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The Lord Calls Us!
Friday Focus 1 May 2026  
Feast of St. Philip and St. James
1 Corinthians 15.1-8 / John 14.6-14

 

God Sees Our Potential
 &
Calls Us to Join His Team

The Feast of St. Philip and St. James

The Stanley Cup playoffs have begun! 

In hockey, as in most other team sports, there are certain players that stand out and whose names become widely known; but not every player is a ‘Connor McDavid’.  There are some players who are rarely noticed or mentioned, yet without them and their yeomen effort, the team is not complete.

This analogy perfectly describes the two Apostles we celebrate today: Philip and James.

Philip and James were among the twelve chosen by Jesus—yet there are few mentions of them in the Bible.

Philip is named in the first three Gospels whenever they list the twelve apostles, but he plays no active role and has no voice in their accounts. He appears to be just a bench warmer who is rarely called to the ice. This changes in the Fourth Gospel. John sees something in Philip that the other gospel writers do not. John identifies Philip as one of the first chosen disciples of Christ who in turn shared his calling with Nathaniel, saying, “We have found Him of whom Moses and the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth.” In wonder, Nathaniel asked, “Can any good come out of Nazareth?” Philip simply answered, “Come and see,” and brought him to Jesus. 

Despite this promising beginning, Philip seems to be among those who have the greatest difficulty recognizing who Jesus really is. In today’s gospel reading, Philip asked Jesus to let him see the Father before he could be satisfied that Jesus and the Father are one.  No doubt with a deep sigh, Jesus responds that after three years together Philip still does not know Him—a first round draft choice who had not yet lived up to his potential!

The James we remember today (John 14.6-14) is described by Luke as James, the Son of Alphaeus, and not one word from this James is even recorded in the four canonical Gospels.   Paul, in his first letter to Corinthians, does mention James as the last of the Apostles to whom Jesus appeared. Paul seems to suggest that Jesus’ apparitions followed some sort of hierarchical order.

To distinguish this James from the better-known brother of John, he is often described as ‘James the Less.’ Despite this rather dismissive moniker, he went on to become the Bishop of Jerusalem and is also believed to be the author of the ‘Letter of James.’

Today’s Gospel teaches us three things:

  • First, the Apostles were perfectly human like us, prone to mistakes but were very open to learning. God does not call the qualified but qualifies those He calls.

  • Second, spending time with a person does not always translate into knowing that person. Experience and inspiration are not the same things. Philip, like the other Apostles, spent three years with Jesus but he still did not know him.

  • Third, asking questions is the greatest way to learn. Do not assume you know everything or that your opinions are perfect. You may be wrong.

Above all, Philip and James teach us that as ordinary as we may see ourselves, God sees our potential and calls us to join His team. 

Even though not much is said about them in the Bible, there is no question that Philip and James were part of team Jesus and that each had a role to play in carrying out the mission of the early church. Just because they received little notice, does not diminish their faith or the work they carried out in Jesus’ name. 

The same is true for most of us who quietly go about the work of the church day by day—not because we seek recognition or accolades—but because we love Jesus. 

Peace+ Norman