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St. Patrick & the Work of Resistance

Pastor Ben
Mar 17

What the real Patrick can teach the church about courage, empire, and the way of Jesus

St. Patrick’s Day gets dressed up as a light holiday. Green shirts. Shamrocks. Parades. Maybe some bad Irish jokes.

But the real Patrick gives us something much stronger.

Patrick was kidnapped as a teenager, taken to Ireland, and enslaved. He eventually escaped and made it home. Then later, in one of the most radical moves in Christian history, he chose to go back to the place of his suffering because he believed God was calling him there.

He did not go back to dominate. He did not go back for revenge. He went back to serve. He went back to bear witness. He went back to live the Gospel.

That is why St. Patrick’s Day connects so clearly to Luke-Acts and to the heart of RESIST.

In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus resists every attempt to make faith about domination, exclusion, or fear. He keeps moving toward the margins. He tells the truth. He confronts religious hypocrisy. He centers the poor. He refuses the logic of empire. Then in Acts, the early church keeps living that same way. They share what they have. They cross lines of class and ethnicity. They speak with courage. They refuse to let political power or public pressure define their mission.

That is resistance in the way of Jesus.

It is not performative outrage. It is not cruelty dressed up as strength. It is not winning at all costs.

It is the steady refusal to let empire shape our souls.

Patrick fits right into that story. His life looks a lot more like the church in Acts than the shallow version of religion our culture often serves up. He knew suffering. He knew what it meant to be dehumanized. And still, he did not hand his heart over to bitterness. He returned with courage, conviction, and a Gospel big enough to break the cycle.

That matters right now.

Because we are living in a time when Christianity is too often used as a tool for power. We are watching Christian nationalism try to reshape faith into something Jesus would barely recognize. We see fear of the stranger, obsession with control, scapegoating of vulnerable people, and a version of religion that seems more interested in winning than in love, justice, mercy, or truth.

Luke-Acts resists that.

Patrick resisted that.

We need to resist that.

In RESIST, one of the central claims is that faithful resistance is not just about what we oppose. It is about what we embody. We do not resist hate only by condemning it. We resist hate by building communities of belonging. We do not resist lies only by calling them out. We resist lies by telling the truth and living truthfully. We do not resist domination only by criticizing empire. We resist domination by practicing the way of Jesus here and now.

That is the church’s calling.

Not to bless the systems that crush people.Not to stay quiet when faith is hijacked.Not to retreat into private spirituality while the world burns.

Our call is to live as if the reign of God is real. Because it is.

So this St. Patrick’s Day, let’s remember the real Patrick. Not the legend. Not the marketing. The man who went back without revenge. The Christian who resisted empire by serving. The witness who chose courage, truth, and love.

That is the kind of faith we need now.

And that is the kind of resistance Jesus still calls us to practice.

GHIAA - Winter 2026 Organizing Leadership Training

Pastor Ben
Jan 14

GHIAA- Greater Hartford Interfaith Action Alliance is an amazing CT focused huge group focused on social justice work and REAL legislative change.

RFC is a member and we encourage all our folks to sign up for this, if you can.

Many of our board members have taken, or are taking this one.

Let us know if you can join the fun!

Winter 2026 Organizing Leadership Training

If you know anyone in your congregation who might be interested, please feel free to share this with them and encourage them to sign up!

This training is open to all and is a powerful way for people to learn the foundations of faith-based organizing, practice relational tools like one-on-ones and house meetings, understand how we build and use power, and grow their confidence to take action for justice.

Training details:

Tuesdays, 6:30–8:30 PM

February 10, 17, 24, March 3, and March 10, 2026

Temple Sinai, 41 W Hartford Rd, Newington

(There are five dates scheduled, so we have a snow date if needed — the training itself is four sessions.)

This training is for:

Folks who are newer to GHIAA
Leaders who were trained a while ago and would like a refresher
Clergy and lay leaders
Anyone in your congregation who is curious about organizing, justice work, or stepping into leadership

We would love to welcome new voices and energy into this space.

Participants can register (and sign up for the required orientation for newer leaders) through the online form here.

MLK Day in Greater Hartford: ways to show up, learn, and serve (Jan. 19, 2026)

Pastor Ben
Jan 10

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday, January 19, 2026. Every year, this week gives us a simple invitation: don’t just remember Dr. King—practice what he preached. Pick one event. Bring a friend. Bring your kids. Or show up solo and meet someone new.

And if you know of other MLK Day events in the Greater Hartford area, drop them in the comments so we can keep building a shared list.