The Provocation: Practicing Prophetic Imagination

You’re invited to a day of walking, reflecting, and imagining what’s possible.

We’ll gather in Cincinnati to honor Walter Brueggemann—not just with words, but by living into the kind of disruptive hope he spent a lifetime teaching.

We’ll start at Clifton United Methodist Church. From there, you’ll head out on a self-guided Walkabout through the Clifton neighborhood. Walter’s voice will guide the journey, provoking reflection and reconnecting you with the central ideas in The Prophetic Imagination.

After the Walkabout, we’ll come back together for a Talkabout—an open, facilitated conversation in small and large groups. Expect a mix of storytelling, honest grappling, and shared insight. We'll conclude with a participatory ritual of remembrance. It won’t be a formal service or static tribute. It’ll be a living act of community—music, reflection, and creative expression that puts Walter’s legacy into motion, together.

At the heart of it all is this guiding quote:

“The prophets dared us to reenact their poetry in our community. They do not give us explanations; they give us provocations. They disrupt despair and denial by insisting there is an alternative world being spoken into being.”

— Walter Brueggemann

This day is an invitation to dare, to imagine, and to embody that alternative world.

Info: A guided audio experience around the neighborhood of Clifton, incorporating Walter’s work and voice, participants will confront despair and numbness and revisit the provocation at the heart of Walter’s impact on their life and work.

Info: Facilitated small groups will gather to reflect, name, and process what was stirred. This is the space for articulating insight, cross-pollinating experiences, and practicing fidelity to the awakened heart. It's the bridge from memory to meaning-making. The culmination will include reflections from friends who walked with Walter in Cincinnati and participants will be invited into a communal ritual of present-tense affirmation. Not just a memorial to Walter, a live act of honoring his legacy by continuing it - through ritual, music, shared words, and co-creation.

Info: Grab a meal with others who have been similarly provoked by the life and work of Walter Brueggemann. A list of local options will be provided.

Host or Publisher Common Good Collective