God is in the Manger

It’s a little late for you to start the Dietrich Bonhoeffer inspired book God Is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas this year, but I highly recommend it for next year. We all know how the Christmas season flies by and we are hyper busy getting everything done, and we all know we shouldn’t let that happen. But it still does, year after year, and we find it hard to focus on Christ in the manger.

Leave it to the collected writings of a brilliant martyr to bring us back to the real reason for the season. The brief daily devotionals in this book are filled with excerpts from Bonhoeffer’s prison letters, combined with Scriptures and the occasional insight from other thinkers. I loved the simplicity of each daily reading and how it allowed me to center myself and stay true to the season.

My suggestion is you buy this book and set it aside for next December. Put it in your calendar to bring this out about Thanksgiving and read through it during Advent. Your daily routine will be less focused on Christmas consumerism, and your spiritual walk will be healthier.

Oh, and obviously it would make a great Christmas present this year if you need a last minute idea!