John 14:8-17 (NRSV)
Read John 14:8-17 on biblegateway.com
Verse 8Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Verse 9Jesus 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'? Verse 10Do 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. Verse 11Believe 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.
Verse 12Very 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. Verse 13I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Verse 14If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
Verse 15"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Verse 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. Verse 17This 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.
Devotion
“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.” John 14:11
Even while we lived in Minnesota, we had heard of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park, Maine. Rising above the volcanic mass, Cadillac is the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard at 1,530 feet, establishing its claim to fame as the first place to view the sunrise on the continental US. An incredible spiritual experience awaits anyone who wishes to make the climb.
It was a cloudy, overcast morning when we journeyed to the summit, and there would be no sunrise to see, only the low clouds churning around us. Up ahead was a young lad, hands clutching a spool of some sort, gazing upwards, but surely seeing only the same heavy, grey clouds. But as we got closer, we could see he was flying a kite! He could not see the kite; only feel the tension on the cording, like a life-line. He knew it was still there, even if he couldn’t see it.
And so it is with the Spirit!
Prayer
Holy Spirit of God, keep us tethered to you, even when we take our eyes off you. Surround us always with your holy presence filling our lives and our world with your surprising tugs. Amen.