Dietrich Bonhoeffer
From the first days of the Nazi accession to power in 1933, Bonhoeffer was involved in protests against the regime. From 1933 to 1935 he was the pastor of two small congregations in London, but nonetheless was a leading spokesman for the Confessing Church, the center of Protestant resistance to the Nazis. In 1935 Bonhoeffer was appointed to organize and head a new seminary for the Confessing Church at Finkenwald. He described the community in Life Together and later wrote The Cost of Discipleship.
Bonhoeffer became increasingly involved in the political struggle after 1939, when he was introduced to the group seeking Hitler’s overthrow. Bonhoeffer considered refuge in the United States, but he returned to Germany where he was able to continue his resistance. In
May 1942 he flew to Sweden to meet Bishop Bell and convey through him to the British government proposals for a negotiated peace. The offer was rejected by the Allies who insisted upon unconditional surrender.
Bonhoeffer was arrested April 5, 1943, and imprisoned in Berlin. After an attempt on Hitler’s life failed April 9, 1944, documents were discovered linking Bonhoeffer to the conspiracy. He was taken to Buchenwald concentration camp, then to Schoenberg Prison. On Sunday, April 8, 1945, just as he concluded a service in a school building in Schoenberg, two men came in with the chilling summons, “Prisoner Bonhoeffer … come with us.” He said to another prisoner, “This is the end. For me, the beginning of life.” Bonhoeffer was hanged the next day, April 9, at Flossenburg Prison. There is in Bonhoeffer’s life a remarkable unity of faith, prayer, writing and action. The pacifist theologian came to accept the guilt of plotting the death of Hitler because he was convinced that not to do so would be a greater evil. Discipleship was to be had only at great cost. HWHM
Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/knfvtvew
Look to your covenant, O Lord,
and forget not the life of your poor ones for ever.
Arise, O God, and defend your cause,
and forget not the cries of those who seek you. Psalm 74
God of mercy,
you sent Jesus Christ to seek and save the lost.
We confess that we have strayed from you
and turned aside from your way.
We are misled by pride,
for we see ourselves pure when we are stained,
and great when we are small.
We have failed in love,
neglected justice,
and ignored your truth.
Have mercy, O God, and forgive our sin.
Return us to paths of righteousness
through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen. BCW
Music: https://tinyurl.com/ufxekitx
God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
HYMN: Dietrich Bonhoeffer; para. Fred Pratt Green ©
Tune: Intercessor https://tinyurl.com/bdhb5tnv
1 By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered,
and confidently waiting, come what may,
we know that God is with us night and morning
and never fails to greet us each new day.
2 Yet is this heart by its old foe tormented,
still evil days bring burdens hard to bear;
O give our frightened souls the sure salvation
for which, O Lord, you taught us to prepare.
3 And when this cup you give is filled to brimming
with bitter suffering, hard to understand,
we take it thankfully and without trembling,
out of so good and so beloved a hand.
4 Yet when again in this same world you give us
the joy we had, the brightness of your sun,
we shall remember all the days we lived through,
and our whole life shall then be yours alone.
PSALMS
Psalm 47 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/sk7c3h7)
1 Clap your hands together, all ye people *
O sing unto God with the voice of melody.
2 For the Lord is high, and to be feared *
he is the great King upon all the earth.
3 He shall subdue the people under us *
and the nations under our feet.
4 He shall choose out an heritage for us *
even the worship of Jacob, whom he loved.
5 God is gone up with a merry noise *
and the Lord with the sound of the trump.
6 O sing praises, sing praises unto our God *
O sing praises, sing praises unto our King.
7 For God is the King of all the earth *
sing ye praises with understanding.
8 God reigneth over the heathen *
God sitteth upon his holy seat.
9 The princes of the people are joined
unto the people of the God of Abraham *
for God, which is very high exalted,
doth defend the earth, as it were with a shield.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 47 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-47.mp3)
1 Clap your hands, all you peoples; *
shout to God with a cry of joy.
2 For the LORD Most High is to be feared; *
he is the great King over all the earth.
3 He subdues the peoples under us, *
and the nations under our feet.
