Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. John 14:27 

In the tradition of faith, the heart is the place where all decisions arise. A troubled or fearful heart means that decisions will arise out of worry and fear—and that can never lead to a good result. And with all the uneasiness in the world’s sense of peace, one can succumb to this unfaith. But Jesus, even in his dying moments, did not want any of us to live or be as a people of fear but a people of promise. His death on the cross is the new root of putting our fears and our troubles to death, and his resurrection is the victory of life for all our futures. 

We can be overcome in our worries and fears as we face our days ahead. Our hearts may not want to make any decisions that only imperil us further or lead us to retreat into a shell. But our Lord has healed us by his promise and saving grace. Trusting in Jesus, death is not the finality of life. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said when he faced the gallows, “This is the end. But for me, it is the beginning of life.”
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,
 

I will not leave you orphaned … John 14:18 

As Jesus was sharing this farewell conversation with his disciples, he knew that his hour was near. The time of trial and death was impending. And he was aware that with his passing, the disciples themselves would feel as orphans, as people who were without his presence in their lives. But Jesus tells them that that is not to be the case. As the Gospel of Matthew concludes, the risen Jesus proclaims, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (28:20). 

Sometimes when a dear parent dies, or a mentor or friend we have known and trusted and leaned upon for years, there is an emptiness that comes upon us. We experience this scar of being left behind, like orphans. But the promise of Jesus is that we are never left behind in God’s enduring grace. We entrust our loved ones into the loving arms of our Lord, and we trust that his presence is always with us even as he is always with the saints who have gone before us.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. John 14:14 

Jesus’ very presence is like the presence of his Father in heaven. It is the Father who sent Jesus to be with us, to teach us, to heal us and to give his life for us so that we may all be brought home as children of our Father in heaven. So now he encourages us to pray to our Father as God’s own children, trusting that because it is Jesus who has invited us home, we are, in fact, welcomed in the Father’s presence and our requests are heard. 

Prayer helps us in the healing of all our scars. When children are hurt or injured and come to their parents for help, the parent is there to help. God knows how many bandages I have placed on the knees and elbows of my children and grandchildren, with a kiss and a hug. We trust the Father to hear us, even as the Father hears the prayers of his Son on our behalf
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. Luke 24:31 

The disciples who were making their way home to Emmaus provided hospitality to a Stranger who had accompanied them along the way. But as they sat at table, the Stranger became the host, breaking bread and blessing it; and as he did, their eyes were opened. They were opened for the first time on this long, hard journey. Before this, they did not know him, and could only speak of their doubts and disbeliefs, frustrations and despair. But now they knew Him! This Stranger was no stranger at all. It was their Lord! 

Sometimes, maybe often, we cannot find the word of grace we are searching for. We may even find that our homes are empty because the powerful word we need to hear has not touched our ears or burned in our hearts. But Jesus makes his home with us. He did all along. He feeds us with love. And as he hosts us with this saving grace, we find all that had been closed in our lives (like tombs) lead to new openings for us and, through us, for the world. Wouldn’t we call this an occasion for great, resurrection-filled laughter?!
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. Luke 23:34 

When Jesus was crucified, the first word he speaks to the people who want him dead is a word of forgiveness. He speaks it because they do not know that they are killing their own Messiah. He speaks it even before his enemies and accusers begin to speak, scoff and mock him. The Church wrestled deeply with this word. Some wanted the passage omitted altogether, thinking perhaps that this was not the time for forgiveness, or perhaps so as not to encourage anything that would put an unwelcome divide between him and his enemies. But the word of forgiveness was often on Jesus’ lips, and for all people—including outcasts and, yes, enemies. 

The first step in healing is forgiveness. Desmond Tutu once said, “Without forgiveness, there is no future.” Our Lord authorized us to pray for our forgiveness and connected it with forgiving those who sinned against us. When we hold onto grudges and evils that have transpired against us, we only harbor resentment that helps no one, and certainly provides no solace. But forgiveness heals. It heals us, it heals our families, and it heals all others—even our enemies. We were all enemies of God until Jesus came speaking a word of forgiveness—and giving his life for us all.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Blessed are those who have not seen. John 20:29 

The disciples who had gathered after the events of Good Friday and Easter Sunday had the empirical evidence of Jesus’ scars. Thomas was encouraged to test them as proof (John 20:27). The disciples were welcomed to come near to him, welcomed even to “touch and see” his resurrected presence in their midst (Luke 24:39). What joy to have the risen Lord among them! 

We who live now two millennia from this time get to hear this promising witness. And we are far removed temporarily from the empirical evidence of physically touching Jesus’ scars. Yet faith trusts that they are still there—that Jesus, who died on the cross and bore the pains and scars of death, is now risen from the tomb. And we proclaim it, “Christ is risen!” Faith grasps what our eyes and hands cannot experience. Jesus walks with wounded feet. His hands and side, pierced, are all still there for us in his resurrected presence in our midst. And it is this Jesus that endows our trust and hope in him and all that he has done for us as having the joyous reward of our being blessed by God! We shall, indeed, see how blessed we truly are!
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,
 

I am the way, the truth, and the life. John 14:6 

Jesus offers many “I am” sayings in the Gospel of John, but this one stands out in particular because it is often one of the readings at funerals. Jesus has again spoken of his departure, and his words here are now a response to Thomas’ question, “How can we know the way?” But Jesus is the way—the way to follow, as we are called to be followers of this Cross-bearer. He is the truth of promise. He is the life that never ends. 

The early church often went under the title of those who “belonged to the Way” (Acts 9:2)—a description often associated with their persecution. The way is dangerous and may lead to suffering and death. One can understand how we, like Thomas, may struggle to understand it, let alone appreciate it. But when we know Who is leading, we have the wisdom of Christ. His path we follow, his truth we uphold, his life we share. Now we know, and now we get to live.
 

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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,