06/03/2024
๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ, ๐ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐!
On Sunday, March 3, 2024, Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider visited Palma de Mallorca, where he conducted a divine service in support of the departed. It was an hour full of emotion and deep spirituality, in which the love and salvation that God offers to all souls were at the center of the divine service.
Opening hymn: "Star on which I look"
Opening prayer.
๐๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ถ๐. Almighty God, God of love and mercy, dear heavenly Father. On this feast day, we come to You together to worship You. We believe that You are the God of omnipotence, nothing is impossible for You. You are the God of love. We cannot even imagine how great and infinite Your love is. You are the caring Father who knows everyone and can help everyone and wants to help everyone. We thank You for the salvation You give us. We thank You for Your help in our daily lives. We thank You for the revelations of the Holy Spirit, who has taught us that life does not only take place on this earth - it continues in the world beyond and we are happy to be able to celebrate this feast today with the world beyond and hope and believe that many souls can also receive the sacraments and salvation today. Father, we pray together for people who are having a hard time. Either they are suffering, others are ill, others have great problems and worries in their daily lives. Many people live in areas and countries where things are terrible. They are exposed to violence. Father, we pray for all human beings, give mercy and help and wherever it is according to Your will, give a turnaround. Now Father, You know our wishes, our needs, we long for Your blessing and Your salvation. Let Your Holy Spirit work and give everyone what they need for eternal life and for daily life. Grant us the gift of petition and understanding. ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐' ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ. Amen.
The basis of the divine service for the departed was the Bible word from Psalm 103:2-4:
"๐๐น๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐, ๐ข ๐บ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐น, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ถ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐๐: ๐ช๐ต๐ผ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐พ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐, ๐ช๐ต๐ผ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐, ๐ช๐ต๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐บ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐ช๐ต๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐น๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐."
Proclamation of the Word.
Sermon by our Chief Apostle.
๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ ๐ต๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ.
"Dearly beloved brothers and sisters here and in the connected church congregations. It is truly a great grace and joy that we can experience this divine service together - not as an hour of mourning or a memorial divine service where we remember the dead, but as a celebration, a great joy. We rejoice in the salvation that God gives to souls in the hereafter and that God gives to us. (cf. Colossians 1:18-20; 1 Peter 3:18-20; 1 Peter 4:5-6) This feast can only be understood if we have faith. You can only feel this joy if you have faith. That is why this day is also a feast of faith. We believe in the immortality of the soul. (cf. Genesis 2:7; Ecclesiastes 12:7) We firmly believe that life does not end at death. The person, the soul, the spirit live on in the world beyond. We believe in the almighty God, the God of love, who loves every human being: When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, โI am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. (Genesis 17:1) "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you." (Jeremiah 31:3) We believe in the righteousness and perfection of God. (cf. 1 John 4:12) And this is very important in connection with the being in the hereafter. When we think of the suffering that many people have had to experience, we are helped by the thought and belief in the perfection and justice of God. If you look at it from a human perspective, you can only be horrified. How can God allow some to live for so little time and others to live for so long? To put it briefly: How can God allow some to have everything and many to have nothing? We firmly believe that God is perfect. He makes no mistakes. And because we believe in the love of God, believe in the perfection of God, we also believe in the salvation that the Lord gives. And we believe that the salvation that God gives to souls in the world beyond is so great and so holy that it wipes away all suffering. And that souls, even if they have suffered a great deal on earth, can still be peaceful and happy when they receive salvation. Only those who have this faith can rejoice today, knowing that God will give much salvation in the hereafter.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ผ๐ฑ ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ ?
The psalmist here describes, so we see it as a description of salvation. He says that God forgives his sins and heals his infirmities, his illnesses. We believe that when a person enters the hereafter, his condition is determined by his relationship with God. Depending on how his faith was - his relationship with God, his relationship with Jesus Christ (cf. John 6:68-69) - he is more or less distant from God, more or less far from God. (cf. Luke 16:19-31) This is decisive for your state in the world beyond - what was your relationship with God, what was your faith in God?
๐ฆ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ.
