For Such A Time As This

Recap of Last Week

 Born into relative privilege – finding his faith and calling as the Nazis are rising in Germany

 Cost of Discipleship - following Jesus should transform you – Your ‘yes’ to God requires your

‘no’ to all injustice, to all evil, to all lies, to all oppression and violation of the weak and poor..”

 Rejects Nazis from start - could have escaped but he doesn’t (study w/Ghandi; stay at Union)

 April 5, 1943 – to Tegal Prison - April 4, 1945 – Gestapo takes him after sermon; April 9 th killed

Key Points

1. The World is a Hot Mess and it needs to be transformed – On Earth as it is in Heaven

2. We too need to be transformed

3. Like Jesus we must be willing to stand for this at all costs

This week

 Often Bonhoeffer is lifted up out without the movements he was part of

 German church has history of conflict (Protestant vs Catholic; Anabapists vs Lutherans;

Lutherans vs Calvinists) about power between clergy and people; state and church

 The Confessing Church was supposed to focus on Jesus above politics and state

 The Barmen Declaration was their manifesto with six core theses:

1. The only source of revelation is the Word of God - Jesus Christ. No other sources accepted.

2. Jesus Christ is the only Lord of all aspects of personal life. There should be no other authority.

3. The message and order of the church should not be influenced by current political convictions.

4. Leadership in the church is not dominion, it is in service of its ministry entrusted to all its

members; there can be no special leader ("Führer") apart from that ministry (Mt 20, 25f).

5. The state should not fulfill the task of the church and vice versa.

6. Rejects the subordination of the Church to the state or of the Word /Spirit to the Church.

1. You cannot serve two masters – for the church to truly be about Jesus it can’t be beholden to

earthly powers. Our mission is about service and transformation not the amassing of power

2. We need to actually embody what Christ is calling us to. It is such a big and challenging call and

we have to live that it is possible. Our central belief is that Christ showed up in a body and

showed us how it is done. We have to do the same.

3. When you major in the minors your inherently minor in the majors

Reflections Questions

1. Take some time to really sit with the radical idea – On Earth as it is in Heaven. What kind of

person would you need to be to live in that vision? How would you have to change to be a part

of that new world? How can you embrace the spiritual discipline required?

2. If Jesus embodied radical love, how are we called to Be the Change we want for the world?

How are we called to live that out – together? Make it concrete to this time and this context.

3. For the list makers - Brainstorm of all the things you hope for and feel called to? Create Major

and Minor columns and put things in those categories. See what this exercise reveals for you.