Show Us the Father

This was my last article for our monthly church newsletter:

I have been thinking a lot about the first chapter of the Gospel of St. John lately, especially verse 18: “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” (NIV) All of humanity is searching for a piece of the divine, but no one has seen God except for His only begotten Son. We all want something to believe in, something bigger than ourselves.

Later in the same gospel, “Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.’ Jesus answered: ‘Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” (John 14:8-10 NIV) Even the apostles, who spent three years with Jesus, were looking for the divine and did not realize they had already seen God Himself in the flesh.

Sometimes, the Spirit of God comes to us in an unexpected manner. I was very moved by the reaction of most of the people who visited the Good Friday Meditation stations. Many left in tears; all were deeply moved. In something simple we were reminded of the sacrifice Christ made for us that first Good Friday. One parishioner commented on the significance of a pair of sandals that were the centerpiece of one of the stations. These sandals, like ones that any man might wear, were meant to remind us of the humanity of the divine Christ. To think that God Himself became a human being and lived on earth is staggering. To consider for a moment that Jesus felt pain and joy in a manner similar to our very own feelings is really unbelievable. Yet this is exactly what He did. He showed us the divine in a simple, human way.

I think we humans tend to look for God to move in miraculous and extravagant ways, and He does. However, I think we neglect to see how God is at work in the small things of our lives, how He leads us (many times in ways we do not even know) in our decisions and in our life paths. We tend to live day to day without much time for reflection. I think if we could stop for a few moments and listen for the voice of God, He will show us how He is continuing to lead us. Remember, when God spoke to Elijah it was not in the mighty, rushing wind or the storm or the fire, but in the still, small voice.

My prayer for you is that God will speak to you in a special way this month. It is my hope that we all can slow down enough to hear the voice of God, to see His fingerprints all over our lives, and reflect on the great God that we serve. What a church family we will be when we all are tuned into what God is doing in the world today!