4 He chooses our inheritance for us, *
the pride of Jacob whom he loves.
5 God has gone up with a shout, *
the LORD with the sound of the ram’s-horn.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; *
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is King of all the earth; *
sing praises with all your skill.
8 God reigns over the nations; *
God sits upon his holy throne.
9 The nobles of the peoples have gathered together *
with the people of the God of Abraham.
10 The rulers of the earth belong to God, *
and he is highly exalted.
Psalm 48 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/rhcanfm)
1 Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised *
in the city of our God, even upon his holy hill.
2 The hill of Sion is a fair place, and the joy of the whole earth *
upon the north-side lieth the city of the great King;
God is well known in her palaces as a sure refuge.
3 For lo, the kings of the earth *
are gathered, and gone by together.
4 They marvelled to see such things *
they were astonished, and suddenly cast down.
5 Fear came there upon them, and sorrow *
as upon a woman in her travail.
6 Thou shalt break the ships of the sea *
through the east-wind.
7 Like as we have heard, so have we seen
in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God *
God upholdeth the same for ever.
8 We wait for thy loving-kindness, O God *
in the midst of thy temple.
9 O God, according to thy Name, so is thy praise unto the world’s end *
thy right hand is full of righteousness.
10 Let the mount Sion rejoice, and the daughter of Judah be glad *
because of thy judgements.
11 Walk about Sion, and go round about her *
and tell the towers thereof.
12 Mark well her bulwarks, set up her houses *
that ye may tell them that come after.
13 For this God is our God for ever and ever *
he shall be our guide unto death.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 48 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-48.mp3)
1 Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised; *
in the city of our God is his holy hill.
2 Beautiful and lofty, the joy of all the earth, is the hill of Zion, *
the very center of the world and the city of the great King.
3 God is in her citadels; *
he is known to be her sure refuge.
4 Behold, the kings of the earth assembled *
and marched forward together.
5 They looked and were astounded; *
they retreated and fled in terror.
6 Trembling seized them there; *
they writhed like a woman in childbirth,
like ships of the sea when the east wind shatters them.
7 As we have heard, so have we seen,
in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God; *
God has established her for ever.
8 We have waited in silence on your loving-kindness, O God, *
in the midst of your temple.
9 Your praise, like your Name, O God, reaches to the world’s end; *
your right hand is full of justice.
10 Let Mount Zion be glad and the cities of Judah rejoice, *
because of your judgments.
11 Make the circuit of Zion; walk round about her; *
count the number of her towers.
12 Consider well her bulwarks; examine her strongholds; *
that you may tell those who come after.
13 This God is our God for ever and ever; *
he shall be our guide for evermore.
Psalm 49 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/v8qpz99)
1 O hear ye this, all ye people *
ponder it with your ears, all ye that dwell in the world;
2 High and low, rich and poor *
one with another.
3 My mouth shall speak of wisdom *
and my heart shall muse of understanding.
4 I will incline mine ear to the parable *
and shew my dark speech upon the harp.
5 Wherefore should I fear in the days of wickedness *
and when the wickedness of my heels compasseth me round about?
6 There be some that put their trust in their goods *
and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches.
7 But no man may deliver his brother *
nor make agreement unto God for him;
8 For it cost more to redeem their souls *
so that he must let that alone for ever;
9 Yea, though he live long *
and see not the grave.
10 For he seeth that wise men also die, and perish together *
as well as the ignorant and foolish, and leave their riches for other.
11 And yet they think that their houses shall continue for ever *
and that their dwelling-places shall endure
from one generation to another;
and call the lands after their own names.
12 Nevertheless, man will not abide in honour *
seeing he may be compared unto the beasts that perish;
this is the way of them.
13 This is their foolishness *
and their posterity praise their saying.
14 They lie in the hell like sheep, death gnaweth upon them,
and the righteous shall have domination over them in the morning *
their beauty shall consume in the sepulchre out of their dwelling.
15 But God hath delivered my soul from the place of hell *
for he shall receive me.
16 Be not thou afraid, though one be made rich *
or if the glory of his house be increased ;
17 For he shall carry nothing away with him when he dieth *
neither shall his pomp follow him.
