More Bonhoeffer

“Adam where are you…? This word of the Creator calls the fleeing Adam away from his conscience to stand before his Creator. Humankind is not permitted to remain alone in its sin; God speaks to Adam and halts him in his flight. Come out of your hiding place, out of your self-reproach, out of your cover-up, out of your secrecy, out of your self-torment, out of your vain remorse. Confess who you are, do not lose yourself in religious despair, be yourself. Adam, where are you? Stand before your creator. This challenge goes directly against the conscience. The conscience says: Adam, you are naked, hide yourself from the Creator; you dare not stand before God. God says: Adam, stand before me."

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We want to run and hide, knowing we deserve death and punishment for our deeds. We believe the serpent, that God will destroy us, ignoring the clear statements of grace and mercy by a pursuing God, Augustine's "hound of heaven." We create our own god, made in our own image: self-serving, self-centered, vengeful. We ignore the man on the cross and establish our own righteousness.

It never works, it never has and it never will. Bonhoeffer reminds us of that, calls us back to the Creator, to grace...
</idle musing>