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Sunday, 19 March 2017

"I Am the Father... the Father Is in Me."

"I ask for the desire to pray and meditate on behalf of my community of faith.  Today I pray for our wider church, an institution that is struggling, an institution that is experiencing conflict within itself, an institution that has committed atrocities for which it is attempting to make amends, but is not always aware of its privilege and responsibility.  We can be terribly easily distracted by minutia.  May we experience patience, tolerance, empathy and compassion.  May we abstain from anger, anxiety, arrogance, compulsive behaviour, self-centeredness, discouragement, and shame.  May we know and follow Jesus more closely, seeking justice, loving kindness and walking humbly."

John 14:9-14
9Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? 10Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

1)  "...you do not know me;" "...the father is in me;" "...dwells in me;" "...do the works that I do;" "...will do greater works than these;" "...glorified in the son;" "...I will do it."

2)  I find passages like this so opaque.  John putting complex philosophical statements into the mouth of Jesus.  It is hard to get out of my head with such passages and into my heart.  I do really want to know if Jesus first sentence in this passage (v9) is a question or a statement.  I prefer it to be a statement.  After all this time, Philip still doesn't know Jesus.  That makes complete sense to me.  How can we come to know Jesus fully?  What arrogance to think we might.  So what is Jesus asking?  Once again, if I read "trust" in lieu of "believe" the passage opens up a little more to me.  I do hear the  compelling... "do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater." 

3)  What is the invitation in all this?  To walk into the mystery.  To hear the commandment to do the works that Jesus did, and to obey to the best of my ability. 

"Holy One, please, help me to love graciously, especially when it is most difficult to do so."

Breathprayer: "I am the Father... the Father is in me."

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