[Note: Some churches (including my own) replace the readings for Christmas 1 with those for Epiphany, but I’m not ready to leave Christmas behind just yet — Epiphany isn’t for another six days! — so I’m sticking with the Christmas 1 readings. If you’d like an Epiphany-focused reflection today, feel free to check out here … Continue reading Turning Point: A Reflection on Luke 2.22-41
The message of Christmas is that God is with us -- all of us.
Today is a day that goes by many names. It is, of course, New Year’s Day. It is also ‘January 1, 2023’, and a ‘Sunday.’ In medieval Europe, it was called ‘the Feast of Fools.’ In Roman Catholic circles, today can be called ‘the Solemnity of Mary’, and in the Eastern Church it’s the Feast … Continue reading A Holy Name: A Reflection for The Feast of the Naming of Jesus and New Year’s Day 2023
There’s a story I think of often that comes from a former priest of mine. At the start of his ministry, he had an opportunity to go to Greece and visit with a respected monastic elder on Mount Athos. After describing to the elder all that he had done and hoped and planned to do, … Continue reading The Gift of New Beginnings: A Reflection for Christmas Day 2022
The Christian faith is full of paradox and irony, and the Christmas story captures this better than any other. God becomes a human, the virgin becomes a mother, the King is born surrounded by livestock and attended to by shepherds, the Prince of Peace is hunted down by the authorities. But the irony that strikes … Continue reading From Darkness to Light: A Reflection for Christmas Eve 2022
Matthew Root 