“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—” ‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It’s been a few years since John last saw Jesus.  

What a whirlwind.  What a wild ride. In just three years, he watched his cousin turn into his Lord.  And yet he was more than just the Son of God. He was his friend.  

But as John sets out to write his take on what happened. He can’t shake a conversation with Philip.  Philip said, just show us the father. Jesus said. If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the father.  

When Jesus says, I chose you. I love you. I am with you. He’s speaking not just on his behalf but also on the Father’s behalf. 

What kind of father?

A father like Armand had. 

I’m reminded of a story that came out of the rubble of an Armenian earthquake years ago. An 8.2 magnitude earthquake killed 30,000 in less than 4 minutes… buildings were reduced to nothing… one of which was a school.  One father ran to the school. When he got there, rescue efforts had stopped due to the devastation. No one could have survived.  But he thought… I’ve always told my son I’d be there for him. So he started searching. He found where his son’s class would have been and started digging. As he began to dig, well-meaning parents tried to pull him out of the rubble, saying: “It’s too late!”  But he continued to dig for eight . . . 12 . . . 24 . . . 36 hours. Then, in the 38th hour, he pulled back a boulder and heard his son’s voice. Immediately, he screamed, “ARMAND!” Back came the words, “Dad!?” I told them! I told the other kids that if you were still alive, you’d save me! You promised me you’d always come for me!” A determined father, a promise kept, and a stone rolled away to reveal life and give freedom.

The story of Armand, I knew you’d come. 

The word became flesh… made his dwelling among us. John is recounting how much the father loves him.

Today’s prayer:

Jesus, thank you for showing us the Father.