Gelassenheit: Your definitions? Your praxis?

[Bootstrap]

Mennonite World Review has this article: 'Gelassenheit': Radical self-surrender, which discusses the relationship between Gelassenheit and community.

Because they were out of the ordinary as they sought to return to the roots of what following Jesus meant, they were described as radicals. Those within the Anabaptist movement sought to live the way of Jesus even if that led to death — an all too common result for being part of this community.

One trait, however, that often goes unnoticed, but which undergirds all of the other practices mentioned above, is that of Gelassenheit. Gelassenheit is a German word meaning self-surrender and yieldedness to God’s will. The belief was that true discipleship wasn’t possible without it. It was this spirit of Gelassenheit that shaped the ethos of the community as a non-hierarchical community, based on mutual submission and servanthood. It was the spirit of Gelassenheit that shaped the character of the lives lived in service of God’s kingdom here on Earth. Ultimately it was this spirit of Gelassenheit that provided comfort to those confronted by persecution and death due to the way of Jesus. Indeed, it is self-surrender to God that enables us to confront greed, violence and the politics of dominion and oppression with the upside-down logic of God’s power found within and through servanthood, weakness, the foolishness of the cross and even the fruit of death.

A community shaped by the spirit and practice of Gelassenheit will act and look different. It is a community that seeks to serve others rather than rule over them; it seeks to walk with the least, rather than seeking to be one of the elite; it prioritizes the other instead of the self; it seeks to demonstrate God’s sacrificial love rather than participate in the self-protecting violence and hatred. Ultimately the spirit and practice of Gelassenheit pursues ways to live in right relationships with others and with God, thus demonstrating God’s shalom in the world.

The spirit of Gelassenheit, and the pursuit to practice it was viewed as a radical way to live. Surely, that is still as true today as it was then.

[MaxPC]

Thank you, Swiss Bro. If you don’t mind, what is the ETG?

Please refer to: http://forum.mennonet.com/viewtopic.php ... 1&start=20

In short it's the "assimilated" arm of the "facial hair tolerating" branch of the Fröhlich churches in Western Europe.

On my map of worldwide Fröhlich congregations, it's the yellow dots (zoom into Switzerland/Germany to see them):

https://drive.google.com/open?id=11CfYa ... sp=sharing

Thank you. That helps. I may ask again as my memory isn’t improving at my age.

[silentreader]

Mennonite World Review has this article: 'Gelassenheit': Radical self-surrender, which discusses the relationship between Gelassenheit and community.

Because they were out of the ordinary as they sought to return to the roots of what following Jesus meant, they were described as radicals. Those within the Anabaptist movement sought to live the way of Jesus even if that led to death — an all too common result for being part of this community.

One trait, however, that often goes unnoticed, but which undergirds all of the other practices mentioned above, is that of Gelassenheit. Gelassenheit is a German word meaning self-surrender and yieldedness to God’s will. The belief was that true discipleship wasn’t possible without it. It was this spirit of Gelassenheit that shaped the ethos of the community as a non-hierarchical community, based on mutual submission and servanthood. It was the spirit of Gelassenheit that shaped the character of the lives lived in service of God’s kingdom here on Earth. Ultimately it was this spirit of Gelassenheit that provided comfort to those confronted by persecution and death due to the way of Jesus. Indeed, it is self-surrender to God that enables us to confront greed, violence and the politics of dominion and oppression with the upside-down logic of God’s power found within and through servanthood, weakness, the foolishness of the cross and even the fruit of death.

A community shaped by the spirit and practice of Gelassenheit will act and look different. It is a community that seeks to serve others rather than rule over them; it seeks to walk with the least, rather than seeking to be one of the elite; it prioritizes the other instead of the self; it seeks to demonstrate God’s sacrificial love rather than participate in the self-protecting violence and hatred. Ultimately the spirit and practice of Gelassenheit pursues ways to live in right relationships with others and with God, thus demonstrating God’s shalom in the world.

The spirit of Gelassenheit, and the pursuit to practice it was viewed as a radical way to live. Surely, that is still as true today as it was then.

IMO, Gelassenheit is about our relationship with God, and/or our Lord Jesus.
Any attempt at Gelassenheit "toward" the church needs to take the form of mutual or corporate Gelassenheit where the primary focus is on the Lord.
In other words, Gelassenheit, whether individual or corporate, is within the Bride of Christ towards its Lord, not towards the Bride.

