Dear intercessors,

This month's prayer letter begins with a reminder of the teaching of Jesus, as recorded in Matthew's Gospel, to each one of us as believers and intercessors that "I am the light of God in the world". This is given as we are entering the season of Advent and Christmas, when the environment in our homes, churches, shopping malls and neighbourhoods will most likely be lit up with festive lights at this time of winter in Germany and across Europe. We then read:

"Today, I would like to invite you to change the perspective in this season and so to perceive more consciously the immensely powerful light of redemption. This goes far beyond the power of Advent lights, which can convey a festive and cozy atmosphere. But God is light, absolute, pure light. There is not a speck of darkness in him. And the somewhat incomprehensible thing is that this very light is also in us because of Jesus and is always there to shine out."

The prayer letter ends with a call to pray against the "Pathological approach to life’s challenges" which is growing in German society today, as follows:

Prayer:

• For the young generation who are seeking guidance to face the challenges in their lives.
• That the Gospel of redemption and salvation may become alive and active in our hearts.
• For an increase in the power of witness and in being "the light of God in the world” for all of us in the body of Jesus.

Let us pray together with intercessors in Germany that we will indeed be the light of God and the light of Jesus within us, as we celebrate the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ as a baby this month!

Wishing you every blessing during this time of Advent and Christmas.

Your Call of the Watchmen Team - Germany and International.

PS: Please consider using the "Sway" version (the large print, colour graphic version) of the prayer letter in your prayer groups, projected onto a wide-screen, if possible, as this can really help you to follow the prayer topics as you pray together.

„I am the light of God in the world“

The details as described in the Bible make it quite clear that Jesus was not born at this time of the year - even in Israel. It is much more likely that the Father set this momentous event according to His calendar, which is essentially determined by the Jewish festivals — more accurately described as the "Feasts of the Lord." Jesus' birth is therefore more likely to have taken place during the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, in September/October. Nevertheless, we will soon be celebrating Christmas and entering the Advent season with assurance that this is the “right” time, when most countries follow the historic church calendar. However, it can sometimes be very challenging when daylight becomes shorter. Even so, but even more challenging is the growing, overall darkness in the world, which seems still to be in the grip of sin and death.

Today, I would like to invite you to change the perspective in this season and so to perceive more consciously the immensely powerful light of redemption. This goes far beyond the power of Advent lights, which can convey a festive and cozy atmosphere. But God is light, absolute, pure light. There is not a speck of darkness in him. And the somewhat incomprehensible thing is that this very light is also in us because of Jesus and is always there to shine out.

But God is light, absolute, pure light.

The "adversary" has only one weapon left: deception. He constantly tries to occupy our consciousness with negativity so that we do not see the immense power and authority bestowed upon us by the Father himself, and so that we join in with his litany of darkness, both mentally and verbally, even though God's light in us, on earth and in the entire cosmos is so much more effective. To be precise, there is absolutely no comparison between the power of God’s light and the darkness. I am also reminded of the story of Elisha and his servant, who initially could not perceive the overwhelming power of the heavenly host because his eyes were only focused on the natural world. (2 Kings 6:15-18).

I would like to invite you to take a few minutes each morning (or throughout the day) in December to reflect on the light of God, His overwhelming glory within us, and its effects. Perhaps you would also like to collect and record your impressions from this time and share them with me, most easily online on the website or by email, (a.schlueter@waechterruf.de), so that we can encourage one another during this season and prepare ourselves for the new year. Who will join me in doing this?

Alexander Schlüter

Germany in a time of tension – building a ‘firewall’ or a ‘bridge’?

Germany is currently grappling within itself. The question on how to deal with the AfD (Alternative for Deutschland) political party permeates politics, media, and family conversations. Some insist on building a firewall – out of concern for democracy. Others really want to tear down these walls – also out of concern for democracy. Both are signs of the same uncertainty. We are now experiencing a division that is not limited to just one party. Many feel morally judged, prematurely labelled, and unheard. Over 60 percent of people feel restricted in being able to freely express their opinions. “Wokeness” (latest political thinking), censorship, thought prohibitions, but also blanket contempt for "the elites" have shaken trust. Public broadcasting and media are also facing significant criticism, and at the same time, a destructive culture war is growing, fraying the edges of our central social system.

But firewalls alone will not solve any individual problem. Stigmatisation, officially denouncing things generally as bad ideas, is becoming less and less effective, and a new approach is unavoidable. At the same time, fundamental democratic values must not be relativised. So, what would be a way forward? (1) A new culture of dialogue: Listening before judging, not just morally excluding, but striving to understand. (2) Self- criticism on all sides: We all bear responsibility for the hardening of positions – not just "the others". We all need to be invited to rethink. (3) Political renewal: Courage for genuine debate, for economic restructuring, for solutions instead of partisan thinking, for a real unifying identity.

The question on what holds us together as a society can be asked again. Freedom is inconvenient. Democracy is arduous. But only where we build bridges instead of walls can a country rise anew.

Prayer:

Let us ask for God's building plan for our country. Could it be that we ourselves, in our lives here, building bridges in our country rather than firewalls, become the architects of a new era? Imagine what can this look like! (Hebrews 8:5; 1 Corinthians 3:10)

Alexander Schlüter

Energy supplies in Germany

The share of renewable energies in electricity consumption in Germany was around 57% in 2024. During the first period of low wind and solar output in early November, wind and solar power plants generated a minimum of only 0.35% of their installed capacity. While over 15 Gigawatts were exported during the windy October, up to 14 Gigawatts had to be purchased from the European Union at the beginning of November, and domestic coal and gas-fired power plants had to be ramped up to over 32 Gigawatts. According to the current power plant strategy of the Federal Government, after the shutdown of Germany's nuclear power plants and the planned coal phase-out by 2038, new gas-fired power plants with a capacity of 10 Gigawatts are to serve as a reserve by 2031 to keep the electricity grid stable. The Federal Network Agency now anticipates a necessary reserve capacity of up to 35 Gigawatts. And Germany will thus be almost completely and constantly dependent on foreign gas supply and electricity import, in addition to wind and solar power.

