"I used to be very fond of thinking up and buying presents, but now that we have nothing to give, the gift God gave us in the birth of Christ will seem all the more glorious."
This quote comes from a letter Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote to his fiancee. It is dated December 1, 1943, his 8th month in the Tegel military prison.
These are some pretty powerful challenges to us. I am forever confronted by the craziness of the Christmas season. What Bonhoeffer throws in our faces is the fact that we lose our appreciation of Christmas and God's gift to us because we are so focused on buying stuff, losing stuff, finding stuff, wrapping stuff, delivering stuff...that we get CRANKY as can be. We forget the real gift. And, not only are we forgetting the real gift, we generally are not giving real gifts. We spend too much time being frantic and grumpy to
give of our time
to worship
to love.
We spend money and energy in buying something, often just for the sake of something, to give someone.
The clip from Advent Conspiracy challenges us to
give a gift as real as Jesus.
What if we gave life to others?
This Third Sunday of Advent, may you be challenged to be still and at peace through the expectant waiting for God's gift to us. May you stop and take a breath when you find yourself so caught up in buying, wrapping, cleaning, cooking that you become irritated by everyone who asks for your attention. May this message make you uncomfortable.
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