“Lord, show us the Father…”
– JOHN 14:8
It’s hard to avoid the question: “What is wrong with the world?” as we look out over the landscape of the last few weeks. While there is beauty and mystery, hope and promise, there is also unspeakable pain and unknowable suffering. We wonder where God has gone? We wonder why it feels as though evil has the upper hand on things that are right and good. We need a place to run and hide. We need a refuge from things. We need someone to tell us that evil doesn’t get to win (even when victory feels more like wishful thinking than anything else) — a 21st century version of Quixote’s “impossible dream.”
Jesus’ closest group of followers — his inner circle, on the night of his betrayal and arrest, are told by their leader that he will leave them. Jesus informs them that evil will have an apparent upper hand and that the systems and powers of the world (those influences behind the influencers) will send him to a criminal’s death. Jesus will tell them ultimately, however incomprehensibly, that life will prevail over death. Having eaten together and having seen Jesus’ humility poured out over them as he washed their feet, one of them, while trying to make sense of all of what Jesus is revealing, makes a simple request:
“Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.'”
Said differently: “Jesus, we can’t make sense of the evil that is going to take you from us. We can’t get our heads around the idea of your departure, nor the seemingly delusional notion that somehow you’re going to rise from the dead.” So… just “show us the father… that will be enough.” In short, “we need our dad. We need a father.” Dads matter. The Father matters.
No matter the quality of our experience of being “fathered,” no one denies the necessity of a father. The disciples express our own heart’s desire: to be sons and daughters connecting neither to a distant patriarch, nor a philosophy, nor a disciplinarian. But, to a dad. For those who are dads, we wonder if we measure up. A small minority of us live with the reality (or even the living memory) of a great dad. That community of people is rare and beautiful — a reason to be thankful. For others of us — those for whom there is an apparent dad-gap — we perpetually live wondering if there’s a missing piece within us. Again, no matter the experience of our father, we need a dad.
So, we’ll honor the best of fathers this Sunday at Mariners MV — the protector, the inspirer, the strength, the fan, the one who gives us that tough love, and the occasional sage. To those who are fathers, to those who will become a father, those who serve as fathers to the fatherless, let’s celebrate together because we can all admit we need dads. The best way to honor fathers… is to live as children. Mariners MV will honor dads in a big way: we’ll have feats of strength (literally, the winner at each service will get a gift certificate for a steak dinner… No, not Sizzler or even Outback… better), patio games, mustache temporary tattoos, grilled meat and great music. Don’t let your dad miss it. It’s going to be great.
Happy Father’s Day!
Jeff
