Today (April 9th, 2026) marks the 81st anniversary of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s death.

He was executed at the hands of the Gestapo on April 9th, 1945, two weeks before his concentration camp was liberated by American soldiers.

I was reminded of something about him by a dear friend recently that I wanted to remind all of you about as well.

During Bonhoeffer’s time studying at Union Seminary in New York, he was introduced to Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church by his friend Frank Fischer. There he would meet so many people who would go on to shape the Civil Rights Movement here in the United States.

After Bonhoeffer decided to return to Germany as tensions there continued to mount, Fischer said to him, “tell our story.” He brought vinyl records of spirituals he acquired in Harlem, which he would use to encourage his friends as they resisted the rise of the Third Reich.

Frank Fischer remained in America and eventually became the pastor of Hunter Street Baptist Church in Atlanta. In 1961, he was succeeded by Ralph Abernathy, who was a close friend and confidant of a man named Martin Luther King, jr. They would go on to be arrested 19 times between 1954 and 1968 in their shared pursuit of justice.

Martin Luther King Jr. would eventually be assassinated for his struggle for justice only five days before the 23rd anniversary of Bonhoeffer’s execution. They were both only 39 years old when they died. Unlike many self proclaimed prophets today, they embodied the prophets of the Bible. Instead of being a mouthpiece for kings and their empires, they spoke the truth of God to the powers of this world on behalf of the poor and powerless.

Right before WW2 began, one of the most influential theologians in the United States, Reinhold Niebuhr wrote Dietrich Bonhoeffer and urged him to flee Germany as the war was brewing. Bonhoeffer responded to him by saying, “I shall have no right to take part in the restoration of Christian life in Germany after the war unless I share the trials of this time with my people.”

As my friend wrote to me, I also want to say to you. We are in this together. While our struggles for justice take different shapes, we are all doing our part for the same goal of pursuing liberty, justice, and human dignity. We carry on the legacy of those like Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King Jr who courageously pursued the same in the face of great evils and at the great cost of their own lives.

Bonhoeffer continues to be one of my biggest inspirations. Someone who diligently and faithfully pastored his people all the way to the end. That is my goal as well. That shapes all that I do. To be a companion to all of you, doing my best to encourage you and build you up as we take each step towards justice.

In these uncertain and difficult times, may we continue to find stability and hope in the gospel of Jesus as we continue to work together towards justice.

You are deeply loved.