Bible study at the 3rd Ecumenical Kirchentag in Germany
Evil does not end when we turn away from it. On the contrary, by looking at violence, evil and oppression, we can respond to it, said the President of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Archbishop Dr. Panti Filibus Musa, during a Bible study at the 3rd Ecumenical Kirchentag.
The 3rd Ecumenical Kirchentag (church convention) took place from 13-16 May. This time it was primarily an online event, which brought together thousands of Christians from various denominations in Germany under the theme “Look” (Schaut hin), which refers to Jesus’ call “Go and see” in Mk. 6:38. President Musa’s Bible study was a pre-recorded video message that came from his native Nigeria.
Looking back at Gen. 6:12-22, the story of Noah and the ark, the LWF President pointed to its connection with the theme of the Ecumenical Kirchentag. “You are gathering around the theme ‘look’. And that is exactly what God does in our Bible story, because God sees the spread of human violence. God does not turn away. God sees it.”
Look!
“For the sake of peace, ‘tolerance’ or political correctness, we often do not speak about violence. But what kind of peace can there be if it tolerates violence in its midst?” Musa asked. “By looking at violence, evil and oppression, we have the opportunity at least to perceive it, to address it and perhaps also to transform it.”
As an example, he mentioned the diaconal and public action of churches to confront atrocities in Nigeria, as well as what the LWF has called the “unspeakable violence suffered by the people of Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Mexico and so many other countries”. At the same time, he praised the “strong voice” of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), speaking about “the terrible situation and offering practical support to people both in the Mediterranean and in Germany”.
Turning to another troubling issue, Musa pointed to the unequal access to vaccination against COVID-19. The fact that 75 percent of the vaccines administered so far have been distributed in only ten countries of the world is “a manifestation of structural corruption and violence that can take thousands of lives”. Indifference and a lack of solidarity could ultimately “become suicidal,” said Musa. “Until everyone is safe, no one is safe.”
The God of new beginnings
“God’s disappointment and anger at human corruption and at the way it violently denies and destroys life are immense,” said Musa. Yet God does not desire “the destruction of God’s creation”, but rather “a new beginning”.
Creation is meant to “draw closer to its original and final goal: to come alive anew”, said Musa. “Here I see a wonderful parallel with what God does much later, when God offered His Son Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, so that the world might live again (Jn. 3).”
The rainbow (Gen. 9:12-13) symbolizes a new beginning, “for the world and humanity to draw closer to their original meaning and calling, so that there may be more justice, peace and striving for reconciliation in life”. And: “Christ, crucified and risen, is the sign and seal upon this promise.”
“With violence and corruption, nothing ends,” the LWF President added. “It is not for that that we were created. God offers a new beginning that breaks the spiral of violence, which ultimately devours everything.”
As Christians, he concluded, we take part in “an ongoing journey of transformation, experiencing more deeply God’s calling and will, and thereby discovering the great richness of human life”.
Visit the website dedicated to the third Ecumenical Kirchentag event in Germany here.
FRANKFURT, Germany/GENEVA
17.05.2021.
Source: Lutheran World Federation news
LWF/A. Weyermüller