FELSISA Witness VELSISA Boodskapper

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Contents / Inhoudsopgawe Reflection …………….………...…………………..…………... The English Lutheran Fellowship in Randburg .…….………. From the Bishop’s Desk…..……………………………………. International Lutheran Council meets in Canada ………....... Die 42. Sangfees te Kirchdorf ….….….…………................... The effects of trauma and violence ………………...………… FELSISA Statistics 2012 ……………………………..……….. Assistance Fund established …………………………………. Official Announcements ……….…...…………………………. Title page: “The shepherds went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:16 ESV) FELSISA Witness / VELSISA Boodskapper Commissioned by the Synodical Council of the FELSISA 2 3 4 7 10 11 13 17 18 19 Editors: Pastor Michael Ahlers Pastor Rüdiger Gevers P.O. Box 111 209 Heeren Street Wartburg 3233 Vryheid 3100 mahlers@felsisa.org.za regevers@vodamail.co.za Assistant in translating and editing: Pastor Toby Ahlers Please send your contributions, remarks and questions to the editors. All contributions for the next edition to be submitted by: 31 January 2012
Reflection Pastor Helmut Paul, Wittenberg “Lord, our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” Augustine We hurry from one day to the next, from one year to another. We are constantly on the lookout, always restless. There are so many things we need to do, especially during the festive season. The shopping needs to be done, different TV programmes need to be watched, this needs to be fixed in the house and that needs to be done in the garden. This reflection also needs to be read so that we can be informed… so that we can tic it off the list and continue with everything else that needs to be done. “Lord, our hearts are restless…” We seldom take time to rest. We don’t light the candles, but rather flip the light switch on and off. We don’t sing together, but rather put on a CD as background music. The Advent wreath and the manger don’t make us stop and pause and reflect, but are rather used as ornaments which somehow belong to the Advent and Christmas season in order to help create a certain atmosphere. Advent and Christmas is a time of rest. A time of reflection. A quiet time and a time of waiting. A time of 3 Reflection seeking and finding. But our heart are restless. John the Evangelist tells of how the first disciples came to rest (John 1:35 ff.). John the Baptizer points to Jesus and says: Behold the Lamb of God. The two disciples who hear this follow Jesus. Jesus sees them and asks: What do you seek? They answer to this question: Teacher, where are you staying? They want to linger in Jesus’s presence and spend time with him. They want to go where Jesus is staying. They are not looking for a brief, once-off encounter. They are looking for a permanent relationship and an on-going encounter with Jesus. This will give their lives purpose and stability and will allow them to come to genuine rest. Jesus answers: Come and see! Both Andrew and the other disciple follow him. They spend the whole day with Jesus and experience that through him, God directly enters into their lives. Through him, their Saviour, their Messiah, their Lord, the waiting, searching and unrest come to an end. They experienced what Augustine so aptly put into words: “Lord, our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” Maybe some of you have had the same experience as I did last year: on the evening of the second Sunday of Advent I looked at our Advent wreath. It looked so perfect—but only
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FELSISA Witness VELSISA Boodskapper

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