Knowing Our Father

“The one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.”

Jesus is talking about the Father, and the Jews know this; they know that Jesus is clearly stating that he is the Son of God, the Son of the Father; he is telling them clearly that he knows God, and has been sent by God. “I am from him, and he sent me.” There it is. No mincing words at this point in the mission, even if it will mean his death.

This is the very heart of Jesus being revealed to the world: the Father sent the Son, and the Son has accepted this mission in love – love for the Father, and love for us. Jesus’ bread is to do the will of the Father; the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing; the Son is obedient, even unto death, death on a cross…

What about us? We are called to be transformed in Christ – not just follow all the rules or be nice and share, but to be transformed IN him, conformed TO him, become one WITH him so that we can bring HIM to others. And when we are transformed in him, our motivation and desires will be the same as his. When we are transformed in him, our hearts should be like his: oriented toward the Father, in love. When we are transformed in Christ, when our hearts are aligned with his and our eyes are on the will of the Father, we are at last empowered and freed to bring Christ to the world and the world to Christ. This is what the world is thirsting for. This is what Christ is thirsting for. When we deepen our intimacy with Christ, the reverberations of that intimacy can transform the world. The deeper the intimacy, the stronger and farther the ripples of that love travel.

This is part of what Jesus came to teach us. We are created to be arrows pointing to the Father with our lives, for God’s glory, for our good, and the good of others.

We are each alive right here and now in a world that is in desperate need. It is in desperate need that we be who and what we are created to be: we are created and called to be leaven for a world enervated and deflated by sin and selfwardness, to be salt that enhances and preserves what would otherwise rot, to be light to every darkened place. We are anointed at Baptism to be God’s priests and prophets and kings! We are sent on mission, and this culture has a huge need for us to embrace that mission. We are created to be holy, and this world has a deep need for our holiness.

In Christ, we must strive to do God’s work God’s way, God’s will for God’s glory!

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