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U2 to play Brandenburg Gate gig

U2 will perform a short set in front of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate next Thursday, November 5, as part of the 16th MTV Europe Music Awards. And you can register now for a chance to get a pair of free tickets.

As a prelude to the Fall of The Wall celebrations in Berlin, the band return to the city for a free ticketed performance which will be beamed into the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards.

‘It’ll be an exciting spot to be in, 20 years almost to the day since the wall came down.’ said Paul McGuinness, U2’s manager. ‘Should be fun.’

“To remember God, one’s soul, every day and every hour, means putting love of one’s neighbor above mere animal existence.  There is no trick at all about this, it is just as simple as that to shoe a horse one must be a blacksmith.  And that is why it is God’s truth, because it is so simple that nothing can exceed its simplicity, and at the same time it is so important and great and such a blessing to all people, that nothing can be greater.”

-Leo Tolstoy

It’s minute 42 of a good, brisk run through the heavily wooded forest behind my apartment.  The twangy bass and drums of U2 in my headphones are dictating the fall of my footsteps.  I feel good, natural.  Suddenly, above the drone of Bono in my ears, I hear a rustling in the woods adjacent to my path.  Then I see a streaking movement.  Having seen deer in these woods before, I squint into the misty silhouettes trying to make out a pair of antlers, or a white tail.  I pop out the headphones, and realize that whatever is bounding through the foggy forest, it is not far away from me.  The thudding footsteps of a beast in flight come nearer and nearer.  I stop, in slight fear and anticipation.  And, then exploding from the trees five meters in front of me is a stout, muscular, and beautiful…English Bulldog.

“My God,” I gasp to myself.  I’m sure that it has no owner, rather that it is a divine symbol of such depth that requires days of afterthought.  As the scrambling wild creature turns the corner, I begin to sprint after it, sure that it will lead me to a sunny hillside, above the autumnal mist where I will be able to commune with the Almighty.  However, as I turn the corner in hot pursuit, I see only two stalky white and brown legs bounding into a sheet of fog, to be seen never again.

This was not a dream.  This happened yesterday.  No joke.  And I know it means something.  Any explanations?

Waiting for the commuter train after work yesterday, I read quietly turned the pages of my book while enjoying the sunshine on the platform. Feeling that the person next to me was trying to get my attention, I put my finger in the corner to mark the page, looked up, and said hello. In pretty broken German, this man pointed to his itinerary, asking if he was on the correct platform. Taking a look, I read his schedule, slowly understanding that he was more than just a few platforms away from his destination. The itinerary read: Leipzig-Halle-Magdeburg-Wolfsburg. Just in case your German geography isn’t as good as it used to be, here’s a map of the region:

I wasn’t exactly sure, but knowing a bit of the geography, was pretty sure that Nürnberg was about a 4 or 5 hour train ride in the opposite direction of Wolfsburg, where I assume this chap was trying to reach.

I said, “Let’s go down and look at the board.” I asked if he spoke English, thinking it might be easier for him than German. He chuckled and said simply, “No, no English.” We looked at the board, and I determined that he would probably have to go back up to Leipzig and start his journey all over again. I pointed him toward the Travel Info point in the train station, and he said, “Danke schön.” With that, I returned to my platform to catch the train home.

As I sat on the s-bahn back towards Lauf, I just dwelled upon how similar I was to that man a couple of years ago. So sensitive, and almost infantile in my confusion. I remembered how I promised myself in those days that when I returned to America, I would seek out ways to assist foreigners and refugees, knowing somewhat of the difficulties of being a stranger in a new place. And as I reflected, I also realized that I am now no longer such a helpless stranger here in this place, that I have the tools to aid others even now, despite the fact that I am still a foreigner.

God has blessed Carolyn and I abundantly, and I hope that we might, even now, be able to use our experiences to more deeply love not only our immediate family and friends, but also to serve those men and women and children in our community who, as foreigners, feel lost, scared, and uncertain of themselves.

Needless to say, I hope that my friend is happily relaxing somewhere in Wolfsburg tonight, telling a great story of how he got turned around in Germany to some friends over a cold Hefeweizen.

“God wants you to have sex.” This is what I shall share with my Youth Group tonight, and I’m waiting to hear the pin drop when I say it. Ok, maybe it’s not fair to drop such a grenade on my Youth Group kids, but I kind of want to catch them off guard as we dialogue about sex tonight.

Our theme for the year is “True Worship” and during this first quarter, we’re walking through Romans 12, which means for now, exploring what it means to “offer our bodies as a living sacrifice.” We’ve determined together over the past few weeks that that involves a radical rethinking of worship; calling us to relinquish our idea that worship is synonymous with Hillsong United or David Crowder. Worship is a constant calling to give God thanks in how we live our lives, no matter if we’re riding the train after school or playing the cross-town rivals in soccer. Worship should encompass all of ourselves, which is why it is so beautiful that we’re given a body to remind us all the time to give thanks!

So, naturally as we talk about our bodies, sex is in the mix. It is also interesting to have such a conversation within a different cultural context from my own. In Germany these days, waiting to have sex within a marriage context is rather laughable. It makes me realize how deeply Puritanism runs through the American ethos…kind of funny actually. However, as a result of the cultural acceptability of sex outside of marriage, I believe that the Church here backlashes, shaking its finger at Youth while dictating a long list of do’s and don’ts. If I’ve learned one thing in Youth Ministry, it’s that most kids aren’t interested in one-way sermons.

So, this is why I am excited to tell the kids tonight that God wants them to have sex. But just not now! Such a powerful gift is devalued when it is shared with a multitude, which is why the institution of marriage is by far the best way to share in the gift of sex. I don’t believe that God gave humans sex as a test of their attention to rules of purity, I believe it was created as a proper response to his good blessing, and to give us a tangible understanding of His unity, connectivity, and love!

As I share, and as we discuss in smaller groups, I hope that the beauty and worth of God’s gift of sex will impress them, and cause them to consider how they might increasingly value that gift for themselves. I hope for a good dialogue, for deeper questioning, and for thoughtful answers.

Had a chance to see these guys last week, and didn’t make it happen. I’ve listened to them for a while now, but seeing a video of them for the first time makes me realize what I missed out on last Wednesday. Dang.

Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.

The LORD has made his salvation known
and revealed his righteousness to the nations.

He has remembered his love
and his faithfulness to the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;

make music to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,

with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
shout for joy before the LORD, the King.

Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.

Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy;

let them sing before the LORD,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.