— Midweek Meditations:
thoughts, inspiration and encouragement
from ACF community members —
Tuesday night, recovering from a bad cold, trying to catch up with life, my mind still slow and occupied from the last days, but I am sitting in Castelldefels near Barcelona. It was a sunny day, modern travel just transferred me within a few hours into a different world. Most people choose this place probably very carefully when planning their vacation of the year and I just sit here because work brought me here. It is Spanish style late dinner, sitting at Cel Blau- thinking it must mean something like the blue sky – when I try to understand what Pescadores de lonja might imply because “commercial fish“ doesn’t sound very inviting. I have tried many times to learn Spanish but never did because application remained remote and too many things to learn and do, yet still surprised about the many refugees who live in Germany and have not learnt the language. There is indistinguishable background noise of multiple lively conversations going on, laughter bouncing from one wall to the other of the place and it seems if it was a competition of greater fun, with me lost between the parties.
In the past I had sometimes felt increasing uncomfortable and the glass of beer was too small to hide in. The feeling of unbelonging in a world of fun is painful. I don’t generally feel lonely, but coming from feeling not well into a foreign loud world of different happy parties, lacking the language skill, the mood, the personality or confidence to easily connect makes you really lonely.
I wonder how many people around us feel left out frequently because they are intimidated by our loud noise, or already tired to start sharing because we talked non-stop, depriving them from joining in personally?
Reminded by a close person, how all the speech impaired feel, who are condemned to hope patiently for the few patient listeners of us who wait the extra minute before the word, long time preformed in the mind of the person, was able to leave the increasingly less practiced mouth. Or all the people in this world who feel or are made feel that they have nothing to say despite normal speech capacity? How many our fellows might just never develop the confidence to share their thoughts, observations and stories with us? All the introverted intimidated by the screaming lights of daily life, or our neighbors going through or even experiencing a seemingly never ending depression in heart and mind who might not even see meaning in sharing; the marginalized who live almost invisible around us, who cannot speak the language – like me for this night – but they in their daily world, who are left in society’s corners, to do the work we don’t like to do, or not even that, thought low of, as the mute might well be dumb.
Often one of these people might be me myself. If this is sometimes our experience let us not down play it, but express our need for true fellowship and seek it openly, as only then we will overcome; but even more often it’s a person next to us, waiting for a smile, a kind word of invitation to join, a moment of silence allowing them to say hello and potentially unfold their unknown world in front of us.
Lord, when you came into this world, you were born in a foreign stable, not welcome by your own who did not recognize you (John 1:10) and you told your closest friends that “foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Matth. 8:20) On your last day of life you asked your closest friends in the moment of overwhelming sorrow to “stay here and keep watch with me” (Matth. 26:38), but experienced how lonely you were until you died on the cross.
To this God we pray:
Lord you have experienced the pain of isolation and loneliness, help us to understand and trust your promise to never leave or forsake us (Josh1:5), to feel your presence with us, your rod and staff comforting us (Psalms 23:4 and 6) even in the dark and lonely times, and know deep in our hearts that you will be with us always to the very end of the age (Math.28:20). Holy Spirit come and fill my mind, heart and soul with your presence here and now, breath the confidence of God’s love into me, so that my worries, my loneliness, my isolation find their response of peace and comfort in your arms.
Lord, open our eyes, so that we see the person around us who needs the extra hug, gentle encouragement, or time for a long awaited talk to set them free from their real or self-imposed exile from the fellow brothers and sisters. Give us kindness, patience, empathy and self-forgetfulness to serve them as you have served us. May your light shine through us and give hope for our eternal home with you.
Amen
The ACF Midweek Meditations
are written by a diverse group of our church members with the intention to seek God’s fingerprints in our lives. They range from somber to humorous and are inspired by all facets of live and faith. Written by ordinary people from all walks of life, they reflect a wide range of Christian backgrounds and spiritualities.
Each week’s text portrays the individual viewpoint of its author. They might not always resonate with everyone, and are not meant to be understood as representing the Anglican Church Freiburg as a whole. Yet, as a church that is aiming to ‘Build a Community of Grace’ we seek to practice learning from and listening to one another.
We pray that these humble ponderings add a small spark of blessing to your week.
Freiburg Anglican Church 