So the word of God became a human being and lived among us.(John 1:14 – J.B. Phillips Translation) By any standard it would beextraordinary to findthe infinite, immortal constrained in time but to find Divinity where it knew full wellthe hearts of manand how they turned, mostly away – to find the all-sufficient taking onthisContinue reading “Flesh”
Tag Archives: Gospel of John
Logos
At the beginning God expressed himself.(John 1:1 – J.B. Phillips Translation) The urge to speak, to connect:is it heresy to find this in the Immortal,the all-sufficient? Havingno need of us, and yet He speaks –is Word. And we,the subjects of His sentences,are warmed by the light of His present tense, turningthis way, and that,choosing darknessContinue reading “Logos”
Unless I See: After Caravaggio’s “Incredulity of Saint Thomas”
No need to touch the scars; Caravaggio got that detail wrong. The sheer force of His presence made Thomas crumple, doubt ceasing where belief gained life, the parched taste, hesitant like salt, exultant like wine, as loosened lips croaked, My Lord and my God. Yet I am comforted to see both the outstretched hand andContinue reading “Unless I See: After Caravaggio’s “Incredulity of Saint Thomas””
They knew Him too at breakfast
where, on the shore, He hadalready assembled, as a table,prepared for expected guests,a charcoal fire, some fish laid out,and, being himself the bread,a loaf laid for good measure. No need, of course, for the fish they brought.No need, either, for that excess in their boats.To feed seven mouths plus His,that net-bursting horn of plenty was,asContinue reading “They knew Him too at breakfast”
Silent Day
“So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.”(John 19:42) This in-between space is our home ground:the time after glories and horrors alike,the time before or after sleep –and sometimes, sometimes it is a stretch, sometimes a quest, or a rest.Yet the tomb is crackingContinue reading “Silent Day”
Christmas 12: Seen (Nathanael’s Story)
…through the birth of Immanuel… (From the Collect of the Day) He saw me by the fig-tree, desiring yet resisting, drawn to know the truth of things yet not looking for it there. He heard dismissal from my lips, saw straight into the heart of things, called to life the truth in me; I cannotContinue reading “Christmas 12: Seen (Nathanael’s Story)”
Christmas 7: Lords and Lollards (For John Wyclif)
Into the realm of princes and thievescomes the child, comes the child,hay on his brow. Into the darkness that knew not the lightcomes the Word, comes the Word,truth in His flight. Into the sheep-pen where shepherds dig deepcomes the Cross, comes the Cross,ransoming sheep. Into indulgence and folly and pridecomes the King, comes the trueContinue reading “Christmas 7: Lords and Lollards (For John Wyclif)”
Christmas 3: Follow Me (For the Feast of St John the Evangelist)
Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” (John 21:20-21) Some followed to theContinue reading “Christmas 3: Follow Me (For the Feast of St John the Evangelist)”
Maundy Thursday
Like Peter, I am thrown. The new commandment is old – older than water – but never does it feel old when it knocks where the heart’s most calloused, with desert-worn feet, soles encased in grime and travail. Water washes, but the command penetrates. And the action – the knees bent, the teacher’s degradation –Continue reading “Maundy Thursday”
20 Contemplations #9: Logos
“…before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58) Eternity enters the human timeframe. Before movement had matter, He was: No beginning or conclusion; the same Yesterday, today, before all days. Even the hands of clocks he moves, sustains; And now He enters: the watchmaker within The mechanism; the infinite contained. Time baffles at the sight; whereContinue reading “20 Contemplations #9: Logos”
The Consolations of Writing 