4.Advent 2016

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John Donne (1572-1631)

Annunciation

Salvation to all that will is nigh;
That All, which always is all everywhere,
Which cannot sin, and yet all sins must bear,
Which cannot die, yet cannot choose but die,
Lo, faithful virgin, yields Himself to lie
In prison, in thy womb; and though He there
Can take no sin, nor thou give, yet He will wear,
Taken from thence, flesh, which death's force may try.
Ere by the spheres time was created, thou
Wast in His mind, who is thy Son and Brother;
Whom thou conceivst, conceived; yea thou art now
Thy Maker's maker, and thy Father's mother;
Thou hast light in dark, and shutst in little room,
Immensity cloistered in thy dear womb.

3. Advent 2016

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Time continues to move us toward Christmas ... We have already celebrated the 1. Advent and 2. Advent Sundays.

The 3rd Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete Advent.  Gautede is the Latin word for REJOICE.

 "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Let your moderation be known to all men, the Lord is at hand; be careful for nothing, but in all things, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known unto God."  Philippians 4:4

A friend recently mentioned on Facebook how she knew of many people who are going into the Christmas season in particular with heavy hearts.  I too know of a few families who are facing the death of a loved one, are feeling financial pressures more than ever, and some who are just worn down with worries and care.  I too can get caught up in the general sadness of circumstances and situations.  While it is easy to REJOICE in good times and when life seems #blessed, it isn't always do easy to do when burdened down with care.  

 A Dutch theologian Henri Nouwen, who lived and taught in the United States for a while until close to his death in 1996, was known for openly sharing about personal struggles and how to deal with them with a spiritual perspective.  I don't necessarily endorse his theology or everything he said and wrote; however, he gave a good description of the difference between being happy and having joy:

While happiness is dependent on external conditions, joy is "the experience of knowing that you are unconditionally loved and that nothing -- sickness, failure, emotional distress, oppression, war, or even death -- can take that love away."  Thus joy can be present even in the midst of sadness.

And I would add that if you know Jesus PERSONALLY, there is much to rejoice about just in the fact that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son ... John 3:16

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Good Christian men, rejoice with heart and soul, and voice;

Give ye heed to what we say: News! News! Jesus Christ is born today;

Ox and ass before Him bow; and He is in the manger now.

Christ is born today! Christ is born today!

Good Christian men, rejoice, with heart and soul and voice;

Now ye hear of endless bliss: Joy! Joy! Jesus Christ was born for this!

He has opened the heavenly door, and man is blest forevermore.

Christ was born for this! Christ was born for this!

Good Christian men, rejoice, with heart and soul and voice;

Now ye need not fear the grave: Peace! Peace! Jesus Christ was born to save!

Calls you one and calls you all, to gain His everlasting hall.

Christ was born to save! Christ was born to save!

Writing Utensils and Art, German-style

 In thinking about Christmas, I recently began to think about toys from my childhood, but also about some of my favorite things ... beautiful things ... GERMAN things.  And so my mind wandered to developing this post about writing utensils.

Faber-Castell is one of the oldest manufacturers of art and office supplies.  In fact, their logo states they've been in business since 1761!

While they might LOOK like ordinary colored pencils, there is a difference in a quality made product like this compared to the cheap school supplies we buy each year at Wal-mart.  The lead is the perfect softness to draw and shade; the wood quality holds its point without constant sharpening.  The colors are vibrant.  I am no artist, but holding one of these pencils makes me feel like one.

As a child, I also loved to paint, and this Faber Castell is among the best of the basics.

Another classic supplier of office supplies and writing instruments is Pelikan.  Pelikan was founded in 1832 in Hanover.  It eventually went bankrupt but restarted in Switzerland.

As a child during my summers in Germany, there were no Crayola crayons ... I had these "wax pens" (Wachsmalstifte). 

VOCAB TIDBIT:

Wachs = wax.  Mahl = draw.  Stifte = pens.  

Crayon = wax drawing pen.

