Our reading is John 14:1-9. I have read these words countless times while officiating at funerals. The background is straight forward – Jesus is telling the disciples he will be leaving them soon, and they are uncomfortable with that news. Jesus tries to comfort them by saying this is not the end. This is just a momentary separation. Someday, they are going to be reunited in paradise. They heard what Jesus was saying, but they have some doubts. Two disciples respond differently. Thomas admits his ignorance, he doesn’t even know where Jesus is going. Phillip demands proof. In verse eight Phillips says, “Show us the father and that will be enough for us.”
His request is not so absurd. You can’t really blame him. Everything about his life is about to change. Jesus is leaving! He spent three years with Jesus. He walked with Jesus. He talked to Jesus. He ate with Jesus. He sacrificed for Jesus. His dreams revolved around Jesus and now he hears Jesus is leaving. He will be alone, and everything is about to change.
He is not different from us. Our world is constantly changing. Going back to the past is not an option, and the path to the future seems unclear. With his insecurities on display for the entire world to see, he says, “Show us the father and that will be enough for us.” Have you ever wanted to see God? Perhaps, this is a better question: where do you look for God? It is my experience we look for God in various ways.
Some look for God in the spectacular. They want to see God in wide screen technicolor. That is how Philip wanted to experience God. Philip said, “Show us the father and then we will believe.” That verse relates back to the transfiguration. Do you remember the story? Peter has just identified Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus takes the inner circle, Peter, Andrew, James and John, to the top of a mountain. It is at that location that Jesus is transfigured. In other words, Jesus begins to glow. It is at that location that the two greatest characters of the Old Testament appear: Moses and Elijah. Moses was the great law giver. Elijah was considered the greatest of the prophets. The climax of the story is when God appears. Only four of the twelve disciples have that experience. The other eight get their information second hand. Philip got his information second hand and felt left out. Philip said, “Show us the father and we will believe.” In other words, he wants to have a spectacular experience with God too.
Some want to experience God in a spectacular way. That is why people study their toasted cheese sandwich for the face of Jesus. That is why people find the image of the Virgin Mary in their baked potato. That is why people see the image of the Last Supper in a rusting water tower. That is why people spot Jesus on a chariot in the clouds. They are hungry for God, and we are looking for him in spectacular ways. We want God to see God in the spectacular because we need proof that God is in control. Are you looking for God in the spectacular?
Some look for God at a specific location. Lakeside is an old Methodist retreat center on the Marblehead peninsula in Ohio. For decades, people have gone to Lakeside for family vacations and spiritual renewals. The Chapel in the Woods is not fancy, but it is sacred to many. I cannot tell you how many young people have accepted Christ there. I can tell you what one man said to me. He said, “Russ, I want to go back to The Chapel in the Woods to see if God is waiting there for me.” Do you have a place in your life where God is waiting for you?
In the Christian tradition, we go to the altar because it is at the altar we expect to experience God. For that reason, we reserve the most sacred experiences in our lives for the altar. We pray about our problems at the altar. We get married at the altar. We baptize our young at the altar. We bury our dead loved ones at the altar. When you go to the altar you just don’t hope to experience God. You expect to experience God! Are you looking for God in a specific location?
Some see God in nature.How can you question the existence of God when you see the leaves in full color during an Ohio autumn? How can you question the existence of God when the spring flowers bloom after a cold dark winter? How can you question the existence of God when you are walking on the beach? How can you question the existence of God when the snow is fresh, and everything is white? How can you question the existence of God when you stand on top of a mountain and soak in the view? How can you question the existence of God when the sky is filled with stars? Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) once said, Nature is the art of God.” Are you looking for God in nature? In our scripture reading, Jesus says we see God in sacrificial lives.
John14:9 is the perfect scripture for anyone who is looking for God. It says, “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.” There is nothing simple about that statement. It deals with our understanding of the Trinity. Jesus was divine, so his priorities were divine. Jesus’ priorities centered around His love for God and his love for mankind (Mark 12:30-31). He lived those priorities out in the way he treated others. He ministered to the marginalized, empowered the powerless, showed mercy to sinners and practiced compassion with humility. Jesus says if you want to see God, then look at those individuals who sacrifice for strangers. That reminds me of an old preaching story.
On January 23, 1943, the SS Dorchester left New York harbor bound for an Army Command Base in southern Greenland. World War Two was raging, and everyone knew the danger. On February 3, the Dorchester was torpedoed by German submarine U-223. The Dorchester sank in twenty minutes. There were 903 troops on board, and four chaplains. Everyone scrambled for their life jackets. A young soldier came up to one of the chaplains and confessed he had lost his life jacket. The chaplain handed his to the young man. Before the Dorchester sank each one of the chaplains surrendered their life jacket to save a soldier. The heroic chaplains then linked arms and lifted their voices in prayer as the ship went down. In time, the four chaplains were awarded posthumously the Distinguished Service Cross.
That story reminds us of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. Jesus and the chaplains made the ultimate sacrifice. If you really want to see God, then look at people who sacrifice for others. That leads us to an interesting question. Has anyone ever seen God in the way you live? It has been said, God loves you as if you were the only person in the world, and He loves everyone the way he loves you.
Russ Adams 