Psalm of Praise: Psalms 63:1,3
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land where there is no water.
Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
Bible Reading: John 14:4-6
Jesus said, ‘You know the way to the place where I am going.’
Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going,
so how can we know the way?"
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
A Reflection:
I recently heard of a couple who had gone on holiday in the UK and signed up for a mystery coach tour for the day. They ended up at Wicksteed Park in Kettering, just a few miles from their home. They decided to pop in to deal with the post and check the cat was being looked after ok.
The point of a mystery tour is that you don’t know where you are going, but you believe that it will be a good place to go, and you trust your driver to get you there.
At the Last Supper Thomas didn’t know, or didn’t understand, where Jesus was going and he was concerned then that he didn’t know the way to get there. For Thomas it was all about the destination. For Jesus it is about the journey and about faith.
In many ways the Christian life is like a mystery tour. We don’t know where we are going in this life; what the future will hold, and we only have a sketchy idea of the life to come; where heaven is and what it will be like. But we do know our tour guide, and we trust him to lead us safely along his way, wherever that may lead us.
I wonder what uncertainties and unknowns you are facing at the moment. If you are a person who likes a clear plan, will you trust Jesus with the unknowns and allow him to lead you in the right way and at the right time? If you are a person who likes to keep your options open, will you listen for the promptings of God's Holy Spirit and go where he leads?
For Christians, Jesus’ words ‘I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me’ sound inclusive and welcoming to all who come, as indeed they are. For those who do not do not accept the deity of Christ, however, they sound divisive and offensive.
In places where religious intolerance prevails, this one sentence holds both the key to salvation and the potential for persecution.
There are many ways to Jesus in this world, but Jesus remains the only way to God. He is only one who has died and risen again so that we can be reconciled to God. Let us pray that all who seek after God will find Jesus.
Pray:
Lord Jesus, you are the way for life and for eternity.
When the road seems hidden, give me the faith to believe.
Amen
Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer