“Home”

“I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me.” Lots of Christians spend lots of time apologizing for that statement. I think we need to stop. At the same time that’s not  the what ought to be in forefront of our minds. No, what should be first and foremost in our thinking, what we should be asking ourselves is this: If Jesus IS in fact the way, are we following it? Are we following the way? More to the point, are we following Him? The earliest Christians referred to themselves as the “people of the Way.” We who proclaim Christ as Lord, who proclaim that He is risen, indeed are likewise “people of the Way.” As such, we are to be his image bearers in the world. According to Peter, we are “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people.” We are called to connect people to the Lord, to bring them to the Way, to the One that we have found.

The artwork to the right is Christ is our Bridge to Heaven, by Elisabeth Wang

Gospel Reading: John 14:1-21—Jesus the Way to the Father

¹“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. ² In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴ And you know the way to the place where I am going.” ⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” ⁸ Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” ⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ 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, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. ¹¹ Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, but if you do not, then believe because of the works themselves.” ¹⁸ “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. ¹⁹ In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. ²¹ They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me, and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”