Image from caleiforniathroughmylens.com
Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’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. Very 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. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever.This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.‘I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.’ Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, ‘Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.‘I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. (John 14:8-27)
Nellie and I are on our way to Portland, Oregon, for the 2016 General Conference. We had never seen this part of our country, and decided to drive. And believe us, we are being blessed by some gorgeous scenery and landscapes that are awesome. We drove yesterday over the Golden Gate Bridge after driving the roller coaster like streets of San Francisco. And our practice has been to find a place to have lunch and after getting our bearings, we decide how far to drive and so we usually pull off the highway and make a hotel reservation and input GPS location of that hotel and drive on. We pulled off the highway down a circular off-ramp and as we turned the final corner to come to the intersection, we see a vehicle blocking the intersection and a group of four teenaged girls and the driver of the pickup pulling a horse trailer filled with hungry horses. The girls looked terrified and one of them runs over and says their truck has stalled, will not stall, and perhaps I could drive around them. I see the space between the trailer and the curb is very narrow. But first I ask if they're all right. She said yes, and the mom is on the phone, which answered my followup question if they had a phone. I pulled the car close to the gap and set my emergency flashers on, and get out to ask the driver if she is okay. That's when I notice the engine is leaking diesel fuel onto the street. I also notice a couple of the girls are crying. I tell them they will be fine and we will get help for them. I also see the gap is wide enough for our car and so I get back in, drive to a safer spot and call 911. Long story short, the mom and I are talking and I discover they are Methodists and I am a district superintendent. The CHP officer arrives and I again tell the girls they are going to fine and off we drive.
I had been in their shoes before many times. It is a scary feeling; miles from nowhere, uncertainty of next steps; all very easy to fell alone. Today's passage says the opposite. Jesus assures Philip and the disciples, and us, that we are never ever alone if we walk with Christ Jesus, for He has provided an Advocate, a helper, for all who believe and we are never ever alone again. I love the closing of this passage, "Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid." Even in the face of uncertainty, doubt, the challenges of today, we have Someone with us; Christ the Lord.
PRAYER: Lord, be with us today, especially those unsure about the rest of today and the fears of tomorrow. You have spoken lovingly and clearly to us. We are not afraid and our hearts are not troubled, for You are with us. We pray in Your name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Prayer requests: Please pray for those traveling for the start of tomorrow's 2016 General Conference. There is much to do and we hope much to accomplish and we pray God's Advocate helps us discern God's will for the people called United Methodists.
