I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE

Have you ever felt lost? Confused? Weak? Those are frightening experiences, for they reveal our vulnerability in a hostile world: a world that is full of threats to our mental health, our vocational direction, and even our lives themselves. Fear and anxiety are all too common companions as we walk this road of life.
 
Thankfully, there is another way. But it’s not a technique, and it’s not something we can control. In fact, it’s not a thing at all. It turns out that the way is a person, the truth has a name, and that life itself has walked amongst us in flesh and blood. No one will be surprised to hear that I’m talking about Jesus. But I’m not sure we’re always convinced that Jesus makes a difference. Why is it good news that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life?  Many of us have been walking with Jesus for years, and life still seems full of threat, and we’re as anxious as ever.  
 
Those are both true: threats are real, and anxiety is rampant. Yet I want to invite you to read John 14:1-14 for yourself, over and over. If you can, read the whole of John 13-17, and then skip to the end of the story. For the good news is right there if you read through to the end: Jesus also experienced the threats, and – even worse – the tortuous reality that his enemies were not bluffing. Yet Jesus’ story ends, not with pain, but with joy. Resurrection redefines everything, and proves that Jesus too was not bluffing: he is the way to God, the true image of God, and the source of all that is alive. Jesus – whose love is full of mercy and grace – is the friend we need in our distress. In John 14.1-14 Jesus - the one who knows this world at its worst - offers his followers true rest, a true home, and our true vocation as we put our trust in him.  Let's press into Jesus' invitation together.