Saint Philip and Saint James, Apostles.

The Collect.

O ALMIGHTY God, whom truly to know is ever-lasting life; Grant us perfectly to know thy Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life; that, following the steps of thy holy Apostles, Saint Philip and Saint James, we may stedfastly walk in the way that leadeth to eternal life through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle: St. James 1:1-12

The Gospel: St. John 14:1-14

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do 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 authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it." (ESV)

The Gospel for today is frequently read at funerals (with the increasingly common and quite disturbing omission of vs. 6b, where our Lord says: "No one comes to the Father except through me" -- not PC enough!).  Christ tells His disciples to avoid troubled hearts by resting in Him in the sure and certain confidence that He goes to prepare a place in His Father's abode for them.  As He says to Philip -- one of the two saints commemorated today -- while gently reproving him (thereby showing that the saints of God truly are, as the hymn says, just like you and me!) we can be certain of His promises because Christ and His Father are one, two persons of the same Godhead.

Christ promises His Apostolic followers that they will do great works -- indeed they did.  They did so to show forth God's glory.  That is the confidence that we can have as we boldly approach the throne of grace in Christ.  May God's glory be shown forth in us as well.