| September 21, 2008
You are welcome to reflect on this message From The First Baptist Church in America pulpit
People go to church for a reason. They stay away from church for excuses. But my guess is most folks come to church to feel closer to God; to know what God’s like and what he expects of us. John 14 is God’s autobiography, about whom “no one has seen,” and whom to know is “eternal life.” Couched in a discourse about Jesus “going away,” it’s like telling a kid he’s going to Disney World. And Thomas lights up, “Going? Where are you going? Can we come too? Heaven? Are we there yet?” Once again, Tommy missed it because he took Jesus literally. He wasn’t talking about that kind of going.
This is the “Father sermon” of John’s Gospel. In 42 verses, Jesus mentions the word “father” 21 times, more here than any other part of the Bible: once every other verse. So Philip zeroes in on the “Father pericope,” with a word you don’t hear much these days: “Satisfied.” Do you know anybody who’s satisfied? I know plenty who are dissatisfied. Angry about double standards. Terrified of terrorism. Mortified by Mother nature. Worried about Wall Street. So here come Phillip, talking about contentment. And he knew specifically what it would take to satisfy him. Even though Jesus is going somewhere, it’s all right with him, if before he leaves, he’d … aw nothing much, just show us God!
Jesus demurs. "To know me, is to know my Father. Have I been with you so long, and you still don’t know me?” Isn't that why we go to church? Because we believe Jesus can show us God? It’s the heart of the theology of the Gospel of John: if you’ve seen Jesus, you’ve seen God. But they didn’t buy it. So the church turned it upside down: starting with God, to get to Jesus. Referring to the things that make God God -- like perfection or the supernatural, and rely on a heiarchichal paradigm to explain Jesus from the top down. But the theology of the Fourth Gospel took it from the bottom up. "Anybody who’s seen Jesus has seen God.” John didn't start with his views of God and say that's who Jesus is. Rather, he told us about Jesus and said that’s what God’s like.
Jesus sounds deeply disappointed in his disciples. "How can y’all say, 'Show us the Father?’ Have I been around all this time and you still don't get it?” Aren't we here today for the same reason Philip was there then? "Show us the Father, and we’ll be satisfied!" Yeah, it's nice to come to Sunday morning worship. Sing those good ol’ gospel songs. And be reassured that we’re doing everything right in order to get to Disney World. But the bottom line’s the same for us as it was for Philip. Like those Greeks in Jerusalem who wanted to see Jesus, we want to see God! Then we’ll be satisfied.
Since that day in the River Jordan, when the Dove lit Jesus, and the Voice thundered from heaven, Jesus knew who his Daddy was. God proudly claimed him as his own and was “well-pleased” with him before he did anything. Jesus didn’t have to earn his Father’s acceptance. And look at the person that kind of fatherly confirmation created. A lot of society’s problems can be traced to unclaimed children, who’ve been bred but not fathered. The result of either doting or negligent parenting.
"Lonesome Dove,” by Larry McMurtry is a western saga about a father who wouldn’t claim his son. “Newt” was a young orphan, but everybody knew who his Daddy was, but him. Captain Woodrow Call fathered young Newt. But because his mamma was a hooker, and he was drunk that night, this proud Texas Ranger wasn't sure Newt was his. So no name for Newt. As the epoch unfolded, it became apparent that Call was his father, because of his overprotectiveness and their similar personality characteristics.
Once Newt was breaking a wild horse and that was a dead giveaway. Augustus McCrae, who knew Call like a brother could see it, "You know Woodrow, Newt breaks horses just like you! When are you gonna claim that boy and give him your name?” Too ashamed to give him his name, because “I don’t know he’s mine!” So what if he is somebody else’s? So what? Every kid needs a father, even Jesus.
Finally and feebly, after a lot of pressure from people he cared about, this raw wrangler made the best effort he was capable of. He gave Newt his father's prized pocket watch and his beloved horse, which he valued more than his name. But he never gave Newt his name. Who’s my Daddy? Newt’s plea is the same as Phillip’s. “Show me my father and I’ll be satisfied!” His lifelong quest went for naught, because a watch and a horse was all he got. And that's more than some kids get!
The theological implications of this text are astounding. When Philip said, "Show us the Father,” we know what he meant. Unlike Newt, he wasn’t talking about an earthly father. "Philip why do you say, 'Show us the Father'? Have I been with you so long and you still haven’t caught on? Whoever has seen me, has seen God!" That’s the most staggering thing any human being has ever said. And this one could back it up. It’s mind-boggling. But obviously for the disciples, it wasn’t obvious. God veiled in human flesh never is.
Isn’t there something of Newt and Philip in us -- that longs for God to be more discernable? Like maybe if Jesus had jumped from “the pinnacle of the Temple” in Jerusalem? That would show them! Then we couldn’t help but believe. And all this church-stuff would be a snap. No need for anymore excuses. If Jesus jumped and was “rescued by angels,” then we could say, "Now what's your excuse? Didn't you see that?" But God never comes to us in cinemax technicolor.
