Luther and the Jews

Solpersteine in Lutherstadt Eisleben.

Luther, as I said yesterday, was very much one who worked with others, who bounced things off others,who collaborated.   

But he could also be as stubborn as could be, and when he was stubborn, we sometimes could see how incredibly wrong he was.  

This came up with the debate with Zwingli.   Their differences of opinion about communion, and differences of opinion about baptism with the anabaptists essentially sentenced Protestantism to a state of being splintered that we are still seeing every time a new church decides that they can’t agree to disagree and creates a new independent entity.   The prayer of Jesus in John’s Gospel, that they may all be one, is left behind in the fallout that really hinges from Luther’s inability to let other people follow their conscience if it was different from Luther’s.

But where Luther really did damage to all of human history was in his treatment of the Jews.   The Askenazi Jewish people, those who settle in Central Europe, already knew decades of persecution when the fifteenth century dawned.  I highly recommend the Jewish museum in Berlin for an overall look at what the story of the Jews in Germany is, both the places and times when they thrived, and when their culture was, if not celebrated, at least respected, and we have a wonderful record, and the times, represented in this sabbatical by my visit to the Synogogue in Erfurt, when Jews were not only oppressed, but often murdered.  

Of course, this all came to its peak with the Holocaust, and the Solperstein, like those above all over Germany, are a stark reminder of that truth.  We like to think that this was all on Hitler and the Nazis, but places like that Old Synogogue, and the places that commemorate Luther’s life, are careful to remind us of a different story. 

Luther was mad at the Jews for not converting to Christianity. This became such a focus for him at the end of his life that we wrote devastatingly about the Jewish people, urging their destruction if they did not come to Jesus. 

And it was these writings that allowed twentieth century Christians to buy into the Final Solution of the Third Reich.  It was these writings that made it possible for the Christian Church in Germany to become complicit in the actions of the Nazis.  Luther, revered by them, had said destroying Jews was OK.  It was this point of view that made the Confessing church a community of outlaws.   There is no question that the threads of history that allowed hate to cause the murder of six million Jews in twentieth century Germany has its roots in these writings by this esteemed Christian leader. 

While I no longer believe that making a mistake, even a big mistake, destroys the life work of a person, I am glad that we as Protestant Christians can question and deeply regret these words.   I am very glad that every Luther house, every discussion of his life and his thought here in Germany brings these things to life.  I am glad that every church with anti-Jewish iconography (except one) addresses that iconography. 

The Stadtkirche in Wittenberg once had a brass plaque on its side that had two knights fighting.  The prevailing knight, on a horse, was wearing the sign of the cross, but the losing night was wearing a cap that was associate with Jewish people, and in a deeply troubling and offensive vision, riding a pig. 

That plaque is no longer there (I may have a photo of it from 2005, by there is not one in this year’s photos, because it has clearly been taken down.).  But, it is not forgotten.   In front of it, in the front, is a brass plate, like a flat square on the ground, broken in four quarters, and from underneath you can see something bubbling up.  It looks ugly an dark, and like the four squares above are trying to keep the ugliness out of sight, but failing. 

It’s message to me is that we cannot hide the ugliness of the past, whether it is the hate of others, or the writings of those we consider our own.   We need to own it, we need to reject it, but we need to seek reconciliation.   Hundreds of years of hatred of the Jews was in part fueled by these hateful writings of Luther’s.  We need to keep remembering that.  

Luther land

I spent 8 days in Luther Land.   Had I known that the Israel portion of my trip would be canceled, I would have extended that, taken it more slowly, an included Worms (and likely a few days am Rhine).   But it was what it was, and what it was was wonderful.   In chronological order I visited

1. Wittenberg.  Probably the most important Lutherstadt, this is where he spent the vast majority of his life as a professor at the University.  Doctor Luther was evidently very learned, he clearly was very intelligent, but he was also deeply involve with the lives of his students and friends.   I did a full set of museums here, Luther House, Melanchthon House, Luther Oak, Asisi panorama, Cranach House, SChlosskirche, including the tower, Market square with Luther and Melanchthon statue, and Stadtkirche.  I also worshipped with pilgrims at the Schlosskirche and an with a small but vital community of nuns in the tiny Corpus Christi chapel.

