The Fellowship of Christ‏

Psalm 133  Behold, How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!

It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard

On the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!

It is lie the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion!

For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

After the excitement of Easter I awoke in a combination aches and pains and sinus drip this morning. Then I remembered it was April 9, the day we recall in 1945 when a good Pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed for standing up to Hitler. He had the best theological training available in Berlin and received his doctorate just as Hitler was taking power in Germany.

Hitler had a dream of a super race and regime to rule the world. In that scheme the church was the servant of the state. All pastors and teachers of the church were subservient to the interests of the Third Reich. Bonhoeffer saw that this was no church because a man had taken the position of God. So Bonhoefffer and other faithful pastors took the church underground. In 1939 Dietrich was invited to New York for a series of lectures at Union Theological Seminary. His teaching was so inspirational that the Seminary tried to persuade him to stay here in safety.

But Dietrich could not bear to stay here while his country was suffering under the rule of a mad man. He went back to serving in the underground church. He was later arrested for implication in a failed plot to assassinate Hitler. While in prison he was an inspiration to the other prisoners. After many attempts to secure his release, Bonhoeffer was transferred to Flossenburg prison and was executed just a month before VE Day. His life is a testimony for the Easter victory over the power of death. He is my brother in Christ even though he died the year I was born. He is alive in Christ forever and continues to inspire those who feel the Spirit is moving them to take an unpopular stand for Christ. .   

Behold, How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!