News of the Southern African Region
List of Articles
- • Perspectives - a review - December 2018 - February 2019
- • Perspectives - a review - September 2018
- • News from the KZN Congregation - October 2018
- • Regional Council meeting in Windhoek - 27th to 29th July 2018 by Sharon Cox
- • Perspectives - a review - April 2018
- • Confirmations around the Region - April 2018
- • New Sending for Rev. Peter Holman - April 2018
- • Guest Priest in Johannesburg and Cape Town - December 2017
- • The Sacrament of Ordination to a Priest - September 2017
- • North meets South - Youth from Vienna undertake a project in the Eastern Cape - July 2017
- • REGIONAL COUNCIL and Priest Synod in Windhoek June 2016
- • Letter from the Lenker informing of changes planned for 2016
- • Remembering Dr. Helene de Villiers
- • Review of THE GRAIL STONE IN AFRICA by Helene de Villiers
- • Letter from the Lenker preparing the congregations for changes in the form of the sacraments
- • Wellspring Uncapped - Welcome Light from the Future - 50th Anniversary Conference
- • Regional Synod in Windhoek - October 2014
- • Regional Synod in Cape Town - March 2014
- • Regional Council Meeting - August 2013
- • Student Conference, Hogsback - April 2013
- • Hermanus October 2012 by Rev. Reingard Knausenberger
- • Priest's Synod in Johannesburg in May 2012
- • Confirmees 2012
- • Regional Council meeting in Windhoek - 27th to 29th July 2018 by Sharon Cox
Perspectives – December 2018 - February 2019 – a review
by John-Peter Gernaat
The December 2018 – February 2019 edition of Perspectives, the quarterly publication of The Christian Community in Great Britain, has recently arrived in Johannesburg. These are printed in South Africa and contain an interesting article by Rev. Michaël Merle as the inserted Southern African Perspectives. You can subscribe to Perspectives at R240 per annum through The Christian Community in KZN or try to purchase the current edition from your local congregation. This edition will be available for download at a small fee in a few months at http://thechristiancommunity.co.uk/PVS-test/portfolio-items/december-2018-february-2019-glory/. This review hopes to highlight some pertinent points from each article with the hope of triggering sufficient curiosity in the reader to wish to read the full article.
Rev. Tom Ravetz writes an editorial on the two sides of glory: the glory of the Trinity and its fulfilment when perceived by human beings, and the glory we create through this gift. He creates a link to the Epiphany prayers.
Rev. Peter van Breda, priest in London, writes about the threshold world in his article “Grey – the colour of the threshold”. “There is always a transition before a particular colour can fully manifest itself and that is the in-between realm of grey”. Peter links to a poem on grey by Meghan Flaherty to consider the colour grey before he links grey to the threshold and persuades us that grey is indeed the colour of the threshold. He considers many of the thresholds we encounter in life and finally links to the Christ: “Christ lives in the interval, in the embryonic realm of all true becoming”. Through us recognising Christ we can begin to “paint the world again with new living true colour and promise”.
In a short article titled “True health”, Ute König, priest in the Republic of Ireland asks the real question: “what is healthy?” and explores this through the story of the Roman officer (Matthew 8:5-13). It is a human characteristic that we desire to help when someone is not healthy and Ute provides a revealing interpretation of the faith of the officer. In our time the healing we most need is to bring health to our ego – the youngest part of our constitution. Ute describes that healing is an individual path and yet healing comes through the love of others – love for the ego of the other.
Rev. Louise Madsen, priest emeritus in Stourbridge, explores “The glory of the revelation of God”. We cannot look into the sun without damaging our eyes, yet the sun is the source of life. The Bible makes it clear that we cannot look on the face of God and still live. Yet, we can imagine Christ because He became a part of our earthly world. At Christmas the altar is transformed with words in gold above and below the picture of Christ. These words link the glory of God to humans of good will. We need to do something ourselves in order to hope to experience the glory of God. These words appear in the time between, which are the twelve Holy Nights. In our inner darkness we may seek the spirit light and in this space between participate in the birth of each new Christian year.
Poem “InI, in Beatrice” by John Roy with an explanation of “InI” – click here. There is a second poem by John Roy in this edition.
Rev. Aaron Mirkin, priest in Stroud, considers “The glory in the heights of our Christmas altar”. Above these words that appear in gold letters above the altar at Christmas are three letters: C M B (or K M B). If these letters represent the names of the three kings, how are they connected to the birth on Christmas day, especially when the birth visited by the kings is not the same birth as the one on Christmas day (An explanation to this is provided.). Aaron studies these initials and their sound and relates them as qualities of soul to our thinking, feeling and willing. He provides an imagination of the human soul before the Fall and the indications given by Rudolf Steiner how the pre-Fall soul of humanity unites with the fallen soul of humanity through the Christmas birth. Through this Divine gift to humanity we can raise thinking, feeling and willing to the essential images of gold, frankincense and myrrh that are represented by the gifts of the kings. “The glory of God is on a journey to becoming the glory of mankind.”
Deborah Ravetz, a member in Forest Row and part of the editorial team of Perspectives, explores the glory of God in everyday life. She refers to and quotes philosophers, poets and authors to explore how our striving to make a difference in the world in the smallest way, in our immediate circles, starts with the work we do on ourselves and can be “irradiated with meaning and God’s revelation”.
Rev. Douglas Thackray, priest emeritus in Cornwall, explores “Our witness to the glory of God”. The shepherds and magi may have been special in that they were witness to the glory of God, so how can ordinary people experience God’s glory. Through a very personal story of someone he met Douglas concludes that in finding a way to accept God’s will in our lives we also experience God’s glory.
Rev. Luke Barr, priest in Forest Row, suggests three aspects to the glory of God and links these to our becoming as human beings. We can experience glory in our awe of the natural world. This is the first glory, the “glory of being”. The second glory is revealed in human creativity, whether that is artistic or social. This is the “glory of creativity”. The task of the human being to is to love. Love enlightens the world and therefore the third glory is the “the glory of enlightenment”. Luke connects these glories with words heard at the baptism of Christ and the Transfiguration and to the blessing in the Act of Consecration of Man and reveals how we are the Son of Man in our being, our creating and our loving when we bear and unify these three glories.
Peter Howe, a member in Glasgow and part of the editorial team of Perspectives, writes about creativity and how it is intimately linked to the spirit. We can find support for the challenges of life through gratitude, which is the beginning of love. When anxiety is dispersed we connect for moments with the greater self. Prayer, or the act of asking, is always answered when we are ready to act. Our engaged will brings help or answers from unexpected quarters. Peter draws extensively from a popular book by Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way. Our fears and that which hinders us achieving our desires in life have little basis in reality when we analyse them, while everything we can draw up to counter these fears is based in “facts, events and figures”. Fear and doubt let us know that we are in the right road. Constantly overcoming them leads to meaningful creativity. Following our creative ideas is not always comfortable, but unless we ‘change our ways’ as John the Baptist calls us to, we “fall out of our time”. Acting on a creative idea can pull us through the eye of the needle to a more authentic self. In our present time it is possible for everyone to begin to “express themselves in utterly personal, original ways” even if they have to invent the media through which to express themselves. “Through making our inner being visible and letting our unique voice sound in the world, we give birth to the divine spirit itself, which can only come into the world through us”.
Rev. Ulrich Meier, priest in Hamburg and a director of the Hamburg Seminary, has a conversation with the author Prof. Peter Seig and Rev. Vicke von Behr, Erzoberlenker of The Christian Community in looking at a hundred years of The Christian Community. He asks the question: “What can we gain for the future by looking back in time?” Part 2 of this conversation will appear in the next edition. The conversation revolves around the relationship of the Anthroposophical Society with The Christian Community and the existential struggles that existed for both between December 1922 and 1924. For anyone with a longer relationship to these movements some of the conflicts that have occurred over the past century begin to crystallise from this conversation.
Rev. Tom Ravets reviews two books that pose a challenge for our time. The first is In the Shaddow of the Machine by Jeremy Nayler (Temple Lodge Press 2018) that looks at the evolution of consciousness that led to the kind of logical thinking that made computers possible. Was it that ‘primitive’ humanity did not have the science to develop computers or is that they still recognised “that the forces at work in the world are embodiments of spiritual beings and their work?” Only once this insight had dimmed would humanity harness the forces of the ‘lower gods’. This review is substantiated with insight from other thinkers and flows seamlessly into a review of Humanity’s Last Stand: The Challenge of Artificial Intelligence – A Spiritual-Scientific Response by Nicanor Perlas (Temple Lodge Press 2018). The pioneers and proponents of Artificial Intelligence (AI) share a mindset that is utterly reductionist and asserts that “personality, the soul, is nothing more than data that is processed and stored in the brain”. “Perlas encourages those of us in the anthroposophical movement to take stock … of the resources given to us” that have as yet had very little impact in the world and to attend to developments in the world that are aligned with the aims of the Archangel Michael. Most actions can be replicated by AI, such as caring for the sick or those of a celebrant at the altar, but then we loose our connection with the heavenly hierarchies. These two books can help “strengthen our resolve to bring the realities that we experience at the altar into our daily lives.”
Hugh Salvesen reviews a book Observing Nature’s Secret: Practical Exercises for Perceiving Soul and Spirit by Roger Druitt (Rudolf Steiner Press). This is a book for anyone with some prior knowledge of concepts expressed in Anthroposophy. Roger takes his study of the natural world beyond ‘Goethean observation’ and he calls his method ‘anthroposophical phenomenology’. He also includes the rocks, colour and, as an apparent afterthought, bees. Hugh is critical of the lack of suitable images for some of the chapters and inadequate annotation of images that are presented. The value to be gained from the exercises of this book is that we can better appreciate how we become co-creators with the spiritual world, lofty and elemental, in recreating this world.
Rev. Michaël Merle writes an academic article in the Southern African Perspectives tracing the evolution of the Greek word 'doxa' from meaning a popular opinion to being used as a translation of glory. Doxa is the root word for doxology which is an expression of praise usually sung to the Holy Trinity. Michaël presents various doxologies from the Roman Catholic Church to our own Christian Community doxology and how it evolves through the Act of Consecration of Man from a descriptor of Christ, to an assurance, to a supplication and assured hope. We have encountered these doxologies and it is in interesting to understand this better.