[Bootstrap]

IMO, Gelassenheit is about our relationship with God, and/or our Lord Jesus.
Any attempt at Gelassenheit "toward" the church needs to take the form of mutual or corporate Gelassenheit where the primary focus is on the Lord.
In other words, Gelassenheit, whether individual or corporate, is within the Bride of Christ towards its Lord, not towards the Bride.

When we really keep our eyes on Jesus, we learn to trust him with everything, and we learn that we can trust him even when we don't understand, even when things look terrible. When a fellowship has people who do that, it changes their community in profound ways. Even a few people whose lives look like that can make a huge difference, they are the mustard seeds.

If we know we can trust Jesus, we can let it go. We can lay our burden down. We can put our lives in his hands. We know that his will is better for us than our own will. We know that his wisdom and understanding are far beyond anything we can grasp with our own minds. We know that his plan for us is good, even when it makes no sense to us. When we let these things go, that changes our hearts. God is always good, he is always wise, and our lives are in his hand.

That is true even for those of us who have suffered a lot, sometimes at the hands of fellow believers. That is true even for those who have been abused. Knowing that God is good, we can let it go, we can forgive, we can put it in God's hands. I often find that those who have suffered the most, in situations that make no sense, are often best able to teach real faith.

That is true even for martyrs. Can you imagine what it is like to be trust God when you are tortured or when you see your spouse or children tortured, knowing that you might be killed? That is the Gelassenheit we see in the lives of many Anabaptist martyrs. That's what I see in Raphel's letter to his wife, which uses the word Gelassenheit in the phrase that highlighted below.

I Raphel, imprisoned for the truth, wish my dear and in God beloved wife (who next to God is the dearest of all that I know, yea, if I could help you, though it were by dying the death, I should so gladly do it; and my dear son, I wish you, my love, as you wish me in your letter) a steadfast mind in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, an ardent love of God, and invincible strength from God our heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, so that you may overcome all your enemies, and preserve moderation in your tribulation, so that you will not grieve more or further than godly sorrow goes, as I hope that you will also do, and willingly be resigned in all wherein God tries you, that you may thus receive the crown of life at the hand of the Lord. This is my cordial prayer and great petition to God for you my dearest love on earth; the almighty God grant his great mercy thereto. Amen.

Ich, Raphel, gefangen um der Wahrheit willen, wünsche meiner werten und in Gott geliebten Hausfrau (die das Allerliebste von allem ist, das ich kenne, außer Gott; ja könnte ich dir helfen, und sollte ich auch darüber des Todes sterben müssen, ich wollte es sehr gerne tun; und mein lieber Sohn, ich wünsche dir, was du mir in deinem Schreiben wünschest) ein standhaftes Gemüt in dem Glauben unseres Herrn Jesu Christi, eine brünstige Liebe zu Gott und eine unüberwindliche Stärke von Gott, unserm himmlischen Vater, durch Jesum Christum, unsern Herrn und Seligmacher, damit ihr alle eure Feinde überwinden und in eurem Drucke Maß halten möget, damit du dich nicht weiter oder mehr betrübst, als sich die göttliche Reue erstreckt, wie ich denn hoffe, daß du auch tun und dich in Gelassenheit allem übergeben werdest, worin dich Gott versucht, damit du so die Krone des Lebens von der Hand des Herrn empfangen mögest. Dies ist meine herzliche Bitte und mein großes Begehren zu Gott für dich, meine Allerliebste auf Erden; der allmächtige Gott gebe seine große Barmherzigkeit dazu, Amen.

I'm not entirely happy with that translation, though. Resignation has a different feel than Gelassenheit. It is not about being resigned, but about letting it go because we can trust God with anything.

Can you imagine yourself in Raphel's place, writing that kind of letter to your husband or wife? Imagine all that he had to let go of and how much he had to trust God to be able to write that.

[MaxPC]

IMO, Gelassenheit is about our relationship with God, and/or our Lord Jesus.
Any attempt at Gelassenheit "toward" the church needs to take the form of mutual or corporate Gelassenheit where the primary focus is on the Lord.
In other words, Gelassenheit, whether individual or corporate, is within the Bride of Christ towards its Lord, not towards the Bride.

