God Is on the Cross: Reflections on Lent and Easter

by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Publisher:

Westminster John Knox

, 2012

Overview

This is my second Passiontide here. When people suggest in their letters . . . that I’m ‘suffering’ here, I reject the thought. It seems to me a profanation. These things mustn’t be dramatized. I doubt very much whether I’m ‘suffering’ any more than you, or most people, are suffering today. Of course, a great deal here is horrible, but where isn’t it? . . . No, suffering must be something quite different, and have a quite different dimension, from what I’ve so far experienced.

—From a letter to Eberhard Bethge from Tegel prison, March 9, 1944

These 40 stirring devotions will guide and inspire readers as they move thematically through the weeks of Lent and Easter, encountering themes of prayerful reflection, self-denial, temptation, suffering, and the meaning of the cross. Passages from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s letters and sermons provide special encouragement as readers prepare themselves spiritually for Holy Week and Easter Sunday. Supplemented by an informative introduction to Bonhoeffer’s life and a Scripture passage for each day of the season, these daily devotions are moving reminders of the true gift of Christ on the cross.

In the Logos digital versions of these works, Scripture references appear on mouseover, connecting you to your preferred translation. This volume is fully searchable, giving you the freedom to explore topics and Scripture verses in and out of linear context. What’s more, you can customize your reading plan and Logos will automatically direct you to each Lent day’s reflection.

Key Features

• 40 of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s reflections, drawn from his letters, sermons, and poetry
• Lent weeks arranged by theme: prayerful reflection, self-denial, temptation, suffering, and the cross

Contents

• Lent Week One: Prayerful Reflections
• Lent Week Two: Self-Denial
• Lent Week Three: Temptation
• Lent Week Four: The Purpose of Suffering
• Lent Week Five: The Cross
• Holy Week

Top Highlights

“It is not the religious act that makes the Christian, but participation in the suffering of God in the life of the world” (Page 58)

“Where, then, is your God? I confess God before the world and before all enemies of God when in deepest need I believe in God’s goodness, when in guilt I believe in forgiveness, when in death I believe in life, when in defeat I believe in victory, when in desolation I believe in God’s gracious presence. Those who have found God in the cross of Jesus Christ know how wonderfully God hides himself in this world and how he is closest precisely when we believe him to be most distant.” (Page 62)

“How can we overcome evil? By our forgiving it endlessly. How does that happen? By our seeing enemies as they really are: as people for whom Christ died, as people Christ loves.” (Page 42)

“Suffering injustice does not hurt the Christian, but doing injustice does.” (Page 42)

“Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him’ (Luke 4:8). Jesus knows what that means. It means lowliness, abuse, persecution. It means remaining misunderstood. It means hate, death, the cross. And he chooses this way from the beginning. It is the way of obedience and the way of freedom, for it is the way of God. And therefore it is also the way of love for human beings.” (Page 20)

Product Details

• Title: God Is on the Cross: Reflections on Lent and Easter
• Author: Dietrich Bonhoeffer
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox
• Publication Date: 2012
• Pages: 112

About Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945), a German theologian, pastor, and ecumenist, was a professor in Berlin, an uncompromising teacher in the Confessing Church, and a consistent opponent of National Socialism. Executed by Hitler at the end of World War II, his influence continues today as one of the most important theologians of the twentieth century. Bonhoeffer penned countless letters, portions of fiction, and several works on theology and ethics that have shaped modern religious thought. Life Together and The Cost of Discipleship are two examples of this modern martyr’s enduring legacy.