So Philip verbalizes the hear of John’s Gospel: "Show us the Father, and we'll be satisfied." Will we now? And Jesus said, "But I've been with you all this time?” What had they been seeing? Once they encountered a woman with a 12 year hemorrhage. She tried everything with all the healers of her day and still couldn’t stop bleeding. In lonely desperation one day, she stretched out her hand to “touch the hem of Jesus' garment” and immediately was made whole. Jesus was so sensitive, he felt that! “Who touched me?" The disciples were incredulous, "What do you mean, 'who touched you?' There are hundreds of folks bumping into you." Bless their hearts, they didn't know the difference between a shove and a touch. But Jesus did. "Who touched me?" Didn't they get that?
Another time a quarantined leper cried out and Jesus went over to him, when nobody else would bother. This time He did the touching. And the leper was never the same again. It flew right over their heads! And they’re back at it again: Just "show us God, and we’ll be satisfied." Then James and John, Zebedee’s “sons of thunder” tried to get Jesus to by-pass Samaria, exposing their racial prejudice against half-breeds. But Jesus cut a bee-line to Jacob’s well, to widen their hearts, and stretch their souls, and teach them what they should’ve learned a long time ago -- that all people matter to God. Oh, that sounds nice, but ... "We wanta see God!" Some mothers came with their babies; they wanted to see Jesus too. There were no sitters in those days so they had to drag their babies along. And the babies started to cry and needed their diapers changed. But the disciples had enough of this baby stuff, "Get these kids outa here! We're trying to run a kingdom, for God’s sake!" And Jesus said, "Don’t forbid the little children to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven." And the disciples said, "Well that's touching. But we come to church to see God!” “Show us God and that’ll do it!" Even stalwart John the Baptist wanted Jesus to show him something. "Are you the one to come...or should we look for somebody else?" What’s it gonna take? He’s the forerunner. “Are you the one, or not?” And Jesus refused to answer him. But he did say, “If you don’t believe my words, look at my works.” "Go tell John what you see and hear. The blind receive their sight, the lame are walking, the poor are having the gospel preached to them.” “Ah we know about all that social stuff!” Just show us the Father."
"Oh, you wanta see God?" So he girded himself with a towel, and stooped over to wash their feet. "Not my feet!” blurted Peter. “This is embarrassing. All we want you to do is show us the Father, not some servant! Show us God and we'll be satisfied." And Jesus wouldn’t let up, doing his best to "show them God." And they never got it. So in one final attempt, he picked up his cross and bore it through the streets of Jerusalem. On the way up the hill called Golgotha, he stopped long enough to say “Weep not for me!” Have I been with you so long and you still don't understand?" They wanta see God and God was right there beside them! At least Father Jacob had been asleep when he said “The Lord was in this place and I knew it not” (Gen. 28:16). Can you think of anything more disheartening than being in the presence of God and not knowing it? That’s what disappointment and unrealistic expectations does to us. It blinds us to the obvious. They thought they’d only seen Jesus—just a teacher, a healer, an accepter, a humble friend. “Have I been with you so long...?"
Sometimes I wonder if God has any form. Or just some faceless power; an abstract, creative force. Then I come to church and listen to Ruth read the Bible. And it finally sinks in. God became very concrete, a long time ago, taking the form of a man whose face had a smile on it; whose hands had healing in them; whose heart was so full of love, there wasn’t any room left for all that other hateful stuff. “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.” What you’re looking for is already here. That means when we gaze into people's faces, there are so many eyes for God to smile in, so many hearts for God to cry in, so many minds for God to think in. I wonder if God even needs a form of his own.
Jesus thought we are the form God takes! “If you did it to the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did it unto me!" Look, we just wanta see God. That's why we're here. Show us the Father and we’ll be satisfied.” Well, seeing God is like seeing the only One who could say, "I and the Father are one." To some people, that’s blasphemy. Be that as it may. Now the burden on us, is to accept that. Do you really believe that’s the way God is? And if so, are you disappointed?
Pastoral Prayer:(9/21/08)
Give us a fresh way to sharpen our focus on the church. Not the external appearance, but the body of Christ, and us as its members. Each caring for the other and all working for you. We are blessed by the sacrifices others have made on our behalf. Remind us of our indebtedness to our forebears. May we never take lightly our inheritance and the opportunity that stems from that, which has been entrusted to us to leave to others better than we found it. Above all, thank you for the cruciform life of Christ, who gave himself that we might cease to crucify each other. But after 2000 years we still haven’t got it right. I wonder if we ever will?
We pray for those with special needs of courage: the bereaved, the divorced, the unemployed, the retired, all who will suffer from the greed of our financial crisis, and those to whom falls the responsibility of burdens other than their own, who’ve lived too long to live well. Grant us the hope of fresh beginnings. Bless all of these with a solid faith in your power to guide and provide. Be to all of us a present help in time of need. And may we always try to help others find God, by showing them ... Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen. Back |
