John's Gospel is unique. He alone reports on Jesus' attendance at the three Jewish pilgrim festivals – Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot. He even reports on Jesus' attendance at Dedication (Hanukkah). John's Jesus is an observant Jew. Understanding the Jewish context, therefore, gives us greater understanding of the nature and purpose of Jesus' ministry. I wrote this commentary to illustrate this fact.The commentary is not a line-by-line exegesis of the text. Rather, I offer reflection...

This book explores the relationship between the Lord's Prayer and the Temple. Jesus frequented the Temple and referred to it as his Father's house. The prayer addresses God as our Father in heaven and blesses his Name (Yahweh). It petitions him for his kingdom to come on earth, for daily bread, forgiveness of sins, and deliverance from evil. These petitions relate to the artifacts of the Temple.The petition for the coming of God's kingdom to earth relates to The Ark of the Covenant...

Behind the pulpit and baptismal pool of the Baptist Church I attended in my youth was a quote from the King James Version of Proverbs 29:18, "Where there is no vision the people perish." That quote stayed with me, even as my own spiritual journey led me through various denominations and, finally, into the Episcopal Church. In my journey I heard many church leaders talking about the need for vision. From what I could tell that meant, our next best idea. I was shocked, then, to discover that...

As an Episcopal priest with an interest in the Jewish Roots of Christianity, I assembled this Haggadah for use in my Parish, St. Bartholomew's, Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey. During Holy Week we have a Seder on Maundy Thursday, the evening when Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples. It was his last meal for on the next day he died. Aware of his death he gave new meaning to two of the foods of the meal, the bread and the wine. He declared that the bread signified his broken body and the ...

In my forty-four years of priestly ministry, I presided at many marriage ceremonies using the 1979 Book of Common Prayer service. In addition to presiding at ceremonies, I met with couples intending to marry, and with couples struggling in their marriage. In this book I use the Prayer Book service as a means to reflect on the meaning of marriage.For example, most people feel that marriage should be defined by love. But just what is love? Other questions arise once one begins to ref...

As a priest in the Episcopal Church, I attended the deaths of many and presided over their burial. I found comfort in the rites provided for that purpose—The Litany at the Time of Death and The Burial of the Dead. These rites consist of prayers, scripture readings, and hymns. They proclaim hope in God's promise of more life to come. By commenting on these texts, and sharing my own reflections, I seek to share this hope with others.This hope is centered upon the revelation of God's ...

Jesus did not baptize anyone with the Holy Spirit during his ministry on earth. It was only after his death, resurrection, and ascension back to his Father, that he began this ongoing ministry from heaven. This book discusses the importance of Spirit Baptism, the purposes for which the Spirit is given, and the various manifestations of the Spirit-the gifts and fruits of the Spirit.For this book I draw upon my own experience of Spirit baptism, and my years of experience with the man...

As the subtitle suggests, "The God of Abraham Praise," is a short course in Christian belief. It consists of 15 lessons and three appendices. I wrote this course for my pupils who were preparing for their confirmation in the Episcopal Church in the spring of 2011. I entitled the course, "The God of Abraham Praise," after a hymn by that name written by Thomas Olivers and first published in 1775. As the story goes Olivers was drawn to worship in a London Synagogue one evening and he heard a ...

Though the sabbatical year occurs every 7th year, this was my first sabbatical after 30 years of ministry. I needed to get away and cease my labors for I had buried too many beloved parishioners in the 24 years of service in my present parish. Graciously, my parish sent me off to Israel for 28 days. I spent 3 weeks in Jerusalem and 1 week in Galilee. I also took side trips to Herodian, Bethlehem, Masada, Qumran, and Beit Shean. I traveled alone and by foot most of the time. I set my own ag...

As an Episcopal priest, I was motivated to write this book on the Ten Commandments after a visitation by our Bishop to our parish. The Bishop inquired of the congregation if they thought the Ten Commandments were important. Every hand went up to affirm they were. He then asked if they could name them. No hand was raised. I then undertook to write on the commandments to use for instruction with my parishioners.The present work is a revision of the original written some time ago. I u...

"What is love?" was the most frequently searched question on Google in 2014. In an attempt to answer that question I developed a chart entitled "Ways of Loving." Whenever I encountered an author that tried to define just what love is I added his definition to the chart. These authors are theologians, philosophers, psychologists, or psychiatrists. I also included the teaching of Jesus known as his "Golden Rule." I developed the chart as a tool to use with the people I counsel as a Christian...