18 For while he lived, he counted himself an happy man *
and so long as thou doest well unto thyself,
men will speak good of thee.
19 He shall follow the generation of his fathers *
and shall never see light.
20 Man being in honour hath no understanding *
but is compared unto the beasts that perish.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 49 (Setting by Karl Kohlhase https://tinyurl.com/6zxc3suh)
Hear this, all people, give ear, all who dwell on the earth;
Both the high and the low, both the rich and the poor
My mouth shall sound forth with wisdom,
the thoughts of my heart with understanding
I’ll incline my ear to a proverb,
and solve my riddle to the music of a harp
Why should I fear in times of trouble,
with all the sins of my foes all around me?
Men who trust in their wealth,
who boast in the surplus of their riches
No man can ransom his brother,
or give God the price of His life
For the ransom of his life is too costly,
that he should always live and never see the Pit
But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol
For since even wise men will die,
so the fool and the ignorant perish
Leaving their wealth all to others,
though they thought that their homes were forever
Their dwelling for all generations;
they called earthly lands by their names
But no man abides in his boasting;
like the beasts of the earth he shall die
But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol
This is the fate of the foolish,
and of all who approve of their words
As sheep that are led to Sheol,
with Death leading them as their shepherd
The upright shall reign in the morning,
while their form is consumed by Sheol
So they shall be left with no dwelling,
But God will ransom my soul
Yes God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol
Fret not for those who get rich,
though the wealth of his house is increasing
For he’ll carry nothing when he dies,
and his wealth will not go down with him
Though while he lived he blessed himself,
and was praised for all his success
He shall go to the place of his fathers,
who will never again see the light
But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol
Yes, God will ransom my soul and receive me
PRAYER
Giver of all wisdom,
deliver us from the folly of betraying our eternal birthright
for temporal gain.
Teach us to hold firmly to you
so that we may not treasure things,
but show the imperishable riches of your love
in Jesus Christ. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
Reading: Exodus 10:21-11:8
Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand towards heaven so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness that can be felt.’ So Moses stretched out his hand towards heaven, and there was dense darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. People could not see one another, and for three days they could not move from where they were; but all the Israelites had light where they lived. Then Pharaoh summoned Moses, and said, ‘Go, worship the Lord. Only your flocks and your herds shall remain behind. Even your children may go with you.’ But Moses said, ‘You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt-offerings to sacrifice to the Lord our God. Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must choose some of them for the worship of the Lord our God, and we will not know what to use to worship the Lord until we arrive there.’ But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was unwilling to let them go. Then Pharaoh said to him, ‘Get away from me! Take care that you do not see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.’ Moses said, ‘Just as you say! I will never see your face again.’
The Lord said to Moses, ‘I will bring one more plague upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go from here; indeed, when he lets you go, he will drive you away. Tell the people that every man is to ask his neighbour and every woman is to ask her neighbour for objects of silver and gold.’ The Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, Moses himself was a man of great importance in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s officials, and in the sight of the people.
Moses said, ‘Thus says the Lord: About midnight I will go out through Egypt. Every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the firstborn of the female slave who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the livestock. Then there will be a loud cry throughout the whole land of Egypt, such as has never been nor will ever be again. But not a dog shall growl at any of the Israelites—not at people, not at animals—so that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. Then all these officials of yours shall come down to me, and bow low to me, saying, “Leave us, you and all the people who follow you.” After that I will leave.’ And in hot anger he left Pharaoh.
HYMN: Dietrich Bonhoeffer; para. Church Hymnary, 4th ed. ©
Tune: The Cost of Discipleship https://tinyurl.com/23899hnk
1 We turn to God when we are sorely pressed;
we pray for help, and ask for peace and bread;
we seek release from illness, guilt, and death:
all people do, in faith or unbelief.
2 We turn to God when he is sorely pressed,
and find him poor, scorned, without roof and bread,
bowed under weight of weakness, sin, and death:
faith stands by God in his dark hour of grief.
3 God turns to us when we are sorely pressed,
and feeds our souls and bodies with his bread;
for one and all Christ gives himself in death:
through his forgiveness sin will find relief.
