Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Christmas

I recently finished the masterpiece that is Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas. I thoroughly enjoyed this skillful and lively accounting of Bonhoeffer's life, work, and faith, in which he stood firm to the end of his life on this earth at the hands of the Nazis. Even in his beloved country's darkest hour, his faith stood firm in the One who is above all principalities and powers. 

Being thus inspired, I set out to get my hands on books and sermons written by Bonhoeffer. Happily, my quest coincided with Amazon's 30% off book sale, during which I picked up a few of his works.

Currently, I am savoring a little gem of a book called Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Christmas Stories,
a collection of the sermons he gave from the pulpit over the course of his life, whether that pulpit happened to be in Spain, London, America, or, his beloved country of Germany. 

All that jabber aside, I now present you with a powerful snippet from one such sermon that perfectly showcases the true meaning of Christmas, and, thus the gospel of Jesus Christ. Bonhoeffer rightly saw the incarnation as the very epicenter of the gospel, and his sermons are replete with this theme. I hope this blesses your soul and the soul of whoever you may share it with this season.

"The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, who look forward to something greater to come. For these, it is enough to wait in humble fear until the Holy One himself comes down to us, God in the child in the manger. God comes. The Lord Jesus comes. Christians rejoice!"

 "....God is not ashamed to be with those of humble estate. He goes into the midst of it all, chooses one person to be his instrument, and does his miracle there, where one least expects it. He loves the lost, the forgotten, the insignificant, the outcasts, the weak, and the broken. Where men say "lost," he says "found;" where men say "condemned," he says "redeemed;" where men say "no," he says "yes." Where men look with indifference or superiority, he looks with burning love, such as nowhere else is to be found. Where men say, "contemptible," God cries, "blessed!" When we reach a point in our lives at which we are not only ashamed of ourselves but believe God is ashamed of us too, when we feel so far from God, more than we have ever felt in our lives, then and precisely then, God is nearer to us than he has ever been. It is then that he breaks into our lives. It is then that he lets us know that the feeling of despair is taken away from us, so that we may grasp the wonder of the wonder of his love, his nearness to us, and his grace."
  
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer, December 17, 1933