Forgiveness is at the heart of the Christian message. It’s also an idea that’s become very controversial and a matter of discussion and debate in society at large (and not without reason). Forgiveness was also a contentious topic in Jesus’ day, as, then as now, people wanted hard and fast rules about it. But Jesus, … Continue reading A Question of Forgiveness: A Reflection on Matthew 18.21-35
This past Sunday's post talked about the continuity between what God desired for the world before and after Jesus' death and resurrection. Before, the message was about restoring relationships through repentance and forgiveness of sins; and after, the message remains restoring relationships through repentance and forgiveness of sins. This message is one we badly need … Continue reading On Repentance and Forgiveness
Over the past couple weeks, I've been reading a beautiful essay collection called One Long River of Song, by Brian Doyle, who passed away due to complications from a brain tumor in 2017. One essay that particularly stuck out to me, called "Everyone Thinks That Awful Comes by Itself, But It Doesn't," begins like this: … Continue reading The More Things Change…
The reading today from Genesis recounts what is for my money one of the most powerful stories in all of Western religion: Joseph's reconciliation with his brothers. While I have never done a deep-dive on this passage here, I have commented before on Joseph's remarkable, gracious reframing of his brothers' betrayal in terms of God's … Continue reading A Tale of Two Brothers
In this week’s post on character strengths, or the good fruit our lives can bear, we turn to forgiveness. This is a — if not the — foundational Christian teaching and practice, but it has become very controversial in popular culture in recent years. As society has shifted its consciousness more and more towards the … Continue reading Forgiveness
Matthew Root 