The God Who Kneels

The God Who Kneels is a meditative journey in John 13. The Apostle John opens the door and invites us into the upper room to relive the words and actions of Jesus. He writes us into the scene and gives us a seat at the table. On Thursday night, Jesus gave his followers two simple object lessons during the evening meal. He washed their feet and he broke bread. These two enduring acts go a long way in defining the mission of God and the body of Christ. They merge real hospitality and deep sacrament. The towel and the basin, and the bread and the cup, signify the essence of Jesus's kingdom strategy. The disciples missed the meaning of Jesus's message the first time around. Like them we need a fresh experience of the upper room to grasp the Savior's humility and glory. Less than twenty-four hours before the crucifixion Jesus offered his disciples a vivid parable of the atonement and a true picture of discipleship. This forty-day Lenten series is a close reading of the biblical text revealing the significance of the God who kneels for today's discipleship.

""In this richly textured study of John 13, Doug Webster takes us behind the closed door of the upper room and into the heart of the lavish love of Jesus for his disheveled disciples. This is a book for all Christians who want to walk with Christ on his way to the cross.""
--Timothy George, founding dean, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University, Birmingham, AL

""This type of writing frees Doug Webster to do what he does best--enter the biblical text. He doesn't try to shoehorn in a thesis or particular hermeneutic. Rather he just invites you deeper and deeper into John's Gospel until you find yourself in the upper room, stunned to behold the Savior on his knees.""
--Craig Barnes, President, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ

""Doug Webster's strong, balanced, and nuanced exposition of John 13 caught me off-guard. These daily meditations made me feel like I was in the upper room dealing with the shallowness of my life and the penetrating reality of Jesus's humility and love. The Holy Spirit pushed me past cliched sermons and familiar platitudes and drove the message of the God who kneels deep into my soul.""
--Daniel Deaton, Captain, Chaplain Corps, United States Navy (retired)

""In a time when we seem to be awash in devotional resources of various styles and qualities, which fluctuate between those that emphasize simple practices and those that offer 'all too quick and easy' application, Doug Webster sets a high standard with his meditative theology, The God Who Kneels. . . . Each daily reading is brimming with insight, story, experience, and implication in the creatively layered way of John's Gospel.""
--Paul Johansen, Director of Discipleship and Care, Knox Presbyterian Church, Toronto, Canada


Douglas D. Webster is Professor of Pastoral Theology and Preaching at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama.