INTRODUCING  PHILIP, 

INTRODUCING  JESUS, 

INTRODUCING  GOD  THE  FATHER

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Introducing Philip, Introducing Jesus, Introducing Got the Father.”

Today is the feast of Saints Philip and James.

I just want to say a few words about Philip - leaving James for another day.

The thought that hits me for a homily this morning about Philip is the human interaction called, “Introducing someone to someone.”

We do that at times.

I do a lot of weddings. One of the things I often hear is how a couple met and often it’s because someone introduced someone to someone.

Have you ever introduced someone to someone and they got married?  

At get togethers we often get the opportunity to introduce someone to someone else. “Hi! Janet, let me introduce you to my mother-in-law, Jane.”

PHILIP THE INTRODUCER

There’s not much in the New Testament about Philip, but what we have can introduce us to a few neat things to ponder.

Philip, being an apostle, is mentioned in all 4 gospels  - but very, very  little in Matthew, Mark and Luke. John has a bit more. John introduces us to several information items about Philip. The Acts of the Apostles has a lot more - but today’s gospel is from John.

Philip introduces Nathaniel to Jesus in John 1: 43 ff. Philip introduces the little kid with the bread to help with the great Eucharistic text in John 6. When some Greeks want to meet Jesus, Nicodemus introduces them to Jesus.  [John 12:21]. And in today’s gospel from John, it’s there that Jesus introduces Philip to God the Father - and upon reflecting upon these Last Supper words of Jesus that we get an earful from Jesus about who the Father is.

ENTERING THE TRINITY

Philip asks Jesus, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”

When I read that I’m hearing Philip saying to Jesus: “Introduce us to your Father - whom you’re always talking about.”

Jesus responds with the great text, “Philip. Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”

Jesus continues by saying that is exactly what  he has been doing. Jesus’ words are not his words, but the Father’s words. The Father is dwelling in him. What I, Jesus, am doing is the Father’s works.

W  W: words and works.

That to me is a great revelation.

To me that can be lost - in some of these mysterious comments Jesus  makes in the gospel of John.

Hopefully - a key reason we are in church - is to  enter deeper and deeper into God the Father and Jesus wants to introduce us to our Father. 

I sense people down deep want to know who this mysterious being called God is - what God does. They want to know the why’s of life - and sometimes they voice that by asking, “Who is God?” What is God like? or “Why did God do this to me? Why did this happen?”

I sense that we Christians separate God from Jesus when we get into this area of mystery.

Well, Jesus is telling us here in the Gospel of John - “Get me,  get God.”

“Get me - Jesus - walking around Israel 2000 years ago - and you’ll be getting into God - as you page up and down the roads of Israel with him.

Jesus is in the Eucharist and still on the cross in the suffering and the poor of the earth. I’m thinking mainly this morning about walking with Jesus on the pages of the scriptures - as he stops to talk, to listen, to heal, to feed others.

So we start with the Gospel of John and his mysterious and poetic way of speaking. We unpack some of that. It takes a lifetime. But we also move into the other gospels - and we see God walking down roads - feeding folks, healing folks, speaking to folks.

TO BE PRACTICAL: THAT MAN IS YOU

I think I got this - but forget it too, too often - back in the 1960’s - precisely 1964 when I read Louis Evely’s book, That Man Is You. 

His message was from the story of David in 2^nd Samuel 12: 7. David, the King,  had stolen Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife. He was one of David’s soldiers - who was off fighting while David was home having lots of siestas.  One afternoon David woke up - walked out onto one of his balconies and spotted this beautiful woman bathing down below. The rest is history. He got her pregnant - and sin unraveled.

To get David to see what he did, Nathan the Prophet came to David and told him about a rich man who stole a poor man’s sheep.

Someone with had many wives - wanted one more - and basically stole her from Uriah - one of his soldiers.

When David heard about the rich man who stole the poor man’s sheep, he got curious and furious and asked, “Who is that rich man who did that? I’ll make him pay for that behavior.”

And Nathan said, “That man is you.”

David got it and changed his life.

I got it when I read that book by Louis Evely that I’m every character - well not every character - in the Bible - in the Gospels - and when I read and hear the scriptures - all kinds of insights happen.

CONCLUSION

Well, in today’s gospel, Jesus is telling us about the insights that will hit us when we hear all that Jesus is telling us from the Father and when we see all that Jesus is doing because this is his Father’s will.

What is God like? Why is God like?  Who is God like?

Hello!   H  E  L L O!   It’s Jesus.