Advent Week 1 – December 1, 2022

Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminds us of the promise in Advent waiting. “Advent creates people, new people. We too are supposed to become new people in Advent. Look up, you whose gaze is fixed on this earth, who are spellbound by the little events and changes on the face of the earth. Look up to these words, you who have turned away from heaven disappointed…Something different from what you see daily will happen. Just be aware, be watchful, wait just another short moment. Wait and something new will break over you: God will come.”¹

It can be easy to get caught up in our impatience and only see the “little events” of our lives. Bonhoeffer reminds us to “look up” now and then, so we can shift our sight from our usual viewpoint to see the bigger picture of what is happening. From that perspective, we may see the start of something new breaking over us. Or maybe looking up shifts our outlook enough so that we can remain hopeful, watchful, and wait another day.

• Are you aware of something new in you, even if it’s still a tiny seed?
• Is your gaze fixed on your struggle and the daily “little events” in your life rather than looking up?

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References

1. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God Is in the Manger, 40.