Sermon by Dr Emmanuel Kileo at the Opening Service of the Hermannsburg Mission Festival on June 22, 2024

"And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all! Amen."

Dear missionary friends,

We have a saying here on Kilimanjaro: "You know where you come from, but you don't know where you're going." The message behind this is that God alone knows where our path leads. We plan, but he guides. This also applies to mission, first here in Germany, in Europe, and then worldwide. God knows where we are going, but he goes with us!

When I came to Germany, I only knew where I was coming from, but not where I was going. I was already in Germany, in a church, the Dreifaltigkeitskirche in Kaufbeuren in the Allgäu, where I spent almost eight years. As you can see, I have already survived Bavaria. Anyone who has survived Bavaria will also make it in Lower Saxony - perhaps even as an African. I'm not sure whether I've really remained an African.
In Africa they say"No matter how long a tree lies in the water, it never becomes a crocodile." Lower Saxony is not boring either. For our guests: Here in Lower Saxony, we don't say "My heart beats for Lower Saxony" as Antenne Niedersachsen does, but "Lower Saxony. Clear." Clear sky, clear air, clear landscape and clear sea. Journalists often ask me what is important to me. In Lower Saxony, you have to answer clearly: 1. encounters 2. encounters 3. encounters. Everything starts with encounters. I've been talking about encounters ever since I've been here. Through encounters in various intercultural formats, we as ELM want to build a strong fellowship - a fellowship of 19 churches in 15 countries - on four continents. A communion with four characteristics:

• an enriching communion (solidarity and justice)
• a learning communion (global learning)
• a healing/reconciling communion (burdened history and current conflicts) and
• a celebrating community (baptism, communion and other forms of blessing)

Today we are also celebrating the Mission Festival, 175 years of missionary work and the sending of volunteers; in addition - the introduction of the new leadership of the ELM. We have reason to celebrate what God has done among us in recent years. This is the vision and at the same time the mission. It is clear: the church is the church when it is travelling with other churches. Independent churches are one church.
The Gospel of John was also very central to Ludwig Harms. Harms was the pastor who founded the mission here in Hermannsburg 175 years ago. He preached less than 100 metres from here. This year we are celebrating 175 years of missionary work. Harms often read this text and it shaped his life and vision: "this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

The text is a passage from Jesus' final prayer in the 17th chapter of John. Jesus prays:

• For himself: "Father, the hour has come, glorify your Son."
• For the disciples: "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth."
• For the Church: "Not for them alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one."

Harms studied Protestant theology in Göttingen at a time when people had to come to terms with the Enlightenment. He came to the conclusion that it was not enough just to be religious and good, to live sensibly and act correctly, but that it was important to have Jesus Christ at the centre of one's life and to bear witness to him.

The most famous German playwright, Bertolt Brecht, once wrote: "First comes the food, then the morals". Many say it should be the other way round: "First comes the morals, and then the food!" To put it bluntly, it should read: "First comes the food, then nothing for a long time". Does this mean that the pastors want to look after the local congregation first before they think about the internationality of the congregation? Another thing that Harms pointed out: not only ethics, but also faith in Jesus Christ. I agree with that. But that doesn't mean that the others are automatically wrong if I'm right.

Missionary activities often began on the premise that other religions were bad. Unfortunately, missionary work back then initially created an "us" and an "the others". We as "good, normal and invisible" and the others as "bad, abnormal and visible". Today we know: Being different is not bad, it's just different. There are many things that unite us that used to separate us. When we recognise the true God, we are one. We are all created in God's image. In this sense: "The dignity of all human beings is inviolable". If this is true, then we are all called upon to speak out with one voice against every form of injustice everywhere: against right-wing extremism, against war, exploitation and discrimination, against dictatorship and racism, against every form of violence and abuse - especially against every form of sexualised violence, against hypocrisy and everything that goes with it. This is our stance as a missionary organisation.

Dear missionary friends,

Recognising the one true God and Jesus Christ also means recognising the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, freedom, justice and peace. Travelling with other religions and fellow human beings is mission, too - mission justice! Mission Justice for all! We cannot do this alone. A mission organisation cannot do it alone, it can only make a contribution. The old picture in society shows the need for community.
In the past, at least here in Tanzania, grandmas or grandpas would call all the grandchildren together and tell stories. It was a circle in which stories were told and questions were asked. This created a mini-dialogue. Then the television came on and the circle was cut in half. Finally came the mobile phone and the circle disappeared completely.
We also believe that the missionary societies came into being when the circle still existed. Someone replied to the question that the missionary societies came into being when the farmer stood in the centre and distributed potatoes and asparagus. Was he right?
Today, unfortunately, we need to find the circle again, a "round table" where we can have the experience of shaping mission together, just as Jesus did with his disciples. It means: "No more about us without us!" It's about working together.

Dear missionary friends,

A few days ago, a journalist asked me: if I met Pastor Ludwig Harms today, would I ask him or say something to him after 175 years? Of course, I immediately said yes. A person from the global South who has been in Hermannsburg for seven months is first of all surprised at what kind of person Ludwig Harms was and what he set in motion. Even more surprising is that that Harms never travelled to the continents to which he sent missionaries. Did he not dare? As the saying goes: "seeing is different from being told".

Today, volunteers are sent out from one continent - to three continents; today they want to see, experience and learn for themselves instead of just being told about it on television. Harms believed that God knows the way. I wish this confidence for myself, for Mr Nerlich, for the volunteers and for all of us in the mission. Perhaps Harms knew that he didn't have to do everything alone. He had the task of inspiring people for the mission, and he succeeded.
The same applies to the ELM: God knows where He is going - but He is not going alone by Himself, but through us and with us. It is never too late, it is simply time to act, even if that means acting differently. Perhaps not in the same way as in the past, when the world was still in order, but in the way that is necessary now. The gospel remains, only the way in which we proclaim it can change. This also includes solidarity with our partners. We have all seen the images of the climate catastrophe in Brazil. From one day to the next, we had to learn how to swim. Thank you to everyone who has donated.
There is no reason to despair. God has his mission; it is his mission - he is the actor; we are the objects of his mission.

Another picture from the Harms era. You will notice that I am also enchanted by Harms. Ludwig Harms is described as the "awakener of the heathen". Does that mean that there were or are many heathens on the heath? Perhaps it is the right-wing radicals, who are unfortunately very present in the heath. Then as now: Jesus is the "awakener of the Gentiles". The good news of Jesus awakens us all and gives us the courage to act. This is also our mission - as I said: Mission Justice!

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Amen!