Targum :: Romans 12:1-2

by Brian Walsh

A reflection on Romans 12:1-2
Wine Before Breakfast
Originally Delivered January 16, 2007

Brothers and Sisters:

If it is true that in the face of our disobedience
we have met a God rich in mercy;

if it true that this mercy extends to all of creation,
waiting in eager longing for the revelation of the children of God

if it is true that we ourselves , in concert with the Holy Spirit
await our adoption, the redemption of our very bodies;

A Christmas Lament

by Brian J. Walsh

I know, I know, Christmas is all about good feelings, family, magnaminity towards the less fortunate, etc., etc., etc. But how do you celebrate Christmas in an empire that has made a blasphemous sham out of that counter-imperial narrative of all counter-imperial narratives – the birth of Jesus? Well, you pray.

That’s what people who are subject to the Kingdom do in the face of the empire. And often that prayer takes the shape of a lament. So at the risk of sounding like Scrooge (who did not, to our knowledge, pray), I offer to you this Christmas lament. Best prayed the day after Christmas.

In painful honesty, let us pray to the Lord together saying,
Lord, still we wait.

Jesus for President: A Litany of Resistance

At “Local Pain:: Local Hope,” our springtime event with Shane Claiborne at BP Presbyterian, we ended with a prayer litany. The litany was composed by Christian Peacemaker James Loney, and modified by Brian Walsh for the event.

Well, that litany has made some travels since, will make its published debut in Shane’s new book, and will travel with his Jesus for President tour in June and July 2008.

We’ve posted the litany in our resources section, and will be adding more in the coming weeks. Enjoy!