I like this. Simple, straightforward, not convoluted nor pedantic and overblown. Focused on Jesus, not on competition in holiness or knowledge.

[silentreader]

IMO, Gelassenheit is about our relationship with God, and/or our Lord Jesus.
Any attempt at Gelassenheit "toward" the church needs to take the form of mutual or corporate Gelassenheit where the primary focus is on the Lord.
In other words, Gelassenheit, whether individual or corporate, is within the Bride of Christ towards its Lord, not towards the Bride.

When we really keep our eyes on Jesus, we learn to trust him with everything, and we learn that we can trust him even when we don't understand, even when things look terrible. When a fellowship has people who do that, it changes their community in profound ways. Even a few people whose lives look like that can make a huge difference, they are the mustard seeds.

If we know we can trust Jesus, we can let it go. We can lay our burden down. We can put our lives in his hands. We know that his will is better for us than our own will. We know that his wisdom and understanding are far beyond anything we can grasp with our own minds. We know that his plan for us is good, even when it makes no sense to us. When we let these things go, that changes our hearts. God is always good, he is always wise, and our lives are in his hand.

That is true even for those of us who have suffered a lot, sometimes at the hands of fellow believers. That is true even for those who have been abused. Knowing that God is good, we can let it go, we can forgive, we can put it in God's hands. I often find that those who have suffered the most, in situations that make no sense, are often best able to teach real faith.

That is true even for martyrs. Can you imagine what it is like to be trust God when you are tortured or when you see your spouse or children tortured, knowing that you might be killed? That is the Gelassenheit we see in the lives of many Anabaptist martyrs. That's what I see in Raphel's letter to his wife, which uses the word Gelassenheit in the phrase that highlighted below.

I Raphel, imprisoned for the truth, wish my dear and in God beloved wife (who next to God is the dearest of all that I know, yea, if I could help you, though it were by dying the death, I should so gladly do it; and my dear son, I wish you, my love, as you wish me in your letter) a steadfast mind in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, an ardent love of God, and invincible strength from God our heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, so that you may overcome all your enemies, and preserve moderation in your tribulation, so that you will not grieve more or further than godly sorrow goes, as I hope that you will also do, and willingly be resigned in all wherein God tries you, that you may thus receive the crown of life at the hand of the Lord. This is my cordial prayer and great petition to God for you my dearest love on earth; the almighty God grant his great mercy thereto. Amen.

Ich, Raphel, gefangen um der Wahrheit willen, wünsche meiner werten und in Gott geliebten Hausfrau (die das Allerliebste von allem ist, das ich kenne, außer Gott; ja könnte ich dir helfen, und sollte ich auch darüber des Todes sterben müssen, ich wollte es sehr gerne tun; und mein lieber Sohn, ich wünsche dir, was du mir in deinem Schreiben wünschest) ein standhaftes Gemüt in dem Glauben unseres Herrn Jesu Christi, eine brünstige Liebe zu Gott und eine unüberwindliche Stärke von Gott, unserm himmlischen Vater, durch Jesum Christum, unsern Herrn und Seligmacher, damit ihr alle eure Feinde überwinden und in eurem Drucke Maß halten möget, damit du dich nicht weiter oder mehr betrübst, als sich die göttliche Reue erstreckt, wie ich denn hoffe, daß du auch tun und dich in Gelassenheit allem übergeben werdest, worin dich Gott versucht, damit du so die Krone des Lebens von der Hand des Herrn empfangen mögest. Dies ist meine herzliche Bitte und mein großes Begehren zu Gott für dich, meine Allerliebste auf Erden; der allmächtige Gott gebe seine große Barmherzigkeit dazu, Amen.

I'm not entirely happy with that translation, though. Resignation has a different feel than Gelassenheit. It is not about being resigned, but about letting it go because we can trust God with anything.

Can you imagine yourself in Raphel's place, writing that kind of letter to your husband or wife? Imagine all that he had to let go of and how much he had to trust God to be able to write that.

I guess in my mind the only true Gelassenheit is the one that flows from;

Galatians 2:20 English Standard Version (ESV)
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

It is then that we can wait on and rest in the Father's will, as Jesus did.

[Bootstrap]

When we really keep our eyes on Jesus, we learn to trust him with everything, and we learn that we can trust him even when we don't understand, even when things look terrible. When a fellowship has people who do that, it changes their community in profound ways. Even a few people whose lives look like that can make a huge difference, they are the mustard seeds.

