Observation: Philip has been waiting in eager expectation for a while now. When Jesus called him and his friend Nathaniel as disciples, He told Nathaniel to expect to see Heaven opened and angels ascending and descending on him. Well, now, Jesus is eating his last meal with his disciples, and while he's seen a lot of amazing stuff, Philip hasn't seen this divine spectacle quite yet. Maybe this is what's on his mind when Jesus says, "Show us the Father." But Jesus' response is perfect: "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." What you see is what you get.
Application: If you ask me, there is no finer example of a true disciple of Jesus Christ than former president Jimmy Carter. In many ways, he has done as much or more for the world since leaving office forty years ago as he did while in office in the late 1970s. Now well into his 90s, he continues to find time to build affordable housing, advocate for women in church leadership, and teach Sunday School in his local parish every Sunday.
But you don't have to be a former president to do all those things. The more I follow Jesus, the more I realize that my faith is sustained by the quiet, tireless work of regular folks who just show up and lend a hand when it's needed. We do it on Sunday morning as acolytes, ushers, tellers, Assisting Ministers, and the unofficial "welcoming committee" who's always keen to shake a visitor's hand and show them around. But for followers of Jesus, that's the tip of the iceberg. The stories that really inspire me take place during the rest of the week--people tutoring, hosting fundraisers, sending cards, caring for family members--maybe without a second thought to the idea that "I am following Jesus by doing this", but embodying his presence all the same.
When Jesus says "whoever has seen me has seen the Father," I believe he means that we don't need to see big miracles to believe. If we've been watching the loving way Jesus acts, we've seen heaven opened. We have seen the Father. And Jesus goes on to say we will do even "greater things" than he has done, because he is going to the Father. I'd say this takes the next logical step, to say that if we have seen our friends and neighbors doing the same loving things they saw Jesus do, we have seen the Father. There isn't much more to it. If that doesn't inspire your faith, then a heavenly ladder with angels running up and down won't either.
I say all this wistfully because I've just finished up a journey with a congregation in Urbana, Maryland. Their loving actions and discipleship have certainly boosted my faith this year. But right now, while I have some good things in the works, for the first time in a decade, I'm nobody's pastor. This will be a time for me to rest, recharge, reset priorities, and see if I can't seek God's kingdom outside the confines of a Christian congregation. I'm hoping to see what God wants me to see while I'm out there.
Prayer: God, show us the Father by showing us the works of Jesus. And when we see them, give us the discernment and strength to pitch in. Amen.
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