Pelikan is also known for manufacturing fountain pens.  Even when I was a child and teen in the early 1980s, my German cousins and friends still got to use fountain pens in school!  I thought they were SO lucky, although they did not.

sample of German school standard writing

Some day I will share a post about the "Old German" penmanship that my grandparents used prior to World War II.  While it was still the Latin alphabet we use now, it looked very different in script form:

sample of Old German Script

Anyway ... back to fountain pens (Füllfederhalter in German) ...

VOCAB TIDBIT:

Break it down, Füllfederhalter.  Füll = fill.  Feder = feather.  Halter = holder.  

 If you are envisioning the old fashioned "quill" fountain pen made of a feather with a nib on the end, then you can guess why Germans call this writing instrument a filled-feather-holder.  Makes sense, doesn't it?!
In short, German students might just call their pen a Füller.

When I became a teenager, my Opa gave me a very old, valuable fountain pen with a golden nib.  It is a special item that I still treasure.  While modern fountain pens (the ones my German cousins and friends use) had replaceable ink cartridges like these:

my fountain pen draws up ink from a well (or bottle) like this:

After people gave up their feathered quills that were dipped in ink, a new fountain pen was developed with a suction system that drew ink up into the pen.  This You tube video shows how those pens work:

I have done some self-study in calligraphy and still love to try my hand at chalk art or other such lettering work.  Someday maybe I'll have more time to devote to making my art more presentable ... but for now, I am just having fun attempting to be moderately artistic:

2. Advent 2016

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Last Sunday was the 1st Sunday of Advent.   Read more about it in this post:  1.Advent.

Today we celebrate the 2nd Advent, continuing the time of remembering Jesus' birth, His presence in the hearts of those who receive Him, and the anticipation of His coming to rule and reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  

In some church celebrations, the second candle of Advent is called the Bethlehem candle.  

The second candle, the Bethlehem candle represents peace. It symbolizes the preparations being made to receive and cradle the Christ child. 

The Advent hymn I wanted to share today was written by Charles Wesley.  

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

1. Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.

2. Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.

Just as Israel longed for a Messiah, a Savior, so Christians continue to long for Jesus to set up His throne and set this old sinful world right!

I recently read the account of a father who traveled often for work.  On a trip home, he called his family from the airport to announce his arrival and request to be picked up.  His little son talked to his dad on the phone, and sighing with great longing, said, "Oh, Daddy, I can't wait to be where you are."  That is how a Christian might anticipate their Heavenly Home.  

And as a closing thought, I am reminded of the Lord's Prayer as given to us in Matthew chapter 6, particularly the phrase, "Thy Kingdom Come..."

Matthew Henry (1662 - 1714) commented on this prayer:

Thy kingdom come. This petition has plainly a reference to the doctrine which Christ preached at this time, which John Baptist had preached before, and which he afterwards sent his apostles out to preach--the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The kingdom of your Father who is in heaven, the kingdom of the Messiah, this is at hand, pray that it may come. Note, We should turn the word we hear into prayer, our hearts should echo to it; does Christ promise, surely I come quickly? our hearts should answer, Even so, come. 

Leckerbissen zu Weihnachten: Cookie Dough Basics

Leckerbissen is a German word meaning treat, tidbit, or delicacy.  

Lecker means yummy or delicious; ein Bissen is a bite.  

These yummy bites are perfect for the holidays!

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Baking is a part of many families' Christmas tradition, and Germans are no exception.  There are several standard cookies that are just expected at Christmas time!  For example, Vanillekipferl ... or this recipe for a simple glazed Christmas Cookie.

My mother uses a basic, kneaded dough recipe that can be adapted for several varieties of cookies.  This isn't like a sugar cookie dough either; it is less sweet.  

DISCLAIMER:  I am NOT a food photographer - and my mom isn't a professional cookie decorator.  But these are THE REAL DEAL.  Cookies decorated with a chocolate glaze, a powder sugar glaze, and a variety of nuts and sprinkles.  

You can get as fancy or as simple as you please.

