By Jack Alvey
Rector at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

On Monday, April 9th, the Episcopal Church recognized the life and ministry of Dietrich Bonhoeffer – a theologian and martyr. Bonhoeffer was a founder of the Confessing Church in Germany during the rise of the Nazi regime.
This Confessing Church played a central role in the Protestant resistance to the Nazis. In addition, Bonhoeffer was well educated and a prolific writer. His best-known works are The Cost of Discipleship and Life Together. Both have endured the test of time and are widely read in most Protestant seminaries today.
Bonhoeffer is best known for the events that led to his execution on April 9, 1945 at Flossenburg Prison.
After 1939, Bonhoeffer became involved in talks that sought to overthrow Hitler from power. After repeated efforts to reach a peace agreement failed, Bonhoeffer become a part of a conspiracy to assassinate Hitler. While a pacifist, Bonhoeffer believed it would be a greater evil to let Hitler continue in power. Eventually, Bonhoeffer was linked to the plot to kill Hitler and arrested in 1943.
Following church services at the prison on Sunday, April 8, 1945, two soldiers summoned Bonhoeffer saying, “Prisoner Bonhoeffer…come with us.” He said to another prisoner, “This is the end. For me, the beginning of life.” He was hanged the next day at Flossenburg.
In his book, The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer quotes Proverbs 3:17: “Do not be wise in your own eyes.” In a time and place where truth and wisdom was corrupted by lies and false propaganda, these are powerful words to let sink in.
As the Nazi regime rose to power, most did not recognize the evil that it would soon commit against millions of Jews and countless others.
Through the course of history, it is amazing to note just how destructive human wisdom has been. In particular, it is both astounding and heartbreaking to recount the number of times intelligent human beings have failed to prevent terrible evils from happening in this world.
How could they be so blind?
In response to this history, I hope we find the grace to pray:
“God, help us not to be so blind to the evils we let happen. Help us discern what is truth and what is a lie. Help us to rely on your wisdom and not our own.” In a real way, God has answered this prayer in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
On Good Friday, I preached to this saying, “Jesus died to expose the lies and half-truths that we have convinced ourselves to live by, lies that are masked by the pursuit of power and control.
Jesus died to reveal the truth that we as humans are so often blind to because of our self-important agendas.
Jesus died so that we might die to the lies of the world and live for the truth of God, a truth discovered in a love poured out for the life of the world.” In the end, Bonhoeffer’s life and witness gives testimony to the power of God’s love proclaimed.