Life is Not in Vain
by
Friedrich Schorlemmer
Life is not in Vain
by Friedrich Schorlemmer
[This sermon originally given in the final event of the 1983 church day in Wittenburg is translated from the German in: Es ist nicht umsonst, 1993.]
These words stand in gold letters on the balcony of our city hall:
Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
(Psalm 127,1)
These golden words from a distant past are keys for a good future. God will stand by us so that all our building is not in vain.
Who can ignore:
The house of our world in in the greatest danger.
Many give up and say:
There's no point in anything any more!
Dear church day community, our endangered world needs people who do not give up and will never give up. Our world needs people who know that they will not give up, people who build on the God of hope, persons who confidently say Yes where many say No.
Our endangered world needs people to say thanks where many say no thanks.
Our world needs people who focus confidently on tomorrow where so many say the main issue is that it is enough for today!
After experiencing much failure, let us live out of the venture of trust, not the experience of failure.
Our endangered world needs people who build on God. This world needs Christians whom God makes useful builders.
Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.
Where the Lord builds the house, it will be a home for everyone. Here is the place, here is our home, here we want to build. How do we protect and preserve what was handed down and what we have built ourselves? The golden word on the balcony of our city hall declares: Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.
A warning and a possibility are implicit there. Let us remember: How was this city protected at that time? With powerful walls and deep trenches. At the gates and towers, watchmen stood and watched day and night with canons instead of crosses on the church towers. What was the point of this protection and surveillance?
What is our protection today? Oscillating radar panels searching the skies day and night. Missiles can transform the world into a wilderness in minutes. But do we have security through this watching and weaponry? If we protect ourselves, we destroy ourselves and all things.
We can only hope that the God of peace protects us and our homes and our world. We can only pray that we will become decisive people of peace who help that hands are opened across borders and fists don't clench. We can only do our utmost that the arch is not strained and detente occurs.
Look around at this beautiful city and these many people. For the sake of the children we cannot do anything but resist, tirelessly, against all new missiles over our skies. These weapons can only destroy and not protect our life. We cannot entrust our life to them since they create fear not trust. We trust ourselves to the man with the outstretched arms and the pierced hands. He is the voice of unarmed peace among us. We don't need to become silent; we may not become silent.
He is the good spirit and the foundation stone of the house that we build and protect together. Three speakers come to the stage and say
1. Where the God of hope stands over all failure, the world is friendly!
2. Where the God of peace stands above all protection, the world becomes free!
3. Where the God of life stands over all things, our world has a future.
Intercession prayers
Therefore let us lift up our voice this hour, a voice of unarmed peace.
Community:
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
1. Speaker (child)
God of love - let us all find a home in your house, great and small, old and young, strong and weak. Lord, have mercy.
Community:
Lord, have mercy...
2. Speaker (youth)
God of peace - you are the good spirit and the foundation stone of the house that we build and protect. Show us the steps to make peace without weapons and swords into plowshares. Lord, have mercy.
Community:
Lord, have mercy...
3. Speaker (disabled person)
God of patience - give us understanding and patience for one another. Let us have time for the sick, the sorrowful and the disabled. Give us understanding and patience so that barriers are overcome. Lord, have mercy.
Community:
Lord, have mercy...
4. Speaker: (Pastor from Africa)
God of hope - let us overcome the gulfs separating us from ne another in different churches and countries. Lord, have mercy.
Community:
Lord, have mercy...
5. Speaker (Dr. Konrad Raiser, World Council of Churches, Geneva)
God of life - because you are above all things and in all things, our world has a future. For that we thank you.