Reading: Romans 15:1-13
We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Each of us must please our neighbour for the good purpose of building up the neighbour. For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, ‘The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.’ For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
‘Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles,
and sing praises to your name’;
and again he says,
‘Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people’;
and again,
‘Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples praise him’;
and again Isaiah says,
‘The root of Jesse shall come,
the one who rises to rule the Gentiles;
in him the Gentiles shall hope.’
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
HYMN: Brian A Wren ©
Tune: San Rocco https://tinyurl.com/mpdtuxv6
1 Dear Christ, uplifted from the earth,
your arms stretched out above
through every culture, every birth,
to draw an answering love.
2 Still east and west your love extends
and always, near and far,
you call and claim us as your friends
and love us as we are.
3 Where age and gender, class and race,
divides us to our shame,
you see a person and a face,
a neighbour with a name.
4 May we, accepted as we are,
yet called in grace to grow,
reach out to others, near and far,
your healing love to show.
Reading: Mark 14:10-16
Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. When they heard it, they were greatly pleased, and promised to give him money. So he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.
On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples said to him, ‘Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?’ So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, “The Teacher asks, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.’ So the disciples set out and went to the city, and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.
CANTICLE Philippians 2:6-11
(Chant by John Michael Talbot: https://tinyurl.com/y8ljx8y7)
Though he was in the form of God,
Jesus did not deem equality with God
something to be grasped at.
Rather, he emptied himself
and took the form of a slave,
being born in the likeness of men.
He was known to be of human estate
and it was thus that he humbled himself,
obediently accepting even death,
death on a cross!
Because of this,
God highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
above every other name,
So that at Jesus’ name
every knee must bend
in the heavens, on the earth,
and under the earth,
and every tongue proclaim
to the glory of God the Father:
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
THE PRAYERS WS2
Giver of life, we wait with you to offer the hope
that comes from the cross to earth’s darkest places.
Where pain is deep and affection is denied:
let love break through.
Where justice is destroyed,
let sensitivity to right spring up.
Where hope is crucified,
let faith persist.
Where peace has no chance,
let passion live on.
Where truth is trampled underfoot,
let the struggle continue.
Where fear paralyzes,
let forgiveness break through.
Eternal God, reach into the silent darkness of our souls
with the radiance of the cross.
O you who are the bearer of all pain,
have mercy on us.
Giver of life,
have mercy on us.
Merciful God,
have mercy on us. Amen.
Setting by Eric Wyse:2
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread;
and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
Gracious God, the Beyond in the midst of our life, you gave grace to your servant Dietrich Bonhoeffer to know and to teach the truth as it is in Jesus Christ, and to bear the cost of following him: Grant that we, strengthened by his teaching and example, may receive your word and embrace its call with an undivided heart; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. HWHM
Music: https://tinyurl.com/y9efvwm5
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen. 2 Cor. 13:14
Support this ministry
Since 1993, Oremus has been done on a volunteer basis. If you are able, please consider supporting this work at the PayPal link below. For software reasons, I’ve set the value at $10.00, but feel free to change it. Thank you.
$10.00
BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.
HWHM Holy Women, Holy Men © 2010 The Church Pension Fund.
WS2 The Worship Sourcebook, 2nd edition, © 2013, Faith Alive Christian Resources
The three main scripture readings are from the The New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Edition, The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The traditional language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The modern language version of Psalms 47 and 48 is from the The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and is sung by Ryland Angel. Psalm 49 is the version sung by Karl Kohlhase, http://www.k4communications.com/karl/index.html
Musical links are usually either to artists’ albums posted on Spotify or to recordings made available at smallchurchmusic.com. Audio stripped from YouTube videos is footnoted accordingly above.
Compilation © 2022 Stephen T. Benner. All links worked at the time they were created, but I cannot accept responsibility for their content or any damage resulting from their use. The linked content is under the control of the respective content creators and is subject to change at any time. Any copyright texts included in this compilation are provided for non-commercial purposes related to study or worship. Please contact the respective copyright holders for permission to use the texts in other contexts.
Oremus 