Death is . . . the gateway to our homeland, the tabernacle of joy,
the everlasting kingdom of peace.
the everlasting kingdom of peace.
—Dietrich Bonhoeffer
On April 7, 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer--pastor, prophet, martyr and spy--was hung from the gallows for his involvement in an unsuccessful plot to kill Hitler. The disposition of his remains is still unknown. Two weeks later the Allies liberated the camp. In another week Hitler committed suicide and the war in Europe was over. His twin sister, Sabine, did not hear about his death until May 31. As late as July 23, Bonhoeffer’s parents, Karl and Paula, had only heard the rumor of Dietrich’s death, although they were aware of the death of their son Klaus. Meanwhile, two pastors and Dietrich’s dear friend, Bishop George Bell, organized a memorial service for brothers Dietrich and Klaus, which was held on July 27 at London’s Holy Trinity Brompton Church (please see the image above). Bishop Bell arranged for it to be “livestreamed” in Germany, which served as confirmation for Bonhoeffer’s extended family that he was dead. Three sacred choral works from this memorial service will serve as the focus of this issue of “Lifted Voice”.
The memorial service began with the familiar English hymn, “For All the Saints”. The text (please see the text scroll in the video) by William H. How (1823-1897), based in part on Hebrews 12:2 and selected passages from Revelation, is a profound description of the Communion of Saints, with special focus on the Church Triumphant. It is logical to conclude that this hymn was chosen for the occasion in part because Bonhoeffer’s doctoral thesis was titled Sanctorum Communio: A Dogmatic Inquiry into the Sociology of the Church. Here Bonhoeffer defined the church not merely as an institution, but as the Communion of Saints, i.e., as “Christ-existing as church-community”. This incarnational theology squares well with this hymn, as sung in the following video by the choir of King’s College, Cambridge, borne on the wings of the stirring tune (and harmonization) by the English composer, Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958):
The following stanzas are not included in this video, but they were probably sung at Bonhoeffer’s memorial:
| Oh, may Thy soldiers, faithful, true, and bold, Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old And win with them the victor’s crown of gold. Alleluia! Alleluia! And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long, Steals on the ear the distant triumph song, And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong. Alleluia! Alleluia! (The Lutheran Hymnal [TLH] 463.3, 5) |
To my best knowledge, the following stanza has yet to see the light of day in any hymnal, but its description of the Proto Martyr is fitting for Bonhoeffer and for all martyrs:
| For martyrs who with rapture-kindled eye Saw the bright crown descending from the sky And, dying, grasped it, Thee we glorify. Alleluia! Alleluia! |
In her recollection of the memorial service, Bonhoeffer’s twin sister, Sabine Leibholz, mentioned two other choral works from this service: “The choir of the community to which Dietrich had formerly ministered gave a particularly beautiful rendering of Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten (Who makes the will of God his only rule), and later we all sang together the hymn which Dietrich had arranged to be sung the last time he preached in London: Mir nach, spricht Christus, unser Held (Follow me, says Christ, our hero)” (Eric Metaxas, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Prophet, Martyr, Spy, p. 537).
The first of these fitting hymns is probably better known to the reader as “If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee”. Both text and tune are by George Neumark (1621-1681), a true “man for all seasons”. At various points in his life, he served as a musician, hymn writer, poet, librarian, and royal archivist. When he was only 19 years young, following a period of anxiety and uncertainty, he was relieved to receive employment as a tutor in the home of a certain Stephan Henning in the city of Kiel. During the year of his death, Neumark recalled, “This good fortune, which came so suddenly and, as it were, from heaven, gladdened my heart so that I, on the first day, to the glory of my God, composed [this] well-known hymn . . . for I had ample reason to thank God heartily for this unexpected grace, both then and to the end.” This wonderful tandem of text and tune was first published with the heading, “A Hymn of Consolation. That God will care for, and preserve, His own in His own time, after the saying, ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain Thee’” (Ps. 55:22). W. G. Polack says, “[This hymn] is not only Neumark’s best hymn, but one of the finest hymns of trust in all our hymnody” (Handbook to the Lutheran Hymnal, pp. 361-362).
Sabine did not mention which version of “If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee” was sung. It is likely that the choir master selected music from J. S. Bach’s Cantata 93. The seven movements of this cantata coordinate with the seven stanzas included in many hymnals today. It was even written for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity, which usually occurs in early July, so the music might literally have been in the choral folio. The following duet from this cantata, the central of its seven sections, would have been appropriate for the occasion. The sense of joy vs. sadness is evident in the contrasting musical figures sung by the two soloists. Listen carefully for the chorale melody in the upper strings, which enters and exits periodically throughout this movement:
The first of these fitting hymns is probably better known to the reader as “If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee”. Both text and tune are by George Neumark (1621-1681), a true “man for all seasons”. At various points in his life, he served as a musician, hymn writer, poet, librarian, and royal archivist. When he was only 19 years young, following a period of anxiety and uncertainty, he was relieved to receive employment as a tutor in the home of a certain Stephan Henning in the city of Kiel. During the year of his death, Neumark recalled, “This good fortune, which came so suddenly and, as it were, from heaven, gladdened my heart so that I, on the first day, to the glory of my God, composed [this] well-known hymn . . . for I had ample reason to thank God heartily for this unexpected grace, both then and to the end.” This wonderful tandem of text and tune was first published with the heading, “A Hymn of Consolation. That God will care for, and preserve, His own in His own time, after the saying, ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain Thee’” (Ps. 55:22). W. G. Polack says, “[This hymn] is not only Neumark’s best hymn, but one of the finest hymns of trust in all our hymnody” (Handbook to the Lutheran Hymnal, pp. 361-362).
