Pastor John, Volume II

Book excerpt: John’s Gospel can be both inspiring and bewildering. This book enables insight into the Gospel in a fresh way. How is it that we respond to it as we do? Understanding is enhanced by studying the text and by being aware of the kind of responses we make. Reading and working with it will deepen fellowship and skill in pastoral care. John’s text is mined for gems of insight into ourselves and as a rich resource of ample illustrative material for preachers and teachers. This book elucidates chapters five to nine of the Gospel, presenting insights that involve us in the story. The content derives from years of teaching John’s Gospel in workshops and reflection groups in varying church contexts. Guidance is given in working in this way and in how we can share our insights with each other in the light of the text. This experience of John’s Gospel is illuminated using recent ways of reading. What the story means is conveyed in detailed Bible study. It becomes real for us. How this happens is explored by understanding the process of reading and by observing our reactions to the text. John’s Christ becomes central to who we are.