I was recently reminded of a bumper sticker that was popular among Christians about twenty years ago that read, “Wise men still seek Him.” It’s a lovely (if gendered!) sentiment, using the figures of the Magi, those Astrologer-Priests from the ‘East’ who visit the baby Jesus, as examples for us of what wisdom looks like. … Continue reading Wise Men Still … : A Reflection on Epiphany 2022
On the Second Sunday of Christmas, the lectionary directs us to the wonderful prologue of the Gospel according to John, a beautiful and profound hymn to the Mystery of God and the incarnation. Last year, I wrote about how the full and perfect theophany that is Jesus reveals to us not only who God is, … Continue reading Divine Vulnerability: A Reflection on John 1.1-18
[Below are the words I had planned on giving at my family's Zoom Christmas Eve service this year. As the pandemic took a significant turn for the worse in the days leading up to Christmas, I felt the need to offer a gentler reflection at that service. But, I thought I'd share these words here … Continue reading The Work of Christmas: A Reflection for Christmas 2021
[This is the text of a short homily I gave at a family Zoom Christmas Eve service on December 24, 2021.] -- Picture it: Jerusalem, sometime in the 730s BCE. The world as you know it is being shaken by the rise of an empire in the far northeast, the likes of which no one … Continue reading A Word of Hope: A Reflection for Christmas Eve 2021
I've been doing some preliminary work the past few days on my year-end practices, specifically looking at what I've written here on the blog in 2021. I was surprised by how often the theme of listening has come up here. It's come up in posts on Black Theology and repentance, and in the series on … Continue reading Signs of the Times: Listen.
Matthew Root 