A Reading
Thomas said to him, ’Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know
the way?
Jesus answered, ’I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the
Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.
From now on, you do know him and have seen him.’
Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.’
Jesus answered: …’Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you
say,’Show us the Father’?
(John 14: 5-9)
A Thought
When I was young and glasses first became available on the NHS, they had thick dark frames which to my eyes looked bulky and unattractive. I am quite aware that thick dark frames are now fashionable, but my perspective has not changed. I prefer frames which are thin and unobtrusive, and which are much better suited to an uninterrupted vision.
These are not without their drawbacks. Since there is not a lot to catch the eye, they are difficult to find when I have taken them off and put them down somewhere. This is particularly difficult since I don’t have on the glasses to help me find them. The question ‘Has anyone seen my glasses?’ is heard in our household several times a day.
Things that satisfy our wants are easy to find in a secular world. Holidays, cars, fast foods, celebrity status and self-justification are just some of the items that are thrown at us each day from every direction. It is easy to subscribe to such offerings. Seeing what you want is believing what you want.
It is much less easy to see God’s presence in the world. Honour, sacrifice, humility, service and patience are values and behaviours that Jesus endorsed as an essential part of life in heaven. Yet these are often overlooked in the secular world. Adopting a belief in Jesus and his values allows us to see his influence in this world. Believing in Jesus is seeing Jesus in the world.
Which brings me back to my glasses. I need to wear God’s glasses to fully appreciate his influence in the world, and I need to be careful not to put them down.
A prayer
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
Amen