2.  Erfurt.   I had the wonderful opportunity to actually sleep in the Renaissance courtyard at the Augustinerkloster.   I visited the site of the University, the building where Luther was housed, The Catholic Cathedral where he was ordained a priest, and the also Catholic Church next door, and of course, the Kloster itself, where I not only did the tour and slept and ate a wonderful breakfast (and lunch, to be honest) from the buffet.   I traveled north of the city to the LutherStein, where Luther prayed that he would become a monk if allowed to live.  I also enjoyed the view from the Petersburg, a fortress overlooking the city, and enjoyed a little bit of beer mixed with local seasonal raspberry soda at the Erfurt Oktoberfest.

3. Eisenach.  I did this as a day trip by rail from Erfurt and visited the Wartburg, one of the two best castles in Germany in my opinion, and walked into town to visit the Luther House in town, where he lived as a young student, briefly.

4. Eisleben.   Luther was born here and died here.  He was baptized here, which is important in Lutheran theology, of course.   I was not able to see the Andreaskirche, where he preached his last sermon.  By I did see the birth house, the death house, and Sts. Peter and Paul church where he was baptized and which is now a baptismal center.  

5. Mansfeld.  Luther grew up here, living here till he was 13, and then presumably on school breaks until he entered the monastery, and then presumably visiting family here throughout his life.   I was able to visit the family house, the school where he was, the local Luther monument and walk around the church.  I did this as a day trip from Eisleben by bus.   It was pretty easy as I lucked into a bus that went the right way. 

So what did I learn about Luther?

First, that he was unusually blessed with gifts and opportunity.   His genius did not come out of nowhere.  He was born into a family that was hard working an entrepreneurial, and he no doubt learned well from them.    He was the recipient of an excellent education from the beginning, and seems to have taken particularly well to languages, learning Latin as a boy, well enough to go to college.   It is also clear that his family was warm and caring, that parents worried about not being too strict an that forgiveness and reconciliation was a part of his growing up.   Having that modeled to him from his early days, Luther had a framework to understand grace when he was thinking about his heavenly father as well.    

Second that this very liberal (for that time) environment extended to the monastery, where his questions were engaged seriously, where he was given a great deal of experience and opportunity, despite the seeming limited character of the experience of being a monk.  It was here he was finally able to read the Bible.  It was here that he was encouraged to think for himself.  It was here he was presented with the opportunity to go to Rome. 

Third, that he was not, ever, a solo player.  Even as he shouldered the focus of the reformation, in reality people like Melanchthon were at his side.   He regularly collaborated with people (especially on his translation of the Old 

Testament) and he constantly revised his work.  Indeed he was still revising his Bible right up until his death.

Fourth, that he made serious mistakes.   Mistakes that were a factor in tragedy on a massive scale.  I’ll write more about this tomorrow.  

And now on to Greece, and St. Paul.

Community matters

No picture today, at least not on this page (I think I have to enter one to post, but we’ll see.)

This morning I read a long post on Facebook about a community where people were leaving because one denomination was concerned with keeping people safe during Covid, and requiring masking and distancing, where other local congregations were worshipping in person with no limitations.  People were leaving and the pastor, who has worked herself silly during this pandemic, is both exhausted and distraught.  What happened, she asked, to community? What indeed?

I also received, today, an email from an old friend, a pastor who had been my pastor for around 20 years, between my joining the UCC and my ordination.  He was my mentor, my friend, my spiritual inspiration.   I sent him a postcard from Rome and, despite the fact that the friendship has not been very active, he emailed to me.  

