Being Satisfied

John 14:9-11

Jesus 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’? Do 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. Believe 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.

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Hey, hey, hey,
That's what I say

I can't get no satisfaction,
I can't get no satisfaction.
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try.
I can't get no, I can't get no.

"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones

We live in a consumer society. If we can't see it, touch it, smell it, taste it, use it, and pass it then we really don't know. If we can't consume it then we really don't believe. There are dozens of reasons why this it true. One of the reasons is that we have seen and heard so many lies that we don't care to trust anymore.

False prophets will do that.

In this passage, Jesus has just told the disciples that their hearts should not be troubled. They don't have to be troubled when they believe in God and believe in Him. Jesus lays out the visual images of the great and wonderful kingdom where all believers will be citizens. Subjects to the King of kings now, we will be subjects in the Kingdom of Glory forever. But then Thomas and Philip get all "Triple A" on Jesus and ask for directions.

Are they not buying into the imagery? Are they looking for the Kingdom to be founded on Earth here and now? Unless they were witty enough to ask for metaphorical directions to the metaphorical dwelling place (which is doubtful) they were asking Jesus to program the GPS and send them to their place in the Son. Give them credit, they tried. Oh they tried and they tried and they tried and they tried. But of course, if they were looking for a room with an ocean view, they were disappointed.

Philip finally gets tired and asks to speak to the Lord's manager, the next guy up the corporate food chain. He want's satisfaction and if he sees the Father he will be satisfied. Jesus answers, "Don't you know me?"

"Don't you know who I am?" is the cry of every "D-List" celebrity who ever got arrested. but this is not what Jesus asks. From friend to friend, Jesus asks Philip if after all this time did he still not understand what was going on. The kingdom was breaking all around them. Signs and wonders surrounded them. The words, the works of Jesus don't come from him, they come from God above! They are the words of the Father. The father is with them.

And even if they don't get that everything they had done had come from the Father, they just needed to remember everything they had done together and that should be enough.

We seek satisfaction, when satisfaction lives all around us. This is the cry to stop and smell the roses, this is the cry to see that even in the quietest moment God reigns and be not just satisfied, but joyful.

Looking in the Wrong Places

John 14:8

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

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You broke the bonds
And you loosed the chains
Carried the cross
Of my shame
Oh my shame
You know I believe it

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for

"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" bu U2

Philip wants to see the Father. If you think "Doubting Thomas" was a tough nut to crack, Philip wants to see the Father. So what has Christ done? By this point of John's gospel Jesus has done a good deal.

He has healed the Royal Official's son. He has healed the man at the pool called Beth-zatha. He has fed the 5,000. He walked on the water and healed the man who was blind from birth. That's just a sample of the miracle stories.

He has also answered the many challenges of the rich and the powerful. He has touched the untouchable. He has brought Lazarus back from the dead and he has entered Jerusalem triumphantly. After all of this, Philip wants to see the Father. When is "enough" enough?

This is actually a harsh judgment on Philip, because we still ask this question everyday. We want proof. Our society, with instant internet and news access from all over the world, we want to see the proof for ourselves. It is no longer enough to hear the testimony of those who know, people want to experience it for themselves.

Jesus has broken the bonds and loosed the chains. Sin and death have no claim on us because he has carried the cross of our shame as only he can. Only Jesus can do this, Jesus who walked the Earth as God in flesh and bone. Jesus has done what we cannot, and still we want to see the Father. We want proof. Why? Because we still haven't found what we're looking for.

Our problem is that we tend to look in the wrong places. People treat their bodies like trampolines. People look for solace and salvation in a needle and bottle. People hide inside of caves and cloisters looking for something within themselves that was never there. It is when we look to what is there, when we look for Christ, then we will see the Father at work in the world and in our lives.

Future, Love, Paradise

Start the video at 2:25 because for some reason it restarts from there. Thanks.

Matthew 5:3-12 (NRSV)

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

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But if only you could see them
You would know from their faces
There were kings and queens
Followed by princes and princesses
There were future power people
Throwin love to the loveless
Shining a light 'cause they wanted it seen

Well, there were cries of why
Followed by cries of why not
Can I reach out for you
if that feels good to me?

And the riders will not stop us
'Cause the only love they'll find is paradise
No, the riders will not stop us
'Cause the only love they'll find is paradise (paradise, yeah)

Future, Love, Paradise, by Seal, from Seal (1991)

The image of the grand procession is one of the greatest glory in the Kingdom of Heaven. Imagine the Kings and Queens followed by Princes and Princesses, who (and this is so wonderful) shine the light because they wanted it seen.

