The Daily Prayer for FRIDAY, November 22, 2019

The Daily Prayer

FRIDAY, November 22, 2019

Eberhard and Emmy Arnold (1883-1935; 1884-1980)

During the Reformation, there were those who believed that Luther and Calvin did not go far enough in recovering the radical spirit of Christianity, namely in regard to the Christian attitude toward violence and personal property. These Radical Reformers stressed community, simplicity, and an uncompromising commitment to gospel nonviolence. They suffered persecution from Protestants and Catholics alike, and their spirit took root in such communities as the Hutterites and Mennonites, which continue to this day. Eberhard and Emmy Arnold drew on this tradition centuries later in the midst of Nazi Germany. They started a community called the Bruderhof (“house of brothers”), whose ethic was the Sermon on the Mount. Their presence was a prophetic critique of the nationalism and militarism of Nazi Germany and of the Christianity that was silent amid such evil. In November 1933, their community was taken over by the Gestapo and they fled. Eberhard died in 1935 and Emmy lived on for forty-five more years, helping to start many other communities. Their lives and writings have inspired many communities, and their witness has touched people around the world.

Eberhard Arnold said, “Life in community is no less than a necessity for us—it is an inescapable ‘must’ that determines everything we do and think. Yet it is not our good intentions or efforts that have been decisive in our choosing this way of life. Rather, we have been overwhelmed by a certainty—a certainty that has its origin and power in the Source of everything that exists. We acknowledge God as this Source. We must live in community because all life created by God exists in a communal order and works toward community.”

Albert Luthuli, who struggled nonviolently against apartheid in South Africa, said, “It is inevitable that in working for freedom some individuals and some families must take the lead and suffer: the road to freedom is via the cross.”

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, our journey with you shapes our journey with one another. Let your tender mercies come to us that we may live again. Amen.