I thought I was coming on Sabbatical to learn more about the context of the church, the context of the Reformers, the context of the Gospels.   Instead I have learned more about community: the community around Martin Luther most recently, but the community of Reformed reformers, including Knox, the community of the early church in Rome and outside Rome in the Catacombs, of which the family of St. Cecelia is central. The communities that I’ve been part of, if briefly: the community of the Scottish church down the street from the apartment I quarantined in, who welcomed me in their online service, the communities at Iona, at Brot und Rosen, the sisters in the tiny Corpus Christe chapel in Wittenberg, the community that prays around a Coventry Cross here in Erfurt.  The Roman Catholic community of monks praying evening prayer in the Basilica of St. Francis and the community of pilgrims gathering for prayer at the same time.  The working, everyday communities, the just on Sunday communities, and the once in a lifetime communities. 

Community matters.   Even if you don’t completely understand what is going on, because it is in a different language.  Even if you don’t agree completely with what is being said.   Even if you are barred from the Communion table (the ultimate expression of the joining of community) because you don’t believe the “right” way. 

Martin Luther did not post his 95 Theses because he wanted to start a new church.  He did so to help the community he was part of examine itself and be truer to the walk with Jesus.   In 2011 Pope Benedict came to visit the Augustinerkloster here in Erfurt.  Last Wednesday instead of an English language service, there was a commemoration of that visit 10 years ago.  It was a step back toward community.  

It would do us all good to have a little more balance between what we personally want and the welfare of the communities we are part of. A little less “I” and a little more “we” woul be a great thing for the life of the church.

Someone made up my room - and I did something that was just fun.

Someone made up my room today.  This might seem strange coming from someone who has been traveling for 2 1/2 months, but today was the first time I was in a place where someone made up the room.   Either I’ve been in apartments, or in a monastic community, or in a hostel, or in a home (my brother’s or Brot und Rosen’s).   Augustinerkloster is run more like a hotel (with prices to match - now that I am not going to three expensive places in Israel, this stay is the most luxurious of my sabbatical. 

It is a little strange to be served in this way.    I’ve been making my bed(and did this morning - the maid did not change that, nor did she move my towels, but the trash was emptied, and the toilet paper was folded into a little point. )

I also did something entirely hedonistic.  After a full Martin Luther day (Lutherstein, Wartburg and Lutherhaus in Eisenach) I arrived back home too late for church at the monastery, so I took a tram across town and went to the Octoberfest, where I had my favorite roasted mushrooms, a sheep cheese sandwich, and my new favorite beer - a Radler made with a seasonal Himbeer (raspberry) soda.  It’s bright pink and it is very, very yummy.   

Luther thought it was OK to enjoy life every now and then.   At least arguably.  This very family oriented Oktoberfest was a lot of fun.   I might go there for dinner tomorrow, too!

Every theology has problems

While in Wittenberg, I’ve been to just about everything. Lutherhaus, Melanchthonhaus, Cranakhaus (und Hof), the Panorama, the Luthergarten (all 3 sites, and I found the Allegheny Synod tree!

Plus the Schlosskirche, the Stadtkirche, and the Corpus Christie chapel next to the Stadtkirche.  I’m sure I am missing something, but I did a lot of Luther stuff here. 

One of the most pervasive things that I take back home with me, other than the fact that it is just really good to pray in community; thank you so much sisters of the Christusbruderschaft, is the incompleteness of humankind.  At first I experience that, in the Lutheran context as the idea of complete depravity; that we are all, at base sinners.  Note that in the modern time that is paired with the gift of grace, that we are also all saints, and as important as this concept is, it is not at the forefront when searching out Luther in Wittenberg.   

Luther, of course, had his own limits.  He did not take the reformation as far as others wanted to, others who had good theological ideas and ground, but who were also imperfect.   He famously, toward the end of his life, published notable anti-Semitic rhetoric, rhetoric exemplified by a brass relief on the side of the Schlosskirche (now, thankfully having been removed) of a Christian knight on a horse prevailing over a Jewish knight on a pig.   This was a highly offensive image to Jews, and Luther’s writings on this subject helped fuel Naziism.   Today there is a memorial on this site,whose message is that this kind of hate will bubble up where you let it stand.  An alas, my photos of this are on my camera, not on my phone. 

But this has me thinking about the limits of all theology.  As someone who serves both reformed (UCC) and evangelical (ELCA) congregations, I have the benefit of being able to test, and to choose what theologies I share with my community, which I find compelling, and which I find flawed.    I can even exten this, in an extremely limited way, to the biblical record (Binding of Isaac, anyone?   Conquest of Canaan?). 

