Bonhoeffer Chapter 5

       

      Confession and Communion

is the title of the 5th and final chapter of Bonhoeffer's Life Together. This chapter ties the whole book together, stressing the importance, nay, the necessity of the community of  the believers. As the title suggests, he expounds on both the act of confessing sins to a brother, as well as taking communion. 

       The topic of confession is one that I really appreciated reading about. In modern, Protestant Christianity/theology, this is not something you hear lectures on very often. Why have we belittled this subject so much? 

                  I think Bonhoeffer does an incredible job of explaining it, and very eloquently. 

       The truth of the matter is as he explains on page 112:

        "The more isolated a person is, the more destructive will be the power of sin over him, and the more deeply he becomes involved in it, the more disastrous is his isolation."

      Never have I read such a perfect description of the dangers of sin and isolation. I believe this hit close to home for me because I can be a very isolated person at times. Thus, the things I struggle with, I tend to make "my own problem." But that is neglecting one of the very purposes of God's establishment of the church! Isolation and sin are an endless circle that can only be broken by the community of the believers.

      And taking Bonhoeffer's description of confession, the power and depth that it is on behalf of Christ himself that our brothers and sisters hear and forgive our confession, is one that should not be taken lightly. However, it should also not be ignored. 

       If we want to break the cycle of sin, it must be through the support system God has graciously prepared for us. 

Bonhoeffer 3

Bonhoeffer 4

          

In chapter four of Bonhoeffer's Life Together, he dives into areas of ministry of the believer. However, unlike our modern Christian minds would assume, these areas are not the worship team, children's ministry, & work projects.

       No, Bonhoeffer lists some areas of ministry that one might consider unusual: "The Ministry of Holding One's Tongue," "The Ministry of Listening," "The Ministry of Helpfulness," and others.
   


       I found these discussions very refreshing and beneficial -both Biblical and very applicable.
       One that struck me the most was that of "holding one's tongue."
       I believe the book of James got it right when it speaks of the difficulty of controlling one's tongue. In fact, just today I was discussing with a non-Christian coworker about the destruction that gossip can do. We can hurt people with our actions, but it's much quicker to cut them down with our words, and many times it cuts deeper. Gossip, insults, lies, broken promises... the very mention of these words sinks my heart, as many others, I believe, can easily identify moments of being hurt by these.
       The ministry of holding one's tongue is an interesting one because at first it appears to be an inaction rather than an action. It appears to be not doing something. But go one day while trying to control one's words, and you will realize how much action it physically requires.

     The reason this one stuck out to me the most is because words hold a great weight for me. I would always rather write something than speak, because I value the time it takes to say exactly what is meant.
     But people, Christians and non-Christians alike, do not always live by this (indeed, I do not always use my words for good). I find it fascinating that so many Christians criticize those who swear, and yet they're found gossiping or making racist slides themselves.
"Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?" (James 3:11). If we cannot master our tongues, how can we be in service to the Lord?


     

Bonhoeffer Chapter 2

"The Day with Others," Machen's second chapter of his book Life Together, explores the liturgy of what worship ought to look like among Christians, this is not limited to Sunday morning worship but includes other gatherings including Christian families' daily practices. He addresses points of reading the Psalms together, reading other Scriptures, singing, common prayer, sharing at "the table," and finally, proceeding to the rest of the day: working.
       The Morning - this is what Bonhoeffer revolves his discourse around. This is how Christians ought to start their mornings, he says.
      I must admit, this was an interesting chapter for me to consider. I have never considered myself as a morning person, but have never deeply considered it a theological issue! Now, as an upfront clarification: I don't think whether you have a hard time waking up early or not is a sin.
    However, there is something to Bonhoeffer's position that Scripture presents the morning as a special time of day. There are lots of verses that can back this up, but I think we can even see this from experience. The morning is quiet, amidst the storm of colors that arise. The birds sing. The sky awakes and stretches. Darkness is broken. There is so much imagery in the creativity of God that is the morning.
       Thus, it is not a surprise that Christians coming together in the morning to worship God has a special significance. Does it mean it is sin if they do not? I don't think so. However, these little details of Scripture should also not be ignored, or we ourselves could miss out on something.

      One of Bonhoeffer's most moving paragraphs for myself in this chapter is on page 43:

For Christians, the beginning of the day should not be burdened and oppressed with besetting concerns for the day's work. At the threshold of the new day stands the Lord who made it.  At the threshold of the new day stands the Lord who made it. All the darkness and distraction of the dreams of night retreat before the clear light of Jesus Christ and his wakening Word. All unrest, all impurity, all care and anxiety flee before him. Therefore, at the beginning of the day let all distraction and empty talk be silenced and let the first thought and the first word belong to him whom our whole life belongs. "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light" (Ephesians 5:14).

       

      My days are long, my semester is brutal, my heart is heavy. Mornings are not a time that bring me joy, but exhaustion. What if my days could start like this? What would change if my first thought was the joy of Christ? If every day was committed into his hand? Would my heart sing? My lips smile? My hands do good? 

"Behold, the morning sun

Begins his glorious way;
His beams through all the nations run,
And life and light convey.

But where the gospel comes
It spreads diviner light;
It calls dead sinners from their tombs,
And gives the blind their sight."

Isaac Watts