We know that sin separates man from God. (cf. Isaiah 59:2) Now we need to define it: What is sin? Sin is everything that does not correspond to the will of God or that does not correspond to the nature of God. So there is no catalog of sin, this is sin number 25 in the catalog and that is 151 - It's a bit more complicated. Sin is everything that is contrary to the will and nature of God. (cf. 1 John 2:15-17) We sin in our words, we sin in our deeds - yes, Jesus even said in our thoughts. (cf. Mark 7:20-23) I would like to clarify this a little: The thoughts that come. You can't stop that. But sin begins when we nurture these thoughts and deal with them intensively. If these thoughts now influence us, then they become sin if they do not correspond to the will and nature of God. Yes, we even sin if we do nothing. (cf. James 4:17) That is, when we deliberately fail to do the good that we can and should do. Yes, if you really think about it, you realize that the term "sin" is very broad.
๐๐ผ๐ฑ, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ป.
And now the Holy Spirit tells us: every sin separates us from God. And that is why it is such a mercy when God gives grace or forgiveness to souls in the hereafter and now says: I wipe away your sins, you are no longer guilty, the separation from God has been lifted. It is understandable that they praise God because God has forgiven their sins. We cannot wash away sin. Only the triune God can forgive sin: "I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you." (Isaiah 44:22) Then He said to her, โYour sins are forgiven.โ (Luke 7:48) And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, โReceive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them" (cf. John 20:22-23) And every sin must be forgiven. Otherwise you cannot come to God. That is the forgiveness of sins.
๐๐ผ๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐น ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ [๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐].
Then the psalmist speaks of infirmities, of sicknesses. Of course, people who have passed away no longer have a body, so they no longer know bodily suffering and bodily pain, they are freed from it. They no longer live on this earth, so they are spared much of what humans have to suffer. In the world beyond, you no longer have stomach pains or headaches. You're no longer hungry, you're no longer thirsty, you no longer suffer from old age - that's all gone! This is about mental suffering, mental pain, mental illness. And there are a whole host of illnesses.
๐๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ป๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐.
Think of the people who go to the world beyond and who have anger, even hatred, towards other people, and there are many of them. (cf. Psalm 37:8) Think about what is happening today, worldwide, what people are doing to other people. You realize that there is no end to it, the impossible becomes possible, people know no boundaries. They treat other people worse than animals. But just think of someone who has to go to the other world because someone was drunk and ran them over. Or another person has to die because a doctor made a mistake - these are just examples. You can understand that there are souls in the afterlife who have great anger, great rage, even hatred towards their fellow human beings. That is an illness.
Another illness is people who have great anger, great rage at God because God has allowed this to happen. Because sometimes they have called out to God and God has not answered. And I could go on and on about this, but you know cases like this. You hoped that God would help and the Lord did nothing. And the neighbor is doing very well, he is spared. And as a result, the relationship with God is totally destroyed. A very bad illness that causes a lot of suffering and pain.
๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ.
I think of the people who have never experienced what it means to be loved. And especially in our time, in our society, there are so many people who don't know what it means to be loved. Some were simply unwanted, others are a nuisance - they are not even recognized as human beings. Our cities are full of such people, the world is full of such people. Just think of the children who have no parents or the children whose parents have done something really bad to them. A very bad disease in the afterlife: you don't even know what it means to be loved.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐บ๐ฒ.
Others, of course, were loved and have loved and they suffer terribly from the separation. They had a heart full of love and now death has separated them from their loved ones and they suffer terribly from this separation. Also a special illness.
๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ป๐ผ ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น.
I think of the people who are in the afterlife and who have great remorse. They have died and realize that what I have done wrong, I can no longer make good. If I had known that I had to die now, I would have done much better, much nicer things. Others say: I made the wrong decision, I can't make up for it. It's all too late! It's a terrible feeling, you know you've done something wrong and you can't make up for it.
๐ช๐ถ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ: ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐.
Another illness that many people suffer from: They are disappointed. They had many wishes, they had many prayers and there was great frustration because their wishes did not come true. They had planned so much and died too soon. They didn't get to experience it, they didn't get what they wanted.
๐ก๐ผ ๐ต๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐.
A final illness, a suffering: simply being in the afterlife and realizing that there is no hope of change or improvement. No more hope! It will stay like this, I see no possibility! And now God comes and heals these afflictions.
๐๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ, ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐๐ถ๐ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ.
