Advent in Cell 92- Jay Cormier

This morning's devotional had in it the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran preacher who was arrested and executed by the Nazis in 1945 for opposing their atrocities.

37 years old and engaged, he wrote to his beloved Maria,

"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; the emptier our hands, the better we understand what Luther meant by his dying words, ' We're all beggars, it's true."

The poorer our quarters, the more clearly we perceive that our hearts should be Christ's home on earth."

Jay Cormier, the author, adds this: " From a prison cell, a young pastor proclaims the uncompromising hope and unconditional love of Advent. ....

these days of Advent also invite us to embrace the poverty of the Christ Child who comes to illuminate the poor stables of our own lives with the light of God's hope and grace.

Come, Lord Jesus, and release us from our prisons of fear and disappointment; fill our empty spirits with your compassion and grace."