables these dark powers to seduce man, to cut him off from the path, to the goal of mankind: the perfect man? This is the spiritual human, illumined and transformed through the sun, moon and stars. As I mentioned above, we can get help for this goal, and for these difficult confrontations by Christ forces that are embedded in our soul. The precondition for this help is our very individual turning to this Christ-power within us. It must be awakened and actively included in our struggle. Rev. Ute Koenig
The Armour of God Gospel Reading: Ephesians 6:10-17 Dear Community of Christians, The Apostle Paul points out in clear terms that we are not in a battle with earthly powers of flesh and blood, but with spiritual beings, powerful in the course of time. Shouldn't we first ask ourselves, what kind of imagination about such spiritual beings do we really have? Is it clear, that they are not beings we can see in a shape of physical matter? Nevertheless, they are acting with strong power. And there is the shocking fact, we are, each of us, their instruments which they need to achieve their goals. How does this work? The influence of the adversary is part of our human being in the form of our unclear thinking, our diffused feelings, and our egoistic wishes. Those weaknesses can be perfectly used by adversarial impulses we are not conscious of. But as long as we wrestle with some of our weaknesses to overcome it, even to develop them further for the good, the adversaries cannot do too much harm towards our spiritual being. In addition, if we try to stand in our “I am” and our responsible actions through our moral qualities, we are less vulnerable. But in the moment when the image of the human being is brought down to the level of a machine which is operating by external forces, with numbers and figures, as some scientists want us to think, that this is the right way towards the future in which Ahriman has easily plays with us. Rudolf Steiner once described the last third part of the 20th century in a letter and wrote: “Ahriman sits in a grotto under the earth. He numbers, calculates and counts with the greatest intensity. Michael is standing behind him with a sword in his hand, while Ahriman is in the grotto below earth, calculating and counting and trying to solve everything in his own way through organization - with a terrifying intellectual power. Michael gives him time. Michael knows that in the end he will reap the rewards.” We now live in the 21st century and part of the prophecy has found its fulfillment. We can see how numbers and statistics speak the main language, guiding the world. But now it is up to us, to make our contribution with real courage as Christians, morally responsible people in the best sense of the word. Then the archangel Michael will bring light, light through every single human being who follows his guidance. Rev. Ute Koenig
Sermon: Invitation to the Kingly WeddingGospel Reading: Matthew 22: 1-14 Dear community of Christians, The earth and its solid ground are the place where we as human beings feel safe. If our feet feel the solid earth, we can keep ourselves in balance. The moment the ground under our feet starts moving, for example on a stormy lake, or in an earthquake, we need all our strength to stay upright. When a blow of destiny strikes us, the solid ground of our soul is severely shaken and often we lose our inner balance. This is understandable and quite natural, because it is so human. When the king invites people to join the kingly wedding festival, to the wedding of the human soul with Christ the bridegroom. We can see this as the unconditional request of the spiritual world to join the spiritual path with the best intentions of the soul. And this is still valid today. But then those who are invited reject it. Actually, if we don’t follow the call, if we reject it, then - today nobody feels severely shaken, or loses their inner balance. We are so solidly bound as human beings, that we don’t anymore have the spiritual openness to look from a divine perspective; to see what is meant by rejecting this invitation in the context of the development of humanity. The ground of our soul should be shaken. In fact, we disregard our spiritual existence and reduce it to a purely external matter. It is mentioned that the king grew angry and sent out an invitation to people in general. In the end many accepted and came to the feast. But how do we enter the wedding hall? Are there rules for entering? Today, to enter consciously into the spiritual world is certainly not possible for many people. Sometimes, when we have experienced a difficult blow and our soul was deeply shaken, we could feel how unprepared and even trembling we were through this experience. For a time we lost the solid ground of our being. Such an experience could make us aware of the need for a purification of our soul. If we once want to enter into the wedding hall, whether in life or after death, we need the right garment. Our purified soul can be accepted, when the final proof is given that we are able to keep standing and not tremble anymore. Rev. Ute Koenig
|
Blog: Sermons, Event Reports and Updates from The Christian Community in Ireland
|