And how does the Lord heal these infirmities? God does this today through His word (cf. Psalm 107:20) and through the sacraments. (cf. John 6:51; 1 Peter 3:21; Ephesians 1:13-14) We believe that God can heal these souls today through being born again of water and the Spirit (cf. John 3:5), through Holy Communion, through the Word. That is the purpose of this divine service and that concerns me very much. What does God give these souls now? What does He do for them? He tells them through His word: I love you! God, the Son, died for you! I know you, you count for Me! You are important to Me and I have given everything for you, everything that can be given - my life - I love you!
"๐๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐น๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ด๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ป, ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐น๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ." (John 3:16)
๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ, ๐ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐!
I died for you, says Jesus, and you share in My merit. Because I died for you, you can have forgiveness of sins. (cf. Ephesians 1:7) Original sin is washed away through baptism. (cf. Acts 22:16) The door is now open, you can come to God, the way is open! I forgive you all your trespasses. (cf. Isaiah 1:18; Isaiah 53:3-6; Micah 7:19) And I call out to you: Come, come, I love you! Come, I want you to be with Me! Come, I will give you the opportunity to come to Me!
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐๐น ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐๐บ - ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ.
And this happens through baptism. God says to them: Come, you are no longer alone, abandoned, despised. You are now incorporated into the church of Christ, into the people of God. (cf. Galatians 3:26-29; 1 Peter 2:9-10) You are no longer alone, isolated - you now belong to a large family, a true family. The community of those who believe in Jesus Christ and follow Him. A wonderful grace - incorporated into the church of Christ!
๐ง๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐๐บ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐๐บ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ถ๐, ๐๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐น.
Through being born again of water and the Spirit, God also gives them the power to resist evil. (cf. Romans 12:21) They are no longer forced to remain with evil, they are no longer bound. They can - in my words now - say "no" to the devil. (cf. James 4:7) Through being born again of water and the Spirit, God gives them the strength they need to change and rethink and to renounce evil - which is not in accordance with God's will.
๐ฆ๐ผ๐๐น๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ถ๐ณ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ถ๐.
Through being born again of water and the Spirit, they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (cf. Titus 3:5) and can therefore produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, they can now love, forgive and be patient. (cf. Galatians 5:22) They now have this possibility because they have the gift of the Holy Spirit.
๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ถ๐ณ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ถ๐, ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐.
Through being born again of water and the Spirit, they become a new creature. (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17) And this new creature has the opportunity to enter into the glory of God, where an ordinary person cannot go. (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:35-52) But they become a new creature in Christ, who has the opportunity to enter into the glory of God and become the image of Jesus Christ.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐ถ๐บ๐: ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ป!
And the Holy Spirit tells them: You, this is not in a thousand years - Jesus Christ is coming soon: "Behold, I am coming quickly!" (Revelation 3:11a) Soon you can be perfect! Soon you can enter into the glory of God! Soon you can be with God for eternity and be redeemed from death and all suffering. (cf. Revelation 21:4) Yes, you are even chosen to serve God and your neighbor. And as a priest in the kingdom, you can contribute to the salvation of people. (cf. Revelation 1:5-6) You are not just an anonymous person somewhere - you can become something. You can do great things: Work with Jesus Christ for the salvation of people.
๐๐ผ๐น๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐ผ๐ป - ๐ฎ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ด๐น๐ผ๐ฟ๐.
In Holy Communion, God gives them the promise every time: I love you! Don't worry, I am with you! You can already have fellowship with Me now - a foretaste of glory. And I will give you the strength to develop further. This is what God gives today to souls who attain salvation. (cf. John 6:33) And we believe that through this salvation they can receive peace and comfort and thus even come to joy and happiness.
๐๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ผ.
But what concerns me immensely in this regard is this sentence: "Bless the LORD, my soul, and do not forget the good things He has done for you." Brother, sister, what the souls in the hereafter receive today, you already have! How do we deal with it?
Of course, we are still on this earth, we are still exposed to earthly suffering, to earthly pain. But I have to add to that: We can't say now that we are at our worst. We are aware that there are souls in the afterlife who have experienced much worse than we have. But brother, sister, if God can help these souls, then He can also help you in your situation. If the Lord can redeem them, then He can redeem you too.
๐ฃ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐.
