John in July: The Way and the Truth of the Accuser and the Advocate (Jn 14)

“I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 I often like to claim a triple religious identity by calling myself an “episcobujew” (an Episcopalian Buddhist Jew). I honestly find wisdom, truth and helpful ways of living in Buddhism and Judaism. So how do […]

John in July: Listening to the Heartbeat of God (Jn 13)

In Listening for the Heartbeat of God: A Celtic Spirituality, the Rev. Dr. J. Philip Newell traces the rich traditions of Celtic spirituality from the first British theologian and heretic Pelagius, to the inspired universalism of Johannes Scotus Eriugena, to the earthy and ancient prayers of the Carmina Gadelica, to the imaginative works of George […]

Mary Magdalene, the Mother of Female Mystics

An interlude between reflections on the Book of Signs (Jn 1-11) and the Book of Glory (Jn 13-21): A reflection on Mary Magdalene for her feast day… For years, I have been drawn to the spirituality of female mystics like Hildegard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, Margery Kempe, and Teresa of Avila. And today is […]

John in July: “Christ, You Know it Ain’t Easy…” (Jn 12)

The Gospel of John seems to emphasize the divinity of Christ more than the other Gospels and some think that this emphasis overwhelms and downplays the humanity of Jesus. Indeed, a towering Johannine scholar of the 20th century Ernst Käsemann called the Johannine Jesus “a god who strides across the face of the earth” (der […]

John in July: Winnowed and Gathered Bread for the Winnowed and Gathered Community (Jn 11: 45 – 57)

On my first visit to the Holy Land, I often found myself wanting to linger over sites after the tour guide moved on. One time, after the guide showed us how ancient farmers would winnow grain, I succumbed to my desire and let the guide move on to the next site so that I could […]

John in July: Our Anger and God’s Sympathetic Tears (Jn 11:1-44)

Jewish author and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel once wrote, “I have not lost faith in God. I have moments of anger and protest. Sometimes I’ve been closer to him for that reason.” In Jewish spirituality, there is a freedom to question and even accuse God for the suffering in one’s life and in one’s world. […]

John in July: God’s Response to the Question of Suffering (Jn 9 -10)

This last week I sat in on a class taught by the Right Reverend John Shelby Spong or “Jack” as he prefers being called (pictured on the right). He taught on the subject of his recently published book The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic and invited the students to write a paper on a passage in John using one of […]

John in July: The Devil and Daniel… (Jn 8)

The Devil and the Daniels Chapter 8 of John includes one of the most beloved stories in all the Gospels as well as one of the most troubling. The former involves a woman caught in adultery and the latter involves Jesus and the Jews caught in a vitriolic debate. I want to approach this chapter […]

John in July: Failing to Nail God Down but Finding a Sermon and a Light (Jn 7)

Trying to Nail God Down The first chapter of John alludes to the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) (1:14), the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) (1:5), and the Feast of the Passover (1:29, 36). These festivals show up throughout the Gospel in the following order: 1) Passover (2:13, 23): Jesus cleanses the temple 2) Unnamed Festival (4:45; […]

John in July: The Bread of the Self-Giving High Priests (Jn 6)

“If Our Lord seems to be asking something from me I can be sure He is offering Himself to me in that way” – Caryll Houselander (Essential Writings, 48) This last Pentecost, I preached at an Episcopal church in San Rafael and said, “At Pentecost, we celebrate the profligate outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon […]