'Home is where the heart is.' It's as true a cliché as any. One of the consequences of having a rather itinerant childhood is that for me the idea of 'home' is not connected to a place. I never know what to say when asked about my 'hometown', and I never talk about visiting family … Continue reading The Way Home (An Advent reflection on Isaiah 40.1-10)
I’ve been thinking and writing a lot lately about how most contemporary conceptions about God are too small. The readings this week, as we settle into the hope and expectation of Advent, remind me that the same can be said for common ideas about salvation. For there is nothing that cannot be redeemed. There is … Continue reading The Big, Beautiful, All-Encompassing Salvation of our God (An Advent Reflection on Isaiah 29.17-24)
There’s a seeming contradiction in our tradition of Advent. On the one hand, it’s a time of waiting patiently in the darkness of life for the beautiful in-breaking of God, in the coming of Jesus: We as a people living in darkness wait eagerly to see the Great Light. Yet at the same time, it … Continue reading When the Dawn Comes
My favorite metaphor for understanding the different seasons of the Church year is that of light. It most logically belongs to the season of Epiphany, but I think it plays nicely with the themes for the rest of the year. If Christmas and Epiphany are the seasons when we proclaim: “The people living in darkness … Continue reading Who’s Afraid of the Dark? (An Advent Reflection)
Matthew Root 