Of course, when we deal with the idea of sin, we realize: We absolutely need grace. Think about this definition of sin: What would become of us if we had no forgiveness of sin? We would definitely be separated from God. Don't forget: God forgives your sins! Because we experience suffering, we can also develop some illnesses. We can get angry at people, at injustice. We are not satisfied with God. We do not understand the good Lord, we do not accept His will. We are disappointed - He has not answered our prayers. We suffer because our loved ones have died and the separation hurts terribly. I could list all the illnesses again now - they also apply to us, we can feel that too. And God says to us: Remember what I have done for you. You have been born again of water and the Spirit. What I have just said for the departed applies to each and every one of us. You have access to Holy Communion. You have the same promise and the same hope. (cf. Acts 2:39; Titus 2:13)
๐ฃ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us continue to believe in this. We believe in the perfection, the love of God. We believe in the salvation the Lord Jesus Christ gives us. (cf. John 14:6; Acts 4:12) Don't forget, that is, take time to think about what the heavenly Father has given you, what Jesus has promised you, what the Holy Spirit is doing for you, what the loving God has planned for you. (cf. Jeremiah 29:11) Deal with it and tell your soul: Praise the Lord! When the Old Testament talks about the soul, it is not the soul as we understand it. In the Old Testament, they did not know the term "soul" as we know it. In Hebrew, it simply means: the soul is the whole person, their life, their being. So it is not just something spiritual.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ ๐๐: ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฒ ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ.
Your thoughts, your words, your actions, your nature, your behavior, the way you react. (cf. 1 Peter 2:12)
Dear brothers and sisters, that is the message. There is much suffering in the hereafter, many illnesses. God gives salvation through His word, through the sacraments. And we believe that these souls come to peace and joy through this salvation. Let us not forget that we have received and are receiving the same. And it is worthwhile to concern ourselves with this so that what God has given us has an effect on our lives and on our being. If God can help people in the hereafter, the Lord can help you too! Amen."
Sermon by Apostle Herrmann.
"My Spanish is not so good, but I would like to speak a little Spanish. [...] This day is a day of joy, this day is a celebration, a celebration of salvation on earth and in the hereafter. Our chief apostle has mentioned that God's love has no limits. God says to the souls in the hereafter: "Come, I love you!" And I thought of the parable of the prodigal son. (cf. Luke 15:11-32) It is a parable of God's love - it shows that God's love has no limits. [...] The father awaited and embraced the son - This is the love of God. And it is the same in the hereafter - God says to the souls in the hereafter: I love you, come to Me! And we can help these souls in the hereafter, we can pray for them all and show our love for these souls in our prayers. I am convinced that our prayers can help these souls and I hope that many souls can come back to God. Amen."
Sermon by Apostle Schulz.
"My dearly beloved brothers and sisters. Today in this divine service we have already become acquainted with several languages. Your language, Spanish, and my language, German. But the language that we have actually experienced here today, and this is how I feel, was the language of love. (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7) God has spoken to us. (cf. John 14:26; Hebrews 1:1-2) The dear God filled the chief apostle's heart with many thoughts that could be important for us. (2 Samuel 23:2; Matthew 10:20; Acts 2:4) Today, as we heard at the beginning, we do not have a time of mourning. Nor do we just somehow remember other people. Back then, when I was still at school, someone said to me: "You new apostolic people, you only ever think about the dead." I think he was perhaps trying to insult me. And this is what I learned in our church: we don't talk about the dead - we have no interest in death - but we are interested in life. And that's why we think about those who have already died. We know that they are alive, that the soul is immortal: โFor He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.โ (cf. Luke 20:38) But many of them feel that God does not see them, that they are far from Him.
The chief apostle thus broadened our view of what these infirmities, these illnesses can do to a person so that they are no longer in control of their situation. The chief apostle spoke of mental illnesses, of spiritual illnesses. That some are very disappointed in God because, as they think, He has not intervened in their lives. Or others are ashamed of themselves because they have committed a serious sin and don't know how to put it right. And today in this divine service, God calms: I heal you, I make you well again! I will take care of you, you are not alone! Don't forget: I created you, you have always been in my image. (cf. Genesis 1:26-27) I always want to be in a relationship with you, in a deep inner connection. I wanted you, I love you:
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you" (Jeremiah 1:5a) And that is why this divine service is not a memorial divine service. As the chief apostle underlined: "Today - today - God is working on us and on those who have died. (cf. 2 Corinthians 6: 2) And today God calls through the Holy Spirit deep into eternity: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.โ (Matthew 11:28) I comfort you with My word, with My love and with the sacraments. And we are about to experience this. Amen."