The December 2018 – February 2019 edition of Perspectives, the quarterly publication of The Christian Community in Great Britain, has recently arrived in Johannesburg. These are printed in South Africa and contain an interesting article by Rev. Michaël Merle as the inserted Southern African Perspectives. You can subscribe to Perspectives at R240 per annum through The Christian Community in KZN or try to purchase the current edition from your local congregation. This edition will be available for download at a small fee in a few months at http://thechristiancommunity.co.uk/PVS-test/portfolio-items/december-2018-february-2019-glory/. This review hopes to highlight some pertinent points from each article with the hope of triggering sufficient curiosity in the reader to wish to read the full article.
Rev. Tom Ravetz writes an editorial on the two sides of glory: the glory of the Trinity and its fulfilment when perceived by human beings, and the glory we create through this gift. He creates a link to the Epiphany prayers.
Rev. Peter van Breda, priest in London, writes about the threshold world in his article “Grey – the colour of the threshold”. “There is always a transition before a particular colour can fully manifest itself and that is the in-between realm of grey”. Peter links to a poem on grey by Meghan Flaherty to consider the colour grey before he links grey to the threshold and persuades us that grey is indeed the colour of the threshold. He considers many of the thresholds we encounter in life and finally links to the Christ: “Christ lives in the interval, in the embryonic realm of all true becoming”. Through us recognising Christ we can begin to “paint the world again with new living true colour and promise”.
In a short article titled “True health”, Ute König, priest in the Republic of Ireland asks the real question: “what is healthy?” and explores this through the story of the Roman officer (Matthew 8:5-13). It is a human characteristic that we desire to help when someone is not healthy and Ute provides a revealing interpretation of the faith of the officer. In our time the healing we most need is to bring health to our ego – the youngest part of our constitution. Ute describes that healing is an individual path and yet healing comes through the love of others – love for the ego of the other.
Rev. Louise Madsen, priest emeritus in Stourbridge, explores “The glory of the revelation of God”. We cannot look into the sun without damaging our eyes, yet the sun is the source of life. The Bible makes it clear that we cannot look on the face of God and still live. Yet, we can imagine Christ because He became a part of our earthly world. At Christmas the altar is transformed with words in gold above and below the picture of Christ. These words link the glory of God to humans of good will. We need to do something ourselves in order to hope to experience the glory of God. These words appear in the time between, which are the twelve Holy Nights. In our inner darkness we may seek the spirit light and in this space between participate in the birth of each new Christian year.
Poem “InI, in Beatrice” by John Roy with an explanation of “InI” – click here. There is a second poem by John Roy in this edition.
Rev. Aaron Mirkin, priest in Stroud, considers “The glory in the heights of our Christmas altar”. Above these words that appear in gold letters above the altar at Christmas are three letters: C M B (or K M B). If these letters represent the names of the three kings, how are they connected to the birth on Christmas day, especially when the birth visited by the kings is not the same birth as the one on Christmas day (An explanation to this is provided.). Aaron studies these initials and their sound and relates them as qualities of soul to our thinking, feeling and willing. He provides an imagination of the human soul before the Fall and the indications given by Rudolf Steiner how the pre-Fall soul of humanity unites with the fallen soul of humanity through the Christmas birth. Through this Divine gift to humanity we can raise thinking, feeling and willing to the essential images of gold, frankincense and myrrh that are represented by the gifts of the kings. “The glory of God is on a journey to becoming the glory of mankind.”
Deborah Ravetz, a member in Forest Row and part of the editorial team of Perspectives, explores the glory of God in everyday life. She refers to and quotes philosophers, poets and authors to explore how our striving to make a difference in the world in the smallest way, in our immediate circles, starts with the work we do on ourselves and can be “irradiated with meaning and God’s revelation”.
Rev. Douglas Thackray, priest emeritus in Cornwall, explores “Our witness to the glory of God”. The shepherds and magi may have been special in that they were witness to the glory of God, so how can ordinary people experience God’s glory. Through a very personal story of someone he met Douglas concludes that in finding a way to accept God’s will in our lives we also experience God’s glory.
Rev. Luke Barr, priest in Forest Row, suggests three aspects to the glory of God and links these to our becoming as human beings. We can experience glory in our awe of the natural world. This is the first glory, the “glory of being”. The second glory is revealed in human creativity, whether that is artistic or social. This is the “glory of creativity”. The task of the human being to is to love. Love enlightens the world and therefore the third glory is the “the glory of enlightenment”. Luke connects these glories with words heard at the baptism of Christ and the Transfiguration and to the blessing in the Act of Consecration of Man and reveals how we are the Son of Man in our being, our creating and our loving when we bear and unify these three glories.
Peter Howe, a member in Glasgow and part of the editorial team of Perspectives, writes about creativity and how it is intimately linked to the spirit. We can find support for the challenges of life through gratitude, which is the beginning of love. When anxiety is dispersed we connect for moments with the greater self. Prayer, or the act of asking, is always answered when we are ready to act. Our engaged will brings help or answers from unexpected quarters. Peter draws extensively from a popular book by Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way. Our fears and that which hinders us achieving our desires in life have little basis in reality when we analyse them, while everything we can draw up to counter these fears is based in “facts, events and figures”. Fear and doubt let us know that we are in the right road. Constantly overcoming them leads to meaningful creativity. Following our creative ideas is not always comfortable, but unless we ‘change our ways’ as John the Baptist calls us to, we “fall out of our time”. Acting on a creative idea can pull us through the eye of the needle to a more authentic self. In our present time it is possible for everyone to begin to “express themselves in utterly personal, original ways” even if they have to invent the media through which to express themselves. “Through making our inner being visible and letting our unique voice sound in the world, we give birth to the divine spirit itself, which can only come into the world through us”.
Rev. Ulrich Meier, priest in Hamburg and a director of the Hamburg Seminary, has a conversation with the author Prof. Peter Seig and Rev. Vicke von Behr, Erzoberlenker of The Christian Community in looking at a hundred years of The Christian Community. He asks the question: “What can we gain for the future by looking back in time?” Part 2 of this conversation will appear in the next edition. The conversation revolves around the relationship of the Anthroposophical Society with The Christian Community and the existential struggles that existed for both between December 1922 and 1924. For anyone with a longer relationship to these movements some of the conflicts that have occurred over the past century begin to crystallise from this conversation.
Rev. Tom Ravets reviews two books that pose a challenge for our time. The first is In the Shaddow of the Machine by Jeremy Nayler (Temple Lodge Press 2018) that looks at the evolution of consciousness that led to the kind of logical thinking that made computers possible. Was it that ‘primitive’ humanity did not have the science to develop computers or is that they still recognised “that the forces at work in the world are embodiments of spiritual beings and their work?” Only once this insight had dimmed would humanity harness the forces of the ‘lower gods’. This review is substantiated with insight from other thinkers and flows seamlessly into a review of Humanity’s Last Stand: The Challenge of Artificial Intelligence – A Spiritual-Scientific Response by Nicanor Perlas (Temple Lodge Press 2018). The pioneers and proponents of Artificial Intelligence (AI) share a mindset that is utterly reductionist and asserts that “personality, the soul, is nothing more than data that is processed and stored in the brain”. “Perlas encourages those of us in the anthroposophical movement to take stock … of the resources given to us” that have as yet had very little impact in the world and to attend to developments in the world that are aligned with the aims of the Archangel Michael. Most actions can be replicated by AI, such as caring for the sick or those of a celebrant at the altar, but then we loose our connection with the heavenly hierarchies. These two books can help “strengthen our resolve to bring the realities that we experience at the altar into our daily lives.”
Hugh Salvesen reviews a book Observing Nature’s Secret: Practical Exercises for Perceiving Soul and Spirit by Roger Druitt (Rudolf Steiner Press). This is a book for anyone with some prior knowledge of concepts expressed in Anthroposophy. Roger takes his study of the natural world beyond ‘Goethean observation’ and he calls his method ‘anthroposophical phenomenology’. He also includes the rocks, colour and, as an apparent afterthought, bees. Hugh is critical of the lack of suitable images for some of the chapters and inadequate annotation of images that are presented. The value to be gained from the exercises of this book is that we can better appreciate how we become co-creators with the spiritual world, lofty and elemental, in recreating this world.
Rev. Michaël Merle writes an academic article in the Southern African Perspectives tracing the evolution of the Greek word 'doxa' from meaning a popular opinion to being used as a translation of glory. Doxa is the root word for doxology which is an expression of praise usually sung to the Holy Trinity. Michaël presents various doxologies from the Roman Catholic Church to our own Christian Community doxology and how it evolves through the Act of Consecration of Man from a descriptor of Christ, to an assurance, to a supplication and assured hope. We have encountered these doxologies and it is in interesting to understand this better.
Perspectives – September-November 2018 – a review
by John-Peter Gernaat
The most recent issue of The Christian Community Perspectives (published in the United Kingdom) is entitled Living with Death. The editor, Rev. Tom Ravitz, reminds us that our funeral services “asks us to remember that we are beholden to the spirit in all that we do on earth”. This issue looks at the thresholds of birth and death in the light of our technological age.
Rev. Pearl Goodwin, priest emeritus living in Forest Row, discusses two areas of research that are showing positive advancement. One area of research is studying how the brain forms memories, with the aim of modifying traumatic memories through the introduction of engineered genes. Our biography is made up of our memories and we take these memories across the threshold with us as part of “our path of growth”. The implications of manipulating our memories are investigated in this article. The second area of research is the use of stem cells to create a germ cell equivalent to a two-week embryo. This development takes place without the presence of a placenta. The article considers the spiritual importance of the placenta and potential effects of human incarnation. Finally, the article considers the kind of thinking required to take science to a point where life before and after earthly life are taken into consideration.
