I’ve been asked to preach at my local parish tomorrow and so I’ve been spending a lot of time the past couple weeks in the readings for this Sunday. The text from the Hebrew Scriptures caught my eye but I unfortunately wasn’t able to fit it in to my sermon. So I thought I’d take … Continue reading A Song of the Vineyard (A Reflection on Isaiah 5.1-7)
Other projects have kept me from writing here the past week or so, but I’ve returned this morning because the Gospel reading today touched on something that’s been a recurring theme for me lately: the idea of stumbling blocks, and specifically being a stumbling block to others. In the reading, the disciples ask Jesus what … Continue reading Stumbling Blocks (A reflection on Matthew 18.1-12)
“Behold, now is the acceptable time! Now is the day of salvation, a divine, new and eternal day, not measured in hours, never lengthening or shortening, uninterrupted by night. For us it is the day of the Sun of righteousness, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning!” These words are from the introduction … Continue reading Jars of Clay (A Reflection on the Transfiguration)
We have a saying in English, “He can’t see the forest for the trees.” It’s a reminder not to lose sight of the big picture in the details. Details are important — after all, the devil is in the details, as they say — but they can sometimes obscure what’s really important. To avoid this … Continue reading Perspective
I have just returned from vacation on Vancouver Island, on Canada's Pacific coast. It’s a place of wonder: of majestic cedars reaching to the heavens, of fathomless waters stretching to the horizon, and of mighty mountains that remind one why the High Places have always been considered the dwelling-places of the gods. It’s fitting then … Continue reading Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence
Matthew Root 