GOODNEWSletter DECEMBER 2008 ******************************************************************************* I CAN'T WAIT! But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. (Galatians 4:4, 5) Patience is a learned skill that is often hard to come by. A child who shakes all the presents under the tree must wait until Christmas to open them. An adult has two stressful weeks left in the workplace before a long-awaited vacation. Family members scattered far apart must wait patiently for a special occasion to reunite. Can you imagine how difficult it must have been for the faithful Israelites to wait for the coming Savior? So much had already been said about him, so many prophecies had been made. This Savior would come from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10), be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), and be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) are just a few examples of such prophecies. The stage had been set, but God's time had not yet come. Then one dark, cold night in Bethlehem it happened. When the time was exactly right, a tiny baby was born who would live and die to fulfill every promise made about him. Every single one. The whole event was orchestrated by an almighty God who was about to display the depth of his love for all people. The birth of Jesus Christ ended thousands of years of patient waiting. The Savior was born! Eight days later, the patient waiting of a faithful man would also end. Simeon had been promised that he would not die until he had seen his Savior. And now, with his very own eyes, he was witnessing the reason he had lived his entire life. There was no doubt; this tiny baby in the temple with two peasant parents was the light of the world, the salvation of his soul. Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation... (Luke 2:29-30) And now there was no more waiting...only the end of his earthly life and the beginning of his eternal joy in heaven. As Christians today, our patient waiting takes on a different meaning. We no longer await the coming Savior. Instead, we can now marvel at the amazing events surrounding our Savior's birth. In the Scriptures, we see God's plan of salvation completed in Jesus and revel in the forgiveness of sins and eternal life that now belong to us. Rather, now we eagerly await the second coming of our Savior. Our same Jesus who was humbly born in a stable in Bethlehem will come again in all his glory and triumph. Our King of Kings and Lord of Lords will end this world of suffering and take us to live in eternal glory by his side. As we celebrate Christmas this year, may God be with us as we remember his first coming and the true joy and peace that the Christ child brings. May God also continue to give us patience and strength we await Christ's second coming. We eagerly await a celebration far greater than any Christmas dinner -a celebration for the triumph of the Lamb of God at the banquet tables of heaven for all eternity. Amen, Come Lord Jesus! ******************************************************************************* December Schedule Northwood, England - Northwood Methodist Church December 7, January 4 - Worship at 13:00 - Bible Class at 14:00 with fellowship following Savior of the Nations Lutheran Church Wicker, Germany (Frankfurt Area) - At the Evangelische Gemeindehaus December 14 and 28 - Worship at 11:00, Fellowship, Bible Class and Sunday school following the service Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany - At the Southside Chapel December 14 and 28 - Worship at 16:00 with Bible Study, Sunday school and fellowship to follow Vilseck, Germany - Main Chapel on Vilseck Army Base Saturday, December 20 - Worship at 10:00, Bible study at 11:00, potluck meal to follow Switzerland - Home of Sigmund and Sarah Bachmann Sunday, December 21 - Worship at 11:00, Bible study, Sunday school and fellowship to follow ******************************************************************************* Advent by Candlelight On Saturday, December 13th, we will have our Advent by candlelight event for the women of the congregation. Please plan on meeting at the parsonage at 6 p.m. The men and children will venture out for a little fellowship while the women have Bible study and fellowship at the parsonage. The purpose of the event is to remind us of Christ's coming as the light of the world. If you would be interested in attending, please let Pastor Martin know as soon as possible so that we can set up the right number of places. ******************************************************************************* Drop Us a Line! If you have need of pastoral assistance or just want to talk, please contact us. Your e-mails, phone calls, & letters are welcomed. Pastor Joshua and Katie Martin Im Holzweg 4a 55288 Spiesheim Telephone: (+49) 6732-965-9813 Email: WELSChaplain@gmail.com www.welseurope.net ******************************************************************************* Thanksgiving Day Service Our annual Thanksgiving service took place on Thursday, November 27th with 21 people in attendance for worship and 17 for the potluck dinner. The worship service and the delicious dinner reminded us of the source of all our blessings - our loving and almighty God. ******************************************************************************* Special Christmas Services 2008 We will have two opportunities to come on bended knee to worship our newborn king this Christmas season. Please let Pastor Martin know if you will be able to attend. Wednesday, Dec. 24- 6 p.m. - Devotion, Dinner and Fellowship at the Parsonage in Spiesheim Thursday, Dec. 25th - 11 a.m. - Christmas worship service in Wicker ******************************************************************************* Prayer Chain Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened unto you. (Matthew 7:7) God in His Word encourages Christians to pray continually. It is such an important gift that our loving God has given us in which we can communicate with him and he blesses us. As a Christian congregation that is spread out across an entire continent, we may often find it difficult to know what is going on in the lives of our brother and sisters in Christ in order that we may offer prayers of thanksgiving and supplication for each other. In an effort to keep us united in prayer to our loving God, we are beginning a prayer chain. Melinda Gribble has volunteered to help put this