Rev. Luke Barr, priest in Forest Row, writes about the “dying process” in everyday life and the role of the priest in watching over this process. In this short insightful article he concludes that priests are “temporary servants of the spirit that accompany the processes of birth and death in all aspects and processes of life”.
Bart Maris, gynaecologist in Krefeld, writes about the powerlessness felt in the face of a cancer diagnosis and how to overcome this powerlessness, including mistletoe therapy. This article provides food for thought about one’s own life choices in the face of something as disruptive as a cancer diagnosis.
Jörg Ewertowski, the librarian of Rudolf Steiner House in Stutgart, asks the question whether there is such a thing as a natural death. Through three personal stories he explores the decisions that exist around death and concludes that we, as human beings, as individual beings, are not part of the natural world and therefore our death is a part of our biography and never natural.
Rev. Richard Goodall’s article on water as a messenger that was printed in the blue (Southern African) pages of a previous Perspectives is included in this issue for the UK readers see here.
Florian Davyn Burfeind, psychotherapist and congregant in Chicago, elucidates the experience of male and female. A “particular reading of the Judeo-Christian creation story” has created the view of a binary expression of gender: male and female. Materialistic thinking hardens this view, as experienced in Germany under Nazism. Reality is somewhat different, and we see it more and more in mainstream media and society that gender expression is much wider than this narrow view and also that gender expression is “lifted … out of its bondage to the physical body”. People who actively develop their consciousness and their connection to their spiritual nature bring a new intention for our human development, as described by Rudolf Steiner. As we experience the resurrection of the Christ in the etheric realm “we may experience an increased flexibility and widening of gender as a direct result – announcing … (a) new, spirit-lead Human Being”.
A translation of an article that appeared in Die Christengemeinshaft written by Edith Lutz, retired teacher with a doctorate in Jewish studies, investigates the verse in the Book of Exodus from which the ‘slogan’ of revenge ‘an eye for an eye’ originates. It is clear that the verse, and the law, is directed at the perpetrator and not the victim and is rather a directive of how reparation should be determined. Edith then looks at five other texts to try to understand why this verse is misrepresented as a measure of revenge.
Rev. Luke Barr reviews a book written by Christine Gruwez, a Waldorf teacher in Holland and student of Manichaeism, titled Walking with your time. We are confronted with so much horror in our information age. Evil has been camouflaged in our time. “In this sensitive and meditative book, the author explores the ways by which we can approach evil using modern faculties of soul.” The book “produces an authentic experience, it initiates a process in the reader”.
There is an empathetic and honest obituary of Rev. Joanna Jemmett who died in May, who struggled all her life with the confines of the physical world and sought refuge in the spiritual world and her work in this realm.
Consider subscribing to Perspectives to avoid missing out on the valuable articles or look to buy a copy at the church. Back issues can also be downloaded for a small donation by clicking here. (The link is also on our “links” page).
The most recent issue of The Christian Community Perspectives (published in the United Kingdom) is entitled Living with Death. The editor, Rev. Tom Ravitz, reminds us that our funeral services “asks us to remember that we are beholden to the spirit in all that we do on earth”. This issue looks at the thresholds of birth and death in the light of our technological age.
Rev. Pearl Goodwin, priest emeritus living in Forest Row, discusses two areas of research that are showing positive advancement. One area of research is studying how the brain forms memories, with the aim of modifying traumatic memories through the introduction of engineered genes. Our biography is made up of our memories and we take these memories across the threshold with us as part of “our path of growth”. The implications of manipulating our memories are investigated in this article. The second area of research is the use of stem cells to create a germ cell equivalent to a two-week embryo. This development takes place without the presence of a placenta. The article considers the spiritual importance of the placenta and potential effects of human incarnation. Finally, the article considers the kind of thinking required to take science to a point where life before and after earthly life are taken into consideration.
Rev. Luke Barr, priest in Forest Row, writes about the “dying process” in everyday life and the role of the priest in watching over this process. In this short insightful article he concludes that priests are “temporary servants of the spirit that accompany the processes of birth and death in all aspects and processes of life”.
Bart Maris, gynaecologist in Krefeld, writes about the powerlessness felt in the face of a cancer diagnosis and how to overcome this powerlessness, including mistletoe therapy. This article provides food for thought about one’s own life choices in the face of something as disruptive as a cancer diagnosis.
Jörg Ewertowski, the librarian of Rudolf Steiner House in Stutgart, asks the question whether there is such a thing as a natural death. Through three personal stories he explores the decisions that exist around death and concludes that we, as human beings, as individual beings, are not part of the natural world and therefore our death is a part of our biography and never natural.
Rev. Richard Goodall’s article on water as a messenger that was printed in the blue (Southern African) pages of a previous Perspectives is included in this issue for the UK readers see here.
Florian Davyn Burfeind, psychotherapist and congregant in Chicago, elucidates the experience of male and female. A “particular reading of the Judeo-Christian creation story” has created the view of a binary expression of gender: male and female. Materialistic thinking hardens this view, as experienced in Germany under Nazism. Reality is somewhat different, and we see it more and more in mainstream media and society that gender expression is much wider than this narrow view and also that gender expression is “lifted … out of its bondage to the physical body”. People who actively develop their consciousness and their connection to their spiritual nature bring a new intention for our human development, as described by Rudolf Steiner. As we experience the resurrection of the Christ in the etheric realm “we may experience an increased flexibility and widening of gender as a direct result – announcing … (a) new, spirit-lead Human Being”.
A translation of an article that appeared in Die Christengemeinshaft written by Edith Lutz, retired teacher with a doctorate in Jewish studies, investigates the verse in the Book of Exodus from which the ‘slogan’ of revenge ‘an eye for an eye’ originates. It is clear that the verse, and the law, is directed at the perpetrator and not the victim and is rather a directive of how reparation should be determined. Edith then looks at five other texts to try to understand why this verse is misrepresented as a measure of revenge.
Rev. Luke Barr reviews a book written by Christine Gruwez, a Waldorf teacher in Holland and student of Manichaeism, titled Walking with your time. We are confronted with so much horror in our information age. Evil has been camouflaged in our time. “In this sensitive and meditative book, the author explores the ways by which we can approach evil using modern faculties of soul.” The book “produces an authentic experience, it initiates a process in the reader”.
There is an empathetic and honest obituary of Rev. Joanna Jemmett who died in May, who struggled all her life with the confines of the physical world and sought refuge in the spiritual world and her work in this realm.
Consider subscribing to Perspectives to avoid missing out on the valuable articles or look to buy a copy at the church. Back issues can also be downloaded for a small donation by clicking here. (The link is also on our “links” page).
News from the KZN Congregation - October 2018
In Hillcrest, KZN, the community has started with renovations of the flat adjacent to the chapel spaces. It is being converted into a 2-bedroom cottage and upgraded. At the same time the community will be gaining a much-needed room for children, meetings and a library.
Regional Council meeting in Windhoek from 27th to 29th July 2018
The Regional Council with 5 of the Windhoek congregants who joined for a general discussion time
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by Sharon Cox
It was a warm winter sun that greeted us, and a warm-hearted community which welcomed us as we gathered in Windhoek at the end of July. Members of the Council had travelled from Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, coming together on the Friday evening in Saturn House, on The Christian Community property. The three priests, Kine, Richard and Michaël, were all present, but Reingard was disappointingly unable to attend this year due to a back injury. She was greatly missed, and her well-being remained uppermost in the minds of those present.
The weekend was opened on the Friday evening when members of the Windhoek community were encouraged to participate in the proceedings. After some words of welcome and a meal, we were invited to gather in pairs of two, our partner preferably being someone we did not know very well. We introduced ourselves to the other, and afterwards introduced our partner to the larger group. This was followed by summaries from a representative from each community recounting the activities and general news of their region this past year. The evening closed with the privilege of witnessing the eclipse of the moon in a clear sky.
After the Act of Consecration of Man in frikaans on Saturday morning we were able to browse the Green Market on the property before enjoying the breakfast and refreshments on offer. The business end of the weekend started at 10h00 with the Annual General
Meeting, this lasting for about an hour and a half. All office bearers were re-elected: Glenda Tuckell, Chairperson; Hazel Fornali, Treasurer; Anne-Marié Winkelman, Secretary; and Reingard Knausenberger as the Lenker.
Business discussions continued on a less formal basis after lunch, and time had been set aside in the afternoon to plan for the future. Members of the wider community were again invited to attend this session. Kine spoke of the occasion of the hundredth anniversary celebration of The Christian Community worldwide, which will take place in the year 2022, putting forward the question, “What is the unique contribution that the Christian Community has to make to cultural life; what do we, as the Movement for Religious Renewal, stand for that is new?” Michaël led a workshop where we were required to gather into small groups to individually answer three questions: What is it about the Christian Community that is important to us? What makes the Christian Community different for us? And, what is, to us, the most important characteristic of the Christian Community? Richard closed the session after each group had recounted their conclusions to the whole, highlighting unique features of the Act of Consecration of Man. We have four years to prepare ourselves, our communities and our region for this event.
Entertainment was offered on Saturday evening in the form of a farewell concert by the Namibia Symphony Orchestra for the violinist Enrico Palascino at the Dutch Reformed Church, and this proved to be an enjoyable and unforeseen pleasure. Front row seats had been reserved for us, and this allowed ‘almost-touchability’ to the orchestra as an extra bonus.
The Council rounded off at midday on Sunday after the Act of Consecration of Man.
Warmest appreciation goes to everyone in the Windhoek community who contributed to the success of this event. To those, including from around the region, who planned the proceedings, to the drivers who gave us lifts, to the hosts who provided accommodation, and to all the cooks who prepared and delivered another delicious spread each mealtime. We thank you all.
It was a warm winter sun that greeted us, and a warm-hearted community which welcomed us as we gathered in Windhoek at the end of July. Members of the Council had travelled from Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, coming together on the Friday evening in Saturn House, on The Christian Community property. The three priests, Kine, Richard and Michaël, were all present, but Reingard was disappointingly unable to attend this year due to a back injury. She was greatly missed, and her well-being remained uppermost in the minds of those present.
