Each of the four Gospels tells the story of Jesus through its own theological lens. For Matthew, it’s Jesus as the new Law-Giver; for Mark, it’s the apocalyptic Messiah who will usher in a new day for God’s people; for Luke, it’s a prophetic concern for women, the poor, and social outcasts. In contrast to … Continue reading God’s Home Within: A Reflection on John 14.23-29
A common theme the past two Sundays has been people’s commitment to being in the right leading them to be in the wrong. Two weeks ago, it was Saul, whose good and true commitments to orthodoxy and unity within the Jewish community had caused him to persecute the followers of Jesus. And last Sunday, it … Continue reading The Joy of Being Wrong: A Reflection on Acts 11.1-18
Insider and outsider, right and wrong, orthodox and heterodox, us and them — If there’s one thing humanity seems to excel at it’s turning differences into divisions, and building community around shared identity at the expense and exclusion of others. This is why, despite the near-universal and millennia-old religious calls for love and compassion and … Continue reading The Shepherd’s Sheep: A Reflection on John 10.22-30
One of the major themes of the readings appointed for the Easter season is vindication. As we saw last week, this is a prominent theme in the sermons towards the beginning of Acts: Humanity put Jesus to death as both a criminal and a cursed victim of sacred violence, but God vindicated him by raising … Continue reading Vindication: A Reflection on John 21.1-19 and Acts 9.1-6
There’s been a battle of sorts waging within Christian theology over the past few decades about the cross. The basic question behind this controversy is: Who put Jesus on the cross? The dominant strains of theology in the West over the past thousand years or so have said, essentially, that it was God the Father … Continue reading Whose Cross is it? A Reflection on Acts 5:27-32
Matthew Root 