These good Kings and Queens don't shine the light for their own glory, they shine the light for the benefit of their subjects. They shined the light to throw love to the loveless. What a wonderfully glorious image-love to the loveless. This is what the Lord wants us to do with the light given in Jesus Christ-to share it with others, others in need. God wants us to share love with the loveless.

This call is given for one simple reason, those who face adversity receive blessings in accord with what they faced. The poor in spirit will receive the kingdom. The mourners comforted. The meek will inherit the earth. Those starved for righteousness will be fed--and filled. The merciful will receive mercy. The pure will see God. The peacemakers will be God's children. Those persecuted for righteousness’ sake will receive the kingdom of heaven.

The light shines--because the Lord wants it seen. And when the light is seen, those who have held it in the name of God's righteousness will bask in the glow of God for all to see. They will bask not so that those who oppress and abuse others may be condemned by it, but so that they too may see it, and know to follow.

This is how God's grace spreads throughout creation, one light at a time being shared with someone who needs to see the light.

Get You a Woman

Genesis 2:18-22

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.” So out of the ground the LORD God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.

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Leroy, boy, you're my friend
You say how and I'll say when
Come and meet me down the street
Take a seat, it's my treat
You may not ever get this chance again
That empty feeling's just about to end.

We gotta get you a woman,
It's like nothin' else to make you feel sure you're alive.
We gotta get you a woman,
We better get walkin', we're wastin' time talkin' now.

Todd Rundgren, We Gotta Get You a Woman

There's a lot of hay that can be made about the sexist imagery in both the scripture and the song. I'm going to acknowledge that there is hay to be made and leave it in the field because there is something far more important said in both of these. It's as simple as this, we humans are not meant to be alone.

God knew that, Adam knew that too when he started naming stuff. There were a lot of good things in creation, shoot, all of creation was good. Still there wasn't a partner to be had in all of creation. So the Lord God made it so.

It is still not good for any of us today to be alone. We are called to live in community. That means the church. That means family. That doesn't mean that there are not times when we need a sabbath from one another. But there must still be a place where that person can be at home for support and love.

Just one more note about the language. The Hebrew word for "helper" is used in scripture several times. Usually it is used for kings and rulers meeting other kings and rulers. These helpers are peers and they are powerful. Where one is powerful, two together can meet the world come what may. In Genesis, the man's powerful peer helper is the woman. Together they are more than they are separately. This is the partner the Lord God intends us to have and the partner the Lord God intends us to be.

How badly do we all need that sort of partner, as Todd sings, And when we're through with you, we'll get me one too.

Hospitality--Care for the Angels

Hebrews 13:2

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.

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You've got to fly (Fly high)
Fly to the angels
Heaven awaits your heart
And flowers bloom in your name
You've got to fly (Fly high)
Fly to the angels
All the stars in the night
Shine in your name

"Fly to the Angels" by Slaughter

In this world, lives intersect and then they go their separate ways. This truth is so simple it's almost meaningless. It happens everyday. Is it the parking lot at the store? Is it in some line somewhere, whether it be Micky D's or the DMV? Is it someone who comes to where you work because they need what you can provide? Or is it vice-versa, you go to their office because you need something?

There are a million answers to this quandary, that's why it's almost meaningless. Maybe meaningless is the wrong word, random is much, much better. But there are other times when that person you meet in the fleeting moment is not so random, and the moment is not so fleeting.

The basic 90's power ballad, I love those over-produced, over-emotional, over-wrought songs; I really do. This is a great one. It's about that moment when lives that once were intersected are now separated, and there's regret. There's remorse. Let's face it, he's mourning. Did they break up? Was it something more permanent? The song really doesn't say, but there is inconsolable grief in Mark Slaughter's words and voice.

There is one thing he does seem to know though, he knows he has been with an angel. In this one shining moment of his life he was with an angel. At one time they were strangers, but now he knows that he was with an angel. He may not have known she was an angel at the time, but he does now.

There is only one way in this life that we can avoid remorse, and that's to live every moment to the fullest. Only by showing love and care-hospitality if you will-can we avoid remorse and regret. Separation should always cause grief and mourning. If we did not love we would not feel those emotions. But regret only comes when we fail to do as we ought.

Only in showing love and hospitality to strangers do we affirm that we show love and hospitality to those we see everyday. Only by living fully in the moment can we experience the touch of angels in our lives. Be aware, be alert, and always respond in love and care-in hospitality. Then the angels will bless you too.