The weekend was opened on the Friday evening when members of the Windhoek community were encouraged to participate in the proceedings. After some words of welcome and a meal, we were invited to gather in pairs of two, our partner preferably being someone we did not know very well. We introduced ourselves to the other, and afterwards introduced our partner to the larger group. This was followed by summaries from a representative from each community recounting the activities and general news of their region this past year. The evening closed with the privilege of witnessing the eclipse of the moon in a clear sky.
After the Act of Consecration of Man in frikaans on Saturday morning we were able to browse the Green Market on the property before enjoying the breakfast and refreshments on offer. The business end of the weekend started at 10h00 with the Annual General
Meeting, this lasting for about an hour and a half. All office bearers were re-elected: Glenda Tuckell, Chairperson; Hazel Fornali, Treasurer; Anne-Marié Winkelman, Secretary; and Reingard Knausenberger as the Lenker.
Business discussions continued on a less formal basis after lunch, and time had been set aside in the afternoon to plan for the future. Members of the wider community were again invited to attend this session. Kine spoke of the occasion of the hundredth anniversary celebration of The Christian Community worldwide, which will take place in the year 2022, putting forward the question, “What is the unique contribution that the Christian Community has to make to cultural life; what do we, as the Movement for Religious Renewal, stand for that is new?” Michaël led a workshop where we were required to gather into small groups to individually answer three questions: What is it about the Christian Community that is important to us? What makes the Christian Community different for us? And, what is, to us, the most important characteristic of the Christian Community? Richard closed the session after each group had recounted their conclusions to the whole, highlighting unique features of the Act of Consecration of Man. We have four years to prepare ourselves, our communities and our region for this event.
Entertainment was offered on Saturday evening in the form of a farewell concert by the Namibia Symphony Orchestra for the violinist Enrico Palascino at the Dutch Reformed Church, and this proved to be an enjoyable and unforeseen pleasure. Front row seats had been reserved for us, and this allowed ‘almost-touchability’ to the orchestra as an extra bonus.
The Council rounded off at midday on Sunday after the Act of Consecration of Man.
Warmest appreciation goes to everyone in the Windhoek community who contributed to the success of this event. To those, including from around the region, who planned the proceedings, to the drivers who gave us lifts, to the hosts who provided accommodation, and to all the cooks who prepared and delivered another delicious spread each mealtime. We thank you all.
Contemplation for a Centenary
by Rev. Reingard Knausenberger
At the recent annual Regional Council meeting minds were also turned toward how a Christian Community centenary could be approached in a spiritually meaningful way. Maybe this thought of C.S. Lewis can inspire us to take another look at the potential our Founding in 1922 endowed us with. To take a deeper look at what our unique contribution is into the stream of Christianity would surely be a worthy undertaking. Anthroposophy has opened up new possibilities to think for ourselves things we have traditionally been taught to ‘just believe’.
The Christian Community is a ‘Movement for Religious Renewal’ and celebrates ‘renewed' Sacraments.
What exactly does that mean, what is renewed and how, with what potential impact? Could topics that are at the forefront of our daily modern lives and influence our quality of life in many different levels, light up in new ways through ‘renewed' undogmatic religious thinking’?
Surely it is an investigation worth embarking on to see what, together, in community, we can ‘hatch’ of our potential? We have four years to incubate this project.
The Christian Community is a ‘Movement for Religious Renewal’ and celebrates ‘renewed' Sacraments.
What exactly does that mean, what is renewed and how, with what potential impact? Could topics that are at the forefront of our daily modern lives and influence our quality of life in many different levels, light up in new ways through ‘renewed' undogmatic religious thinking’?
Surely it is an investigation worth embarking on to see what, together, in community, we can ‘hatch’ of our potential? We have four years to incubate this project.
Perspectives - a review of the March-May 2018 edition
by John-Peter Gernaat
The latest edition (March - May 2018) of The Christian Community Perspectives is available. In it Rev. Peter Holman reminds us of the history of this publication, in its various guises, that has been published for the international English-speaking world almost as long as the Act of Consecration has been celebrated in English. Peter is passing on the baton of collating and printing the Southern African edition to Sharon Cox. Peter also bids farewell to the Southern African Region with a biographical article on his 21 years of work here, starting at Alpha in the Western Cape and finishing in Alverstone, near Hillcrest KZN. He recounts several interesting events and episodes from his life here in South Africa.
The recent Priest Synod in Cape Town is also described by Peter Holman and the discussions that the Synod held around water is pre-empted by a summary of an article of the presentation Rev. Richard Goodall gave. In it he tells us how the Khoi San people revered water and because it is the source of life also revered all living things. Our scientific view of water as H2O closes our eyes to much of the reality that is water. Richard describes some of the recent research that has been conducted to awaken our perspective on water and how we affect our bodies that are 70% and more water by our actions, thoughts and intentions. So also our actions, thoughts and intentions spill out of our body, in our water, into the water of the world and impacts even the weather we experience. The imbalance we see in the climate is a “direct reflection of the imbalance that exists in the human soul today”.
This edition of Perspectives bears the title: “What is truth?” – the important question posed by Pontius Pilate. We are reminded by Rev. Mathijs van Alstein, priest in the community in Zeist, Netherlands, that Dr Rudolf Steiner said: “The truth is not a fixed system of concepts that can manifest itself in one way only, but a living ocean in which the spirit of man lives, that can bring forth waves of the most different kind at its surface.” Mathijs continues to explore truth as something that is known to our spiritual nature, that part of us that is hidden from the world in our life on earth. We know truth before birth but, as described by the Ancient Greeks, as we cross the River Lethe into birth we forget everything we knew before birth. The way to rediscover the truth is to cross back over the Lethe into full knowledge (before we cross the River Styx at the end of life back into the knowledge of the spiritual worlds). He presents a very compelling article that takes us with Jonah into the belly of the whale and reveals the mystery of the altar and the repetition of coming to the altar.
Rev. Tom Ravetz reminds us how difficult it is to find the truth in this century of “fake news”. Believing that there is one objective truth leads to an elitism that can result in war and even ignorance. Seeking the truth leads to a “multiplicity of portals that lead to an ever greater fullness of understanding”.
Rev. Luke Barr, priest in the community in Aberdeen, Scotland, tells us that truth is related to our freedom, as told to Adam and Eve, that we shall be “like God, knowing Good and Evil”. As such finding truth is a personal task. But truth is not a personal opinion. Truth will become clear as we work to become transparent. In this we have the aid of the “Spirit of Truth”, another name of the Holy Spirit.
Jane Chase, counsellor in Stroud, England, shares how counselling can help us reconnect with parts of ourself that we push aside as a result of trauma or circumstance. The more integrated we are the more creatively we can live our lives. Finding what is true for us helps us accept what other people find as being true for them.
Rev. Douglas Thackray, priest emeritus, shares how the words of Jesus to his disciples in the days before Easter, that he would not be leaving them destitute but was sending them the “Comforter”, can be experienced for us in our life’s tribulations through the Sacramental Consultation and the Act of Consecration of Man.
Rev. J Michael Brewer, priest in the community In Detroit, reminds us that on the evening before Jesus is brought before Pilot he says: “I am the way and the truth and life”. So we may see truth as something for which we can strive, rather than something we can claim to possess.
In this edition of Perspectives we find out about the Founding of The Christian Community in Romania and among the letters and reviews read a review of the book by Karl König, “Plays for the Festivals of the Year”. Consider subscribing to Perspectives to avoid missing out on the valuable articles or look to buy a copy at the church. Back issues can also be downloaded for a small donation at (The link is also on our links page).
The latest edition (March - May 2018) of The Christian Community Perspectives is available. In it Rev. Peter Holman reminds us of the history of this publication, in its various guises, that has been published for the international English-speaking world almost as long as the Act of Consecration has been celebrated in English. Peter is passing on the baton of collating and printing the Southern African edition to Sharon Cox. Peter also bids farewell to the Southern African Region with a biographical article on his 21 years of work here, starting at Alpha in the Western Cape and finishing in Alverstone, near Hillcrest KZN. He recounts several interesting events and episodes from his life here in South Africa.
The recent Priest Synod in Cape Town is also described by Peter Holman and the discussions that the Synod held around water is pre-empted by a summary of an article of the presentation Rev. Richard Goodall gave. In it he tells us how the Khoi San people revered water and because it is the source of life also revered all living things. Our scientific view of water as H2O closes our eyes to much of the reality that is water. Richard describes some of the recent research that has been conducted to awaken our perspective on water and how we affect our bodies that are 70% and more water by our actions, thoughts and intentions. So also our actions, thoughts and intentions spill out of our body, in our water, into the water of the world and impacts even the weather we experience. The imbalance we see in the climate is a “direct reflection of the imbalance that exists in the human soul today”.
This edition of Perspectives bears the title: “What is truth?” – the important question posed by Pontius Pilate. We are reminded by Rev. Mathijs van Alstein, priest in the community in Zeist, Netherlands, that Dr Rudolf Steiner said: “The truth is not a fixed system of concepts that can manifest itself in one way only, but a living ocean in which the spirit of man lives, that can bring forth waves of the most different kind at its surface.” Mathijs continues to explore truth as something that is known to our spiritual nature, that part of us that is hidden from the world in our life on earth. We know truth before birth but, as described by the Ancient Greeks, as we cross the River Lethe into birth we forget everything we knew before birth. The way to rediscover the truth is to cross back over the Lethe into full knowledge (before we cross the River Styx at the end of life back into the knowledge of the spiritual worlds). He presents a very compelling article that takes us with Jonah into the belly of the whale and reveals the mystery of the altar and the repetition of coming to the altar.
Rev. Tom Ravetz reminds us how difficult it is to find the truth in this century of “fake news”. Believing that there is one objective truth leads to an elitism that can result in war and even ignorance. Seeking the truth leads to a “multiplicity of portals that lead to an ever greater fullness of understanding”.
Rev. Luke Barr, priest in the community in Aberdeen, Scotland, tells us that truth is related to our freedom, as told to Adam and Eve, that we shall be “like God, knowing Good and Evil”. As such finding truth is a personal task. But truth is not a personal opinion. Truth will become clear as we work to become transparent. In this we have the aid of the “Spirit of Truth”, another name of the Holy Spirit.
Jane Chase, counsellor in Stroud, England, shares how counselling can help us reconnect with parts of ourself that we push aside as a result of trauma or circumstance. The more integrated we are the more creatively we can live our lives. Finding what is true for us helps us accept what other people find as being true for them.
Rev. Douglas Thackray, priest emeritus, shares how the words of Jesus to his disciples in the days before Easter, that he would not be leaving them destitute but was sending them the “Comforter”, can be experienced for us in our life’s tribulations through the Sacramental Consultation and the Act of Consecration of Man.
Rev. J Michael Brewer, priest in the community In Detroit, reminds us that on the evening before Jesus is brought before Pilot he says: “I am the way and the truth and life”. So we may see truth as something for which we can strive, rather than something we can claim to possess.
In this edition of Perspectives we find out about the Founding of The Christian Community in Romania and among the letters and reviews read a review of the book by Karl König, “Plays for the Festivals of the Year”. Consider subscribing to Perspectives to avoid missing out on the valuable articles or look to buy a copy at the church. Back issues can also be downloaded for a small donation at (The link is also on our links page).
Confirmations around the Region
The Sacrament of Confirmation
by Rev. Reingard Knausenberger
The biographical ages of a human being have an inner connection to the Christian festivals. The Festivals themselves are the expression of specific events and deeds in the life of Jesus Christ. These can be actualised among us even today. The archetype of our humanity took on form and individuality in Jesus Christ and can therefore give us a guiding image for our individual biography.
The Child in the crib at Christmas, beginning its life as every human being between angel and animal, ‘over-shone’ by a heavenly glow, speaks to every birth. The child then embarks on its way to 'be, grow and become’ under the guidance of dear people in its life, who are mediators of the higher moral values, to follow like a shining star. As the child comes into its fourteenth year, the experience of leaving childhood behind, of a kind of loss of paradise, can find a resonance within Passion-tide. Now the own actual journey on earth begins with questions, searching, doubt, loneliness, sadness, deep longing for independence and knowledge, for acceptance and understanding and with the goal to experience and grasp oneself as the unique ‘I’.
“Confirmare” is a Latin word and means: to secure, to strengthen, to acknowledge, to make firm; to encourage spiritually, to secure firmly in faithfulness.
The Sacrament for the transition from childhood to youth indicates already by its name ‘Confirmation’, that its focus is to strengthen, make firm, acknowledge, enliven and renew something which is already in the child and wants to be nourished to live and grow, so that the child finds the power to become what it has set itself as a life goal from before birth.
It is of utmost importance for the youth to experience the positive support and encouragement of the Community at this moment. It is with and through the Community present that the Christ-Blessing is able to be gifted to the confirmands. Your presence at this very special sacrament is highly appreciated.
The biographical ages of a human being have an inner connection to the Christian festivals. The Festivals themselves are the expression of specific events and deeds in the life of Jesus Christ. These can be actualised among us even today. The archetype of our humanity took on form and individuality in Jesus Christ and can therefore give us a guiding image for our individual biography.
The Child in the crib at Christmas, beginning its life as every human being between angel and animal, ‘over-shone’ by a heavenly glow, speaks to every birth. The child then embarks on its way to 'be, grow and become’ under the guidance of dear people in its life, who are mediators of the higher moral values, to follow like a shining star. As the child comes into its fourteenth year, the experience of leaving childhood behind, of a kind of loss of paradise, can find a resonance within Passion-tide. Now the own actual journey on earth begins with questions, searching, doubt, loneliness, sadness, deep longing for independence and knowledge, for acceptance and understanding and with the goal to experience and grasp oneself as the unique ‘I’.
“Confirmare” is a Latin word and means: to secure, to strengthen, to acknowledge, to make firm; to encourage spiritually, to secure firmly in faithfulness.
The Sacrament for the transition from childhood to youth indicates already by its name ‘Confirmation’, that its focus is to strengthen, make firm, acknowledge, enliven and renew something which is already in the child and wants to be nourished to live and grow, so that the child finds the power to become what it has set itself as a life goal from before birth.
It is of utmost importance for the youth to experience the positive support and encouragement of the Community at this moment. It is with and through the Community present that the Christ-Blessing is able to be gifted to the confirmands. Your presence at this very special sacrament is highly appreciated.
Johannesburg - 2nd April 2018
The confirmands and Rev, Reingard Knausenberger (Lenker): from lt to rt Tayla Cox, Virginia-Rose Raulo, Aleksandra Spencer, Tamsin Schrimpton, Kiera Amerseder, Nicola Glaffig
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Hillcrest, KZN - 5th April 2018
From lt to rt: Rev. Peter Holman, Olivia (Lilli) Christensen, Gary Dunsdon and Rev. Reingard Knausenberger (Lenker)
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Cape Town - 15th April 2018
From lt to rt: Rev. Richard Goodall, the confirmands: Gabriel Karp, Lotus Venter, Sebastian Johnson, Maya Hermanus, Sofia Blöchliger, Lotta Grimmelikhuizen, Olivia Fuller, Hannah Laubscher, Anais Zander and Bjorn Grimmelikhuizen, and Rev. Reingard Knausenberger (Lenker)
Windhoek - 29th April 2018
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New Sending for Rev. Peter Holman
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Guest Priest in Johannesburg and Cape Town
On 3rd November 2017 Rev. Paul Corman will arrive in Johannesburg to give support during the month of November and beginning December. Once the summer Children’s Camps begin, when schools close, Paul will go to Cape Town to support Richard Goodall while Michaël Merle will be in Johannesburg together with Reingard. His short autobiography gives an impression of his background and the community he has been working in for many years.
Paul (Pablo) Corman was born 1946 in Dallas, Texas, but left at the earliest opportunity to study at Antioch College, a work-study university. He had co-op jobs in an orphanage, a record store in Washington, DC, a time in the Colombian jungle as a tour guide and a secretary for the US consular agent in Leticia. He did a year at Hebrew University in Jerusalem which coincided with the 6 Day War in 1968. He then studied at NYU School of the Arts for a master’s degree in Dance Theatre and worked in various modern dance companies and on Broadway, off, off-off, even off-off-off Broadway for 12 years as an actor and dancer before going to the Seminary in Stuttgart, 1982. After ordination 1986 he was a priest in the Pforzheim congregation and since 1989, in The Christian Community in Lima, Peru. He has helped found or encourage other Communities in Cali, Colombia and Santiago de Chile, in Spain and the Philippines. He has also enjoyed substituting in English speaking communities in the US, Australia, New Zealand and England. Now for the first time he will fulfill a long-time wish to visit South Africa and learn from the Communities there, getting to know its members and friends, new customs and traditions. He lives with his husband, Alfredo Baez and their 4 dogs and 5 cats, but since Fredy has a veterinary business in Lima the house is often host to other four-footed friends in need of a temporary home. For Epiphany Fredy will join Paul (Pablo) and both look forward to seeing as much of South Africa as they can in the last 10 days of his stay. Since last April, Paul (Pablo) is “retired” from official duties in Lima, but when there, helps out, of course, in the Lima community.
Paul (Pablo) Corman was born 1946 in Dallas, Texas, but left at the earliest opportunity to study at Antioch College, a work-study university. He had co-op jobs in an orphanage, a record store in Washington, DC, a time in the Colombian jungle as a tour guide and a secretary for the US consular agent in Leticia. He did a year at Hebrew University in Jerusalem which coincided with the 6 Day War in 1968. He then studied at NYU School of the Arts for a master’s degree in Dance Theatre and worked in various modern dance companies and on Broadway, off, off-off, even off-off-off Broadway for 12 years as an actor and dancer before going to the Seminary in Stuttgart, 1982. After ordination 1986 he was a priest in the Pforzheim congregation and since 1989, in The Christian Community in Lima, Peru. He has helped found or encourage other Communities in Cali, Colombia and Santiago de Chile, in Spain and the Philippines. He has also enjoyed substituting in English speaking communities in the US, Australia, New Zealand and England. Now for the first time he will fulfill a long-time wish to visit South Africa and learn from the Communities there, getting to know its members and friends, new customs and traditions. He lives with his husband, Alfredo Baez and their 4 dogs and 5 cats, but since Fredy has a veterinary business in Lima the house is often host to other four-footed friends in need of a temporary home. For Epiphany Fredy will join Paul (Pablo) and both look forward to seeing as much of South Africa as they can in the last 10 days of his stay. Since last April, Paul (Pablo) is “retired” from official duties in Lima, but when there, helps out, of course, in the Lima community.
The Sacrament of Ordination to a Priest
The weekend of 22nd September to 25th September saw the first Ordination in South Africa happening in Johannesburg.
(Picture: Nietta Sombart)
"Christ is the Morning Star, who,
when the night of this world is past,
gives to his saints the promise
of the light of life,
and opens everlasting day."
(Meditation on Apocalypse 2:28 by Venerable Bede)
The theme for the weekend was
Angel, Priest and Congregation at the Altar of the Christ
when the night of this world is past,
gives to his saints the promise
of the light of life,
and opens everlasting day."
(Meditation on Apocalypse 2:28 by Venerable Bede)
The theme for the weekend was
Angel, Priest and Congregation at the Altar of the Christ
The Sacrament of Ordination to a Priest
by Rev. Reingard Knausenberger (written in preparation of the event)
On Sunday, 24th September, our community will be hosting this first celebration of the Priest Ordination in South Africa. The weekend from the evening of Friday, 22nd September to midday on Monday, 25th September will be a very festive one, where we will be seeing guests coming from the whole Southern African Region and Europe. It will be a rare opportunity to experience this sacrament, which is intricately interwoven with the Act of Consecration of Man. Reverend Vicke von Behr, our Erzoberlenker, will come to celebrate this sacrament.