But I am left with the certainty that somewhere in what i am teaching, I am wrong.   Because I am not God.   As everyone is.   Every time I preach I pray for Christ’s words, not mine, to be at play in the hearts and minds of my people.  This is why.  Because it is not all about sin, or all about grace, or all about anything, except Jesus. And not Jesus as presented to us in the Bible, which is colored by those whose wrote it, but the Jesus who is indeed living today.   

With God’s grace, I pray that in community we can come closer to Jesus than we could individually.   This might need to become a sermon. 

Community

The Chapel at Brot und Rosen (pictured above) is a simple, paneled room with a candle, a bible (the Bible inevitably sits on the altar in Lutheran/Evangelical and Reformed churches in  Germany and Switzerland), a set of song and prayer books (and extra bibles) and a number of items to focus prayer, visually and using sound.  

While the original theme of my sabbatical was context (and I am indeed exploring context) the theme coming OUT of the sabbatical, so far, is community.   I stayed with the Iona Community in Scotland and with the Sisters of the Atonement in Assisi.  I explored the community of the early church in Rome, and made connections between the catacombs and the early churches, especially in Trastevere.  I am getting ready to, in Erfurt, stay in the Augustinerkloster where Luther was a monk in Erfurt, and have added the monasteries of Meteora to my Greece itinerary.   Of course the community here at Brot und Rosen, and the community of the Basisgemeinde Wulfshagenerhuetten. And I have experienced community in a number of youth hostels, even community coming together hesitantly, and at a distance. 

Community, it seems, is a theme I will carry back. 

One thing all of these communities have in common is daily prayer.   I prayed twice a day with the community in Iona, had evening prayer in Assisi with a couple of communities, prayed every morning with the community here at Brot und Rosen (and again before eating in the evening.)

It seems to me this community daily prayer is something that nourishes my soul in a very real way, and I find myself contemplating how that might happen in my own life. 

The Brot und Rosen service is very short and very simple.  An opening sentence, opening Taize prayer, bible reading, five minutes of silent prayer, a closing song and a closing prayer, inviting us into the day.  The morning and evening prayer at the Iona community is more complex, including some responses, but is also short. 

Is it possible that community prayer is what others in my community need?  Is it possible that I might find people to join me, either via internet or in person in the churches of the Rebersburg charge?

One issue I personally have, is a struggle to keep up daily prayer alone in the face of busyness.   With a community, and with that expectation, even if one must occasionally be absent, it is easier for me to persist. 

I am committed to repeating the Brot und Roses morning prayer M-F during the rest of my Sabbatical; keep watching this space to see how well I do with that!  But when I get home that will become much more challenging!  If you are part of my commmunity, local church or larger community, let me know if you would be interested in joining me, either in person or via some kind of streamed content!

Beyond Service

A couple times I have taken groups of people to Washington, DC for a trip that combines exposure to different histories and stories with volunteering at Thrive DC.  These trips are usually billed as “service” trips, but invariably the group comes back having made new friends, having met people that they now care about, in the Thrive DC community, in the staff, and especially among the people who come to Thrive DC.

It should be no surprise to me to have the same thing happen to me, here in Hamburg.   I came to Brot und Rosen, originally, because I wanted to add a service component to my Sabbatical. Well, this trip has been very light on the service (though I’ve done a fair amount of cooking and dish washing, some tree pruning and some weed pulling, not to mention help unloading trucks and heading for the Bioladen (Health Food Store) which gives us their somewhat aged produce.

Did you notice the word “us” in the last sentence?   Because over the three weeks I have visited with Brot und Rosen, I have, instead of serving them, become one of them, if only for a brief time.   I have come to love A., the little baby, who I occasionally take for a stroll, or play with so his Mama can get a chore done.  I have come to care for the others here (I am not going into more detail here, as some of these people have complex stories, some are still working to become documented and accepted immigrants, and both they and I value their privacy. ). Their stories have touched me, but more importantly, sitting around a dinner table, enjoying a meal has bonded us.  Sharing a shower, and having to wait until someone is done (or, better yet, rising in the morning before the others to get a shower in before everyone else wants one) has bonded us.  Laughing together over our language struggles has bonded us. 