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
"Yes, dear brothers and sisters, the Lord gives us grace and forgiveness again today. If we were to take five minutes now to think about it: sin is everything that does not correspond to the will and nature of God. And every sin separates us from God. Then we will all realize how much grace we need. God is not asking us to accuse ourselves now. He only wants to know whether we are suffering because of our sins. (cf. Luke 7:38) Not because we are afraid that God will punish us now, but simply because we are aware: We cannot come to God like this. To enter the kingdom of God, a person has to be like Jesus Christ was. And I can't do that! Lord, have mercy on me! I simply cannot be like Jesus Christ, grant me Your grace! And the Lord Jesus says: Don't worry! If this suffering, this pain is in your heart, then I can forgive you! Everything is all right again.
And then God gives us Holy Communion. He tells us very specifically: Take this! This is the sign that I love you! Take this, this is the sign that I have overcome death! Take this, don't worry: I am stronger than death, I am stronger than evil! (cf. Revelation 1:17-18) Don't worry, you can attain salvation! (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10) Trust Me! Believe Me, I am with you! Believe Me, I will lead you into My kingdom (cf. 2 Timothy 4:18) - I have no other plans for you! Trust Me! Be patient, I will come soon! This is not a consolation that says: Oh, now be quiet! This is the truth of God. I am coming soon! Have faith and be patient. That is the message we can hear in Holy Communion."
Hymn of repentance: "Come to the source of life"
The church rises for the ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ'๐ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ.
"๐ข๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ป, ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ป๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ. ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ฑ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ. ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ต ๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ป. ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ. ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐๐, ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐. ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐น ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ. ๐๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ฑ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐น๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ. ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป."
๐๐ผ๐ฑ'๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ.
"I proclaim unto you the glad tidings: ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ฑ, ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ป. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ข๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ผ๐. Amen."
๐๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ.
"Almighty God, dear heavenly Father, we thank You. We thank You for the salvation You grant us and our neighbor. We thank You for Your grace and Your forgiveness. We thank You that You are so patient with us. We thank our Lord Jesus Christ that He died for us and that He has prepared a place for us in His kingdom - for each one of us. We thank the Holy Spirit for preparing us for His return and for leading us with sure steps to glory. We pray together for Your work worldwide. Bless the apostles, bless all who serve You - strengthen them in their serving and bless their work. We pray for those who have become weak, who have forsaken You. Let them find their way back to You. Help us to show them that You love them and that we love them. Lord, complete Your work. Give much salvation today through the work of Your Holy Spirit in the sacraments. Now we long to have fellowship with You and with one another in the celebration of Holy Communion. Let Your Holy Spirit be active there too, so that we can receive the fullness of salvation. Hear us for Jesus' sake. Amen."
"The table of the Lord is now prepared."
"๐๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ป, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ถ๐, ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐น๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต๐, ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐. ๐๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ, ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ: '๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ถ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐. ๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ฏ๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐. ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ธ! ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ ๐ฒ.' ๐๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ธ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ, ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐ถ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ'๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ต ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐. ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป!"
"๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐."
๐๐ถ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ. (cf. 1 John 5:6-8)
Yes, dear brothers and sisters, we are now coming to the moment when the departed can receive the sacraments - we can only grasp this by faith. We do not know how many souls, which souls may now come - we do not need to know that either. God expects us to love our neighbor and we express this love by praying for them. We want them to be able to attain the salvation that we have attained. God demands faith from us, that we believe in His love and His omnipotence. That we believe in the efficacy of the Holy Spirit and the sacraments. And that we trust God. That we simply assume that God will do it right - even if we cannot see or understand it: Jesus said to him, โThomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.โ (John 20:29) And in this faith, in this trust in God, we experience this moment.
๐๐ถ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐๐บ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ.
"Now the Holy Spirit first invites the souls who are prepared for Holy Baptism with water. And we, the church of the living, warmly welcome you to the altar of the Lord and rejoice with you that you can now be incorporated into the church of Jesus Christ. Here is water now.
