"Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little." Isaiah 28:10
"Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little." Isaiah 28:10
In September 2015, thousands of refugees started coming to our city, fleeing wars, persecution and poverty in Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
When the first “wave” of refugees started to come in, a demonstration themed “Refugees welcome” was organized by many NGOs and the City Council. Over 10.000 people gathered in front of the Town Hall. They were all taking a stand for a peaceful, safe and friendly community life, embracing the idea of a common sense of “community” independent of people’s origin, nationality or religion.
All the radio stations of the city had agreed to play John Lennon’s song “Imagine all the people” at noon – instead of the hourly news programs. That was a first – all competing stations were on Air together as one single program, choosing one host who invited all the listeners to join in and sing along, to open the windows of their flats or cars and turn up their radios to make everybody hear the message of peace.
On Town Hall Square, 10.000 people joined in, singing together about the brotherhood of man, accompanied by the church bells of the city:
“Imagine all the people...
...living for today
...living life in peace
...sharing all the world...”
And the refrain:
“You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one.
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one.”
I looked around me into open, sincere faces, feeling such an overwhelming sense of love for everyone around me. Tears running down my cheeks – down many cheeks, actually, we kept singing. The whole Town was praying together with this song. Standing – and singing all as one – full of love and compassion for those millions of brothers and sisters in dire need, willing to share the
wealth, but even more the freedom and love, the cultural diversity and sheer endless opportunities of expressing them, we have come to enjoy over the past decades,
- Willing to share the world, based on a deep conviction of the brotherhood of all men and women.
In the months since then, some 20.000 refugees have come to stay in Hamburg, the same number of people have been here for a few days on their way to Scandinavia or to other German cities. A wave of charity and practical support has swept over the country like a refreshing, nourishing spring-rain.
People have been extremely willing to help – from feeding and welcoming ten- thousands of refugees to giving away, collecting and organizing the distribution of clothes to those in need, from teaching German to socializing, or supporting individuals with administrative issues. All over Germany thousands of individuals have helped – and still do support – providing supply and logistics to accommodate over a million people who are looking for safe and secure lives after having lost their homes.
In the months since then, the public debate and the media has changed from reporting euphorically about the engagement and initiatives of citizens caring for the needs of refugees to coverage of political debates of fear, lack and doubt, as to how to care for all the needs. The wording went form “refugees welcome” to “refugee-crisis”. We read and hear internationally about political extremists gaining approval for their slogans, lending a voice to concerns, fear and even hate.
But the quiet, steady stream of love and readiness to help is flowing never the less. We can see and feel an unbroken willingness and readiness to love unconditionally; a growing interest in sharing the good we have. To me, it really is sharing the supply, the joy and the freedom we have recognized as ours as the beloved, cared for and free, spiritual children of God – of one universal Principle, governing the universe; caring for every individual expression – without having to take anything good away from another individual.
On page 469 in Science and Health Mary Baker Eddy writes:
“ With one Father, even God, the whole family of man would be brethren; and with one Mind and that God, or good, the brotherhood of man would consist of Love and Truth, and have unity of Principle and spiritual power which constitute divine Science."
And this Principle is valid for and accessible to all, independent of denominations, origin or opinions. I humbly try to see this more clearly. It certainly is work in progress, and lots of work ahead of us on all levels. But I am so very grateful for the tools and the ideas we find in the Bible and its spiritual interpretation in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures - be it concerning questions of supply or of the living together of different nations and religions.
Through my work I had the opportunity to start a “Get-together” for refugees and volunteers at the historical museum of the City. There have been such encouraging and enriching encounters and discussions in an atmosphere of respect and gratitude! I have become friends with a young family and am deeply moved by their gracious, open minded attitude. They are full of trust in God and rely on divine help even in really challenging situations. The young father shared his concern over an official contact woman, seemingly working against his successful effort in finding a job. At first I got upset and angry and started thinking of any possible way to support him. This injustice should be brought to light, I felt. I quickly realized that it had been brought to light, and that anger and fury would not help dissolve the injustice. Neither would my personal sense of responsibility! But the divine light could dissolve injustice as well as jealousy or ill will or a misguided sense of personal power. So I turned humbly to prayer, striving to accept that God was the only “power in charge”, that God was taking care of Her son, and that neither a person nor a limited system could stand in the way of God’s plan and God’s supply for this dear family. Neither would a human individual have to “fix” this or to make God’s plan work. Supported by my friend who reminded me that we could bless that woman, I finally felt at peace, expecting good for all of us.
A couple of weeks later, we were invited by our friends, who beamingly shared the news with us, that the father had been offered a job in his profession – a position with an opportunity he had actually always been dreaming of. The perspective was far better and greater than the first job offer. Our friend shared this news with us, ending with the words ”and am thanking my Lord, and I know, that He is always, always taking care of me and my family.”