There is family you are born to and family you choose, for a season or for a lifetime.  This group of people is family to me, both the permanent residents and the ones staying here during a particularly difficult time in their lives.  At least for this season.   I hope some of them, someday, find their way to the US.   And I hope that there are other stays at Brot un Rosen for me, and maybe my husband, in the future. 

Cancellation

I spent a good deal of today working out my return home and my cancellations for the Israel portion of my trip.   Israel will only be welcoming in groups, not individual travelers, in October.    I AM looking for a group, leaving from Europe, that I might join but so far have no options in that area.   And a change to my British Airways flight (British Airways is only flying into JFK, not Newark, now, and I will need to get across New York City in order to catch my train on the 31st.)

I am now flying out of Athens on October 30th instead of out of Tel Aviv (my Athens to Tel Aviv flight is still there, but I expect to cancel it later, or have it be canceled by El Al (Hoping for the latter since in theory they have to refund my money if they do, hence why I am keeping it.)

What will I do?   I’m looking at my Greece guidebook, also considering Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, as well as Cypress.  Maybe I’ll spend a week on a Greek island. 

Cancelling weeks of reservations takes a lot of time, AND it is hard.  This time not quite so hard, since I will get through all but the last three weeks, and I do have the last three weeks to re-plan.   Still, a bit of a downer. 

Good Morning

I’m often the first one awake. At least in the house (I think one person’s home is outside of the basic house, since she comes through the door most mornings, and had a child (families generally have a small apartment elsewhere in the complex.).  That will shock my husband, but lately even without the alarm I am up and about by 7, a full hour before our prayer together, which is at 8:30 on Monday and Tuesday and at 8 on Wednesday - Friday (I think this allows for work schedules.)

The first one up makes a carafe full of coffee, so I’m making coffee most mornings.   It’s from a large French press, no drip here, and poured into a large thermal carafe for whoever wants some. 

We start every day with prayer.    I photographed the prayers so I would have them.  They are short and good, and I hope to continue this kind of prayer through the rest of my Sabbatical.   It suits me, combining song, prayer, communion on Mondays, and a time of silence that is meaningful but not too long.   

Waking early, praying the day in with others.   Truly a good morning.   I wonder if, once he retires, my husband would join me in a daily prayer time in the morning.  It could change the whole meaning of the phrase.

Good morning. 

Searching for Jerusalem

Full disclosure - I stole this graphic off the internet.  Since it’s via my phone, I can’t even attribute it.  Sorry. 

I’ve been searching pilgrimage tours in Israel for the whole afternoon so far (at 5 I’ll head out for an organ concert at Hauptkirche St. Jakobi, which supposedly has the largest organ (60 registers, more than 4000 pipes, for those who pay attention to such things) in Northern Europe.   

Israel is letting tourists in (even from Greece) effective September 19, but only in groups.   Individual travel is supposed to resume in November, just a tad late for me.   So I am researching group pilgrimages, which would get me to Israel, if not exactly as I had hoped.   Mostly I am looking at tours from Great Britain, as English would be helpful.  

It’s a little complex, and one tour operator has already told me no can do, we recommend you book in December (which I can’t actually do) but we will see if this is an option for me.  It means moving everything in Greece to another time, maybe even rushing Luther a bit (but I can rework that at the end) and extra travel to and from Great Britain, but it might happen.   

Maybe all of you are praying for me to get to Israel.  If so I thank you and will assume, if I get there, that you ha something to do with it. 

Pondering Operation Gomorrah

The highest church tower in Hamburg is no longer part of a church.  Since “Operation Gomorrah” in 1943-44 it is a ruin.  The memorial has a variety of interesting art, there is an elevator in the tower so that through the blackened stone arches, buttresses, and gargoyles, the city of Hamburg is laid out below you, and in the former crypt of the church, there is a moving exploration of the history of the church, and the experience of the destruction as Allied bombs rained down on the city, creating 1000 degree heat and fire storms (I believe these to be like the “fire tornados” we sometimes read about in fire situations.).  

