One of the most striking things about the post-Resurrection stories in the New Testament is how they go out of their way to show just how radical, and radically different, of a community the earliest Church sought to be. The clear fact that, by and large, Christians have completely failed to live that out over … Continue reading No More Rivals: A Reflection on John 20.19-31 and Acts 4.32-35
Alleluia! Christ is risen! Or is he? One could be forgiven for feeling a bit confused and let down by the Easter Gospel today, because this year, we get Mark’s telling of the resurrection, which is even less joyful or triumphant than the others. If John’s resurrection narrative reads like a buddy cop romp, with … Continue reading The Last Word: A Reflection for Easter Sunday 2024
I don’t need to tell anyone that we are living in strange and frightening times. The world is changing in innumerable ways and it seems like society — and the people who make it up — are flailing in response. One of my only real consolations in this situation is that people have felt this … Continue reading Do Not Be Surprised: A Reflection on 1 Peter 4.12-14, 5.6-11
Today is Ascension Day, the feast when Christians commemorate Jesus’s ascension into heaven, where, in the words of the Creed, “he sits at the right hand of the Father.” It’s an event in Jesus’s life that has been hovering over (no pun intended) our Sunday readings for the last two weeks: Jesus’ claim to be … Continue reading Some Resources for Ascension Day
Last Sunday, we looked at Jesus’ controversial words that he was (and is) the way to the Father and “no one comes to the Father except through [him].” I proposed that these words were not about insisting that other ‘ways’ are false, but about comforting his disciples with the knowledge that they already know the … Continue reading Another Advocate, Another Coach: A Reflection on John 14.15-21
Matthew Root 