07 May SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2023
The Holy Gospel according to St. John continually makes assertions (bold statements of fact or belief) and also posits (assumes as fact for the sake of argument) the equality of Jesus and God. From his own mouth, Jesus says, “Believe in God, believe also in me.”
No one occupying a second in command position would dare ask followers of the supreme leader for allegiance or claim residency to his domain. That would be like the Vice President saying she has a right to occupy the White House. Yet Jesus does both.
He says, “In my Father’s house, I’m going to prepare a place for you and will take you there where I myself will be.” These are preposterous statements unless Jesus and God are not only related, but one and the same: sharing equal status, authority, and identity.
How does that knowledge provide comfort for Jesus’ disciples? Because they, meaning we, in this very moment are being spoken to by God. God has come before us, in person, directly, to reassure followers that his word is true and is being delivered by Jesus, God’s only Son, begotten, not made, but made of the very same substance.
C.S. Lewis said in Mere Christianity, “ A man begets human babies, a beaver begets little beavers, and a bird begets eggs which turn into little birds. But when [a thing is made, it is made different from self.] A bird makes a nest, a beaver builds a dam.” p.157) When you make breakfast or coffee every morning, it is its own separate thing rather than an offshoot of your being.
As you made that breakfast, tea or coffee, you were most likely at home, a place prepared for people to live, where existence is safe and secure, where family eats and sleeps. Home is that place where we sometimes work and other times rest, can enjoy ourselves freely and experience comfort. If we’re among the most fortunate people, home is the place we prefer to be. In our heart of hearts, we know our needs are met there and that what we seek in life will hopefully be found within those walls.
There, we have a sense of belonging and familiarity. What surrounds us is ours. Indoors or out, there’s no better definition of contentment than feeling connected to your surroundings, having your needs met and experiencing the overall sense that all things are part of one entire whole. A kind of unity exists where things aren’t divided or excluded.
No wonder today’s gospel reading is among those most often turned to for consolation. Jesus knows and understands what his disciples need. He knows what’s important to them, that is, us, and what it’ll take for them/us to feel comfortable at the thought of losing one’s connection to the familiar or the time of a loved one’s departure.
Jesus makes sure that his followers know and understand that they will not be forgotten. Yes, he’s going to leave, but immediately he goes to make preparations for them to join him in a new place. Paramount in Jesus’ mind is the disciples’ comfort. His words convey present feelings of warmth, care, and invitation. In the future, disciples will be most welcome to join him in the place he will be.
Recently, Steve and I spent weeks preparing for a visit from my son Simon and his girlfriend, Bex. Though staying over for the very first time, we already knew what would make them comfortable. We understand them and their preferences. It was important to create a space that afforded privacy, light by day and complete darkness by night, peace and quiet, freedom from clutter, a clean environment supplied with essential needs, decorated with thought, enhanced by beauty.
I advised them to play Goldilocks before turning in as there was quite an assortment of mattresses and pillows to choose from. We heard the next morning that the first pillow tried out by Simon was deemed “hard as a rock.” Apparently at those words, Bex smiled and happily said, “I’ll take that one.” Though we are all different, we share the same need for comfort that suits our way of being.
Jesus knows exactly what disciples need, too. They/we need a place prepared with us in mind that’ll bring us peace, comfort, and joy, a place where the presence of Jesus and others whom we love will make us feel we’re in good company, a place where complete rest is guaranteed, breathtaking beauty and pure contentment are possible. This place equals satisfaction by design for those whom Jesus loves.
Among Jesus’ followers, there’s no fear of knowing whether such a place exists, or that it exists, but we’ll never be able to find or afford it. Jesus’ followers, like guests of ours, know there’ll be no cost involved with staying. In fact, Jesus does us one better. He promises to come and take us where he is. Expenses related to transportation, fees or other expenses are prepaid by the host.
How is it that knowing all that, even still, we have anxiety about all that awaits us? How do we subconsciously fear that Jesus’ words might not be true or that somehow we’ll get lost? That is why Jesus reassures us, along with Thomas, that the way is none other than one we already know and will surely recognize. God’s divine GPS will not mislead us to make wrong turns or head us in the opposite direction of where we’ll find Jesus and have all our needs met.
In the weeks leading up to Simon and Bex’s visit, I forgot to declutter my car. Therefore, Steve and I ended up in the backseat of my Corolla with barely room to sit while the four of us headed to a restaurant. After the meal, we were trying to find some place still open serving dessert.