Germany does not, in this memorial, flinch from their own complicity.  They refer to the firebombing of Coventry, and the Blitz in London, and they especially focus on the utter destruction of the firebombing of Warsaw, Poland.  They make it clear that there were people who opposed the firebombing, and that the people who carried it out, in at least some cases, had regrets.  It explores how the pilots (in all these cases) were given targets, not knowing that these were residential areas, and that even women and children would be burned alive. 

37,000 people died in Operation Gomorrah.  Another 180,000 were wounded.  

The Coventry bombing killed 176 and injured another 680.

The London Blitz, of course killed many more, as did the firebombing of Warsaw!

It chronicles the movement to leave the ruin of the church as a memorial, and the process toward that goal. 

And there was a carillon concert in the middle of my visit, and I got some recording done (albeit over the construction going on next door.)

Americans don’t do that.   9/11 memorials remember the fallen, lift up the heroes, identify those directly responsible, as they should, but fail to investigate the historical events and trends that lead to it, an follow from it.   Americans, unlike Germans, seem unable to admit any kind of fault in their country and their history, even though, objectively, it is clear that we have not always acted justly in our history.  

Maybe we can’t.  I have recently been introduced to the work of Max Weber, a sociologist who traces the rise of capitalism to reformed theology.   I have not yet read his work (which dates from over 100 years ago, but I will when I have time and I return home..). But, per Wikipedia, basically his argument is, in part, that the desire to prove that one is elect spurred the Protestant Work ethic.  Because we really believe that our success proves us to be more loved by God than others, at least to ourselves.  We laugh at it taken to extremes in the Gospel of prosperity, but we look down at homeless and blame them for their homelessness base on character traits we imagine.  So this is a compelling idea to me, at least at this moment in time. 

Germany is primarily Lutheran.   Luther lifted up our sinfulness, complete depravity.   Maybe that is why Germans, formed by that theology, can confess and even memorialize the errors of the past, even as Americans are trying to avoid teaching American error, like slavery and violent colonialism and destruction of native populations, not to mention foreign policy that has for generations been so self-centered as to inspire the kind of hate in us that led to 9/11.   Let me be clear, there is indeed no excuse for 9/11:  it is a horrible crime and those who came through on that day: police, firefighters, normal citizens on Flight 93, are truly heroes.   That is a story that should be told, and we should always remember.   But we should also examine the context, the rise of anti-Muslim sentiment in the country afterward.  We should be honest about all of the story. 

The Germans are as complete as they can about the whole story.   And their memorials are moving, and touching, and real.  

Laundry Day

Almost all my clothes were dirty, so I did laundry today.   Here at Brot und Rosen, the efforts and rhythm of everyday life predominate.  Finding the right time when I can take a shower, and someone else will not need the bathroom (which serves about 6 rooms).   Making the evening meal, which is the hot meal of the day, and the time when all the people come together.   And, of course, laundry. 

So most everything is dirty now.   I have a limited amount of clothing, so I go through it every week or so. It’s been 9 days since my last laundry, and except for one item of clothing (can you guess which?) I could go another 2 or 3 days.   

In Germany, and elsewhere in Europe (ou might remember this from Italy) dryers are scarce, particularly in homes.   People hang their laundry.  I have a “Besucher” room (guest room) which I suspect is nicer than the others, and which has a terrace.  It’s a small terrace and it has a lot of weeds growing on it, but it is nice.  So, not wanting to impose my wet clothing on everyone, I have put it out on the terrace, on one of these ubiquitous drying racks (You see them everywhere in Germany!) 

