A recurring theme on this blog (and indeed in the New Testament) is that being a Christian means living a radically different life. There is supposed to a marked difference between life following Jesus and life following our own impulses, between life with the Spirit and life outside of the Spirit. There are few places … Continue reading Life in the Spirit: A Reflection on Romans 8.12-17
[I'm on vacation this week, so I thought I'd repost some of my favourite older posts for Pentecost. Enjoy this post from 2019.] The great promise of Christianity is that a fundamental change has come into the world. The “normal” ways of the world, whether conceived of as sin or fate or the writing of … Continue reading A Spirit of Freedom (A Reflection for Pentecost 2019) [Repost]
[I'm on vacation this week, so I thought I'd repost some of my favourite older posts for Pentecost. Enjoy this post from 2023.] The creation story in Genesis famously imagines the chaos out of which God creates life as being a fathomless ocean. Whatever else we might think about this story, it rightly places water … Continue reading Come, Drink: A Reflection for Pentecost 2023 [Repost]
Just in time for Pentecost Sunday, it's time to bring my historical survey about the Holy Spirit to a close with some theological affirmations and a call to action.
Last week, in reflecting on the Parable of the Talents, we saw how it’s important not to take the master figure’s callous, ‘The rich get richer,’ attitude as Jesus’ stance on economics, as though he’s advocating a ‘trickle down’ economy or a ‘prosperity gospel’, in which wealth is a sign of God’s favour and poverty … Continue reading Generosity in God’s Kingdom: A Reflection on Matthew 25:31-46
Matthew Root 