4th Sunday in Advent with Bonhoeffer

“And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”  John 1:14

INCARNATION

On December 21, 1930, the 24 year old pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer preached to a German-speaking church in Havana, Cuba.  Nearly 100 years later, his words speak to our hearts:

“Mighty God” is the name of this child, the child in the manger who is none other than God himself. Nothing greater can be said: God became a child. In the Jesus child of Mary lives the almighty God. 

Wait a minute! Don’t speak; stop thinking! Stand still before this statement! God became a child! Here Jesus is: poor like us, miserable and helpless like us, a person of flesh and blood like us, our brother. And yet he is God; he is might. 

Now it is true that in three days, Christmas will come once again.  The great transformation will once again happen.  God would have it so.  Out of the waiting, hoping, longing world, a world will come in which the promise is given.  All crying will be stilled.  No tears will flow.  No lonely sorrow shall afflict us or threaten us anymore…

• Can you heed Bonhoeffer’s command to “wait a minute! Don’t speak; stop thinking”?

• Take 3 uninterrupted minutes (or more!) to meditate upon this: God became a child! Here Jesus is: poor like us, miserable and helpless like us, a person of flesh and blood like us, our brother. And yet Jesus is God; he is might. 

• In three days the “great transformation” will happen again.  What images or emotions come up as you read Bonhoeffer’s description of the coming world in which the promise is given?

• How might these reflections shift your experience of the days to come?