Jesus comes - for judgment and for grace

I came across this quote from Bonhoeffer in my reading this week and thought it worth sharing. (For those who do not know, Bonhoeffer was a Christian theologian in Nazi Germany and was executed by the Nazis for his part in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.) 


We have become so accustom to the idea of divine love and of God’s coming at Christmas that we longer fell 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 everyone who has a conscience.

Only when we have felt the terror of the matter can we recognize the incomparable kindness. God comes into the very midst of evil and of death and judges the evil in us and in the world. And by judging us, God cleanses us and sanctifies us, comes to us with grace and love. God makes us happy only as children can be happy.

God always wants to be with us, wherever we may be – in our sin, in our suffering and death. We are no longer alone. God is with us. We are no longer homeless; a bit of the eternal home has moved into us. Therefore we adults can deeply rejoice within our hearts under the Christmas tree, perhaps much more than the children are able. We know that God’s goodness will once again draw near. We think of all God’s goodness that came our way last year and sense something of this marvelous home. Jesus comes in judgement and grace.

-          Dietrich Bonhoeffer.