Wilhelm's space

The SELK has informed that the longstanding member of the Council of Lutheran Missions Dr. Siegfried Schwertner has passed away over the past weekend. He not only visited South Africa, but was an engaged friend and supporter of Lutheran missions all along.

May the God over life and death comfort his wife and children and also have mercy on us all + for we all will have to die too. Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison +

Here now follows the posting by SELK – Informations:

Vikar – Bibliothekar – Orgelsachverständiger – Missionsfreund
SELK: Dr. Siegfried Schwertner verstorben

Heidelberg, 27.8.2012 – selk – Im Alter von 76 Jahren ist am Samstag in Heidelberg Dr. Siegfried Schwertner verstorben. Schwertner war Vikar in der Evangelisch-Lutherischen Bekenntniskirche, einer der Vorgängerkirchen der Selbständigen Evangelisch-Lutherischen Kirche (SELK). Beruflich war der promovierte Theologe dann als wissenschaftlicher Bibliothekar tätig und ist in der theologischen Wissenschaft durch sein „Internationales Abkürzungsverzeichnis für Theologie und Grenzgebiete“ bekannt geworden, dessen dritte Auflage er gerade noch erarbeiten und abschließen konnte.

In der SELK hat sich der in Lodz (Polen) geborene Schwertner ehrenamtlich vielfältig engagiert, so als Kirchenvorsteher und Organist im Pfarrbezirk Heidelberg/Mannheim der SELK. In Heidelberg konnte er noch an den beiden ersten Sonntagen im August den Orgeldienst versehen. Übergemeindlich hat Schwertner unter anderem als Orgelsachverständiger, als Mitglied der Missionsleitung der Lutherischen Kirchenmission (LKM) und in der Betreuung der Bibliotheken der Kirchenmission und des Praktisch-Theologischen Seminars im Tagungszentrum der LKM in Bergen-Bleckmar gewirkt.

Der Verstorbene hinterlässt seine Ehefrau Uta geb. Hübner, und drei Söhne mit ihren Familien. Die Trauerfeier findet am 7. September in der Kirche St. Thomas in Heidelberg-Hasenleiser statt. Beginn: 14 Uhr.
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During the temporary absence of our teacher, Mrs Rockrohr (who had to travel to the USA because of some sudden unforeseen matter), we kept our female diaconess-students entertained with a symbolic analysis of an old Russian fairy tale.

In that fairy tale a beautiful poor girl, Vasilisa, who had to endure continuous mal-treatment by her nasty step-mother and step-sisters while her mother was dead and her father was absent, was sent deep into the forest in order to fetch and bring back some much-needed LIGHT from the terrible Baba-Yaga. During her dangerous journey the girl went through an inner self-transformation (from girl to woman), and thanks to the spiritual support provided by her dead mother (symbolized in the form of a little magic doll) Vasilisa was even able to survive the soul-shattering experience of the encounter with the terrible Baba-Yaga. Because Vasilisa did well the Baba-Yaga granted Vasilisa with the requested LIGHT, and sent her back to the dark house of her step-mother and step-sisters. But when she arrived into the darkness of the house, Vasilisa’s LIGHT was so utterly bright and powerful that the nasty step-mother and step-sisters could not cope with such brightness; they burnt to ashes until nothing of them was left. Transformed and strengthened by all these experiences, Vasilisa left the dark house behind and moved to the city, where she was able to do nice things and thereby also found new bliss and happiness.

In the subsequent symbolic analysis of this old fairy tale we learned that fairy tales do not aim at describing real historical situations nor persons. Instead, the figures as well as the “magic” objects narrated in the tale should be understood hermeneutically as symbolisations of the traits and features of our own “inner life” (e.g., our own fears and desires) as well as symbolisations of forces and powers (e.g., the forces of Nature) to which we are simply subject without being able to exercise much influence onto them. Since fairy tales mostly offer some self-transformative symbolic solution to some common problem of our general human condition, the reading of a fairy tale can have a consoling and encouraging effect of “Catharsis” upon its readers and hearers, a deeper effect beyond the immediate joy of leisurely entertainment by a wonderful story.

Last but not least: From a religious perspective a good old fairy tale can thus even remind us —however remotely and only by weak analogy— of the transformative possibilities of the living WORD itself.

Stefan Gruner