That God Would Show Us God's Self

“May God in His mercy lead us through these times; but above all, may He lead us to Himself.”

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison

Beloved in Christ,

Yesterday, the church commemorated Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was martyred in Nazi Germany on April 9, 1945. At a time when much of the established church was complicit with the Nazi regime, Bonhoeffer became the leader of what was known as the Confessing Church, the center of Christian resistance. In 1939, he was offered a teaching contract at Union Theological Seminary in New York, which would have assured his safety in the U.S. However, he quickly returned to Germany to be with his fellow resisters, and was eventually arrested and executed.

Bonhoeffer’s fierce commitment to justice and peace were grounded in a deep faith, a lively sense of God’s presence in the world, and a rich life of prayer. The clarity to stand in solidarity with the oppressed, and the courage to do so, grew from how deeply he was rooted in Jesus.

While he was martyred twenty-nine years ago, the forces of oppression are ever-present in human society. In our own day, the ascendance of White Christian Nationalism is one of the greatest threats to both our democracy, and the public credibility of the church. Immigrants fleeing unimaginable horrors are often pushed aside, and even vilified in public discourse, by people claiming the name of Christian. On any given day, even one news cycle can feel like too much to bear.

If you wonder what we can do in the face of all of this, Bonhoeffer offers a model of what discipleship looks like in unbearably difficult days.

First and foremost, it is essential for us to re-ground ourselves, every single day, in the power of the living God. Our words and our actions can only be faithful if they flow from God’s power instead of our own.
Second, read scripture every day. the Bible establishes the pattern of what God’s activity looks like in the world. If we are to join what God is doing, we must be thoroughly saturated in the story of God’s project to heal the world with love.
Third, find daily ways to practice the heart of the gospel: we are fed by giving, and we truly live by dying. Bonhoeffer literally offered his life, but behind that was a thousand daily acts of love. Find some way, every day, to act with love toward some other, preferably someone who doesn’t particularly deserve it.

Bonhoeffer’s books, “Life Together,” and “The Cost of Discipleship” were critical in my own formation as a Christian and a priest. If you are looking for wisdom about navigating politically challenging times as a follower of Jesus, I can’t recommend them highly enough.

May our prayer in our day be the same as his: that God would not only show us mercy, but would show us, every day, God’s very own self.

Grace and Peace,

The Right Reverend Craig Loya