Preaching within the Mystery of a Disaster. Sermons in Memorial Services between Suffering and Hope

Preaching in the context of disasters comes with high public attention, usually enhanced by media coverage, as well as a community at the same time united by grief and diverse in belief. But the challenge to speak theologically sound in the context of a tragic accident or a collective catastrophe is maybe even harder. Preachers should not deny the encouragement entrusted to them in the biblical texts and liturgical traditions. But they also should not tune into the “lies of the comforters” (Henning Luther), gloss over powerlessness and despair and proclaim toxic positivity. The paper outlines this challenge from the homiletical discussion and analyzes sermons in liturgies responding to the Covid19-pandemic and a plane crash. In regard to the tension they keep between lament and promise, the agony of the situation and the hope in faith, it outlines some consequences regarding liminality and the lasting nature of trauma, the strength of the biblical texts and the ambiguous images of God as well as the position of the preacher.