Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”- John 14: 8

When I read through the gospel reading for Sunday verse 8 jumped out at me immediately. We use this reading quite often for a memorial service but I don’t know that I’ve ever paid much attention to this particular verse before. Today when I read it I almost responded out loud thinking “Philip is lying!” To even suggest that we might be satisfied if Jesus would just show us the Lord seems absurd, it’s just like a few weeks ago when Thomas said, I need to see him, to see the scars to know that he is real. I think it strikes me more deeply during this time, because I know that even though I may not see the Father, I know that he is with us in the dawning of each new day and close of the night, in the trees and the flowers that are coming back to life, in the hope that I feel deep within knowing that we are promised new life through the death and resurrection of Christ. Jesus was with his disciples that day and he told them that he was the way, the truth, and the life. They had to decide if they would trust in who Jesus was and claimed to be, they had to decide if they would do the works that he did, they had to decide that Jesus was for them and the Father was with and for all of them. I think that Jesus did a pretty good job of giving them assurances (maybe after a little bit of chiding…) for in the final verse he tells them, “If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.” And on the cross and then by the sight of the empty tomb, he proved it. I hope they were satisfied.

-Pastor Carrie

• WordPress