"Show Them Jesus"

“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.’ Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.”
John 12: 20-21

Canterbury Cathedral in England (Photo from Wikipedia)
The cornerstone of a cathedral in England (I can’t remember which one this morning.) has carved simply,  “To Show Them Jesus,” nothing more and nothing less. It is a simple statement to remind those who run the cathedral and worship in the church of their calling as Christians.

In The Book Of Common Prayer, this is one of the promises of which we remind ourselves at Baptism. Our job as Christians is to show the world Jesus in all that we do.

The actual question is:
“Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?
I will with God’s help.” (BCP, 305)

Our Cathedral at the top of Eagle's Nest in Vail, CO
Photo by Christopher Lukanich
How often do we forget this in our day-to-day lives? We don’t have to make sure that people behave the way we want them to behave. We aren’t expected to fix everything in the world through our mission work. That doesn’t mean we don’t try. We are commissioned to show the world who Jesus is and how he shows us who God is.  This means that we must pay attention to our actions, and just as importantly, our reactions to those around us.

We must try to temper our reactions with love and treat one another with care always. People will remember how we behave under stress and in moments of great joy and they will see how our faith in Jesus fills us up. Our understanding of grace will shine through in those moments but until they come we are called to practice showing the world Jesus each day. Because practice becomes habits.

As a church, I find that people are longing for truth and all the gimmicks in the world amount to nothing if the truth of our being isn’t there. Do our programs and missions respond to our primary purpose?

We all carry Jesus with us.
Photo and Box by Christopher Lukanich 
The question we ask as a church and as individual Christians is this: “Does this event or interaction “Show Them Jesus?” Nothing more is required of us.

Conversation Starters:
  • What is a habit?
  • What are our habits as a family?
  • What is a commission?
  • How is God calling me to “Show them Jesus”?
  • How is God calling our family to “Show them Jesus”?



To learn more about cathedrals read David Maccaulay's Cathedral.





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