Every ordination is in itself a kind of birth, both in the life of the one who is ordained and in that of the whole Community. The Christian Community's building stones are the hearts of those men and women who have found faith in the Deed on Golgotha as it works into life on earth and in Christ as a cosmic reality. Each time that another one makes the weighty decision to give his life to work as priest, Christian Community comes on to earth a little further. This is true in a general sense, but in a particular sense, too, it is a festival of hope and promise as it touches the heart of our human purpose.
To come to stand at the altar as an ordinand, a journey of intense preparation goes before. The story of Michaël Merle’s life is that of a preparation begun long before he himself could be aware of it already as a boy. He did not know why as a young man he had to go to a theological seminary and then after some years, finding his seeking not fulfilled, turn to other work. In the last twelve years the seed which was planted then, began to germinate with the encounter of the Act of Consecration of Man. May it grow like the grain of mustard seed into a goodly tree. This ordination leads us to Michaelmas and puts the symbol of hope over the whole work of our Christian Community and can strengthen our conscious resolve to serve Christ, individually and together.
On Sunday, 24th September, our community will be hosting this first celebration of the Priest Ordination in South Africa. The weekend from the evening of Friday, 22nd September to midday on Monday, 25th September will be a very festive one, where we will be seeing guests coming from the whole Southern African Region and Europe. It will be a rare opportunity to experience this sacrament, which is intricately interwoven with the Act of Consecration of Man. Reverend Vicke von Behr, our Erzoberlenker, will come to celebrate this sacrament.
Every ordination is in itself a kind of birth, both in the life of the one who is ordained and in that of the whole Community. The Christian Community's building stones are the hearts of those men and women who have found faith in the Deed on Golgotha as it works into life on earth and in Christ as a cosmic reality. Each time that another one makes the weighty decision to give his life to work as priest, Christian Community comes on to earth a little further. This is true in a general sense, but in a particular sense, too, it is a festival of hope and promise as it touches the heart of our human purpose.
To come to stand at the altar as an ordinand, a journey of intense preparation goes before. The story of Michaël Merle’s life is that of a preparation begun long before he himself could be aware of it already as a boy. He did not know why as a young man he had to go to a theological seminary and then after some years, finding his seeking not fulfilled, turn to other work. In the last twelve years the seed which was planted then, began to germinate with the encounter of the Act of Consecration of Man. May it grow like the grain of mustard seed into a goodly tree. This ordination leads us to Michaelmas and puts the symbol of hope over the whole work of our Christian Community and can strengthen our conscious resolve to serve Christ, individually and together.
Photos of the weekend
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Note: these photos are in high resolution, so do not open using mobile data on a mobile device.
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North meets South
by Louisa Feiter
There is hammering and scraping, the sound of a spade hitting the dry ground, the soft swish of paint against the wall, the muffle of voices and laughter every now and then. This is not just another day at Noluthando Day Care Centre, but a week that stands out for all of us – for the Christian Community youth group, for Richard, the caretaker, for the teachers, Nozuko and Phumza, and for Samara Foundation.
Samara, who has been working with Noluthando for some time already, had invited the visiting youth group from Vienna to stay at the kindergarten for a week to renovate the old farmhouse and get to know the surrounding community. This included the local Chief – Chieftainess Tyali – who welcomed us when we all arrived at Noluthando.
Samara, who has been working with Noluthando for some time already, had invited the visiting youth group from Vienna to stay at the kindergarten for a week to renovate the old farmhouse and get to know the surrounding community. This included the local Chief – Chieftainess Tyali – who welcomed us when we all arrived at Noluthando.
It was a busy and exciting week with the youth group tackling anything from digging trenches for the toilet plumbing, knocking out window spaces, replacing window panes, scraping down walls and fixing cracks to the repainting of rooms and repairing and redecorating of swings and a playground space. Those with deft hands also crocheted woollen balls for the kindergarten children to play with and before long curious bystanders were learning to crochet too.
There was also a community day with the children and families of the kindergarten where Nozuko and Phumza, with help from other local women, undertook to cook a traditional meal for everyone – quite a feat which had them up at 7am in the morning, getting the dough ready for the roosterkoeke and soaking the samp for the traditional samp and beans mixture.
There was also a community day with the children and families of the kindergarten where Nozuko and Phumza, with help from other local women, undertook to cook a traditional meal for everyone – quite a feat which had them up at 7am in the morning, getting the dough ready for the roosterkoeke and soaking the samp for the traditional samp and beans mixture.
It became quite the festive occasion with a local dancing troupe providing entertainment and an impromptu exchange of singing as the Austrian youth group and a choir Phumza and Nozuko were part of, shared traditional songs.
In between there were games with the newly crocheted balls and much playing on the fixed and newly painted swings. And once again the crocheting became a big hit as the community grandmothers all wanted to learn how to make the crocheted balls.
The Haus of Musik in Vienna had also donated and sent some harmonicas and Jew’s harps with the youth group for the children which were handed over on the community day. Before long a cacophony of sound could be heard as everyone wanted to try out the instruments.
In between there were games with the newly crocheted balls and much playing on the fixed and newly painted swings. And once again the crocheting became a big hit as the community grandmothers all wanted to learn how to make the crocheted balls.
The Haus of Musik in Vienna had also donated and sent some harmonicas and Jew’s harps with the youth group for the children which were handed over on the community day. Before long a cacophony of sound could be heard as everyone wanted to try out the instruments.
Noluthando is one of six kindergartens that is supported in the Eastern Cape through funding from the Umckaloabo Foundation in Germany, whose focus is to enable children and youth in Southern Africa. Samara Foundation is one of their partners in South Africa and is working with the kindergartens to create safe and nurturing spaces for the children to thrive and grow.
Part of this work includes bringing new energy and points of connection to the kindergartens and surrounding community – something that certainly happened during this meeting of North and South. The youth group and their hard work at Noluthando not only made a mark on the kindergarten building but left behind many special memories and impressions in the hearts of us all at Samara, at Noluthando and in the community – and we hope they felt the same.
Part of this work includes bringing new energy and points of connection to the kindergartens and surrounding community – something that certainly happened during this meeting of North and South. The youth group and their hard work at Noluthando not only made a mark on the kindergarten building but left behind many special memories and impressions in the hearts of us all at Samara, at Noluthando and in the community – and we hope they felt the same.
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For more information on Samara Foundation and its work in the Eastern Cape, contact Louisa Feiter on louisa.feiter@gmail.com.
REGIONAL COUNCIL and Priest Synod in Windhoek
by Rev. Reingard Knausenberger
The Regional Council met in Windhoek this year, using the long weekend of the 16th June to justify the long trip and gain more time to work through our agenda. There was also time for a stroll around the Green Market on Saturday morning on the church premises, have a look at the centre of town and spend the afternoon on the farm Krumhuk. After a session of work we headed out into the bush for a walk in the golden setting sun among the springbok, ending with a simple supper around the campfire. We held the 4th Annual General Meeting of the Regional Council PBO. The treasurers of all our centres had enough time to listen to each other’s approach to the finances and find a way to coordinate the reporting, which will make it easier to compare figures. This was the first year that the Region has consolidated all the regional finances in new bank accounts and no congregation any longer holds any regional monies in their accounts. Leigh Sax, from the Cape, has held the threads together for the past 16 years from the first meetings when it was called ‘Finance Focus’ to now, where we are a legal body able to manage regional affairs well beyond finances. He has handed the baton of chairperson over to Glenda Tuckell from KZN.
Each evening and on Sunday morning, community members of Windhoek joined us to work on the theme: “Building Sustainable Community”. Inspired by the way the different sacraments describe and require community, we first worked from the background of the baptism, then “Building Social Community” inspired by the confirmation, the consultation and Act of Consecration, and finally “Sharing Life in Community” was inspired by the sacrament of marriage. We closed these lively evenings on Sunday morning after the service in the plenum with “Building Christian Community”.
One of the main purposes of the Council is to lend an ear to what is happening in the different communities: what are the concerns, the joys, the projects. It is good to have other ears and eyes and minds present to witness and think. The Council members are representatives of the community that sends them and each community should appoint a person to be such a representative for them.
Two topics from the many discussions can be shared: firstly the disappointment that Rev. Marcel Frank will not be coming to South Africa. The visa process has been underway for more than 9 months and after three attempts his papers have still not been accepted at the South African embassy. We will have to work at another route to get priests into the country, possibly by first getting a blanket waiver approved by Home Affairs for The Christian Community church. His coming would have freed up Reingard to support Cape Town and Windhoek a little more. A new discussion needs to occur to nonetheless facilitate this. An idea is to investigate whether Kine Voigts can go to Cape Town for 3 months and we find a priest who can step into the Windhoek community for that period.
Next year it is our turn to host the Regional Council and synod in Johannesburg from 27th February – 3rd March. The local community is always invited to participate in the evening sessions and Sunday mornings.
The Regional Council met in Windhoek this year, using the long weekend of the 16th June to justify the long trip and gain more time to work through our agenda. There was also time for a stroll around the Green Market on Saturday morning on the church premises, have a look at the centre of town and spend the afternoon on the farm Krumhuk. After a session of work we headed out into the bush for a walk in the golden setting sun among the springbok, ending with a simple supper around the campfire. We held the 4th Annual General Meeting of the Regional Council PBO. The treasurers of all our centres had enough time to listen to each other’s approach to the finances and find a way to coordinate the reporting, which will make it easier to compare figures. This was the first year that the Region has consolidated all the regional finances in new bank accounts and no congregation any longer holds any regional monies in their accounts. Leigh Sax, from the Cape, has held the threads together for the past 16 years from the first meetings when it was called ‘Finance Focus’ to now, where we are a legal body able to manage regional affairs well beyond finances. He has handed the baton of chairperson over to Glenda Tuckell from KZN.
Each evening and on Sunday morning, community members of Windhoek joined us to work on the theme: “Building Sustainable Community”. Inspired by the way the different sacraments describe and require community, we first worked from the background of the baptism, then “Building Social Community” inspired by the confirmation, the consultation and Act of Consecration, and finally “Sharing Life in Community” was inspired by the sacrament of marriage. We closed these lively evenings on Sunday morning after the service in the plenum with “Building Christian Community”.
