‘Stets auf dem Weg’: Predigt zu Lukas 2, 1-20; 2. Weihnachtstag – 26. Dezember 2021 (auf Englisch – letzte Predigt von Pr. Kerstin Weidmann)

What is the first image that comes to your mind when you think of the Christmas story? Maybe it’s the stable, with Mary, Joseph, then of course Jesus in the manger, with ox and donkey and adoring shepherds beholding this miracle. A rather quiet and peaceful scene. And many of our favorite Christmas carols reflect […]

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‘Freut euch’ oder ‘Kehrt um’? Predigt zu Lukas 3, 7-18; 3. Advent – 12. Dezember 2021 (auf Englisch)

Rejoice or Repent? Sermon Luke 3:7-18 3rd Advent December 12th, 2021 Today I want to talk about one of the most beloved figures of the Christmas season – and, no, I am not talking about Santa, Rudolph, or Frosty. I am talking about angels. We see angels on Christmas cards, as decorations, and ornaments. And […]

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‘Gib Licht denen, die sitzen in Finsternis’: Predigt zu Lukas 1, 69-79; 2. Advent – 5. Dezember 2021 (auf Englisch)

  The gospel according to Luke is the only gospel that starts with an extensive narrative about John the Baptist’s conception and birth (maybe it can be viewed as a ‘prequel’ to the story of Jesus’ miraculous conception and birth). The first people we hear about (after some general introductory notes) are Zechariah and Elizabeth, […]

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‘Jedem Ende wohnt ein Neubeginn inne’: Predigt zu Lukas 13, 1-8; 24. Sonntag nach Trinitatis – 14. November 2021 (auf Englisch)

    “Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”   What images come to your mind when you hear these words?   Maybe images of the World Trade Center, tumbling after the horrendous terrorist attacks. Maybe images of the 1906 or 1989 earthquakes here in San Francisco. Maybe […]

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‘Alles, was sie hatte’: Predigt zu Markus 12, 38-44; 23. Sonntag nach Trinitatis – 7. November 2021 (auf Englisch)

  As you may know, I am currently interviewing for a positions in New York City. The most intense interview process so far involved three talks with members of the call committee of a certain congregation. Now what struck me that, during each of these conversations, I was asked, ‘Do you believe politics belong in […]

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‘Man lernt niemals aus’: Predigt zu Markus 10, 35-45; 20. Sonntag nach Trinitatis – 17. Oktober 2021 (auf Englisch)

  Let me start with a question: why do people worship, be it in person or, right now, via a screen? Maybe people feel connected to that great cloud of witnesses, which transcends time and space, whenever they worship. Maybe these services feed them through the familiar words of song and prayer. And maybe they […]

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‘Beständigkeit in allem Wandel’: Predigt zu Markus 9, 38-49; 17. Sonntag nach Trinitatis – 26. September 2021 (auf Englisch)

    On our recent trip to Europe, my husband Fred and I must have visited around 40 churches. We saw 10 in Cologne alone – and, yes, there are quite a few interesting churches besides the famous cathedral. We saw cathedrals – and ancient humble village churches. We saw any style: Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, […]

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‘Wo ist Gott in alledem?’ Predigt zu Markus 8, 27-38; 15. Sonntag nach Trinitatis – 12. September 2021 (auf Englisch)

  Yesterday we commemorated the 20th (!) anniversary of 9/11. Can you believe it’s been 20 years? On that fateful day in 2001, 4 commercial airliners were hijacked by Muslim extremists. 3 of them plowed into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. The 4th […]

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‘Guter Hirte, schlechter Hirte, kein Hirte’: Predigt zu Markus 6, 30-34, 53-56 – 7. Sonntag nach Trinitatis; 18. Juli 2021 (auf Englisch)

California almost 24 years ago, I was going through a pastoral residency program back in Northern Germany, and I lived in a small rural community called Dötlingen. Now Dötlingen was and still is a picture book kind of village, with an oak tree in the village center that is more than 1,000 years old, half-timbered […]

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