Behold “hymn”

We sing a lot of hymns at Roots. Old hymns. New hymns. Old hymns put to new music. Joyful hymns. Lament hymns. (We also sing many songs that are not in the typical hymn form.) And we do this for a reason. Matt Redman wrote a (non-hymn) worship song titled...

Sing songs of suffering

Dear refuge of my weary soul, on Thee, when sorrows rise,          On Thee, when waves of trouble roll, my fainting hope relies. (Lyrics by Anne Steele) Sometimes we have the impression that life as a Christian ought to be full of joy, peace, and contentment, and that...

Visibly distinct

You’ve likely heard Jesus’ statements known as The Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth…. Blessed are those...

Three insufficient views of love in the church

This past Sunday we attempted to grasp a biblical view of love. In that, we worked through some of the insufficient views of love in our culture. But the truth is, there are also insufficient views of love in the church, and these are often more subtle, and thus more...

Resolution: find a healthy church

If I had the opportunity to plead with you to make one resolution this new year, it would be that if you’re not already in a healthy church, find one and commit to it. I can’t think of a life change that offers more significant and more lasting benefits. So let me...

A speaking God

If you attended a church service on Christmas Eve, you likely heard John 1:14, which begins, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” And if you heard a sermon on this verse, you likely learned that John is referring to Jesus as “The Word.” In doing so, John is...