Book Review: "God is in the Manger" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"God is in the Manger" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, compiled and edited by Jana Riess, published 2010 by Westminster John Knox Press.

Just to be clear right from the get-go, this isn't a book written for this purpose by Dietrich Bonhoeffer during his lifetime.  It's a compilation of various reflections, sermons, and thoughts about Advent and Christmas that have been gathered from his papers and letters.  However, that shouldn't dissuade you from checking this out.  It's a wonderful compilation, and I think the great man himself would be very happy with the way it turned out.  The book lets Bonhoeffer speak for himself on the subject with little, if any, extra interpretation added.  Much of it is from the period when Bonhoeffer was in prison in Berlin, and that context gives many of the letters and reflections quite a powerful setting.

The first part of the book is dedicated to the Advent season.  As are most Advent devotionals, the book is geared around four themes, one for each candle around the Advent wreath.  These four themes are: Waiting, Mystery, Redemption, and Incarnation.  This book actually jived pretty well with the study we were doing for Advent at church, and I thought it was really on point.

The first week's theme, "waiting," centers around the action that is most familiar to us at Advent, which is of course waiting, waiting in expectancy and hope.  Not only do the readings reflect on our waiting, but God's waiting as well, his waiting to send his son, and his waiting to see the fruits of Christ's mission brought forward.  The second week, "mystery" focuses on the great mystery of why all of this was done for us, and what it all means.  Bonhoeffer describes this mystery not as an unknown, but as something we know to a certain extent and strive to learn more and more about. Some of the most powerful reflections were from this second week.

The third week tackles the topic of redemption: just what is it that Christ has done for us?  In this theme, the manger certainly foreshadows the cross as the life of Christ is looked at as a whole.  Some folks who haven't spent any time reading in Bonhoeffer's original writings might get a little bogged down here, as some of it is pretty heavy, theologically speaking, but the overall thrust is that the baby in the manger becomes Christ on the Cross, which is good news for us in the final analysis.

The final week of Advent focuses on the Incarnation itself: what a powerful thing it is for creator of the stars, the sky, the land, the sea, and all within it to become one of his own frail creatures just to save us from ourselves. For me this has always been the most powerful aspect of Christmas, and I was not disappointed in what Bonhoeffer had to say about it.

The last part of the book contains devotions for the 12 days of Christmas and one for Epiphany itself. These devotions focus largely on how we should respond to the gift of Christmas and dealing with what we have in front of us.  Contained in this section are some of Bonhoeffer's final letters, and they really help to put things in perspective.

This book was a top notch Advent study, and as I mentioned earlier, I really like the way they put it together.  The same group has another Bonhoeffer compilation for Lent that is out, and I'm seriously considering it getting it as well.  I wouldn't even say that you have to know a lot about Bonhoeffer to really get something out of this book.  There's something for everyone and it can really help folks to have a meaningful Advent and Christmas season.  I know it certainly helped me.

The Prayer Room, 1/4/15: Epiphany Sunday

And then the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." (Revelation 21:5 NRSV)

How many times in the past few days have you heard someone mention "New Year's Resolutions?" How many "New Year, New You" sales have you seen advertised on television and in stores?  It's big business as the calendar changes over from December to January and we add to our count of years.

It's probably for the better anyway.  Think about what we go through, and what often put ourselves through, during the holiday period.  We eat too much, we spend too much, we sit around too much, some folks drink too much, and then you add on the stress of running around to do shopping as well as time with family friends, time that we all want to be perfect but often ends up creating more tension than peace.  So it's really no big mystery why so many of us look at the start of the new calendar year, and the end of the holiday season, as a chance to start over and to get back on track.

It also happens to be a great time to look at your relationship with Christ, and with others, and see how you're doing.  We can use this time for a fresh start in our walk with God, and through that, a fresh start in our walk with others: our families, friends, and neighbors.  I wonder, as we've sat about thinking how we're gonna pay our Christmas bills and lose that extra weight, how many of us have thought about what God might have in store for us in the new year?

It can be an intimidating thought to ponder.  If we really strive to be open to his will and direction, there's no telling where that might take us.  Earlier this evening I read the beginning of the story of Abraham, where God tells him to pack up everything, leave the land of his family and culture, and venture into a strange and foreign land.  It is in doing this, taking this initial step of faith and trust, that begins a relationship and covenant with God, wherein Abraham's descendants will bring about a blessing to all the earth.

He had to be open though, he had to take the first step. Will you join me in trying to be more open to God this year, as scary as that might seem?  Remember that taking that first step into a new experience can lead to great growth and enrichment for ourselves and others we come into contact with!

Instead of the usual prayers I offer every Sunday, I invite you, if you are willing to try to be more open to God and new things in this new year, to join me in John Wesley's Covenant Prayer.  This is often used as a recommitment to God in the United Methodist Church during the first services of a new year.

I am no longer my own, but yours.
Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing, put me to suffering;
let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you,
exalted for you, or brought low for you;
let me be full,
let me be empty,
let me have all things,
let me have nothing:
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things
to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours. So be it.
And the covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.

Thanksgiving 2014

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NRSV)

It's a little after 9 AM on Thanksgiving morning, and I'm sitting here with what will probably be the first of a couple of cups of coffee.  I didn't sleep well last night, so I got up early and watched the sun creep over the Wasatch mountains to the east.  I work nights, so that's not a sight I see very often.  It was very beautiful though.

I think it's easy for Thanksgiving to either become a cliche or disappear totally as it's swallowed up by the enormous glut of greed that kicks off the "Christmas shopping season."  When we do still take the time to gather round the table as family and friends, often we make a show out of talking about what we're thankful for, but I wonder, do we really consider it?  I'm not sure that I do.  It seems in our society we always WANT more and more.  Even when I pray I have a much easier time coming up with things that I WANT from God as opposed to be being grateful for what I do have.

So I tried to give it some serious thought as I sat here this morning.  Of course I'm thankful for all the things that we so easily remember: my family, my friends, the roof over my head, the food on my table, my job, and the things I do for fun.  However I also came up with two other things that I may not have thought about much over the last couple of years.

The first of these things that I'm thankful for is the mistakes I make in life.  Now this might sound a bit on the odd side, but it's true.  I think that in our mistakes we see the biggest opportunity for growth and learning.  Certainly it's not always easy to learn from mistakes.  Sometimes it takes a huge effort, and that it something I lack occasionally.  I hope to change that both now and in the future though. Through recognizing mistakes and the powerful opportunities that they can present, I believe that there is a great chance to latch on to large strides of personal growth.

The second thing is the love of Christ that I've rediscovered in recent months.  It has helped my change my attitude on so many fronts, or at least given me the potential to change it.  I've started to see the world through the lens of Christ's love and mercy, both for me and for others, for the first time in a few years.  In recent years I was always a negative Nancy, a troll so to speak.  I was that guy who would jump on twitter or facebook on Thanksgiving morning and and try to give everyone a guilt trip over certain facts of American history.  You know the kind of person I'm talking about.  "Oh that's nice that you're having a huge meal today, celebrating the fact that your ancestors wiped out a whole people." In my mind, I was giving people perspective.  In reality what I was doing was turning people off to me and anything worthwhile that I might have had to say.  I was so negative all the time.

Don't get me wrong, I still am sometimes, but I have noticed a marked improvement.  When love and mercy for everyone started to become my focus more and more, I started to find meaning in places that I never knew existed, even on a holiday that ignores some pretty dark moments in history.

In the end things in the past should be remembered so that we can indeed learn from the mistakes we've made, but beginning to see the world through love and mercy instead of constant negativity allows us not only to remember the past, but to shape the future in ways that are good for everyone. Through this we can exchange guilt and derision for reconciliation and forgiveness, and for that I'm truly thankful.

I hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving and a wonderful holiday season!