Author Archives: Steve Harper

A quick word to say thanks to those of you who participated in the reading of Walter Brueggemann’s book, ‘Journey to the Common Good.’ In today’s final Zoom meeting, three additional resources were part of our conversation… (1) Michael DeJonge, … Continue reading →

Tomorrow (Friday) we meet for our final session to discuss Walter Brueggemann’s book, ‘Journey to the Common Good.’ We meet at Noon (ET) via zoom. Here’s the link… https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82787767931?pwd=bmZwMWloV1NxUHFFU3ZPS1RpU0Izdz09 Meeting ID: 827 8776 7931Passcode: 014683

I am looking forward to our final Zoom meeting this Friday, April 28th, at Noon (ET). Here is the link to the meeting. https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82787767931?pwd=bmZwMWloV1NxUHFFU3ZPS1RpU0Izdz09 Meeting ID: 827 8776 7931Passcode: 014683 Honestly, I do not know how to process what we … Continue reading →

If Isaiah begins with the exposure of Jerusalem as a fallen empire, he does not stop there. Indeed, he cannot. As in Jesus’ parable of the expulsion of an evil spirits (Luke 11:24-26), it is not sufficient to empty life … Continue reading →

Reconstruction (whether of Jerusalem or anything else) moves on the premise that it is worth it. That is, reconstruction ooccurs against the backdrop of vision. Brueggemann shows us the vision of Jerusalem revealed in 2 Samuel 7 and 1 Kings … Continue reading →

The journey to the common good is one of faith (vision), anxiety (struggle), and neighborliness (life together)….chapter one. The journey is characterized by subversion, a prophetic resistance to evil (imperialism) through the advocacy and enactment of steadfast love, justice, and … Continue reading →

We gather this Friday, the 31st, from Noon to 1:00 p.m. (ET) for our second Zoom meeting. Here is the link to that meeting… https://us06web.zoom.us/j/9314085719 Meeting ID: 931 408 5719 We head for Friday with a look at Brueggemann’s conclusion … Continue reading →

We must paint this week’s reflection with a broad brush because Brueggemann goes into detail in this chapter. But it is possible to see the big picture. It begins in sections I-III, with the differentiated elitist and neighborly narratives. We … Continue reading →

The Covenant at Sinai subverts the culture of Egypt. Neighborliness subverts elitism. And elites do not take kindly to it. They push back with a counternarrative. And they do it through the use of the dominant word of theit faith … Continue reading →

It was not until I read Eugene Peterson’s book ‘Subversive Spirituality’ that I recognized the importance of subversion. When I saw that Brueggemann used the word in his title for chapter two, I was eager to see what he means … Continue reading →

Brueggemann’s reintroduction in the revised edition of this book is worth the price of it because “the wilderness” is where we spend so much time in our journey to the common good. We live between what should not be and … Continue reading →

We begin reading ‘Journey to the Common Good’ (Revised Edition) tomorrow. I want to offer an introductory reflection today. The metaphor of journey is arguably the main way that Scripture and Tradition describe the spiritual life and its formation in … Continue reading →

Should have read “scroll down to the post on January 20th to learn more.”

Just a reminder that we begin a common reading of Walter Brueggemann’s book, ‘Journey to the Common Good’ (Revised Edition) on February 1st, with monthly Zoom meetings to share what we are experiencing. You can scroll down to the post … Continue reading →

From its beginning, I have had no intention of conducting an Engage Group on a continuing basis, but only when it seems the experience might serve a useful purpose. In that context, I am announcing a new round of Engage … Continue reading →