Ref

text (E) God asked: Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat? To the woman he said: Because you have done this, I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing. To Adam he said, Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you must not eat it, cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life" Now Cain said to his brother Abel: Lets go out to the field. There, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him The Lord said: What have you done? Listen! Your brothers blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brothers blood from your hand.

Jan

Gen 3

Feb

Gen 4

Mar Luke 22:45-46

Jesus rose from the prayer and went back to the disciples. He found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. Why are you sleeping?, he asked them. Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.

Apr

Luke 22:60-61

Peter replied: I dont know what youre talking about! Just as he was speaking, the cock crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him. Before the cock crows today, you will disown me three times.

May Rev. 18:10

Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: Woe, woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!

Jun

Acts 1:6-11

Jesus said: You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. And Jesus was taken up. Two men appeared and said: Men of Galilee, this same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way you have seen him go into heaven. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon: Put out your nets into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch. When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish, that their nets began to break. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus knees and said: Go away from me Lord, I am a sinful man! Then Jesus said to Simon: Dont be afraid; from now on you will catch men.

Jul

Luke 5:4-6,8,10

At that time the Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. When the bridegroom arrived, the virgins who were ready, went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like Matth. 25:1 + 10 men waiting for their master, so when he comes and knocks, they can immediately open the door for him. Aug Luke 12:35-36 Love your neighbour as yourself Jesus said: 30. A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers. 33. But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34. He went to him and bandaged his wounds. 36. Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?

Sep

Luke 10:27-36

Oct

Luke 22:19-20

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it; and gave it to them, saying: This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me. In he same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

Nov

John 20:29

Jesus said to Thomas: Because you have seen me, Thomas, You have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

Dec

Matth. 11:28

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Text (G)

Gott fragte: Hast du etwa von den verbotenen Frchten gegessen? Zur Frau sagte er: Unter Schmerzen wirst du deine Kinder zur Welt bringen. Zum Mann sagte er: Weil du auf deine Frau gehrt und mein Verbot bertreten hast, soll der Acker verflucht sein. Dein Leben lang wirst du hart arbeiten mssen, damit du dich von seinem Ertrag ernhren kannst. Kain sagte zu seinem Bruder Abel: Komm und sieh dir einmal meine Felder an. Als sie aber draussen waren, fiel er ber seinem Bruder her und schlug ihn tot. Da fragte der Herr ihn: Wo ist dein Bruder Abel? Hrst du nicht, wie das Blut deines Bruders von der Erde zu mir schreit? Du stehst nun unter einem Fluch und must das Land verlassen und der Acker ist mit dem Blut deines Bruders getrnkt.

Jesus erhob sich vom Gebet und ging zu den Jngern und fand sie schlafend, so erschpft waren sie vor Kummer. Was schlaft ihr denn?, fragte er sie. Steht lieber auf und betet, damit ihr in der kommenden Prfung nicht versagt

Petrus stritt es ab: Ich weiss berhaupt nicht, wovon du sprichst. Im gleichen Augenblick krhte ein Hahn. Der Herr drehte sich um und sah Petrus an. Da fiel Petrus ein, was der Herr zu ihm gesagt hatte: Bevor heute der Hahn krht, wirst du dreimal behaupten,dass du mich nicht kennst!

Sie werden sich in weiter Entfernung halten, weil sie Angst vor den Qualen der Stadt haben. Sie werden klagen: Wie schrecklich! Wie furchtbar! Das grosse und mchtige Babylon. Innerhalb einer Stunde ist das Gericht ber dich hereingebrochen!

Jesus sagte: Ihr werdet die Kraft des Heiligen Geistes empfangen, der ber euch kommen wird, und sollt meine Zeugen sein in Jerusalem, in ganz Juda und Samaria, ja bis ans Ende der Erde. Und er wurde vor ihren Augen emporgehoben. Da standen zwei Mnner und sagten: Ihr Leute aus Galila, dieser Jesus, der von euch weg in den Himmel aufgenommen ist, wird genauso wieder herabkommen, wie ihr ihn jetzt habt gen Himmel fahren sehen. Als er mit seiner rede zu Ende gekommen war, sagte er zu Simon: Fahre aufs tiefe Wasser hinaus und lasst eure Netze zum Fang hinab. Als sie das taten, fingen sie eine so grosse Menge Fische, dass ihre Netze zu zerreissen drohten. Als Simon Petrus das sah, fiel er Jesus zu Fssen und sagte: Geh weg von mir, Herr, denn ich bin ein sndiger Mensch! Doch Jesu sagte zu Simon: Frchte dich nicht! Von jetzt an sollst du Menschen fangen. Dann wird man das Himmelreich mit zehn Mdchen vergleichen knnen, die mit ihren Lampen in der Hand auszogen, den Brutigamm einzuholen. Als der Brutigamm kam, und die bereitstanden, gingen sie mit ihm zur Hochzeitsfeier hinein; und die Tr wurde zugeschlossen. Die Lenden fest umgrtet, die Lampen brennend: so sollt ihr Menschen gleichen, die darauf warten, wann ihr Herr vom Hochzeitsmahl heimkehrt, um ihm, sobald er kommt und klopft, gleich zu ffnen.

27. Liebe deinen Nchsten wie dich selbst. Jesus sagte: 30. Ein Mann ging von Jerusalem hinab nach Jericho. Da wurde er von Rubern berfallen. 33. Ein reisender Samariter jedoch kam auch an ihm vorbei, der sah ihn und erbarmte sich. 34. Lief herzu und verband seine Wunden. 36. Wer von diesen Dreien ist dem zum Nchsten geworden, der von der Rubern berfallen war?

Und er nahm Brot, sprach den Lobpreis, brach es und gab es ihnen und sagte: Das ist mein Leib, der fr euch gegeben wird. Das tut zu meinem Gedchtnis. Und ebenso auch den Becher nach dem Essen und sagte: Dieser Becher ist der neue Bund, begrndet durch mein Blut, das fr euch vergossen ist.

Jesus sagte zu Thomas: Weil du mich gesehen hast, bist du glubig geworden. Heil denen, die ohne zu sehen, zum Glauben kommen!

Kommt alle zu mir, ihr Mhseligen und Beladenen, ich will euch erquicken.

Theme

work: blessing and curse?

violence: Resistance and /or submission

temptation: succumb or overcome?

key Gen thoughts 3 tries to explain the "lost-ness" of human beings. What constitutes our "lost-ness"? In what sense are we lost? In our lives, what do we experience as a blessing? As a curse? Sometimes blessings come in disguise, do we experience that? Is work a blessing or a curse - is this 9gen 3) a curse ("Als wollte er belohnen so richtet er die Welt") Are we thankfull for our employment / chores / work? How do we start a new year of productivity? Are we aware of our limits? Can we as Christians display a healthy and balanced attitude towards work? Is violent behaviour part of our human condition? Killer-instinct? Is pacifism / non-violence possible? Rights, Responsibilities, Relationships. No (hu)man is an island, ubuntu principle. Love your brother / neighbor / enemy. Just wars? How do we experience injustice / opression? Does this experience justify violence in self defence? (How) can we asChristians break through the cycles of violence? We do sometimes get tired / weak. We do at times give in to temptation. Do we need to condemn ourselves for that? Does God condemn us for that? The spirit may be strong, the flesh however is weak - or is that a wrong dichotomy? Do we experience prayer as a help in our fight against our own weakness / phlegma / temptedness? How do we deal with the faliures of others? As Christians, can we live our lives from a basic attitude of mercy, rather than condemnation?

Do words matter? Peter was quick with words, both when promising faithfullness to Jesus - and when breaking this promise. But are they not just words? Are not deeds so much more important than words? Are our lives transparent? Where is the "cock-crow" in steadfastness: Confess or our lives? How do we deal with it? (How) can Christians be a role deny? model in a society where nothing seems to really matter any more? Can we still live in the city? Does urban life eat our lives? Is there hope in the darkness ("in the land of Mordor, where the shadows lie")? Are we still able to lament? (How) do we experience God's "shalom" in our lives? Are we part of the problem or part of the solution? What is our "Babylon"? Can we as Christians model a life that does not put inappropriate trust in the powers of this future: doom and destruction? world?

power: between heaven and earth.

Do we allow God's spirit to empower us? Do we expect to be filled with God's power? Power over what or whom? Does Power corrupt? How do we perceive those in power? Those without power? How does Gods presence encourage us? Do we hear the message of the "two men"? Who are they for us? Do our feet firmly touch ground? Are we turning our faces towards heaven? Do we as Christians, filled with the Spirit of God, make a difference in this world?

depth: fear and courage

Are we prepared to navigate into the "deep water"? Where is the deep water in our lives? Are we afraid of the deep waters? Or do we expect rich blessings, success? How do we experience God's help? Do we praise Jesus over the breakthroughs in our lives? How do we as Christians participate in the "missio dei" of our Lord?

banquet (celebration): ready or not?

journey: from self to others

table: unity and diversity.

We are invited to be God's wedding guests. Do we live like that? Gate-keepers, lamp-bearers must be ready all the time. Are we? Do our lives reflect this? Are we "dressed" appropriately? How do we live our lives? Do we just wait for others to run our lives for us? Where are our "closed doors"? As Christians, do we embody a perspective that takes its horizon from God's world? Living as "neighbour" is not the pregogative of a few: love your neighbour is for all! Not only for the professional, the social worker, the doctor or the nurse. We are all in demand. It is a journey, sometimes easy-going, sometimes tough. "Brother, let me be your servant...". On our way, the donkey, the inn and the innkeeper are resouces that we can use. Do we know them? Are we well acquainted with ways of helping others. Do we follow the basic Christian call to love others? The body is one. The cup is one. Though we are many, like grains, like grapes we become one. There is place at the table for me and for you. Even for Judas. There is a place in the fellowship of our Lord. Heis there for us. Will we live in remembrance of him? Does "belonging to Jesus" influence our everyday life? In a good and healthy way? Do sacrament and everyday life point into the same direction? Do we as Christians live out the mystery of unity in diversity and diversity in unity?

faith: seeing and / or believeing?

True faith does not need to see. Really? Do we not always visualize even that which we cannot see? Does it simply seem more heroic to "believe what you don't see"? Do we need to be hero's of faith? Is it not sufficient to have that mustardseed of faith? That faith which says: Lord I believe, help my unbelief!". As Christians we can engage in a faith that stretches our horizon beyond what is commonly visible.

We all need rest. From time to time. At this time of the year. Are we just passive when we rest? Where do we find new strength and energy, inspiration and direction? Do we just need a quiet spot? Or some distraction, debriefing, de-roling, unwinding, relaxing, cooling down? Can rest in itself be creative? What do we do with our burdens, our heavy loads? Do we carry them alone? Can we, as rest: refreshing or restraining? Christians, live and work and rest in a good and healthy balance?

other

30 Jan: Mahatma Ghandi 17 Feb: Giordano Bruno 22 Feb Gesch Scholl 4 Feb: Manche, Bonhoeffer

4 Apr: Martin Luther King Jr 6 Apr Duerer 9 Apr Bonhoeffer

3 Jun Hudson Taylor 13 Jun Martin Buber

20 Aug W. Booth

4 Sept Schweitzer 5 Sept Mother Theresa

22 Nov: Huxley, Kenedy, Lewis