Dietrich Bonhoeffer: The Cross and Every Christian

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I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

“The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of this world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of his encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with his death — we give over our lives to death. Thus it begins; the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise God-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) in Cost of Discipleship (New York: Macmillan, 1979) 99. This is another one of my top ten books of all time. I found the PDF online, so you can click to read it.

Life begins when we die to self and the attachments of this world. The world thinks that such “dying” or “letting go” will leave us empty, when in reality, that’s when we tap into unfathomable abundance and enrichment.

As you think about the cross today, remind yourself, in the words of the Apostle Paul that you are crucified with Christ, that you no longer live but Christ lives in you. This new life is lived by faith in Jesus who loved you and gave His life for you.

Only when we are unattached to this world and attached to Christ can we become conduits of Christian generosity. We dispense the love and life of Christ. Thanks to Good Friday, we can spread spiritual and material blessings generously.

To experience the cross today, I will do “the Stations” with Jenni. I fly home from Dallas (pictured above) to Denver this morning and at noon we will go to the Cathedral Basilica in Denver for the Stations of the Cross service.