English translation of the sermon preached at the opening service of the 2nd Ecumenical Kirchentag in Munich

Sermon for the opening service of the Ecumenical Kirchentag

Bishop Dr. Johannes Friedrich / Archbishop Dr. Reinhard Marx

(Check against delivery - please note this was a dialogue sermon preached in two voices it worked well)


Bishop Friedrich
This is the time and the place to call out to you in the words of 1 Peter, "That you may have hope".

Archbishop Marx
With the Kirchentag's theme we warmly welcome all of you.


(Both): "Grüss Gott" and welcome to Munich!

We've waited a long time and worked hard to get at last to this day, the day when we begin the 2nd Ecumenical Kirchentag.

We had the hope that today we would be able to hold this service with many, many people.

With all of you from near and far
With women, men and children
With members of the many different confessions
With all those watching at home on the television.

A huge congregation has turned up to begin this second Ecumenical Kirchentag marked by God's word.

It's wonderful that you're all here!

Today we hope in a fairly concrete way
(that the wonderful weather will hold for the whole evening)
(that the clouds will quickly go by)
( that the rain may stop as soon as possible)
(depending on the weather one of these sentences will be said!)

That's a hope all of us here on the Theresienwiese in Munich have!

Beyond that though we are bound together also by many other hopes:

The hope for a good life
The hope for a sure livelihood
The hope for justice
The hope for security
The hope for health
The hope for peace

There are many hopes that we share together

Yet I have a hope which I am not certain that all of us share.

And what is it?

The hope that life in this world is not everything; the hope that there is a life after death.

That is a hope which sustains me in quite a personal way.
For me it is a hope that goes beyond all other hopes. A hope that I cannot generate myself, a hope that is given to me.
This hope is shared by many of us, but I know that there are some who find the idea of a life after death difficult.
I can understand that. It was no different for people in Jesus' time. Life after death contradicted, contradicts, all human experience.

Yet I am certain that this hope is quite realistic. In Jesus Christ God took away death's sting. Death can no longer harm us, it cannot tear us out of God's hand. Life triumphs over death, that is what this hope shows us.
It gives us strength and courage, when we despair at the problems and difficulties of this world.

If I just think of the misery of the world's children who daily die of hunger.
Of the many dead and injured in the wars in so many parts of the world-
Or of the oil slick off the coast of America and the animals and plants of the region that are being killed.
Of the hardship of people who have no work or who suffer from severe illnesses, who can see no perspective for the future.
Of the people of Greece who are completely struck down.

Yet I have the certainty that I do not need to despair because of these things. However great the affliction - I may, we may have hope, because a new everlasting hope has come into the world through Jesus Christ, who gives us hope which overcomes all human distress.
What counts is showing this hope to other people, letting it be clearly seen in concrete ways so that it can be visible in us, Christians of all confessions.

This hope unites us!

It is not dependent
on our abilities
our money
or our power.

And it is not some dream of people
who want to have nothing to do with the world.
No, Christians are in in the midst of life.

Jesus' commisison is:
Go and tell of the hope
that is in you

Because God in Jesus Christ has given us this hope,
which overcomes death and makes life possible in the first place,
that's why we advocate
- for the equal dignity of all human beings;
- for all people whose life is threatened due to violence or poverty
- for justice so that nobody is forgotten
- for peace, even in those places where no-one believes in it any longer
- for creation, that further destruction may be halted

It's a demanding mission
And one we do not always deserve.
That also is clear.

But by making efforts together
as Christians of all confessions
We can be strong and respond to Christ mission
If we pray and act together

That's why we want to champion the unity of Christians.
Together we want to overcome what separates us from one another.
Here too, our own strength alone will not suffice
May God add to everything that we ourselves are not able to contribute.

If we join together we can already achieve a great deal.
But if we trust in the God and Father of Jesus Christ
Then we are truly in hope.

A sign of hope should go out from the 2nd Ecumenical Kirchentag in Munich, of this hope that sustains us and drives us forwards. So that all may have hope.

So let us set up signs of hope!

How can this hope be seen in our lives?

The hope of Jesus offers a clear anchor. An anchor in a world that is full of so many uncertainties. This hope is lasting. It's not a short-term promise or a hope that is volatile. Nor is this hope arbitrary. This hope remains, for it is given to us by God. It gives us foundation.

The hope of Jesus makes us open. It opens our understanding, our hands and our heart: for ourselves, for our neighbours and for God.

The hope of Jesus is personal. His hope creates community and meets every single one of us. You and me. Not by giving us VIP status but through hope we all become personalities. We can be self-confident, for we belong to this community of people who know that they are sustained by this hope, each of them in a personal way.

The hope of Jesus demands our involvement. The world will not become a better place if we all withdraw behind our own doors, but rather by us getting involved where we are asked to. There is no excuse for not doing this.


So, Christian hope
Is open and lasting
It is personal and ready to take action

If we bring together the first letters of those words (in German - Hoffnunfg, Offen, Persönlich and Einsatzbereit) then we get the word HOPE
.
hope, esperanza, espoir, speranza, tikwa, spes ….

Different words in all langauges-
For the one hope that unites!

This is the hope that we want to shine forth from Munich into the whole country, to Europe and the whole world.
To that end may God grant us his Spirit and blessing.
Amen.



Provisional English translation