In the name of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, I pour out this water and consecrate it for holy baptism with water. Amen. Now I baptize you in the name of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit: โ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐, ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ถ๐.โ (Matthew 28:19)
โOtherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead?โ (1 Corinthians 15:29)
Through this holy act, the holy God washes away original sin and calls out to you: Come to Me, I love you! You now have free access to God. You are now incorporated into the church of Christ, into the body of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ gives you access to the Holy Communion and to the community of believers. Welcome to this nice circle of believers and Christians. God wants to redeem you completely from evil and lead you into His glory. May the Holy Spirit now fill your souls and guide you so that you can continue on the path of salvation and also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in due course. (cf. Acts 2:38) Do not be afraid, God is there for you! May the peace of the Risen One fill your soul. (cf. Luke 24:36) May the blessing of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be with you. Amen."
๐๐ถ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ.
"Now the Holy Spirit invites the souls who are prepared for Holy Sealing. Here too, we can neither decide nor know who these souls are. But we have confidence in the love of God and in His faithfulness. He does what He says and He says what He does and that is our joy and our comfort. Come, receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in the name of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ now inscribes your names in the Lamb's book of life. (Luke 10:20b) Almighty God seals you for your salvation. (cf. Ephesians 4:30) By receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, you are now children of God, co-heirs with Jesus Christ, called to inherit His glory. (cf. Romans 8:16-17) You now have the opportunity to enter the kingdom of God as firstfruits. (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14) The love of God has been poured into your soul. (cf. Romans 5:5) You should know that you are loved, you are now able to love with the love of God and to serve the Lord in the world beyond. And to serve alongside Jesus Christ in the kingdom of peace in the future. (cf. Revelations 20:6) The peace of the Risen One be with you. The blessing of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be with you. Amen."
๐๐ถ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ.
"And now the great church congregation, which we cannot see, comes to Holy Communion and this is also a great feast for us. What the Lord Jesus Christ said to us - the living - by receiving the host, He now says to you. He hereby confirms: do not worry, I am with you. I confirm to you once again: I am coming soon! I want you to be where I am! (cf. John 14:3) May you have fellowship with Him and now feel His nearness in a special way. God comforts you as He comforts us. He knows the pain of separation and will not take it away completely, because this pain is ultimately an expression of our love for one another. But the Lord wants to cover this pain with the guarantee: soon you will see each other again - no longer as imperfect people, but as perfect human beings in Jesus Christ! Come, accept what I place in the hands and hearts of these men of God. The body and blood of Jesus is given for you, for deep peace in Jesus Christ and for eternal life, eternal fellowship with God and with His own in His kingdom. Amen."
The souls in the hereafter were able to receive Holy Communion, the Holy Baptism with Water and the Holy Baptism with the Holy Spirit, which they received on behalf of the Apostle and Bishop of Spain.
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ๐๐ด๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด.
"Dear heavenly Father, we thank You with all our hearts for the salvation You have given us again, for the salvation You have given to the souls in the hereafter. We would so much like to see what is going on in the world beyond, but we accept Your will and believe and trust you. Father, continue Your work in the world beyond, but also here in our world. Bless your people in Spain, let every church experience that You are in their midst. Let them know that You love them and that You bless their service and their faithfulness. Bless their offerings and give them ever new joys and experiences of God. Father, we pray once again for the many human beings who are in great need. It is our heart's wish that all this will come to an end. Wherever it is according to Your will, turn the situation around. Now Father, give us Your angelic protection on our way home. Give us the gift of supplication and understanding. Please send Your Son and take us all to Yourself. Hear us for Jesus' sake. Amen."
"๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐น. ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป."
(2 Corinthians 13:14)
The choir, the orchestra and a children's choir, who sang in French and Spanish, was the highlight of the celebration. "Merci beaucoup," the president of the church thanked them with a smile.
At the end, there was still time for a farewell. The Chief Apostle, together with District Apostle Zbinden, Apostle Camenzind, and Bishop Alganza greeted each of the participants in the divine service. The event also brought together Apostles and Bishops from the District of Switzerland, as well as the church congregations of Manacor and Ibiza, with a total of 253 participants.
Fuente: Iglesia Nueva Apostรณlica Espaรฑa y Suiza.
https://inaee.org/dbc/245604/410432
