A good friend of mine did his degrees in Religious Studies and always asks me interesting, if pointed, questions about Christianity. One such question is about how Christianity was able to form around the figure of Jesus, when there were so many other ‘failed’ messiahs and wonderworkers and teachers whose movements simply disappeared after their … Continue reading Breaking Bread: A Reflection on Luke 24:13-35
If you’ve been following along the blog this week, you’ll know that during this Easter season I’m working more intentionally with practices that engage the realm of the imaginative and symbolic. I thought it would be interesting to carry that on in today's reflection. If you’re not comfortable with such approaches, please check out a … Continue reading Break Through: A Reflection on John 20.19-31
[This post was originally published in 2022, the last time today's readings were in the lectionary. Since the message I wanted to share today was pretty much exactly the same as this, I thought I'd share it again.] Insider and outsider, right and wrong, orthodox and heterodox, us and them — If there’s one thing … Continue reading The Shepherd’s Sheep: A Reflection on John 10.22-30 (Repost)
I remember once hearing that one of the problems with the use of power in society is that the only people who really want power are those who want to abuse it — to “lord it over” others, as Jesus put it (Matthew 20:25). But as Jesus continues in that passage, things are supposed to … Continue reading Worthy: A Reflection on Revelation 5.11-14
One of the most central, marked, and these days controversial aspects of Christianity is its proclamation of the forgiveness of sins. It is central in that Jesus preached about it a lot and Christianity would be unrecognizable without it, marked in that it’s not a common theme in world religions so it stands out, and … Continue reading Second Chances: A Reflection on John 20:19-31
Matthew Root 