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
Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! This traditional Christian Easter greeting is, when it comes down to it, everything you need to know about our faith. For us as Christians, everything is about Easter. Easter changes everything. If Christmas is like D-Day, Easter is VE-Day; if Christmas plants seeds, Easter is the … Continue reading The Game-Changer: A reflection for Easter Sunday, 2022
At the risk of repeating myself (again), it’s been a long and hard few years. I’ve been pretty open about my own struggles and anxieties about it all here. I remain convinced that it’s important for all of us to take the time we need to lament all that has happened and is still happening … Continue reading Can These Bones Live? A Reflection for Holy Saturday, 2022
Since its first hesitant days, the Church has always claimed that Jesus is the fullest revelation of God in the world. As it is written: Whereas long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, in these last days God has spoken to us by a Son, whom God … Continue reading The Cross as Theophany: A reflection for Good Friday, 2022
Matthew Root 