December 21, 2008

Greetings everyone,

Class was really a blessing to us today. We appreciate the insight and the discussion that has come about in the last few weeks. We finished the third sermon and are moving on to the fourth sermon. We will also be looking at Matthew and Luke.

Today we talked about waiting again, but as a beatitude. When we think of the beatitudes, we call to mind the sermon on the mount. Jesus gathered his disciples around him, and began to preach to them by telling them that those who are blessed in his kingdom are those who are often seen as cursed in the world. Blessed are those who mourn, who hunger and thirst for righteousness. We don't enjoy waiting. Waiting sounds like a waste of time to us. But Bonhoeffer calls us to think about a different type of waiting. Waiting becomes a beatitude in the sense that we wait for God expectantly, knowing that he will come.

We hope that, as you wait for Christmas this week, you will find peace in the waiting. We hope that you will see God.

I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Bryan