BASIC COOKIE DOUGH

source:  my mom

500 g Mehl (4 cups flour)

2 tsp baking powder

2 Eier (eggs)

200 g Zucker (approx. 1 ½ cups sugar, more to taste)

1 Pkg vanilla sugar (approx. 2 tsp)

Just a little lemon peel, finely zested

3 Mandeln (almonds), finely ground or chopped (optional)

250 g Butter or Margarine (1 ¾ sticks), cold and cut into small pieces

Egg yolk (to baste)

PREHEAT:

375 degrees F

Pour flour and baking powder on large surface, make a well in the middle.

Add sugar, vanilla sugar, lemon peel, and almonds.  Add egg and work into half the dough.  Top with butter/margarine pieces and knead all the dough until smooth.  Let dough rest (in refridgerator, if possible) for about 30 minutes.  Then roll out, cut out cookies with cookie cutters. Place on greased cookie sheet and brush with egg yolk.  Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 12 minutes until golden.  Let cool, then glaze (see below for recipe).

**Cinnamon or a little cocoa powder can be added to dough, if you prefer.  

**Press various nuts into cookies before baking, if you like.

A smaller, simpler portion of dough from Dr. Oetker's recipe:

Knetteig / Kneaded Dough:

150 g	Weizenmehl  (1 cup flour)
1 Msp*.	Backpulver  (about 1 tsp baking powder)
50 g	Zucker  (1/4 cup sugar)
100 g	weiche Butter oder Margarine (7 tbsp softened butter or margarine)

Mix as above and then bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes

*Msp is short for "Messerspitze" which means knife tip.  

GLAZE:

250 g Puderzucker (1 1/4 c. powder sugar)

2 egg's whites or 1 to 4 tbsp water or MILK (we use milk)

Mix to medium consistency (not too watery!) and brush glaze on cookies.  Sprinkle with nuts or other decoration.  Let "dry".

For Chocolate glaze:

1 1/4 c. powder sugar

3-4 tbsp milk

mix together in a small pan.  Add 1-2 tbsp cocoa powder. Stir until dissolved.  Brush on cookies right away!  

OR Melt chocolate chips or baking chocolate or almond bark over a boiling water (double boiling).   Brush on cookies immediately and decorate. 

Get your vanilla sugar at AMAZON:

Merry German Christmas: Basteln / Crafts

German Christmas traditions include baking (especially cookies, such as Vanillekipferl), the tree, celebrating Advent, and BASTELN.  Basteln means crafting.  There is a verb form basteln which means to make crafts or to do handiwork; to tinker.  Some of my most treasured Christmas items are hand made.

There are probably millions of books, magazines, websites, and Pinterest pins about various German Christmas crafts.  None of the following are my original posts or crafts, but they are among my favorite!  I am citing the source from which I copied each.

STROHSTERNE  (straw stars)

This Christmas craft connects the straw from the manger in which baby Jesus lay to the star of Bethlehem that showed the shepherds where He was born.

Here is a very simple ornament you can make from toothpicks (but mimicking the look of a straw ornament) from Just Crafty Enough blog.

picture source:  Just Crafty Enough

Another blog shares how to make ornaments from straw - check out Ursula Markgraf:

picture source:  Ursula Markgraf

Star ornaments are also popular using paper and foil:

Paper Star tutorial from With a Grateful Prayer

Foil Star from Glittering Muffins

picture source Glittering Muffins

Again, natural elements are very common in German Christmas decorating:  dried orange and apple slices, nuts, cinnamon sticks, pine cones, etc. Here are a few more Christmas craft ideas with the source from where I found them underneath:

source:  wunderbare-enkel

source:  bastelideen

And lastly, a SUPER EASY and fragrant decoration, which my mom and I enjoy:  

CLOVE-DECORATED ORANGES

Make a pattern or stripes by sticking the whole cloves into an orange, then place decorated oranges in a bowl with greenery, nuts, pine cones, ribbons or whatever you have around the house.

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Frohes Basteln!

