“Lord, increase our faith!” These words from the start of today's Gospel reading are some of the most relatable words the apostles ever speak, even if the demand does not work out well for them. Today I’d like to look at what might have prompted the disciples’ demand, how Jesus responded to it, and what … Continue reading Increase Our Faith: A Reflection on Luke 17.5-10
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these regular reflections on the Sunday readings. I had to smile when I was preparing for today’s post, since the process felt so familiar. Looking at the world around me, it’s hard not to think “Wow, things are really hard and all signs point to them … Continue reading Audacious Trust: A Reflection on Jeremiah 32.1-3, 6-15
There are a lot of passages of Scripture that require careful consideration, nuance, and exploration of context for us to understand them well. Today’s Gospel is not among them. It is among the simplest, most basic Gospel messages, at the core of Christian teaching (and Jewish teaching before it), and yet somehow it’s a message … Continue reading Do This and Live: A Reflection on Luke 10:25-37
“Grace alone!” was the rallying cry of the Protestant Reformation. While, on the one hand, this represented a genuine recovery of the theology of grace — especially for Martin Luther himself — it did so in a very particular way. In much of Protestant thought, grace is understood through the lens of “You can’t do … Continue reading Grace in Action: A Reflection on Galatians 6.1-16
In today’s Gospel reading, Luke 9.51-62, Jesus begins his journey to Jerusalem. Along the way, he encounters different groups of people, who respond to him in different ways. In light of the series on vocation that’s been occupying my midweek posts — and therefore my thoughts — of late, I couldn’t help but think that … Continue reading The World Reacts to Jesus: A Reflection on Luke 9.51-62
Matthew Root 