No Reservation Required

A little over 20 years ago, my family was driving to Florida, a two day drive, for Spring Break. I made reservations. At the half way point we pulled into our motel, only to find that a room was not available for us. There were no vacancies.

 

We pulled into the next motel. No vacancy. The next hotel. No vacancy. And so it continued.

 

After a while, my wife and I decided it would be more fruitful to drive to Florida through the night than trying to find a place to spend the night. And so we did.

 

By the grace of God we made it, but it was a frustrating experience.

 

Today’s reading is John 14:1-7. It is the last week of Jesus’ earthly life. He is gently preparing his Disciples for his imminent death. Jesus tells them he is leaving soon, and that he will prepare a room for them in His Father’s House, that is, Heaven.

 

All of Jesus’ disciples will spend eternity with him and his Father. That is good news indeed! There is no better place to spend eternity.

 

Jesus reminds his disciples that the only way to get to heaven is through faith in Jesus. “I am the way, the truth and the life,” he says.

 

The world tries to steer us to a different course. Our society tells us that abortion and an alternative definition of marriage are fine. Government money can help the poor, but if that money is channeled to a Faith Based charity, then leaders of that charity cannot preach the Gospel. There are even some spiritual leaders who tell us what we do is an important step to getting to heaven.

 

The list goes on.

 

We may be tempted to "fix" the world.

 

Well maybe, but our response to his love and sacrifice is to follow his “way”. Love our neighbors and spread the Good News that Jesus died for our sins.

 

The earthly road will end for all of us. Each of us will exit the highway and look for a motel room. Those that follow the “way” will find that Jesus has prepared a room for us.

 

No reservation required!

A really good road map

”Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me.  In my Father's house are many rooms ... I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”  John 14:1-3

I recently announced my retirement from my employer of 35 years.  Reaching that decision was a deliberative process of praying, thinking, watching, listening and trusting.

It was during this time that a manager, holding a document, walked into my office and said, ”You know, we have a really good road map.”  Having been given a directive three years earlier to build a new department, our team had clearly defined our “vision state” (what we would look like when we were successful) and our “current state” (our reality at the time we were given the mandate). And with that clarity, we had gone on to establish a “road map,” prioritizing and sequencing the measures that would take us from where we were to where we knew we needed to be.

So when the manager subsequently mused about our having “a really good road map,” my affirming response, “Yes, we do,” understated my joy within.  At that moment it was clear that, not only was she pleased and equipped with a clear sense of our direction, but she had the means to guide her team down its path.  We were all “on the same page,” and I could leave, knowing the team would reach its “vision state.”  It was an incredibly gratifying moment!

On the night in which Jesus would be betrayed, it was important to him that his followers grasp his vision state ("... that you also may be where I am”), his road map (“... I will come back and take you”), and also the means for commencing from their troubled, current state (“Trust in God; trust also in me”).  But when Honest Thomas confessed his lack of understanding, Jesus simplified things even more ...

I am the way.  Jesus, himself, is our path to eternal life; he will take us with him.
I am the truth.  Jesus' promise is sure; we can trust him to take us to where he is.
I am the life.  Jesus' eternal life is our eternal life.

Throughout the centuries, countless believers have trusted Jesus, the Truth, as the Way to everlasting Life.  Now it is our turn and, like those who have gone before us, our hearts need not be troubled.  After all, we have a really good road map.

Yes, we do.

All Saints' Day focus - John 14:1-7

Rooms in the Father's House

Does this title give you a mental picture? First, I hear the song in my head, "In My Father's House", by Audio Adrenalin. Then I get a picture of a big back yard where lots of people are having a party. There is a cookout, people are running and jumping and laughing and singing. There are children and pets, bounding back and forth –lots and lots of joy.

This week, as we continue our focus on All Saint’s Day, we have to conjure up these scenes. I am positive that my meager imagines fall nowhere near the real picture of life in Our Father’s House. My mind couldn’t even begin to wrap around the splendid reality of life at the feet of Jesus. I think this is why people who are nearing the end of life question what it will be like; because we cannot even come close to envisioning a new life in The Garden.

John 14:1-3 (NIV)
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

Truths like the words above make it possible for us to let go of a loved one who is dying. Words like these make Easter Sunday come alive in new ways. This is the hope we Christians proclaim to the world and claim for ourselves during dark days. All Saint’s Sunday is not a favorite holiday for me yet. I dread hearing the roll-call read by the pastors and remember the people I have loved and lost. I am not at that spot yet, but I do know that the ones I miss would not return to me, would not even consider for a moment leaving Jesus’ side.

Read John 14:1-7 here

Listen to John 14:1-7 here