As a result of government intervention in the market and a lack of orders to supply gas, the fill level of gas storage facilities at the beginning of this winter is only around 73%. In Spring 2025, the Federal Government abolished the legal requirement of 90% from November 1st. According to a recent amendment to the Energy Industry Act, the gas storage security levy, with which the state financed its own storage fillings, will also be abolished on January 1st, 2026. This has eliminated two safety mechanisms without replacement, and operators are warning of gas supply shortages during a cold winter.

Climate policy costs Germany billions every year.

Energy supplies are a basic necessity, like food, clothing, and housing, and for a secure framework for this the government bears ultimate responsibility.

Climate policy costs Germany billions every year. While the measures are encountering growing resistance, their scientific basis – global warming caused by humans through CO2 emissions – is controversial. As Christians, we know that we have been appointed by God as stewards of this world and that we cannot save creation without the Creator. Science can only predict the future to a very limited extent, but the Lord knows that and wants to reveal His ways for the future.

Prayer

• Thanks for the excellent infrastructure that has made Germany a strong industrial nation. (Deuteronomy 28:12-14)
• Repentance for ideologically motivated wrong decisions that have endangered the country's industry, energy supplies and basic services. (Job 34:24-28)
• A plea for mercy in the judgment of planning errors in the past and for clear assignment of responsibility for a change of course in the future. (Hebrews 12:26-27)

Karin Heepen

When life becomes fragile – Euthanasia

We live in a time when capacity to bear the load has become the measure of dignity. What works has value. What is weak seems superfluous. In this climate, the desire for euthanasia often arises not from freedom, but from exhaustion, loneliness, or the feeling of being a burden. Yet society's yearning for a "quick end" does harbour dangers that run deeper than the legal debate suggests. The greatest danger lies in a culture that has forgotten that even a wounded life remains precious. When we begin to measure life by its usefulness, we lose the very core of human dignity. Pain is no longer seen as part of being human, but as a defect that must be eliminated. Yet a life with wounds can be profound, sacred, and full of hidden beauty—not despite of it, but because of its fragility. When dying becomes an option that "should not be a burden," subtle pressure arises—especially on the elderly, the lonely, and people with disabilities or chronic pain. The question "May I go?" becomes "Should I go?"

This is the quiet hostility within life in our time. We believe that pain devalues existence and forget that pain also connects and makes us human. What we truly need is not an easier path to death, but more room for life. Spaces where weakness is not a flaw, but an invitation to closeness. We must rediscover that life has dignity even when it does not shine out. Joy in life does not arise from perfection, but from connection. Courage in life does not grow from freedom from pain, but from sincere meaning. And a person's deepest dignity often shines precisely where they are most vulnerable. A humane society is not one that makes death easier, but one that sincerely deepens the meaning of life.

Prayer

Let us pray for renewed courage, for legislation thatprotects life, and for a new, life-affirming approach to weakness and pain.

Alexander Schlüter

Pathological approach to life’s challenges

More and more people are interpreting normal life experiences as being caused by a bodily or mental disorder within themselves. Grief, stress, or just being overwhelmed by circumstances are no longer considered to be part of human experience, but rather candidates for pathologic diagnosis. Public discourse – fuelled by the extensive access to social media – encourages the use of terms like ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), trauma, or narcissism, and at the same time trivialise their true clinical significance.

Studies show that the threshold for diagnostic analysis is falling, self-diagnosis is increasing, while actual mental illnesses are sometimes downplayed. Experts warn against the availability of therapy becoming a part of our culture, in which psychotherapy is standard practice and the diagnosis defines your identity. This leads to the overburdening of healthcare systems and a view of humanity that prematurely medicalises complex emotions. Not every crisis is an illness; not every pain requires therapy.

As Christians, we know that humanity can indeed overcome its vulnerability to life’s challenges. God invites us to come to Him in our weakness. And He invites us to encounter Him there in His strength to heal, save and restore.

Let us pray for a society that again learns to distinguish between genuine illness and the normal challenges that we all experience within human life, and that we, as followers of Jesus, may serve as living witnesses and pioneers in this, offering our help and guidance to others.

Prayer:

• For the young generation who are seeking guidance to face the challenges in their lives. (Matthew 7:7; John 10:10)
• That the Gospel of redemption and salvation may become alive and active in our hearts. (Isaiah 53:4-6; Romans 1:16)
• For an increase in the power of witness and in being “the light of God in the world” for all of us in the body of Jesus. (Matthew 5:13ff, Matthew 9:35ff)

Tanja Frank

Our finances

Dear friends, we thank you for your support for our ministry. However, now, as the year draws to a close, we are facing a tight financial situation. Therefore, we would like to ask you today to consider supporting the work of The Call of the Watchmen financially. Your help would greatly strengthen us right now. If you can contribute, you will make a real difference for us.
From the bottom of our hearts, we say: Thank you!

This is how you can donate:

• Direct Debit / Standing Order (Bank Details for Euro-Account: Wächterruf e.V. - IBAN: DE73 6129 0120 0464 0500 06 - BIC: GENODES1NUE )
• PayPal (with your PayPal-Account or with your Credit- or Debitcard)
• HelpMundo donations form

Wishing you every blessing during this time of Advent and Christmas!

Alexander Schlüter and Team