There can be no doubt that Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus is, to put it plainly, weird. Rising from the dead is simply something that people don’t do. But more than that, the way the Gospels talk about Jesus after the resurrection is also weird: He can appear out of nowhere and walk … Continue reading Scars: A Reflection on John 20.19-31
One of the few things that unites all Christians is a love for the Bible. But, the Bible is a difficult document — or rather, library of documents — to approach, having been written by dozens of voices in different cultures and languages, across a period of roughly a thousand years, the most recent pieces … Continue reading Reading the Bible Better: Understanding Biblical Genres
One of the wonderful symbols of Easter (at least for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere) is that this celebration of new life happens towards the start of Spring. And I’m definitely feeling that this year. There’s nothing quite like opening up the windows to a gentle Spring breeze, airing everything out after the … Continue reading Opening up: A Reflection on Bright Week
Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia! These words of the Easter greeting identify us as those who believe in, and claim the power of, the resurrection of Jesus. In short, they make it clear that we as Christians identify as being, in the language I’ve used the past couple days, an Easter … Continue reading An Easter People: A Reflection for Easter Sunday 2023
Over the past decade or so, Holy Saturday has become one of my favorite parts of Holy Week. In a world of twenty-four-hour news cycles, constant change, and consistent demands to do more with less, Holy Saturday offers a beautiful opportunity to pause. Even though it’s a day when on the surface, nothing is happening, … Continue reading Harrowing the Hades Within: A Reflection for Holy Saturday 2023
Matthew Root 