John 14:8-14 (NRSV)
Read John 14:8-14 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.
Devotion
Do we parents have a clear sense of what God has called us to? The ELCA has over 2,000,000 parents and 1,200,000 grandparents. Are we all well-equipped for the challenging ministries we have today in our homes? Pastors and teachers are to do the equipping we find in Ephesians 4:11-12. Continue with Ephesians 4-6. Every congregation is called to be a seminary for parents and grandparents so youth can be prepared for this treacherous world. Here Jesus is clarifying, for his befuddled disciples, how it works. He is in the Father. They can trust that and if not, then trust the works the Father has done through him. They will do great works, even greater than he, because he is going to the Father. He will answer prayers requested in his name because that will also glorify the Father. As we listen to Christ, we are readied for exciting ministry.
Prayer
Jesus, wake us up so we don’t settle for mediocre lives. Feed us with your word so we don’t shortchange our kids with what you have to give them. As we live in you and the Father, bring forth great fruit in the lives we care for onto the next generation. Amen