Sabine did not mention which version of “If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee” was sung. It is likely that the choir master selected music from J. S. Bach’s Cantata 93. The seven movements of this cantata coordinate with the seven stanzas included in many hymnals today. It was even written for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity, which usually occurs in early July, so the music might literally have been in the choral folio. The following duet from this cantata, the central of its seven sections, would have been appropriate for the occasion. The sense of joy vs. sadness is evident in the contrasting musical figures sung by the two soloists. Listen carefully for the chorale melody in the upper strings, which enters and exits periodically throughout this movement:
| God knows full well when times of gladness Shall be the needful thing for thee. When He has tried thy soul with sadness And from all guile has found thee free, He comes to thee all unaware And makes thee own His loving care. (TLH 518.4) |
As for congregational settings of this hymn, the following recording includes a brief organ introduction, one stanza for men’s voices, one stanza in a contrapuntal version, a brief organ interlude, and one stanza in unison.
| If thou but suffer God to guide thee And hope in Him thro' all thy ways, He'll give thee strength, whate'er betide thee, And bear thee thro' the evil days. Who trusts in God's unchanging love Builds on the Rock that naught can move. Be patient and await His leisure In cheerful hope, with heart content To take whate'er thy Father's pleasure And His discerning love hath sent, Nor doubt our inmost wants are known To Him who chose us for His own. Sing, pray, and keep His ways unswerving, Perform thy duties faithfully, And trust His Word, though undeserving, Thou yet shalt find it true for thee. God never yet forsook at need The soul that trusted Him indeed. (TLH 518.1, 3, 7) |
The second choral work mentioned by Sabine is probably known the reader as “Come, Follow Me, the Savior Spake." The primary Scripture reference for this hymn by Johann Scheffler (1624-1677) is generally agreed to be St. Matthew 16:24, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’” This verse was foundational for Bonhoeffer’s book, The Cost of Discipleship, which was originally entitled “Following” (Nachfolge) in German. There Bonhoeffer famously said, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” The following video includes the first stanza of the hymn, as it was set to music in the St. Mark Passion of J. S. Bach (1685-1750). Though not necessarily evident in this richly harmonized setting, the rhythmic vitality of the original tune by Johann Hermann Schein (1586-1630) depicts the joy of following Christ, “whate’er betide." Subsequent stanzas, though not included in the video, are included here for theological context and sacred meditation.
| 1. "Come, follow Me," the Savior spake, "All in My way abiding; Deny yourselves, the world forsake, Obey My call and guiding. O bear the cross, whate'er betide, Take my example for your guide. 2. "I am the Light, I light the way, A godly life displaying; I bid you walk as in the day; I keep your feet from straying. I am the way, and well I show How you must sojourn here below. 3. "My heart abounds in lowliness, My soul with love is glowing; And gracious words My lips express, With meekness overflowing. My heart, My mind, My strength, My all, To God I yield, on Him I call. 4. "I teach you how to shun and flee What harms your soul's salvation, Your heart from ev'ry guile to free, From sin and its temptation. I am the refuge of the soul And lead you to your heav'nly goal." |
Thus far, the text is the voice of Christ. The following stanza, however, shifts to the voice of the church. It is especially appropriate for the martyr who described eternal life as his homeland, tabernacle of joy, and kingdom of peace:
| 5. Then let us follow Christ, our Lord, And take the cross appointed And, firmly clinging to His Word, In suff'ring be undaunted. For those who bear the battle's strain The crown of heav'nly life obtain. (TLH 421) |
The main sermon for this occasion was preached by Bishop Bell, but Bonhoeffer’s friend and fellow clergyman, Rev. Franz Hildebrandt, also preached for this service. His text was 2 Chronicles 20:12, “Neither know we what to do, but our eyes are upon Thee.” These words, spoken when Old Israel was uncertain how it could defeat a more powerful military enemy, were fitting for Bonhoeffer’s life, and for all of recently liberated Europe after the fall of the Third Reich. Once again God had shown the strength of His arm and defeated a tyrannical enemy. The last words of Hildebrandt’s sermon summarize the legacy of Bonhoeffer:
| We believe in the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. We give thanks to God for the life, the suffering, the witness of our brother whose friends we were privileged to be. We pray God to lead us, too, through his discipleship form this world into His heavenly kingdom; to fulfill in us that other word with which Dietrich concluded his obituary of [the Lutheran theologian Adolf von] Harnack: “non potest non laetari qui sperat in Dominum” – “While in God confiding I cannot but rejoice.” (Cited in Metaxas, pp. 541-542) |
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