Today’s Gospel reading is Luke’s account of the encounter between Jesus and the tax collector Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was too short to see Jesus through the crowds, so he climbed a tree for the chance to see him pass by. (As a tax collector — and therefore a collaborator with the hated Roman occupiers — the … Continue reading Zacchaeus! (Seen, reprise) (A reflection on Luke 19.1-10)
I was thrilled to read last week about the opening of a Big House in Bella Bella, off the coast of British Columbia. The last Big House in the community was destroyed 120 years ago under suspicious circumstances, likely as a part of Canada’s attempted cultural genocide of Indigenous peoples. The event was a joyful … Continue reading Nostalgia the Joy-Killer (A reflection on Ezra 3.1-13)
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God. So begins Psalm 48, a stirring hymn of praise to God — not the distant God of the philosophers or even the cosmic God of the theologians, but the God who dwelled right there, with and among God’s people. As … Continue reading The City of our God (A reflection on Ps 48)
We in North America celebrated Labour Day on Monday. This means that culturally we’re transitioning into the Fall season. My thoughts have started to shift away from salads, shorts and sandals to stews and roasts, light jackets and layers and other trappings of the season that is on its way. This shift came to mind … Continue reading All is Kairos (A Reflection on Luke 5.33-39)
The lesson appointed for today from the Acts of the Apostles tells the story of two men in very different circumstances whose lives are about to intersect in a way neither of them could have expected. It’s a common literary trope, and reads like the blurb on the back of a novel. And as is … Continue reading A God of Surprises (A Reflection on Acts 9.1-20)
Matthew Root 