together on a weekly basis. At the beginning of each week, you will be sent an email asking if you have any special prayer requests for yourself or a loved one. At the end of the week, the prayer will be sent out to all members with email addresses. Please feel free to submit all prayer requests to Pastor Martin or directly to Melinda Gribble at rmgribble@aol.com. If you do not have an email address but would like to add a prayer request, please don't hesitate to call Pastor Martin directly. ******************************************************************************* Congratulations! To Brandy and Alyssa Rael. Brandy and her daughter were both baptized at the Vilseck service in November. May you cherish the blessings and promises God gives you through baptism. May we all drink from those promises often. ******************************************************************************* Our Gift of Thanks The amount of offerings gathered in Europe in the month of November was the equivalent of EUR 3,658. Since the beginning of 2008, we have collected the equivalent of EUR 38,148. Thanks for supporting the Lord's work in Europe! ******************************************************************************* Easter Retreat 2009 Mark your calendars! The dates have been set for the 2009 Easter retreat. It will take place on Thursday, April 9- Sunday, April 12. The location has not yet been determined. Keep checking the newsletter for updates! ******************************************************************************* England Retreat We are in the preliminary stages of planning a retreat in the British Isles. If you live in mainland Europe and would consider attending a retreat, please contact Pastor Martin. We are considering whether a location near public transportation or one that is more remote would be better suited to those attending. A date has not yet been set and we will continue to keep you posted on any new developments. ******************************************************************************* Daily Bible Readings Attached to this newsletter, you will find a calendar that contains Bible readings for each day of December as well as questions for each text. The answers to the questions on the calendar will be sent out in the January edition. Please give Pastor Martin any feedback that you have on such a Bible study program or offer any suggestions on how the church can offer you more spiritual growth resources throughout the year. ******************************************************************************* DECEMBER BIBLE READINGS 2008 1. Isaiah 25:6-8 Questions: - Why is this feast so much better than any we have attended? - Why can we be certain of these promises? 2. Isaiah 26:17-19 Questions: - What can no human produce? - Who must provide the blessings described by Isaiah? 3. Isaiah 35:3-10 Questions: - What do you think is the "Way of Holiness"? - Who walks on it? - What promises do they have? 4. Isaiah 11:1-3 Questions: - How is Jesus like the shoot? - Can you think of a time when the Spirit of the Lord did rest on Jesus? 5. Isaiah 9:6-7 Questions: - List the names given to the child? - In what way has the kingdom of this child endured forever? 6. Isaiah 11:10,12 Questions: - Does the root of Jesse bring blessings only for the Jews? - Why or why not? - Explain from the text. 7. Isaiah 25:6-8 Questions: - Why is this feast so much better than any we have attended? - Why can we be certain of these promises? 8. Matthew 1:1, 17 Questions: - Why did Matthew include a long genealogy? - How does it show that Jesus is both God and man? 9. John 1:1-4 - Why does the term "Word" apply to Jesus? - What does the world think of Jesus? - Why? 10. Luke 1:5,6 Questions: - Why do you think Luke mentioned Herod? - How is the life of Zechariah and Elizabeth described? 11. Luke 1:7-22 Questions: - What caused Zechariah to doubt Gabriel? - Why is it better to believe than to doubt God's Word? 12. Luke 1:23-24 Questions: - What do these two little verses say about the faith of Zechariah? - What about Elizabeth? 13. Luke 1:26-33 Questions: - How does Luke identify Mary? - How does David fit into the story? - Why is that important? 14. Luke 1:34-38 Questions: - Why was Gabriel's message difficult to believe? - What do Mary's final words here teach you? 15. Luke 1:39-45 Questions: - Elizabeth greets Mary as "the mother of my Lord." What does that say about Elizabeth? - Mary? - You? 16. Luke 1:46-56 Questions: - Mary senses her role in history. Yet who does she praise? - How can you have the same attitude? 17. Matt. 1:18-25 Questions: - How does this passage prove Mary was a virgin? - What attitudes of Joseph should we adopt? 18. Luke 1:57-66 Questions: - How does the naming of the baby reveal faith in the Lord? - Why do you think John's birth was so special? 19. Luke 1:67-80 Questions: - How many OT references can you find in Zechariah's words? - What would be John's role in life? 20. Malachi 3:1 Questions: - How are these words similar to Zechariah's yesterday? - Why do you think people seek the Lord? 21. Psalm 2 Questions: - Who is the Lord's "Anointed One"? - What advice does God give to the nations? - To you? 22. Psalm 8 Questions: - Why is the Lord so "majestic"? - Why does God care for us lowly creatures? 23. Gal. 4:4,5 Questions: - How had "the time ... fully come"? - What does it mean that we have the "full rights of sons"? 24. Luke 2:1-3 Questions: - What do the historical names add to Luke's message? - How did pagan rulers carry out God's plan? 25. Luke 2:4-7 Questions: - So familiar, yet so wonderful. What strikes you as wonderful about Christmas? 26. I Tim. 1:15-17 Questions: - Why is Paul's saying trustworthy? - Why does Paul think he is "the worst of sinners"? 27. Luke 2:8-14 Questions: - Why did the angels say, "Do not be afraid?" - What is the peace the angels sing about? 28. Luke 2:15-20 Questions: - Why did the shepherds want to talk about this child? - What lesson does Mary have for each of us? 29. Luke 2:21-24 Questions: - Why did Luke record this event? - Can you remember what "Jesus" means? (See Matt. 1:21) 30. Luke 2:25-35 Questions: - What does Simeon mean "dismiss your servant in peace"? - If Simeon was young, does that change anything? 31. Luke 2:36-38 Questions: - Why did Anna give thanks? - Why should we give thanks our entire lives? - How can we? *******************************************************************************