Posts by Matthias Altwegg

Recently someone from the seetal chile drew my attention to the following text by Maria Hüsing: To be familiar with sorrow, but to live without bitterness To doubt oneself, but not to despair To feel God's hiddenness painfully and yet to believe hopefully To know one's own guilt and yet to stand in grace To lack some things and yet to have everything...

We are already a third of a year into the theme of "metamorphosis". Suddenly the thought spread through me that the claim of the transformation of our being could also exert pressure. Do we have to become more like Jesus in order to please Him? The answer, expressed in images of the annual theme, is: God loves a larva and a caterpillar just as much as...

How do you run a church like seetal chile is? How much democracy is needed? How much power does the church leadership have to act? What does the Bible say about these questions? Let us say this much in advance: The Bible says very little about the decision-making processes in a church. When I read the Pastoral Epistles (Timothy and Titus) and Acts 20...

With the theme of the transformation of our being, the metamorphosis, the exciting question arises: what does God do and what must man do. "Be transformed in your being!" This is a passive voice with the imperative mode. The imperative shows us that we are to strive for transformation, knowing that we...

Meanwhile, we are already in the middle of the new theme for the year. I am fascinated by the idea of metamorphosis, the transformation of our being into Jesus-likeness. I myself was somewhat surprised by the discovery that this does not just happen smoothly, but comes at a high price, namely our lives. The new life is not simply grafted on,...

For more than seven months now, we have been challenged to find the right protection concept for us as a church. In the process, we are making interesting experiences. After each decision, there are individual people who struggle. Some don't want to register, others scoff at the mask requirement. Some are very afraid themselves, others talk about the fact that we as...

During the time when we were producing online services in the studio, various people - including me - left the studio grumbling. If only I had worded that passage a little better! If only I had been a little freer! Why have I forgotten this thought? After everything was in the can, I would have liked to have done it better. Exactly at that time...

Since I will be having shoulder surgery tomorrow and will then be "writing handicapped", I am already getting to work on the preface. This operation is the result of a fall with my bike on the Rigi. In my last sermon I mentioned the following biblical passage: "Before the fall a man's heart is proud; and before...

Humans are made for healthy relationships. While every pack of cigarettes warns that smoking threatens life, it is less well known that loneliness increases the likelihood of premature death by 42%, a researcher writes. Loneliness is toxic. It is less about whether you are single or in a partnership. It's about the...

In the welcome to the first online service on 15 March 2020, a statement of mine included two points: We do not want to act out of fear and we want to see the crisis as an opportunity. After eight online services, 24 episodes of the iconic children's theatre "Die krassen 4", some glow streams, a few online impulses and...

This morning (21 March 2020), I read the day's reading. It reads: "The Lord says: I will give peace in your land, and you will sleep and no one will startle you" (Deuteronomy 26:6). In the New Life Bible, the heading above the passage is "The Blessings for Obedience". This title inevitably reminded me of our theme for the year....

Recently someone wrote the following lines: With a VW bus full of people, he was looking for the way back to the hostel at night. Norway, narrow road over steep fjords. Storm and heavy rain. The windscreen wipers overloaded. The narrow coastal road over the cliffs without crash barriers. And then the lights failed on his car. What now? Stand still?...

This is the seetal chile's theme for 2020. Will you join us on the journey? "I will bless you and you shall be a blessing" (according to Genesis 12:2). This promise from God was given to Abraham, the father of many nations. God demanded an incredible departure from him: he was to leave his homeland, where he had already...

Recently I talked to a man who was a pastor for years but now runs a practice for life and health counselling and coaching. He said that in his counselling sessions he rarely meets people who have an anchored identity in Christ and live accordingly, although he counsels a lot of Christians. He sees this as the main cause for many...

In the last issue I promised parameters for this issue that are much more meaningful for the health of a congregation than its size. Michael Frost, an Australian theologian, lists the following criteria: The number of people reporting improved marriages over time. The number of people who report improved friendships over...

Recently, I have been confronted a few times with the question of whether seetal chile necessarily still needs to grow. After I preached in August on the "Great Commission" from Matthew 28, some believed that it was all about the church growing. Obviously, I have been saying this verbally and non-verbally for the last few years....

The numbers confirm what we have felt in the leadership team: For the first time in the last twelve years, worship attendance did not increase last year. Stagnation. That is not bad at all. And some people are happy when they can still keep track to some extent. But since we have committed ourselves to a great mission, we may...

In the Odyssey saga by the Greek writer Homer, Mentor was a friend of Odysseus and at the same time educator, teacher and advisor to Telemach, Odysseus' son. While his father went to war against Troy and had to endure many dangerous adventures on his voyages across the seas, Mentor took care of Telemach, his son. Even though the Trojan...

For the last time I had the privilege of being present at the Teens Blessing with the "hat" of a father. I was enormously pleased with how fittingly, sensitively and at what a high level the individual programme points were designed. An inviting and well-delivered moderation, a well-staged play leading to the theme, a well-founded sermon suitable for everyday life....

Paul explains: "My job was to plant the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it; but it was God - not us - who made it grow" (1 Corinthians 3:6). God makes it grow! We rejoice in the growth He brings about in us and gladly accept the responsibility that comes with it. For example...

Welcome home! Our theme for the year inspires. Do I define myself as a Christian and a human being by belonging to the family of God or by the rules of the house (commandments and laws)? It is much more inviting and liberating when we see ourselves as a daughter or son in the house of God. This includes unconditional acceptance, a lot of appreciation, great rights and ample joy....

I'm an alien. I'm a legal alien. I'm an Englishman in New York. In German: Ich bin ein Fremder. I'm a legal alien. I'm an Englishman in New York. This well-known song expresses the feeling of being a stranger. The elder son seems to feel at home in the agricultural business of his...

That is this year's theme. What is home? Is home simply a country or perhaps even just a house with which we associate sentimental memories? According to Psalm 91:9, the presence of God makes a place a home: "With the LORD I am safe! Yes, with God Most High you have found a home." In this sermon series we will...

Advent, actually adventus Domini (coming of the Lord), refers to the season in which Christianity prepares for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, Christmas. I recently noticed that the word Advent, with the three letters u-r-e added, means adventure in German. This is a very meaningful play on words. The theme for 2018 was "Abentüür Gebät". The...