If we know we can trust Jesus, we can let it go. We can lay our burden down. We can put our lives in his hands. We know that his will is better for us than our own will. We know that his wisdom and understanding are far beyond anything we can grasp with our own minds. We know that his plan for us is good, even when it makes no sense to us. When we let these things go, that changes our hearts. God is always good, he is always wise, and our lives are in his hand.

That is true even for those of us who have suffered a lot, sometimes at the hands of fellow believers. That is true even for those who have been abused. Knowing that God is good, we can let it go, we can forgive, we can put it in God's hands. I often find that those who have suffered the most, in situations that make no sense, are often best able to teach real faith.

That is true even for martyrs. Can you imagine what it is like to be trust God when you are tortured or when you see your spouse or children tortured, knowing that you might be killed? That is the Gelassenheit we see in the lives of many Anabaptist martyrs.

I guess in my mind the only true Gelassenheit is the one that flows from;

Galatians 2:20 English Standard Version (ESV)
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

It is then that we can wait on and rest in the Father's will, as Jesus did.

I'm not sure if you are agreeing with what I said and adding to it or disagreeing with what I said. I definitely like what you said here. Like the English concept of "letting go", Gelassenheit can take on a lot of different meanings, and what it means to any of us may have a lot to do with which Scripture we are thinking of at the time or which life experiences we have had or what we have read or what sermons we have heard.

If you had to use English instead of German, how would you describe what you mean by Gelassenheit for that text? Do you have a working definition of what Gelassenheit means to you?

[MaxPC]

I guess in my mind the only true Gelassenheit is the one that flows from;

Galatians 2:20 English Standard Version (ESV)
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

It is then that we can wait on and rest in the Father's will, as Jesus did.

Silentreader, I agree with this. Re the bolded: do you think that sometimes the concept of "waiting on and resting in the Father's will" can be misinterpreted as sloth (see this thread)?

[silentreader]

When we really keep our eyes on Jesus, we learn to trust him with everything, and we learn that we can trust him even when we don't understand, even when things look terrible. When a fellowship has people who do that, it changes their community in profound ways. Even a few people whose lives look like that can make a huge difference, they are the mustard seeds.

If we know we can trust Jesus, we can let it go. We can lay our burden down. We can put our lives in his hands. We know that his will is better for us than our own will. We know that his wisdom and understanding are far beyond anything we can grasp with our own minds. We know that his plan for us is good, even when it makes no sense to us. When we let these things go, that changes our hearts. God is always good, he is always wise, and our lives are in his hand.

That is true even for those of us who have suffered a lot, sometimes at the hands of fellow believers. That is true even for those who have been abused. Knowing that God is good, we can let it go, we can forgive, we can put it in God's hands. I often find that those who have suffered the most, in situations that make no sense, are often best able to teach real faith.

That is true even for martyrs. Can you imagine what it is like to be trust God when you are tortured or when you see your spouse or children tortured, knowing that you might be killed? That is the Gelassenheit we see in the lives of many Anabaptist martyrs.

I guess in my mind the only true Gelassenheit is the one that flows from;

Galatians 2:20 English Standard Version (ESV)
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

It is then that we can wait on and rest in the Father's will, as Jesus did.

I'm not sure if you are agreeing with what I said and adding to it or disagreeing with what I said. I definitely like what you said here. Like the English concept of "letting go", Gelassenheit can take on a lot of different meanings, and what it means to any of us may have a lot to do with which Scripture we are thinking of at the time or which life experiences we have had or what we have read or what sermons we have heard.

If you had to use English instead of German, how would you describe what you mean by Gelassenheit for that text? Do you have a working definition of what Gelassenheit means to you?

I was agreeing, but adding that I think the statement in this text is where Gelassenheit needs to flow from, it is not necessarily something that we can generate out of our own 'goodness(?)'

[silentreader]

I guess in my mind the only true Gelassenheit is the one that flows from;

Galatians 2:20 English Standard Version (ESV)
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

It is then that we can wait on and rest in the Father's will, as Jesus did.

Silentreader, I agree with this. Re the bolded: do you think that sometimes the concept of "waiting on and resting in the Father's will" can be misinterpreted as sloth (see this thread)?

Possibly, although Gelassenheit also "works out" the light we already have, I do not consider it a stationary mode.