One of the main purposes of the Council is to lend an ear to what is happening in the different communities: what are the concerns, the joys, the projects. It is good to have other ears and eyes and minds present to witness and think. The Council members are representatives of the community that sends them and each community should appoint a person to be such a representative for them.
Two topics from the many discussions can be shared: firstly the disappointment that Rev. Marcel Frank will not be coming to South Africa. The visa process has been underway for more than 9 months and after three attempts his papers have still not been accepted at the South African embassy. We will have to work at another route to get priests into the country, possibly by first getting a blanket waiver approved by Home Affairs for The Christian Community church. His coming would have freed up Reingard to support Cape Town and Windhoek a little more. A new discussion needs to occur to nonetheless facilitate this. An idea is to investigate whether Kine Voigts can go to Cape Town for 3 months and we find a priest who can step into the Windhoek community for that period.
Next year it is our turn to host the Regional Council and synod in Johannesburg from 27th February – 3rd March. The local community is always invited to participate in the evening sessions and Sunday mornings.
From left to right Glenda Tuckell, Peter Holman and Richard Goodall relaxing at Krumhuk Farm outside Windhoek.
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Letter from the Lenker, Rev. Reingard Knausenberger, informing of changes in 2016
by Marilize King, Cape Town
Helene was well-known for her artistry with words. She had an insatiable interest in their origins, proper meanings and the endless vistas they unfold and the opportunities they afford to people to express themselves in all moods and under all circumstances. Words for her were living beings, and had to be treated with respect and awareness to ensure that they go forth into the world for the purpose for which they were intended: to uplift, to build, to bring great joy, to express love, to share grief. She played with words as children play with their favourite toys, receiving much joy in the process.
For her, words danced like sunbeams on water, always moving, reaching out to people and into the ethers. With words we can reach others, words are the foundation of our culture, of who we are. They help us to establish ourselves in the world, even to survive. They connect us to Spirit: we worship and pray, sing and applaud. We whisper comfort to others.
She had a particular interest in John 1, studying about the Logos until the end of her life. One can say that she went to the beginning to discover the true Word of different backgrounds and cultures and made contact to them through the word, which was not only a technical tool but also the medium of sharing feelings and the common denominator of understanding between people. Through other peoples' poetry and stories she raised awareness of inter-connectedness. As Professor Mouton said at her memorial service in Stellenbosch: Helene's life task was to bring the spiritual and earthy together and she chose to do it through the word.
Helene was well-known for her artistry with words. She had an insatiable interest in their origins, proper meanings and the endless vistas they unfold and the opportunities they afford to people to express themselves in all moods and under all circumstances. Words for her were living beings, and had to be treated with respect and awareness to ensure that they go forth into the world for the purpose for which they were intended: to uplift, to build, to bring great joy, to express love, to share grief. She played with words as children play with their favourite toys, receiving much joy in the process.
For her, words danced like sunbeams on water, always moving, reaching out to people and into the ethers. With words we can reach others, words are the foundation of our culture, of who we are. They help us to establish ourselves in the world, even to survive. They connect us to Spirit: we worship and pray, sing and applaud. We whisper comfort to others.
She had a particular interest in John 1, studying about the Logos until the end of her life. One can say that she went to the beginning to discover the true Word of different backgrounds and cultures and made contact to them through the word, which was not only a technical tool but also the medium of sharing feelings and the common denominator of understanding between people. Through other peoples' poetry and stories she raised awareness of inter-connectedness. As Professor Mouton said at her memorial service in Stellenbosch: Helene's life task was to bring the spiritual and earthy together and she chose to do it through the word.
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Helene spoke fluent isiXhosa, Afrikaans, English, German and French. She studied anthropology and English and translated between these languages, particularly into Afrikaans to make anthroposophical content, mantras and esoteric texts accessible. She was an active part of The Christian Community, Anthroposophical Society and Waldorf Movements wherever she lived. She resided in Johannesburg during the 1980's and '90's.
by Jane Abrahams
The Grail Stone in Africa and the Search for Prester John by Helene de Villiers, is subtitled 'South Africa's past and future seen in a different light.' It is beautifully conceived and put together, and very well illustrated. Through it all, like a golden thread, runs a strong plea for the spiritual redemption of this dark continent of ours, so rich in potential, so riven by fear and violence. Helene de Villiers takes as her central theme the premise that the Grail found its final home in Africa, its last Keeper being the first of the long line of Ethiopian kings known as Prester John who was thought to be descended from the Three Wise Men of the East.
The book describes the legendary roots of the story; the Grail Stone arriving at last in the land of Saba (Abyssinia/Ethiopia), the extraordinary flowering of Coptic Christianity under Lalibela, who was baptized by the Angel Gabriel in the River Jordan, and who returned home to build the underground churches which are still used for worship in present-day Ethiopia. The author then looks at the known historical facts. The quest to find Prester John began with the vision of Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal, who in the 15th Century initiated various expeditions down the coast of Africa, culminating in that of Bartholomeu Dias, the first European to set foot in South Africa, at Mossel Bay in 1488. At key points around the southern coast of Africa, Dias and da Gama who followed him, erected padraoes, stone columns bearing a cross, thus symbolising that Christianity had touched this savage land. 'Like a chain of prayer they surrounded this region long before the Dutch and English arrived.'
Were these expeditions successful? Did they find Prester John? The answer is yes and no. They found a king, certainly, although he was not the all-powerful ruler of legend. But they did find a form of Christianity there which was rigorous and devout. It is as though in this north-east corner of the continent a flame of spiritual knowledge and faith was lighted and kept burning through the centuries, although many waves of history rolled over it and threatened to put it out.
The second part of the book includes a collection of African fireside tales, many illustrating the themes of resurrection and metamorphosis. An overall atmosphere of fear and retribution imbues these tales, but redemption also shines through. As a tremendously satisfying climax, the author shows how many of the themes which have figured in the past history and mythology of Africa are surfacing again in the work of modern South African writers.
Helene de Villiers has written a many-layered book which brings together the separate tributaries of myth, history, poetry and folklore into a strong narrative river which carries one along in the growing hope that Africa may one day ask the right question and attain lasting brotherhood.
It is available from the bookshop at the Rudolf Steiner Centre, Bryanston, or directly from the publishers: The Attic Press
The Grail Stone in Africa and the Search for Prester John by Helene de Villiers, is subtitled 'South Africa's past and future seen in a different light.' It is beautifully conceived and put together, and very well illustrated. Through it all, like a golden thread, runs a strong plea for the spiritual redemption of this dark continent of ours, so rich in potential, so riven by fear and violence. Helene de Villiers takes as her central theme the premise that the Grail found its final home in Africa, its last Keeper being the first of the long line of Ethiopian kings known as Prester John who was thought to be descended from the Three Wise Men of the East.
The book describes the legendary roots of the story; the Grail Stone arriving at last in the land of Saba (Abyssinia/Ethiopia), the extraordinary flowering of Coptic Christianity under Lalibela, who was baptized by the Angel Gabriel in the River Jordan, and who returned home to build the underground churches which are still used for worship in present-day Ethiopia. The author then looks at the known historical facts. The quest to find Prester John began with the vision of Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal, who in the 15th Century initiated various expeditions down the coast of Africa, culminating in that of Bartholomeu Dias, the first European to set foot in South Africa, at Mossel Bay in 1488. At key points around the southern coast of Africa, Dias and da Gama who followed him, erected padraoes, stone columns bearing a cross, thus symbolising that Christianity had touched this savage land. 'Like a chain of prayer they surrounded this region long before the Dutch and English arrived.'
Were these expeditions successful? Did they find Prester John? The answer is yes and no. They found a king, certainly, although he was not the all-powerful ruler of legend. But they did find a form of Christianity there which was rigorous and devout. It is as though in this north-east corner of the continent a flame of spiritual knowledge and faith was lighted and kept burning through the centuries, although many waves of history rolled over it and threatened to put it out.
The second part of the book includes a collection of African fireside tales, many illustrating the themes of resurrection and metamorphosis. An overall atmosphere of fear and retribution imbues these tales, but redemption also shines through. As a tremendously satisfying climax, the author shows how many of the themes which have figured in the past history and mythology of Africa are surfacing again in the work of modern South African writers.
Helene de Villiers has written a many-layered book which brings together the separate tributaries of myth, history, poetry and folklore into a strong narrative river which carries one along in the growing hope that Africa may one day ask the right question and attain lasting brotherhood.
It is available from the bookshop at the Rudolf Steiner Centre, Bryanston, or directly from the publishers: The Attic Press
Regional Synod in Windhoek - October 2014
Rt to lt: Rev. Reingard Knausenberger, Rev. Kine Voigts, Rev. Richard Goodall, Rev. Peter Holman, Rev. Malcolm Allsop
Priests of the Region Southern Africa taking a break during the Synod October 2014 held in Windhoek.
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Regional Synod in Cape Town - March 2014
Lt to Rt: Rev. Reingard Knausenberger, Rev. Richard Goodall, Rev. Peter Holman, Rev. Kine Voigts, Rev. Vicke von Behr & Rev. Malcolm Allsop
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Regional Council Meeting - August 2013
The annual meeting of The Christian Community Regional Council, Southern African Region took place in the Johannesburg congregation from Friday evening, 23th to lunch on Sunday, 25th August 2013. Trustees and members of the various congregations were also invited to attend the meeting.
See also articles on the Johannesburg Congregation news pages entitled Growing Together by Raimer von Haase and Experiencing the Regional Council meeting by John-Peter Gernaat.
See also articles on the Johannesburg Congregation news pages entitled Growing Together by Raimer von Haase and Experiencing the Regional Council meeting by John-Peter Gernaat.
Student Conference, Hogsback, April 2013
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Hermanus October 2012
by Rev. Reingard Knausenberger
The Regional Council met in Hermanus this October for the first time. Camphill Village generously opened their beautiful hall for our meetings, catering for us with delicious meals. Even though there is no permanent priest for this area, we experienced three services in the hall, where the altar is set up every time when Rev. Richard Goodall visits, about every two months. On Friday evening we were introduced to the history of Camphill and its founding in the Valley of Hemel en Aarde. Sunday we participated with the Village community in an Act of Consecration of Man.
