Virtue: Wisdom
Resolution: I choose to seek the mind of Christ and discern the appropriate response.

Human Story: Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906 – 1945)

Imagine Dietrich Bonhoeffer standing on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean in New York City. He had accepted a job to teach at Union Seminary. He arrived with excitement in the United States but quickly felt a longing to return to Germany. This is not an unusual feeling – to want to return home after moving overseas. However, this situation was unique. Bonhoeffer had escaped the Nazi regime. His home was in the middle of genocide and chaos. He was a wanted man because of his anti-Hitler stance. He was a voice of wisdom, prophetically calling the church in Germany to avoid the evil promoted by Hitler. This move to America was his escape. He could live and teach in peace. He knew that if he returned to Germany, he would certainly be arrested and forced to live in a concentration camp.

While standing on that shore in New York, Bonhoeffer surely wrestled with the question – “what is the wise thing to do?” It is often difficult to discern the appropriate response in the midst of life situations. Imagine Bonhoeffer trying to discern the appropriate response. He could stay in America, become a theologian, and fight Hitler from the safety of American soil. His other option was to return to Germany where he could continue to lift up his voice on behalf of his people. He could be a guide to the church and inspire others to continue their resistance against the Nazi regime. He would risk imprisonment, torture, and possibly death.

In his situation, many people would say the wise thing to do would have been to stay in the USA. Many would discern that the appropriate response was the safety which was afforded him by the job offer in America. Bonhoeffer, however, discerned the opposite. He got on a boat and sailed back to Germany. He did end up spending years in a concentration camp and died a martyr’s death, yet his writings from the camp, however, inspired the church and many others to resist the Nazi regime, and thereby contributed to bringing down Hitler’s reign and ending the war. Bonhoeffer would not have had the same credibility nor impact if he had written from a loft apartment in New York City.

Bonhoeffer is one of the most vivid examples of wisdom we have in church history. He was excellent at discerning the voice of the Lord and determining a proper response. There are many ways he did this – encouraging bold living, avoiding cheap grace, creating strong communities of believers, and preaching boldly in the face of evil. However, it seems that his most bold and wise decision was on the shore in New York City – determining to get on a boat to return to his home.

Wisdom is not always easy. Sometimes our “appropriate response” will fly in opposition to the common sense of people around us. Our goal as believers is to seek the mind of Christ and then act boldly in our response to His guidance. May we have the kind of bold wisdom that Bonhoeffer demonstrated.

Lesson: Romans 12:2

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

The resolution for this month is not only to seek the mind of Christ (wisdom) but also to discern the appropriate response to that wisdom. The story of Bonhoeffer displays the complexity of the pursuit of this goal. There will often be times when we discern that to follow Christ, we may have to go against the grain of culture. Romans 12 gives the advice to not follow the patterns established by the world. The literal translation indicates to not be squeezed into the mold of culture. The advice is to break out of that mold and be transformed. This transformation of the mind (renewal of the mind) will result in a way to view the world that will allow the believer to better understand the will of God. This type of thinking and living requires a measure of boldness.

There were certainly many people who cautioned Bonhoeffer to not return to Germany. From an outside perspective, the wisest decision would have been to choose to stay in America. There was something inside of him, however, that compelled him to go against what seemed wise and return to the uncertainty and danger of his home. He did not allow the world to squeeze him into its mold. He broke the mold and determined that self-sacrifice was more important than self-preservation. 

In the words of Bonhoeffer:

To understand reality is not the same as to know about outward events. It is to perceive the essential nature of things. The best-informed man is not necessarily the wisest. Indeed there is a danger that precisely in the multiplicity of his knowledge he will lose sight of what is essential. But on the other hand, knowledge of an apparently trivial detail quite often makes it possible to see into the depths of things. And so the wise man will seek to acquire the best possible knowledge about events, but always without becoming dependent upon this knowledge. To recognize the significant in the factual is wisdom.

May we, as the church, be willing to not succumb to the pressures of the culture to fit the mold, especially when we discern that God is calling us to break the mold and be transformed in our view of the world.

Remembrance

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison

In me there is darkness,
But with You there is light;
I am lonely, but You do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart, but with You there is help;
I am restless, but with You there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with You there is patience;
I do not understand Your ways,
But You know the way for me.

Lord Jesus Christ,
You were poor
And in distress, a captive and forsaken as I am.
You know all man’s troubles;
You abide with me
When all men fail me;
You remember and seek me;
It is Your will that I should know You
And turn to You.
Lord, I hear Your call and follow;
Help me.

Challenge

The spiritual discipline of scripture reading and memorization is a powerful way to transform the mind. The challenge for this month is to read one chapter of Proverbs each day and commit to memory two passages of scripture from the book of Proverbs.

Reflection

Reflect on this quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “One act of obedience is worth a hundred sermons.” What act of obedience can you enter into that will speak volumes to those around you?

Further Growth

2021: Book of Common Prayer Proper 13

Old Testament: Exodus 16:2-15
Psalm: Psalm 78:1-26
New Testament: Ephesians 4:1-16
Gospel: John 6:24-35

2020: Book of Common Prayer Proper 14

Old Testament: Jonah 2:1-10
Psalm: Psalm 29
New Testament: Romans 9:1-5
Gospel: Matthew 14:22-33