Seeing it was after 7p on a Saturday night, every bakery and pastry shop was closed but one, an Italian bread and pastry cafe. The GPS took us into several unknown neighborhoods, up and down streets lined with houses. They were built and shaped similarly to my grandmother’s in Philadelphia, a house I loved to visit. Everything about her house in the city was different to me.
None of my other relatives had sidewalks out front or an enclosed porch, no one else’s home had high ceilings or wallpaper, bay windows or wool carpeting, a clawfoot tub, rock garden or alleyway. There I was in the back seat, a place I never ride, forgetting about not being in the driver’s seat and traveling through unfamiliar territory. Instead, I was flooded with memories and identifying with everything familiar to me as a child.
I found comfort in the distraction. The next thing that appeared in what seemed to be strictly a residential neighborhood was a corner store with its door propped open. Painted on a hanging sign out front was the name Alvaro. We’d arrived.
This is how I imagine the transition from this life to the next will be.
Once we leave the familiar and step inside, we’ll discover a whole new world. At Alvaro’s we discovered a place where white starched and ironed tablecloths kissed glass cases full of homemade gelato, Italian cookies, cones and other baked goods. The air smelled divine. People were friendly and welcoming.
While partaking of sought after delights, we were invited and encouraged to return another day to partake of hot dishes prepared according to handed down family recipes. Should we return on a Saturday, we might even meet the first generation of family members who opened the doors to invite neighborhood guests within.
Our server was a child of theirs. She informed us that she, her siblings and parents procure fresh ingredients what’s needed every week to prepare the family recipes. Things are imported from Italy, as needed. Weekly menus are chosen based on clientele preference and what the Alvaro family is good at making. Such care and hospitality mirrors the gospel message according to Jesus.
Remember this: Just when we feel shaken or are tempted to panic, like the moment I realized my car was a mess with barely room to seat four people, we are comforted. Someone else proves willing to drive and navigate. While sitting in the backseat with things out of our control, we’re assured by what is familiar and known. Distractions offer comfort, and we’ll realize that we are, in fact, among people who love and care for us. Everything we need and hope for is provided.
If you have experienced such things as love, care, or hospitality, you have known and seen both Jesus and the Father. Life is full of opportunities to find our way, discover truth and live satisfied according to him who is the very source of satisfaction, our present and eternal dwelling place.
As the car turned left and right away from the downtown area and we drove down one narrow tree-lined street after another, I said aloud, “This doesn’t look like where you’d find any business establishments; look at all these row houses.” I was mistaken. Like Philip, I wasn’t recognizing what (or in his case, who) was before my eyes.
Jesus was yet to be beheld for who he actually was. Distracted by the familiar, our focus, too, sometimes misses what has been with us all the time. We fail to recognize what we have as what we seek.
May God help us to not make such mistakes repeatedly and to instead take comfort in knowing Jesus himself knows exactly what we need, has gone ahead and prepared places for us where we can be day by day and also in eternity. May we not keep presuming our satisfaction lies elsewhere and hold out hope that where we’re headed may indeed be the place we’ll find what or whom we seek.
Above all, Lord, help us to believe. Because only by believing will we ever be able to do work that glorifies both Father God and Son. Not only that, but if we believe, you have invited us to ask for our needs to be met and to pray for the needs of others in Jesus’ name so the Father may be glorified in you. “In my name ask for anything, and I will do it.”
Follow the example of Stephen. Ask for deliverance. Hold nothing against those who offend or persecute you. Commend your life and Spirit unto God through Jesus Christ. The author of 1 Peter says, “Whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” Don’t stumble and fall because of disobedience, as humans are prone and seem destined to do.
Each confirmation student comes forward to receive the following blessing. “Remember that you belong to God, have been chosen to serve, set apart and holy. You have been formed for the purpose of proclaiming the mighty acts of him who calls you out of darkness into his marvelous light. You have received mercy and have every reason to hope that wherever you are, a place has been prepared for you to experience what only God can provide. Remember that to take refuge in God means clinging to God in times of trouble, trusting in God’s protection, and seeking to follow God’s way. Receive the comfort of God’s provision, forgiveness, grace, and the very presence of Jesus Christ through whom you have complete access to the Father. Come often to commune Jesus’ body and blood through bread and wine in the company of your Christian brothers and sisters, your extended family and friends given unto you through membership in this church.”
Let us pray. Dear Lord, you withhold nothing of yourself or your heavenly Father from your disciples and children. Open us to accept your word and all that you offer so we too will offer praise and understand completely that belief in you affords us a way forward in truth that can bring life to all. Help us act upon and trust your word without fear. Give us a spirit of generosity, the will and everything needed for us to show hospitality and pray boldly in your name for any and every need. IYHNWP. Amen.