This time the Council met a day longer, giving space to ponder some questions and topics more deliberately, e.g. “What does money have to do with us? The unique quality of ‘Gifting/Donation’ money; The imagination of John in the Book of Revelation to John, Ch. 1 and its inner dynamic relevance”. It is heartening to experience that as the Council achieves a continuity in meeting, so does the consciousness for each other and the community they represent. Since the last meeting major steps have been taken in Cape Town (phase 2 of Timour Hall cottages is nearly complete), in KZN (Kangelani Way is upbeat to convert the old horse stables into a chapel space after the Shongweni property has passed into new hands), in Joburg (a complete upgrade of the church garden and West Manse), and Windhoek manages to keep a stable course despite some unexpected, sometimes dramatic, events which stretched both priest and members. There is no doubt any more: we are a Region, thinking and feeling together, helping each other, creating a flow from community to community.
This time the Council met a day longer, giving space to ponder some questions and topics more deliberately, e.g. “What does money have to do with us? The unique quality of ‘Gifting/Donation’ money; The imagination of John in the Book of Revelation to John, Ch. 1 and its inner dynamic relevance”. It is heartening to experience that as the Council achieves a continuity in meeting, so does the consciousness for each other and the community they represent. Since the last meeting major steps have been taken in Cape Town (phase 2 of Timour Hall cottages is nearly complete), in KZN (Kangelani Way is upbeat to convert the old horse stables into a chapel space after the Shongweni property has passed into new hands), in Joburg (a complete upgrade of the church garden and West Manse), and Windhoek manages to keep a stable course despite some unexpected, sometimes dramatic, events which stretched both priest and members. There is no doubt any more: we are a Region, thinking and feeling together, helping each other, creating a flow from community to community.
Preceding the Council was a short retreat of the priests with our colleague Rev. Mechtild Oltmann from Berlin. We focused on the Book of Revelation and were very grateful for the rare opportunity of extended conversation with colleagues. We were also very fortunate to be hosted by Barbara Sanne on her horse stud Oldlands, right next to Camphill Village.
Before priests and the Council members arrived, Rev. Oltmann met with 14-18 members living around Hermanus, offering perspectives on the Book of Revelation during several sessions over Saturday and Sunday.
All in all a worthwhile and inspiring time touching base in an area where members and friends of the Christian Community uphold the Christ-flame in often lonely conditions.
Before priests and the Council members arrived, Rev. Oltmann met with 14-18 members living around Hermanus, offering perspectives on the Book of Revelation during several sessions over Saturday and Sunday.
All in all a worthwhile and inspiring time touching base in an area where members and friends of the Christian Community uphold the Christ-flame in often lonely conditions.
Watching whales on the Whale Coast at Hermanus
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Priest's Synod in Johannesburg in May 2012 Rev. Hugh Thornton, Rev. Kine Voigts, Rev. Peter Holman, Rev. Reingard Knausenberger and Rev. Richard Goodall in the Community Garden in Johannesburg
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Confirmees 2012
On Palm-Sunday, you planted seeds and throughout Holy Week you watched how they started sending up green shoots. By Easter they are already high enough to be seen well above the container rim. Why do you think they could grow so quickly? - Because they were planted in good soil and had light, air and water.
You might remember the parables about the kingdom of heaven in the gospel of Matthew 13: 'A sower went out to sow his seed...' and that it matters a lot where the seed lands if there is to be a good result. We hear that the seed is the Word of God. We all have experiences of how powerful a word can be, depending on where and how it lands in us. We know how it feels to be criticised and hurt by anger and how difficult it is to pull that thorn of hurt out of the heart. But we also know the opposite, how a kind and caring word can warm us through and fill us with joy and strength from the inside out.
Then we can think of the very beginning of the Bible, the book of Genesis, where we hear how God created the world in six great cosmic world-days through the power of The Word. It was God's own initiative to speak His substance out like a seed. The whole of creation, this world around us, is the seed He has sown.You and I and we all are a seed God planted into this world. And He says: 'it is good' – planted in good soil. On the seventh day He pauses, eager to see what will become of the seed He has sown.
A lot of things happened in the world since then, the whole of history until now is about growing that original seed. Getting the conditions right so that something can find its place and grow is the first challenge. After a while, though, when it is established and growing, another question arises: what is its purpose, where is this headed, what will become of it? At that point in history, when this question was existential, a very special human being was born with a unique mission. Jesus gave Christ, the son of God, the opportunity to enter into His creation and show us what God's power can do when a human being brings it alive within his heart. The meaning of creation became real when Christ died. Now we can understand better the first verses of the gospel of John: 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God'. The power of Creation, the power of His Word that can become anything, was with God. Long ago, God spoke it out, ... have you ever tried to take a word back you spoke? Was it possible? You will find that it can never be made 'unspoken' again, even if you try to correct and change its impact.
So the question for us is: where is God's Word now? Christ, the spoken-out Word of God, died! Where, how, does it become alive again?
You see, this question leads us to an altar. Everything we experience at an altar in celebrating a sacrament is about The Word. Sacraments are there because The Word was with God and is now with us! The deed of Jesus Christ on Golgotha fulfilled the original purpose of creation and has produced a new seed, sown deeper into our being, right into our heart, into our flesh and blood. Christ, The Word, is now in us. What was with God is now in you like a seed, a magnificent creative potential, a spiritual 'power point'. It is a possibility waiting to come alive in your heart. That is why it matters where this experience of receiving a sacrament lands: on the path where it will be trodden underfoot among all the many experiences we have in the course of life, on the rock where it is of momentary interest and then forgotten, among thorns where it isn't given any exposure to light and air, or in good soil where it can take root?
The ritual of a sacrament gives us the opportunity to lift our creative power into the light of the Spirit and let it be energised by the breath of a greater purpose. We are responsible for the conditions they land in. Each one of us is responsible what becomes of them. That is our freedom. With the sacrament of confirmation the Word of God has been given to you: a mighty creative power. No one says it is easy to nurture this and let it live and grow in a positive way, but when you keep at it, like a gardener does, you will find it leads to the most fulfilling and meaningful experiences in life. Later when you look back on things you have done and who you have become in the course of this effort, you will be able to say: it might have been difficult at times, but it was GOOD. And the Good will endure. Rev. Reingard Knausenberger
In our Southern African Region twenty-four young people received the blessing of the Sacrament of Confirmation: eight in Johannesburg, four in Cape Town, five in Hillcrest, KZN, seven in Windhoek. They join the world-wide community of young people confirmed this year during Easter in the Spirit of the Christian Community.
You might remember the parables about the kingdom of heaven in the gospel of Matthew 13: 'A sower went out to sow his seed...' and that it matters a lot where the seed lands if there is to be a good result. We hear that the seed is the Word of God. We all have experiences of how powerful a word can be, depending on where and how it lands in us. We know how it feels to be criticised and hurt by anger and how difficult it is to pull that thorn of hurt out of the heart. But we also know the opposite, how a kind and caring word can warm us through and fill us with joy and strength from the inside out.
Then we can think of the very beginning of the Bible, the book of Genesis, where we hear how God created the world in six great cosmic world-days through the power of The Word. It was God's own initiative to speak His substance out like a seed. The whole of creation, this world around us, is the seed He has sown.You and I and we all are a seed God planted into this world. And He says: 'it is good' – planted in good soil. On the seventh day He pauses, eager to see what will become of the seed He has sown.
A lot of things happened in the world since then, the whole of history until now is about growing that original seed. Getting the conditions right so that something can find its place and grow is the first challenge. After a while, though, when it is established and growing, another question arises: what is its purpose, where is this headed, what will become of it? At that point in history, when this question was existential, a very special human being was born with a unique mission. Jesus gave Christ, the son of God, the opportunity to enter into His creation and show us what God's power can do when a human being brings it alive within his heart. The meaning of creation became real when Christ died. Now we can understand better the first verses of the gospel of John: 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God'. The power of Creation, the power of His Word that can become anything, was with God. Long ago, God spoke it out, ... have you ever tried to take a word back you spoke? Was it possible? You will find that it can never be made 'unspoken' again, even if you try to correct and change its impact.
So the question for us is: where is God's Word now? Christ, the spoken-out Word of God, died! Where, how, does it become alive again?
You see, this question leads us to an altar. Everything we experience at an altar in celebrating a sacrament is about The Word. Sacraments are there because The Word was with God and is now with us! The deed of Jesus Christ on Golgotha fulfilled the original purpose of creation and has produced a new seed, sown deeper into our being, right into our heart, into our flesh and blood. Christ, The Word, is now in us. What was with God is now in you like a seed, a magnificent creative potential, a spiritual 'power point'. It is a possibility waiting to come alive in your heart. That is why it matters where this experience of receiving a sacrament lands: on the path where it will be trodden underfoot among all the many experiences we have in the course of life, on the rock where it is of momentary interest and then forgotten, among thorns where it isn't given any exposure to light and air, or in good soil where it can take root?
The ritual of a sacrament gives us the opportunity to lift our creative power into the light of the Spirit and let it be energised by the breath of a greater purpose. We are responsible for the conditions they land in. Each one of us is responsible what becomes of them. That is our freedom. With the sacrament of confirmation the Word of God has been given to you: a mighty creative power. No one says it is easy to nurture this and let it live and grow in a positive way, but when you keep at it, like a gardener does, you will find it leads to the most fulfilling and meaningful experiences in life. Later when you look back on things you have done and who you have become in the course of this effort, you will be able to say: it might have been difficult at times, but it was GOOD. And the Good will endure. Rev. Reingard Knausenberger
In our Southern African Region twenty-four young people received the blessing of the Sacrament of Confirmation: eight in Johannesburg, four in Cape Town, five in Hillcrest, KZN, seven in Windhoek. They join the world-wide community of young people confirmed this year during Easter in the Spirit of the Christian Community.
