Bonhoeffer: indifferent to the message

Sunday, December 23, 2012
    Advent IV
Meditation:
    An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
    —Luke 2:9 (NIV)
Quotation:
    We have become so accustomed to the idea of divine love and of God’s coming at Christmas that we no longer feel the shiver of fear that God’s coming should arouse in us. We are indifferent to the message, taking only the pleasant and agreeable out of it and forgetting the serious aspect, that the God of the world draws near to the people of our little earth and lays claim to us. The coming of God is truly not only glad tidings, but first of all frightening news for every one who has a conscience.
    ... Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), A Testament to Freedom: the essential writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Geffrey B. Kelly, F. Burton Nelson, eds., HarperCollins, 1995, p. 185 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, I am ashamed for my sins. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
BDTC    search    script    mobile
sub    fb    twt