Advents Coffee
Once again, we planned, practiced, prepared and hosted our annual Advents Coffee. It is a common thing here in Germany, to recognize the four Sundays before Christmas, as the Advent season. People visit the Christmas market, get together with family and friends to share a meal together, participate in a roving Advents calendar and host your neighbors for a few minutes of hot punch and cookies. It can be a time of hospitality and fellowship, thinking about the impact of the Christ-child coming to this earth. Or, you can be up to your ears in stress, worried 
about the too many Advent-related get-togethers or having to deal with family…again. Even though it is really not that often. We witness both sides.
Our prayer this year was to demonstrate a hopeful, meditative Advents Coffee, focusing on a precious gift and our response of giving in return. We had fewer guests this year. All of our invited friends had other plans or ended up deciding against coming at the last minute. Talk about disappointing! But we have been here long enough to realize that is just a part of the work. So one reaches out to those who do come. A new family was there, complete with out of control 
boys (who ended up entertaining some of our youth with their kung-fu skills). We had another family come whom our coworkers know well and are in-between churches. A lady from the opera house came, who helped Benjamin greatly with piano and voice lessons. The extended family of one of our members came, all six of them. Basically non-believers, they were exposed to the message of knowing Christ to receive life eternal. I found myself praying: God open their hearts to your love!
What else is there to do, but to communicate the love of God that echoes throughout history. It is sad but true, that this message becomes mellowed, sometimes stamped out, by life and sin and worry and busyness.
I’ll close with a part of the scripture I read this past Sunday morning for our worship time. It heralds the coming of our Savior. John 1,14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John makes the astonishing statement of seeing the glory of Jesus. Christmas is a busy time of year. We all have additional stress to cope with, additional duties to perform, and gifts to buy. God help us, to not neglect seeing the glory of Christ.
Merry Christmas!
So good to hear from you guys! I think often of your hospitality and work there in Germany… And thanks for the update on Faree! I’ve been wondering and praying. : – ) God bless you all!
all for ONE,
Jonathan T.