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: