Nobody really seemed to know how to pigeon-hole us. We were Christians from Germany, living in Berkeley, hanging out with cowboys-at-heart, letting our kids admire their guns, listening to their stories. None of this made sense.

For three days we basically lived off watermelon and ice-cream plus lots of water (and some cold beers for the grown-ups). Not the worst diet, I have to admit. And not the healthiest.

A wolf’s rule according to a poster at the Oakland Zoo is: “Talk more, fight less.” It basically summarizes today’s Gospel. Sounds easy.

from Table Talk Newsletter

So much has happened since March. It seems like the world stopped turning and speeded up all at once.

I never used to be a “tree person” before. I don’t get excited over vegetation as much as meeting new people. But redwoods are special, they really are.

“Who am I to you?” That’s the kind of question calling for trouble. We all know that. It’s the perfect indication that something is wrong. “Who am I to you?” will almost always end in a conflict that will reveal some truths.

Naomi is the mother of a beautiful daughter. The girl suffers daily, and nobody knows what it is. Why she can’t just be like all the other kids?

from Table Talk Newsletter

When the choir first introduced this song, apparently there was quite some opposition to it. Because this song is not just a beautiful song. It’s a statement to honor Black lives.

Jesus tells us a parable. And that’s usually great for me as a preacher. Well, this one time it’s different.

Once a week we would stand along MLK street, holding our signs and taking a short “march” from one traffic light to the other and back.

They considered Jesus to be “a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinner.” Because he ate and drank like regular people do. And that’s highly suspicious for the Son of Man, right?

from Table Talk Newsletter

Today, I want to tell you the story of Noah. Not the old Noah who survived in a boat with animals. Another Noah who survived a big flood in his life.

Do you know this feeling of tiredness after a Zoom meeting?

I didn’t know anything about the history of this movement, the ignorant European I was. The black sign looked like trouble to me. What about me? Or at least what about other marginalized people?

Fast forward to June 2020. There is a BlackLivesMatter sign in our front yard. And one in our kitchen window.

It’s awful. It feels like it will never end. It changes how you behave completely. It defines who you interact with and who you are afraid of. It is always on your mind. It defines your reality.

Taking a stand by kneeling is one of the highly symbolic images we are seeing these days. It’s a simple, yet strong gesture. A humble acknowledgment that there is still lots to learn, lots to talk about, lots to reconcile, lots to heal, lots to change in this country.

“When we go back to normal” has become a figure of speech during these last 3 months of our COVID-19 reality. Normal to me meant “good, regular, safe, free” – you name it.