(happy crafting)

1. Advent 2016

GBPicsOnline.com 

 November 27 marks the 1st Sunday of Advent in 2016.  It is the first of 4 Sundays in the countdown to Christmas.  I did not grow up in a church denomination that celebrated the Advent season liturgically like Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, or Episcopalians might, but I think it is a wonderful concept.  Advent is a Latin-derived word that means "coming." The season anticipates the arrival of Christ at his birth, into our hearts, and keeps us looking for His second coming not as a baby but as a Judge and King.

I do have an Advent wreath which I bought when we were stationed in Germany with the Army.  A typical German advent wreath is made up of greenery and has 4 pillar candles of whatever color you prefer.  A traditional church advent wreath will probably have tapers in the colors purple or blue, pink, and white.  Each denomination has its own color scheme with certain symbolism.  I think the violet/purple indicates hope, preparation and love; the pink/rose is for rejoicing; and often a white 5th candle is lit on Christmas day representing Christ, the spotless Lamb of God.

My children also enjoy Advent calendars.  Our local Aldi grocery store always sells Advent calendars with little chocolate treats for each day - the simple one is generally 99 cents and the fancier one is $4.99:

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However you may celebrate the first Advent Sunday, I hope you will consider the true meaning of this season today.  Commercialism and the stress of buying gifts, decorating, parties, and activities can often crowd out the rememberance that JESUS was born!  Savior, Emmanuel, God with us.  

There is a lot of Christmas music playing these days, but only a few songs are considered Advent songs.  One of my favorite Advent hymns during this season is O Come, O Come, Emmanuel:

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 This ancient advent hymn originated in part from the “Great ‘O’ Antiphons,” part of the medieval Roman Catholic Advent liturgy. On each day of the week leading up to Christmas, one responsive verse would be chanted, each including a different Old Testament name for the coming Messiah. When we sing each verse of this hymn, we acknowledge Christ as the fulfillment of these Old Testament prophesies. We sing this hymn in an already-but not yet-kingdom of God. Christ's first coming gives us a reason to rejoice again and again, yet we know that all is not well with the world. So along with our rejoicing, we plead using the words of this hymn that Christ would come again to perfectly fulfill the promise that all darkness will be turned to light. The original text created a reverse acrostic: “ero cras,” which means, “I shall be with you tomorrow.” That is the promise we hold to as we sing this beautiful hymn.
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1 O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.

Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.

2 O come, O Wisdom from on high,
who ordered all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in its ways to go. Refrain

3 O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to your tribes on Sinai's height
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain

4 O come, O Branch of Jesse's stem,
unto your own and rescue them!
From depths of hell your people save,
and give them victory o'er the grave. Refrain

5 O come, O Key of David, come
and open wide our heavenly home.
Make safe for us the heavenward road
and bar the way to death's abode. Refrain

6 O come, O Bright and Morning Star,
and bring us comfort from afar!
Dispel the shadows of the night
and turn our darkness into light. Refrain

7 O come, O King of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease
and be yourself our King of Peace. Refrain 

O Tannenbaum!

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Even though traditionally, in Germany, the Christmas tree is first revealed in its decorated glory on Christmas Eve and then remains until December 6th, in America, we are already decorating Christmas trees around this Thanksgiving time.  There is such a variety of Christmas tree styles and types of trees used - from artificial to live ones.  In my imagination, if I could conjure up the "ideal" German tree, this is somewhat what it would look like:

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I think the most popular tree used in Northern Europe, just based on some reading I have done, is a variety of fir tree - balsam, noble, Nordmann, and silver-tipped.  They tend to not have the conical (triangular) shape of an idea tree like a Douglas fir or spruce, but have some uneven, stray branches sticking out randomly at the top, which gives it a whimsical, not-so-perfectly-shaped appearance:

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I have a few pictures of my German family at Christmas (actually, the picture below is probably from New Years Eve, based on the bottle of "spirits" my great-great grandfather is holding).  I wish I knew exactly what year this was, but considering my great-great grandfather passed away in the mid-1930s, it obviously had to have been before then.  My great-great grandfather is seated here on the left, 2 of his children are also pictured (his son behind him, holding what appears to be a dog? and his daughter seated on her fiance-soon-to-be-husband's lap).  A neighbor is peeking out from behind the happy couple: 

This next picture is taken at Christmas 1970 - and that baby is *ME*.  I was born at the end of November.   I am being admired by my grandparents - my paternal grandmother and my maternal grandfather.  This Christmas tree has something on it, aside from the candles, that to me represents German tree decorating or perhaps it is only a trend of the time period.  It is the Lametta, the silver "icicle" tinsel.    

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Maybe you can see a little of that German influence on the trees we had while I was growing up.  For example, in 1981, we had the biggest cedar tree (from my Tennessee Grandpa's farm) in our living room, and it was decorated with real candles and Lametta.....

and in 1984, we decorated with an apple theme and candles.

While themed trees and fancily decorated trees are lovely, and I cherish every hand-made ornament that my children place on our family tree now, I think that a traditional German tree has a more "natural" feel to it.  The ornaments seem often to be made out of wood or wool, perhaps crocheted snowflakes or intricate tin craftsmanship, homemade stars formed from foil paper, dried fruits such as orange slices, and natural elements like pine cones and berries.  

In the days ahead, I hope to share a little more about my experiences of Christmas, German-style. 

However you may prefer to decorate your tree, it is always such a joy to pull out the ornaments and perhaps look forward to new ones ... and to hear the carols of Christmas such as O Tannenbaum!

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Das Wort zum Sonntag / A Word for Sunday - 20.11.2016

source:  google images

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Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,

and make a joyful noise unto Him with Psalms.

Psalm 95:2

Leckerbissen zu Weihnachten / Christmas Treats: Vanillekipferl

Leckerbissen is a German word meaning treat, tidbit, or delicacy.  

Lecker means yummy or delicious; ein Bissen is a bite.  

These yummy bites are perfect for the holidays!

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Vanillekipferl originated in Austria but are a popular treat on most German Christmas cookie plates.  The dough typically has ground almonds (or hazelnuts) in it, and the cookies are dusted with vanilla sugar (recipe below- make your own vanilla sugar NOW for baking needs over the holidays - it needs to sit 2 weeks!!).  By the way, Kipferl refers to the crescent shape of the cookie.

To watch and hear a German baker make these cookies, you can watch this clip from the famous cooking and baking supplier, Dr. Oetker's kitchen. (Dr. Oetker is the Betty Crocker of Germany!):

chefkoch.de - Vanillekipferl

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Melania's Vanillekipferl - 

Almond Cookie Recipe 

recipe source

Ingredients:

• 1¾ cups flour, all-purpose
• 1 cup ground almonds
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla sugar
• 1 cup butter, cold
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 6 tsp vanilla sugar

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 300 ° F.
• Mix flour, ground almonds, sugar and 2 tsp vanilla sugar together in a large bowl.
• Cut in cold butter. 
• Quickly mix all ingredients together to make a smooth dough.
• Roll a small amount of dough into a thin roll. Cut into 2" rolls.
• Place onto greased baking sheet and form into crescents.
• Bake for 10 - 15 minutes or until lightly golden.
• Remove from oven and roll warm cookies in the powdered sugar that has been mixed with 6 tsp vanilla sugar.
• Makes about 4 dozen.

Hints:

• These cookies store very well, actually getting better the longer they stand.          

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Vanilla Sugar Recipe

recipe source

Ingredients:

• about 2 cups of granulated white sugar
• 1 vanilla bean

Instructions:

• Put sugar into seal-able glass/ceramic jar.
• Cut vanilla bean in half (not lengthwise or the seeds will come out)
• Place bean sections in sugar.
• Close jar and place in cool, dark place.
• Let sit at least 2 weeks before using.
• You can keep refilling the jar with sugar because the beans stay potent for quite some time.

Hints:

• If you wish, you can cut the beans lengthwise ... and you'll get more aroma into the sugar. You may also get the seeds in there, but if you don't mind that, it works great.

Oma's German Recipes is a GREAT resource for the best German recipes, converted into American measurements.  You can find other recipes like these there.

Don't have 2 weeks to make Vanilla Sugar? 

Order some from AMAZON:

• This post contains an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the product link, I’ll receive some compensation.