The more I see so much of public-facing Christianity descend into madness, the more I’ve appreciated Martin Luther’s distinction between a theology of glory and the theology of the cross. The former is triumphant and triumphalist and sees God’s blessing revealed in power, success, and wealth. The latter understands that as Christians there can be … Continue reading Genuine Glory: A Reflection on Matthew 17.1-9
In the Western liturgical calendar, the Sunday after Epiphany commemorates the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. It's an event that is treated as a defining moment for Jesus in the Gospels, but it isn't one that is easy for us to understand. Today, rather than writing a new post, … Continue reading Resources for the Baptism of our Lord
This Advent, we’ve been focused on the apocalyptic quality of the season, and how in times of community, national, and global crisis, we need apocalyptic — unlikely, tenacious, creative, and unapologetic — hope, peace, joy, and love to carry on and plant the seeds for a better and more caring and gracious future that more … Continue reading Apocalyptic Love: A Reflection for the Fourth Week of Advent 2025
In our world that has become so heavily imbalanced towards ideas like economic growth, efficiency, and hard work, joy is often neglected as something frivolous or superfluous, at best icing on the cake of life. But what marginalized communities know deep down from experience is that joy is far a ‘bonus’. It’s actually at the … Continue reading Apocalyptic Joy: A Reflection for the Third Week of Advent 2025
Last week, as we turned the page to a new liturgical year to the start of Advent, we saw how apocalyptic — that is, revelatory, unmasking — times, require apocalyptic measures: not just hope, peace, joy, and love, but apocalyptic — that is, unlikely, tenacious, creative — hope, peace, joy, and love. Today, as we … Continue reading Apocalyptic Peace: A Reflection for the Second Week of Advent 2025
Matthew Root 