What do music star Shakira and biblical prophet Deborah have in common? In a special service on 6 September 2024, Riki Neufeld explored revenge songs through a peace lens with the Mennonite congregation in Hamburg-Altona, Germany. The Center for Peace Theology at University of Hamburg, Germany, and the congregation awarded the Menno Simons Sermon Prize to Riki Neufeld, pastor of the Scha\u0308nzli Mennonite congregation in Muttenz, Switzerland. <\/p>\n
Riki Neufeld was studying Deborah\u2019s Song in Judges 5 around the same time when \u2018I can buy myself flowers\u2019 by Miley Cyrus and \u2018\u00daltima\u2019 by Shakira became hit songs. In these songs, the women process their heartbreak not by complaining about their suffering, but rather by settling the score through catchy lyrics such as \u201cI can love me better than you can\u201d or \u2018you traded a Rolex for a Casio\u2019. <\/p>\n
Judges 5 is not a song of heartbreak, rather about settling score in a bloodier way. If anyone wanted to find a Biblical text to legitimize military support to fight tyranny, Judges 5 would be it, Riki Neufeld said. <\/p>\n
However, it is not superior weaponry that wins, but God and the forces of creation that stand against the attackers. In verses 19-21 Deborah sings of the water, stars and brook of Kishon sweeping the enemies away. <\/p>\n
And then, in verses 24-27, Deborah sings of Jael who killed the enemy Sisera. She does not hold back. She sings of how Jael \u201cstruck…, crushed…, shattered…. and pierced\u201d Sisera. The mighty tyrant \u201csank…, fell… lay still between her feet, …dead.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cI can imagine this would have been a catchy tune,\u201d said Riki Neufeld. \u201cSomething difficult for us, as a peace church, to chew.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThere is something satisfying about the story,\u201d said Riki Neufeld. \u201cWe sympathize the people who were being unjustifiably attacked, rejoice when the tyrant was killed and the people liberated. But Deborah\u2019s song does not end there. <\/p>\n
In verse 28 of her victory song, she sings of Sisera\u2019s mother\u2019s grief over the killing of her son. <\/p>\n
Deborah takes a second look and sees a common humanity: \u201cEvery soldier, whether Israelite or Canaanite, Ukrainian or Russian, Israeli or Hamas fighter, has a mother who fears for him,\u201d said Riki Neufeld. \u201cIt is a task for the church to continuously sharpen this second look amid the conflicts of this world\u201d \u2013 military, geopolitical or interpersonal. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis mission that Jesus calls us to do has an element of impossibility about it\u2026 Seeking humanity in the enemy again and again \u2013 taking that second look \u2013 is not achievable through sheer willpower,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
We can only live this mission through the power of the Holy Spirit within us that gives us purpose and the resilience to do this each day of our lives, he said. <\/p>\n
The full version of this sermon was first delivered on 26 February 2023, one year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, to the Mennonite congregation in Schaa\u0308nzli, Switzerland. <\/p>\n
Member of the judging panel Fernando Enns called it brave for a peace church member to face such a violent text. \u201cIt takes courage to preach when you don\u2019t shrink away from the ambivalences of the text as well as our own experience \u2026. It doesn\u2019t calm you down but invites you to honest discussion \u2013 and in this way it provides a new perspective on God\u2019s calling.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cOur standpoint as Mennonites is clear: we are a peace church who love our enemies, but also hate injustices,\u201d said Riki Neufeld. \u201cSome people still struggle with how to reconcile the two and live this teaching on a day-to-day basis. This motivated me to send the text to Fernando Enns to be considered for the prize.\u201d <\/p>\n
Read more about the International Menno Simons Preaching Award here<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n The Center for Peace Church Theology at the University of Hamburg invites you to send your very special sermons by 1 December 2024 to participate in the international Menno Simons Sermon Award. You can find information about the awarding of the prize on the homepage in 4 languages: https:\/\/www.theologie.uni-hamburg.de\/einrichtungen\/arbeitsstellen\/friedenskirche\/menno-simons-predigtpreis.html<\/a><\/p>\n and find out more about the Center in English on the homepage<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/td>\n <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What do music star Shakira and biblical prophet Deborah have in common? In a special service on 6 September 2024, Riki Neufeld explored revenge songs through a peace lens with the Mennonite congregation in Hamburg-Altona, Germany. The Center for Peace Theology at University of Hamburg, Germany, and the congregation awarded the Menno Simons Sermon Prize […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11427,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[268],"network":[],"eventcategory":[],"class_list":["post-8249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-peace"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n
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