The Way, the Truth, the Life
By Karin Peter of Olympia, WA, USA
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 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? 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. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” -John 14:1-4 NRSV
When I was a little girl, I remember hearing people talk about heaven. They told of St. Peter at the pearly gates, streets of gold, and living in a heavenly mansion. These images mingled in my imagination with fluffy white clouds, choirs of angels, and wondering how a halo stays on one’s head. As Apostle Paul wrote, “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child” (1 Corinthians 13:11).
Reading in John’s Gospel about rooms being prepared for us in God’s house still brings those fleeting childhood images to mind. Now, though, I read this passage through the lens of hospitality and welcome. To be invited into someone’s home makes us feel wanted and accepted. Someone is offering to share their intimate space with us. We expect to be in close community with our host.
Through Jesus, we are invited to enter God’s vision of restoration and wholeness that is for all of creation. The miracle of the Resurrection assures us that we have a place in God’s peaceable kingdom where all are eternally loved and accepted. As an act of supreme hospitality, Jesus has prepared a place for us to be fully reconciled with our Creator. Glory be to God!
Prayer Phrase
Spirit, now live in me.
Spiritual Practice
Breathe deeply and enter a few minutes of silence. Be attentive to where you sense new life emerging in you. Search your memories of the previous day. When did you notice the sacredness of life in surprising places or forms in the world around you?
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.
