#broad place

I called on the LORD in distress; The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is for me among those who help me; Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes. (Psalms…

The LORD thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice, hailstones and coals of fire. He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe, lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them.Then the channels of the sea were seen, the foundations of the world were uncovered at Your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many…

During yesterdays network meeting of FBHO at Fossum Kirke – sometime during the afternoon – the thought crossed my mind: what is so different about these projects? Hasn’t the church been doing these things forever? So, what is the difference? What is new about this movement?

Halfway through the evening I noticed that the pieces of the puzzle started to fit together and with that – I hope, I understand a little bit more, what FBHO is about – it’s about our focus.

And in the same moment, a few more questions pop up:

Apparently, the structural changes push us to specialize. And is that the reason, why we seem to rediscover this task of the church and also focus on the poor?

And is this specializing, the reason why we start complaining more and more, that we are doing someone else’s work – myself included?

It seems, we are turning in a circle here…

It is true,  that the threshold is quite high in a great number of church buildings as well as in its organizational structure AND in the welcoming situation. According to the findings of a New York Lutheran colleague, it takes 6 moths for a person to enter a church – to go over that threshold. And if – for any optical or communicational reason, we do not feel welcome, it might take another 6 months to enter a church again.

It seems, something’s wrong here!

Thinking back of Psalm 31,9, I tend to ask: Does the church tend to set its feet in a rather narrow space?

So many missed occasions for meeting our fellow human being and meeting Christ!

At this point, we really need to ask: Does church life only exist within the walls of the church?

Of course we do invite the world in our churches! However, if we do not change the threshold-and-welcoming-situation, we should not wonder, if people are hesitant about entering the church compound.

On my way to the Airport - while checking my incoming Mails - I also find the Verse for the day: "You have set my feet in a broad place." from Psalm 31,8 (NRSV) Actually it is one of my favorite Verses and now it will accompany me on my study leave.

According to Martin Luther the broad place is the opposite of need an tightness.So, God is taking me out of the tightness and putting me in a broad place. What a promise! Not just for me, but for Gods people as such - mey they be in Germany, Skandinavia, or anywhere else in the world.

Change sometimes makes us tight. It seems to purr the throat. It seems to block off our thinking - then our thinking might run in circles.

Latin-American saying states: "Sometimes you need to jump out of the circle". Stop dancing along and jump out for a moment. Catch your breath and find out if and where you want to jump in again. Then decide, what our next step will be. That way, we avoid just to re-act instead of act.

Blessed the Lord - he has set my feet in a broad place!

Auf den Weg zum Flughafen finde ich in meinen Mails die Tagslosung für den Tag. Aus Psalm 31,9: " Du stellst meine Füße auf weiten Raum". Nicht nur ist es eines meiner Lieblingsverse, sondern jetzt begleitet er mich in meinem Studienurlaub.

Für Martin Luther ist der Weite Raum das Gegenstück zur Not und Enge. Es heißt also: Gott nimmt mich raus aus der Enge und hät den wieten Raum bereit. Welch eine Zusage! Nicht nur für mich persönlich, sondern überhaupt für das Volk Gottes - in Deutschland, in Skandinavien, oder wo auch immeruf der Welt.

Veränderungen haben das an sich, dass sie uns oft "eng" machen, bzw. in die Enge zu treiben scheinen. Es macht unser Denken mitunter eng oder scheint es gar zu blockieren - und in der Folge bewegt es sich nur noch im Kreis.

"Manchmal muss du aus dem Kreis rausspringen" - lautet ein Sprichwort aus Latein-Amerika. Kurz innehalten - nicht gleich weiter mittanzen, sondern gut überlegen, ob und an welcher stelle wir wieder einsteigen. Innehalten und Lufthohlen. Dann entscheiden, was als nächstes zu tun ist. So vermeiden wir es, bloß zu re-agieren, statt bewusst zu handeln.

"Lord, I am constricted, hemmed in. With Your answer, set me in a broad place, In Jesus Name, Amen."

Psalm 118:5

"I called on the Lord in my distress; the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place."

Notice the 'extra' aspect of this verse. For most of us, God's answer would suffice, be enough. But God did more. He set the prayer in a broad place.

This week, look for God's broad place.