A Targum* for my children based on Romans 1:8-17
I thank God for each of you kids, because your allegiance to King Joshua is noticed by others. Your love for each other declares an alternative way of existing to those whose lives are spent serving the real pretenders to earth’s throne: shortsighted consumerism, empty greed, selfish pleasure and violent national pride.
God could tell you that I pray all the time that He would make it possible for me to come and visit with ya’ll. It would be so wonderful to encourage you in your faithfulness to the king and have you encourage me in return. I want you to know that it’s my desire to get down there one day, so that I can have a hand in bringing your friends into God’s kingdom. This is a task that our King has entrusted to me, and I feel I have something that belongs to those who haven’t heard. So I’m determined to help you spread the word there in Georgia.
There have been countless individuals and powers that have claimed to be the source of security and prosperity. “Look to me!” they offer “and I will make things right.” I know your nation’s economy, culture and military are not unique in this regard. So I don’t want you to think that I’m picking on you, but you know that your nation’s aggressive expansion is evident throughout the world.
McDonald’s can be found in Kuwait and China has embraced Wal-Mart. American weapons are aimed everywhere….at least potentially, and Madonna can be heard in Tehran. Your marketing is working, because it seems the whole world desires to be formed in America’s image. Ipod’s and blue jeans are the international standard of fashion. And people with rich and ancient cultural pasts are just “Lovin’ it.” Young and old, brown, yellow and white look to your nations products because they’re “the Real Thing.” Money makes the world go round. Corporate logos are everywhere so that no one can forget this. Americanism is declared at our sporting events, in our homes and on the shoes and caps we wear. Markets rule our charity, religion and sex. They just do. Look around.
But they don’t. Not really. That’s our message, isn’t it. King Joshua, not Coca-Cola adds life, and I’m not the least bit embarrassed to say so. Do you know why? Because I’ve seen the mere news of our King’s arrival tear people free from the dehumanizing tyranny of money, markets, and selfish emptiness. I’ve seen it change families into loving communities. I’ve seen its power to transform anyone who believes it is true.
This thing that God has done through King Joshua shows that He is faithful to his commitments to set all things right again. It makes clear what he was up to all for all of those ages. It is a glorious act of faithfulness on God's part, and it calls for a liberating response of faithfulness from each man, woman and child who hears of it.
Other completed passages of the Targum: Romans 1:1-7
*A Targum was an expanded paraphrase of the Hebrew Scriptures composed by Rabbis during the diaspora to aid the understanding of their “Hebrew challenged” congregations. I thought something similar might be of help to my kids. So I’ve started with Paul’s Epistle to the Romans.
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