Focusing on the daily tasks of life, from this meal to the morning cleaning, to laundry, to dinner together, is a lot of the life here at Brot und Rosen.  While some of the residents work, full or part time, and others are taking language lessons or somehow other engaged, some are not able to work because of their current immigration status.  And these, especially the ones studying reman in order to get a residence permit at some point in the future, basically have their whole lives within the walls of this house.   There is a significant effort to make that time, and that experience richer, with sharing, with conversation, and with even the rules of the house and the negotiation of when to do what work. (For example, there is only one washing machine, so you red to fit in your wash when others do not need it.  For me, I am active in the morning and some others are not, so I did my wash first thing in the morning, even before our morning prayer service.   Washing machines are slow here, so it was an hour and a half later, on the fast cycle, that I took it out and hung it out on my terrace.  Tonight I will fold an place the stuff on my shelves and in my drawers, and be done until most likely next Tuesday, when I’ll be preparing to go onto the next step in my Sabbatical. 

Please do pray for me.   There is some indication on one of the Israeli travel web sites that they may open to visitors in October.  Of course I need them to do so in the first week of the month to maintain my itinerary, and I need to know that it is going to happen in the next two or so weeks so I can change my schedule to accommodate.  It would be wonderful to be able to go to Israel.   If not, I will spend extra time in Germany, and likely will finish in Greece.   

2 questions.   What do I run our of first?  And what single piece of my wardrobe is the most valuable to me?   I’ll answer in the comments.   

Cooking for the House

I cook. 

People who know me, know that.   I just love to make a great spread for guests.   I love dinners that take all day (I love slow food.)

So I knew I was going to cook here at Brot und Rosen.   But the trick is figuring out what.   You need to use the ingredients that are available, mostly that have been donated by a food pantry group or the local Health Food Store (lots of produce a little past peak.  Sometimes well past peak. (Sometimes unusable.)). And basically you need to improvise with what is there.  And vegan is highly prized. 

After my coleslaw on Monday, which disappeared, and my plum cake on Wednesday, which was pronounced “lecker” (delicious) I had a reputation to live up to. 

And limited options for food.  I could get some things, but did not want to stress Brot und Rosen’s pocketbook (yes, the best solution is just to buy the stuff, and not worry about it, but I didn’t want to do a lot of that.  I DID spend 6 and a half euro on cheddar cheese and margarine. 

So I made Laurel’s veggie chili, some Spanish rice using leftover rice from yesterday, and an apple pie.  There were also a variety of raw veggies available. 

It disappeared.  I thought I made enough for 12-1 people, but fewer (about 9 showed up.).  But one person saved a portion for someone who was not there, and four people saved some for Sunday (there is no central table on Sunday, and everyone can cook and eat by themselves.

When all was said and done, the chili just disappeared.  There is still half an apple pie.   It was not the best apple pie I ever made, but it was OK.   I need Crisco, and there does not seem to be a comparable product here.   

Now, all I need to do is come up with something for next week.   Maybe Mac and Cheese?

Talking the Talk

This morning, Birgit and I participated in a weekly protest outside the ministry that handles Asylum seekers and refugees.  With signs reading “Asyl ist Menschenrecht” (Asylum is a human right) and “Kein Mensch ist Illegal” (No human is illegal) we, with two men (whose names I did not completely catch:   One was a two syllable name starting with E, but I can’t remember it.  Names are driving me slowly crazy!) stood outside the ministry and passed out flyers to people coming there with the addresses of organizations that provide legal services and medical services. 

As Birgit points out, people don’t generally leave home unless something really bad is going on there, and most refugees are fleeing really bad stuff.  Surely the ones living with me these three weeks are.  They come from Algeria, Afghanistan, Syria, they are fleeing destruction, the breakdown of their society, and even abuse in some cases.   There are more, but I am not sure of all of them.  They are full of worry about family left behind, or family that is dealing with immigration in other parts of the world, or even just people that are now very far from them.   They come with nothing, and need to build their lives, usually alone, from scratch. 

I am reminded these days that we are in the US facing an influx of refugees.   How can my churches help support people coming from the war in Afghanistan?   How can we perhaps be part of a team that helps people arriving with nothing get on their feet and live in a totally new reality, as refugees.  It’s a hard question, and the politics of this world have produced so many refugees in this century and the last.  I say, today a prayer for all of them, that God, however recognized or honored (or not) may walk with them through these frightening times.