Relationship at the Heart
This is the sermon I preached on Pentecost Sunday, June 5 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The text is John 14:8-17 . Today’s gospel is a really different approach to Pentecost. We’re so used to the excitement of tongues of fire and power and all the activity of thousands of people becoming believers in Jesus. Then we come to this quiet Pentecostal passage. And it all begins with a question, much like the one Thomas asked a few verses earlier. Thomas asked to be shown “the way,” while Philip takes it up a notch, asking to see the Father. The exchange between Philip and Jesus illustrates their relationship, the heart of this gospel. To answer Philip, Jesus talks about his interrelational relationship with the Father. Typical of Jesus, his answer seems like a non-answer. Jesus is in the Father and the Father in Jesus. This is a major part of what defines us as Christians—the relationship between Jesus and the Father. Disciples believe either through Jesus’ words, which come from the...