Let's begin at the beginning! Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy journey through the prologue of John's Gospel. They discuss the importance of space and place for John's community after the temple fell, how this text helps us look higher to God while also seeing the ways God is here with us, and what it means to be children of God.

Questions for Further Discussion:

Themes & Application

1. The clergy describe John’s Prologue as poetry, theology, and cosmic vision rather than narrative. How does this shape the way you hear or preach this text compared to the Christmas stories in Matthew or Luke?
2. Elizabeth highlights the Prologue’s roots in Jewish wisdom literature and Genesis, especially in the context of Jewish Christians facing displacement and exclusion. How does this historical lens deepen or complicate the message of “the Word made flesh”?
3. John emphasizes Jesus as the new “dwelling place” of God’s glory, replacing the temple and tabernacle imagery. What does it mean to understand Jesus as the locus of God’s presence rather than a place?

Personal Reflection

1. The clergy repeatedly name a sense of awe, mystery, and even silence as appropriate responses to this text. When was the last time Scripture left you feeling undone or speechless?
2. Peter speaks about a “divine deficit disorder” in modern spirituality. Do you resonate more with transcendence (God is beyond everything) or immanence (God is here with us) in your spiritual life? Which do you feel you may be neglecting?
3. John raises the question of what it means to “become” children of God if we already belong to God. What practices or choices help you live more fully into that identity?

Broader Spiritual Considerations

1. The conversation explores logos as a counter-logic to violence, division, and domination. How does John’s vision of the Word challenge cultural narratives built on power, fear, or exclusion?
2. The clergy discuss enlightenment as both seeing and participating in divine life. How does this understanding of spiritual “illumination” compare with other religious or cultural views of enlightenment?
3. Many spiritual traditions wrestle with the relationship between spirit and matter. How does this text speak into that question?

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