Jesus, Joy and Justice
In 1930, Dietrich Bonhoeffer began his fellowship at Union Theological Seminary. While there, he became friends with a fellow student named Frank Fisher. As their friendship grew, Frank invited Dietrich to go to church with him at his congregation, Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. Through his friendship with Frank, Bonhoeffer witnessed first-hand the hostile environment of racial attitudes against African-Americans in New York City and beyond.
He saw how Frank Fisher and others in the church had to deal with this constant discrimination. Many of these instances were profoundly troubling and some even life-threatening. And yet, in spite of that, Bonhoeffer witnessed Frank Fisher and members of that church continue to be joyful and thankful, hopeful and resilient. They openly, clearly shared in the life-giving gospel of Jesus. Modeling him, they were further motivated to live out God’s love and to work consistently for justice.
Joy, Gratitude, Hope, Resiliency: Bonhoeffer also experienced joy, gratitude, hope and resiliency himself during those days. Inspired through the singing and energetic praises of the people at Abyssinian Baptist Church, encouraged by their lives, and deeply challenged by the preaching, he began to teach a Bible Study class there. He assisted with Sunday School, participated in the broader life of the church and became profoundly influenced by the inspiring leadership of pastor and politician, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.
When Bonhoeffer returned to Germany in 1931, Hitler had not yet come to power. But when he did in 1933, and the dangerous tides of his influence began to sweep over the nation, Bonhoeffer was ready. His experience in Harlem, the exuberant combination of Christian joy and commitment to justice for all people he witnessed at Abyssinian Baptist Church, prepared him for what he needed to do in the difficult days he faced.
The lessons of those hard days for Frank Fisher and his congregation, and the transformative impact on that young pastoral student from Germany, must not be lost on us for our own days. These, too, are hard times. So far, thankfully, our social fabric is not yet torn beyond healing. But we do have similar issues. We have growing prejudices; we are experiencing increasing polarization; we are buffeted by divided perspectives, and we strongly differ on our responses to very public, oversized personalities. These are troubling parallels to Bonhoeffer’s expansive dilemmas.
Let us pray; let us also work tirelessly, emulating those who have gone before us. Let us give ourselves similarly to this hopeful gospel, discovering again the difficult and delicate balance between the joy of Jesus and his passion for justice.
Love,
David
David Jordan
Senior Pastor