This past week, a colleague of mine shared a short reflection online that’s been sitting with me ever since. He wrote, “I never realized both Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Dr. King had their lives taken from them at the age of 39—the same age I am now (for a few more months anyway). That really hit me this morning as I thought about these two heroes of mine and what it might be like at this stage of life to be forced to surrender my own life for the sake of others.”
There was something about that sentence—something about the age, the comparison, the quiet awe of it—that stirred something in me too. It’s easy to admire people like Bonhoeffer and King from a distance, to honor their legacy and quote their words. But when you imagine what it must have felt like to be so young, to know what was at stake, and still choose love and sacrifice—that’s when their faith begins to challenge us more deeply.
Their lives are on my mind this week for another reason too. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed by the Nazis on April 9, 1945. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. The anniversaries of their deaths—only five days apart—come around every spring, often right alongside Holy Week. This year, they fall just days before we wave palms and remember another man who gave his life out of love for others.
Bonhoeffer was a German pastor and theologian who stood up against the Nazi regime during World War II. After spending time in the United States—studying theology and worshiping in Black churches in Harlem—he returned to Germany, knowing full well the dangers. Despite warnings from friends, he believed he could not help rebuild the church after the war unless he also shared in the suffering of his people during it. He was executed just two weeks before his concentration camp was liberated.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would be killed nearly twenty-three years later. Also a pastor. Also a man of faith. Also 39. Both men lived their beliefs not only with bold words but through costly, courageous love. And both believed that following Jesus meant showing up for others, especially when it was hard.
Their stories remind me of Holy Week, which begins this Sunday. It’s the week we remember Jesus entering Jerusalem in humility, gathering with his friends at the table, and walking the path of suffering and love that leads to the cross—and ultimately, to the empty tomb.
Sometimes we think of Holy Week as something that happened to Jesus. But what if we remembered it as something Jesus chose? He chose to show up for the people he loved. He chose to speak truth when it would have been safer to stay silent. He chose the cross. Not because it was easy, but because his love for the world was that deep.
The apostle Paul writes in Galatians 6:9, “Let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.” That’s the kind of perseverance we see in people like Bonhoeffer and King. It’s the perseverance we see in Jesus himself. And it’s what we’re invited to live out in our own time, in our own way.
So here’s the invitation: show up for Holy Week. Come wave a palm and sing “Hosanna” this Sunday, April 13. Come share communion on Maundy Thursday, April 17, as we remember the night Jesus gave a new commandment—to love one another as he has loved us. And come back again on Easter Sunday, April 20, to celebrate the good news that love and life have the final word.
Even though we won’t gather formally on Good Friday or Holy Saturday, I encourage you to take time in your own way to pause, reflect, and pray. Read the story of Jesus' passion. Sit in the quiet for a few minutes. Consider the depth of his love. These small acts of attention can help prepare our hearts to receive the joy of Easter with deeper gratitude.
We don’t have to be heroes. We don’t have to get everything right. But we can show up with open hearts, and we can be reminded that the story we’re a part of is one of deep love, costly grace, and everlasting hope.
Bonhoeffer and King didn’t just leave behind words—we remember them because they lived their faith with courage. This Holy Week, may we follow their example by living ours with love.
See you in church,
Pastor Adam
