October 18th, 2025
by Steve Marshall
by Steve Marshall
Church Family:
In July 1939, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a young Lutheran theologian and pastor, left New York only one year after arriving for seminary training, only to return to the intensifying madness in his native Germany. The prospect of war was imminent. Before coming to the US, Bonhoeffer had been pursued and silenced by the Nazi regime for his opposition to its persecution of Jews. He had been offered safety by American friends in New York and had accepted it, only to change his mind soon after arriving. Bonhoeffer wrote: “I have come to the conclusion that I made a mistake in coming to America, I shall have no right to take part in the restoration of Christian life in Germany after the war unless I share the trials of this time with my people.”
In the spring of 1943, Bonhoeffer was arrested by the Gestapo. For two years he was in prison, quietly ministering to his fellow prisoners. Despite the harsh conditions of imprisonment under the Nazis, Bonhoeffer’s writings reveal a radiant joy rooted in his faith. In a letter to his parents, he expresses confidence in “God’s guiding hand” and states that “he travels with gratitude and cheerfulness along the difficult path that God has led him.”
Bonhoeffer’s fellow prisoners described him as a “towering rock of faith” who consoled and encouraged others, keeping hope alive in dire circumstances. He led worship services in prison, preaching on Scriptures about healing through Christ’s suffering and the hope of resurrection (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 1:3). Even facing imminent execution, he remained composed and submissive to God’s will, maintaining fervent prayer and trust in God’s presence.
During Bonhoeffer's time in prison, awaiting execution, he wrote a series of letters that survive as a moving testament to his faith. On July 21, 1944, after the plot on Hitler’s life failed, Bonhoeffer wrote these words based on 2 Corinthians 1:20: “May God lead us kindly through these times, but above all, may God lead us to Himself… Everything we may with some good reason expect or beg of God is to be found in Jesus Christ… We must immerse ourselves again and again, for a long time and quite calmly, in Jesus’s life, His sayings, actions, suffering, and dying in order to recognize what God promises and fulfills. What is certain is that we may always live aware that God is near and present with us and that this life is an utterly new life for us; that there is nothing that is impossible for us anymore because there is nothing that is impossible for God; that no earthly power can touch us without God’s will, and that danger and urgent need can only drive us closer to God. What is certain is that we have no claim on anything but may ask for everything; what is certain is that in suffering lies hidden the source of our joy, in dying the source of our life; what is certain is that in all this we stand within a community that carries us. To all this, God has said Yes and Amen in Jesus. This Yes and Amen is the solid ground upon which we stand. You must never doubt that I am thankfully and cheerfully going along the path on which I am being led. My past life is filled to the brim with God’s goodness, and the forgiving love of the Crucified One covers my guilt."
Bonhoeffer’s mindset is a powerful description of what Jesus is telling us through His eighth beatitude: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven…” (Mat. 5:10-12).
On April 9, 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s last act was to lead and share communion with his fellow prisoners before he was hanged at Flossenburg, only days before the American liberation of the POW camp. The 39-year-old’s last words declare his rejoicing in persecution's reward: “This is the end—for me, the beginning of life.”
Rejoice and be glad in your persecution, for your reward is great in heaven!
See you Sunday, rejoicing in the reward: Steve
In July 1939, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a young Lutheran theologian and pastor, left New York only one year after arriving for seminary training, only to return to the intensifying madness in his native Germany. The prospect of war was imminent. Before coming to the US, Bonhoeffer had been pursued and silenced by the Nazi regime for his opposition to its persecution of Jews. He had been offered safety by American friends in New York and had accepted it, only to change his mind soon after arriving. Bonhoeffer wrote: “I have come to the conclusion that I made a mistake in coming to America, I shall have no right to take part in the restoration of Christian life in Germany after the war unless I share the trials of this time with my people.”
In the spring of 1943, Bonhoeffer was arrested by the Gestapo. For two years he was in prison, quietly ministering to his fellow prisoners. Despite the harsh conditions of imprisonment under the Nazis, Bonhoeffer’s writings reveal a radiant joy rooted in his faith. In a letter to his parents, he expresses confidence in “God’s guiding hand” and states that “he travels with gratitude and cheerfulness along the difficult path that God has led him.”
Bonhoeffer’s fellow prisoners described him as a “towering rock of faith” who consoled and encouraged others, keeping hope alive in dire circumstances. He led worship services in prison, preaching on Scriptures about healing through Christ’s suffering and the hope of resurrection (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 1:3). Even facing imminent execution, he remained composed and submissive to God’s will, maintaining fervent prayer and trust in God’s presence.
During Bonhoeffer's time in prison, awaiting execution, he wrote a series of letters that survive as a moving testament to his faith. On July 21, 1944, after the plot on Hitler’s life failed, Bonhoeffer wrote these words based on 2 Corinthians 1:20: “May God lead us kindly through these times, but above all, may God lead us to Himself… Everything we may with some good reason expect or beg of God is to be found in Jesus Christ… We must immerse ourselves again and again, for a long time and quite calmly, in Jesus’s life, His sayings, actions, suffering, and dying in order to recognize what God promises and fulfills. What is certain is that we may always live aware that God is near and present with us and that this life is an utterly new life for us; that there is nothing that is impossible for us anymore because there is nothing that is impossible for God; that no earthly power can touch us without God’s will, and that danger and urgent need can only drive us closer to God. What is certain is that we have no claim on anything but may ask for everything; what is certain is that in suffering lies hidden the source of our joy, in dying the source of our life; what is certain is that in all this we stand within a community that carries us. To all this, God has said Yes and Amen in Jesus. This Yes and Amen is the solid ground upon which we stand. You must never doubt that I am thankfully and cheerfully going along the path on which I am being led. My past life is filled to the brim with God’s goodness, and the forgiving love of the Crucified One covers my guilt."
Bonhoeffer’s mindset is a powerful description of what Jesus is telling us through His eighth beatitude: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven…” (Mat. 5:10-12).
On April 9, 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s last act was to lead and share communion with his fellow prisoners before he was hanged at Flossenburg, only days before the American liberation of the POW camp. The 39-year-old’s last words declare his rejoicing in persecution's reward: “This is the end—for me, the beginning of life.”
Rejoice and be glad in your persecution, for your reward is great in heaven!
See you Sunday, rejoicing in the reward: Steve
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