Bishop John Shelby Spong made an indelible impression on audiences and on our congregation in his lectures and sermon. A progressive thinker who re-examines Christianity by shining a strong light on the life of Jesus, Spong makes a return visit to George Street United in 2008. He is a prolific writer and widely published. Here is one of his poems:

	Look at him!
	Look not at his divinity,
		but look rather, at his freedom.
	Look not at the exaggerated tales of his power,
		but look, rather, at his infinite capacity to give himself away.
	Look not at the first-century mythology that surrounds him,
			But look, rather, at his courage to be,
			His ability to live, and
			The contagious quality of his love.
	Stop your frantic search!
	Be still and know that this is God:
		this love,
		this freedom,
			this life ,
				this being:
		And
	when you are accepted, accept youself;
		when you are forgiven, forgive yourself:
			when you are loved, love yourself.
				Grasp that Christpower
					And dare to be
						Yourself!

JSS from his book, “Jesus for the Non-Religious.”