Thursday, March 19, 2015

We wish to see Jesus

JOHN 12:20-21

Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
Lord,
I remember seeing that statement:
"Sir, we wish to see Jesus."
It was written on the preacher's side
of the pulpit in the chapel at my seminary.

Only the preacher could see it
written on a brass plaque at eye level
as I sat preparing to preach my senior sermon:
"Sir, we wish to see Jesus."

There it stood as a reminder
to everyone who took to that pulpit:
show us the Savior,
point us to the Prince of Peace,
reveal to us the Risen Christ,
tell us again the Truth of God's love.

Still today, Lord,
I hear those words echo in my mind
Every Sunday
as the people of God gather for worship
"Sir, we wish to see Jesus."

But not only in church, Lord
every time I walk down the street
everyone I meet those echo words:
"Sir, we wish to see Jesus."

In every store,
in every greeting,
in every stranger,
in every friend,
in every co-worker,
in every hurting heart,
in every hospital room,
in every nursing home,
in every new birth,
in every death,
in every prison cell,
in every student,
in every child,
in every adult,
in every language and nationality,
the words still echo:
"Sir, we wish to see Jesus."

Today, Lord,
and everyday
the world calls to us Christians:
"Sir, we wish to see Jesus."

My prayer is the same today
as it was the first time I read that plaque:
"Lord,
help me,
help us,
show them Jesus."
Amen.

No comments:

Post a Comment