Bonhoeffer’s final Christmas letter to fiancée Maria von Wedemeyer, December 19, 1944

Written while held in a Nazi concentration camp:

I have had the experience over and over again that the quieter it is around me, the clearer do I feel the connection to you.  It is as though in solitude the soul develops senses which we hardly know in everyday life.  Therefore I have not felt lonely or abandoned for one moment.  You, the parents, all of you, the friends and students of mine at the front, all are constantly present to me . . . Therefore you must not think me unhappy.  What is happiness and unhappiness?  It depends so little on the circumstances; it depends really only on that which happens inside a person. 

From God is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas, Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Joy as Well as Sorrow!

 "As I began looking for a church home in my new town, however, every sermon I heard was about how Christ comforts us in our troubles and the church is there for us in our sorrows. I knew that, but I also wanted to hear the message that the church cared about my happiness. It was frustrating to want to share joy when all I encountered was sympathy. When one pastor happened to mention that God cares about our joy as well as our sorrows, I returned to that church." 

-Thomas Blanton, Upper Room, Wed. May 11th A.D. 2022

Blanton here reminds me not to be too narrowly focused in my sermons. If I'm preaching about sympathy in sorrow, I should look for an opportunity to mention sharing in others joys as well. 

Happiness Is In The Heart, Not In The Circumstances.

Happiness is in the heart, not in the circumstances.