The Gospel reading today is one of Jesus’ famous “I AM” parables, and it’s always been one of my favorites: “I am the vine, you are the branches.” It’s a beautiful image of what it means to be united with God and of God’s sustaining energies that flow through us. But, as I was reminded … Continue reading Under the Shears (A reflection on John 15.1-8)
The other day a friend of mine (who has given me permission to share this) was talking about her mixed feelings about whether or not she wanted to have kids. She’d long said she didn’t want children but realized one day that it wasn’t so much that she didn’t want to be a mother as … Continue reading Freedom for?
You can’t judge someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. So says the conventional wisdom, and this is a (rare) case where the conventional wisdom is right. This proverb understands the truth that to understand someone’s behaviour we need to understand their experiences: their history, joys, traumas, motivations, hopes and dreams. As it … Continue reading Judgment
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)
Endings are arbitrary and illusory. “The End” is never really the end. Just think of most of our conventional story endings: the guy gets the girl, the hero saves the day, “they lived happily ever after,” and the underdog comes out on top — none of these are actual endings at all: the guy may … Continue reading Endings (A reflection on Mark 16)
Matthew Root 