Eastertide
May 13, 2017
Scripture Reading: John 14:1-14
‘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.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’ –John 14:1-7
I was a weird kid. My two favorite hymns as a child were Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone and Near to the Heart of God. Often at our Sunday evening service, the hymns we sang were selected by participants calling out a number from the hymn book. I was early on cautioned by my parents to give others a chance to select their favorite hymns. Individuals were not allowed to pick more than one a night, so I rarely got to sing my two favorites at the same service. My faith group excluded Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone its last hymn book revision. I guess it was deemed no longer relevant.
Funny though, those two songs still define my theology. The story of Simon of Cyrene found in Mark 15:21 indicates that he was compelled to carry Jesus’ cross after Jesus fell from the weight of it. I wonder if this image inspired the hymn’s author, Thomas Shepherd. Are we not still compelled to help Christ usher in the Kingdom of God? A formidable task indeed, but Christ would not have set the challenge before us had he not thought it possible. He also very eloquently promised that we are never without his abiding presence, sustaining strength, and nurturing love.
This scripture is a funeral favorite, but it also needs to be read and received regarding our lives in building God’s Kingdom each moment of each day. Being held Near to the Heart of God is what sustains and nurtures us in our labors.
Prayer:
O Jesus, blest Redeemer
sent from the heart of God,
hold us, who wait before thee,
near to the heart of God *. Amen
*Refrain from Near to the Heart of God see at http://hymnary.org/text/there_is_a_place_of_quiet_rest