Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

We all know how hard it can be to say goodbye. I remember a time when our three grandkids and their families were all together. It was a pretty big deal, since we live in different states. When the time came to leave, the youngest one had disappeared. We found him hiding in the back yard—he just couldn’t bear to say goodbye to his cousins.

Jesus had a hard time saying goodbye on the last evening he spent with his dearest friends. He surprised them by washing their feet, and then they shared a leisurely meal. Afterwards, Jesus told them the sad truth: “Little children, I am with you only a little longer.” (John 13:33) As a parting gift, he gave them a New Commandment: to love each other. “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”

There was silence in the room, until Peter spoke up. “Lord, where are you going?” It was a simple question, but not an easy one for Jesus to answer. “In my Father’s house, there are many dwelling-places, (and I’m going) to prepare a place for you… And you know the way to the place where I am going.” Another long silence followed, and this time it was Thomas who responded. “Lord, we do not know where you’re going. How can we know the way?”

There’s so much we don’t know; it can be awfully hard to find our way in this world. It seems like there are troubles everywhere: innocent people suffering, violence and injustice, evil temptations. Where’s the kingdom that Jesus dreamed of? Sometimes even people of faith feel lost and hopeless. No wonder Thomas wondered how they could possibly know the way.

Here’s a place to begin: “God is love.” (1 John 4:8) That message can be found throughout the New Testament: the Gospels say the first commandment is this: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30) The apostle Paul wrote that “Love never ends,” along with many other inspiring words about love. (1 Corinthians 13:8) And of course there’s the New Commandment to love one another, from the Gospel of John. (13:34)

Celtic theologian John Philip Newell has made it clear that when Jesus said, “I am the way,” he meant “I am the way of love.” (paraphrase of John 14:6) “I am the way of love. I am the truth of love. I am the life of love.” That’s who Jesus is! If we’re not sure where Jesus went, we do know that love is the way to get there. Every day we have on earth is a gift, and Jesus commands us to use them in following the Way of Love.

He doesn’t mean romance or deep friendship, though those relationships can help us find the Way. He means self-giving love, which he demonstrated so vividly and which we can often see in others. Jesus means healing love, which comforts people and relieves their suffering. He means sharing love, giving to others instead of focusing on what we want for ourselves. He means honest love, telling the truth about ourselves and the world.

Can you recognize the outlines of the Way of Love? Self-giving and healing and sharing and honesty take us beyond our self-centered concerns, to making God’s dreams come true, “on earth as in heaven.” Jesus said that we know the way, because we know Him.

Experience tells me none of this is easy. Life brings challenges every day, including the darkness of the world around us and our own failures to love. Hardest of all might be saying goodbye to the ones who are dearest to us. But being on the Way of Love means we’ll never be alone: Jesus is always with us and we have one another as companions. Together, with God’s help, we can redeem our mistakes, offer help to others and remember that for us, losses are never permanent. We’ll all be together one day in the Creator’s house.

Let’s embrace these comforting words of Jesus: “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 of love and the truth of love and the life of love.”