by Julian Mann, TCW
THE 1662 Book of Common Prayer celebrates St Philip and St James’s Day on May 1 with a beautiful and powerful Collect:
‘O Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting 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 steadfastly walk in the way that leadeth to eternal life; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.’
The St James here was the half-brother of Jesus. He became leader of the church in Jerusalem in the 1st century AD and wrote the New Testament epistle named after him, from which one of the Prayer Book readings for St Philip and St James’s Day is taken. He was not James the Apostle who was martyred in Jerusalem in AD 44.
The St Philip here was one of Christ’s original 12 Apostles, not Philip the Evangelist who features in the book of Acts. The Apostle Philip’s calling as a follower of Jesus Christ is recorded in the first chapter of John’s Gospel:
‘The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see’ (John 1v43-46 – King James Version).
That is an evangelistic invitation that has rightly resonated down the ages. Philip was in the unique position of being able to introduce his friend to the Incarnate Jesus Christ in person in Galilee. But any Christian anywhere after Jesus’s resurrection and ascension into heaven can encourage a friend to read one of the New Testament Gospels or invite them along to a biblically-sound church to hear the Lord’s saving message.
Christ’s invitation to anyone is to ‘come and see’ him with the eyes of faith. To offer that invitation on Christ’s behalf is surely the best expression of friendship there is.