John 14:1-14
You may have noticed that the early Sundays after Easter often focus on post-resurrection appearances, moments when the risen Christ comes near to frightened, grieving, confused disciples. But as Eastertide continues, the Gospel readings begin to move us back into Jesus’ teachings before the cross. This week, we meet Thomas not after the resurrection, but before it, asking the question many of us would have asked too. Jesus says, “You know the way to the place where I am going,” and I imagine Thomas raising his hand like a brave and honest child saying, “Wait, I do not know. How can we know the way?” Thomas gives voice to the questions we often carry quietly. He is not faithless. He is honest. He asks out loud what many of us wonder in our hearts.
Jesus answers Thomas with words that have comforted generations: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” That answer is not only about heaven someday, it is about how we live today. Jesus does not simply say, “I am the way.” He adds truth and life, reminding us that faith is both what we believe and how we live. To follow Jesus is to trust who he is and to walk in the way he shows us, with compassion, mercy, humility, justice, and love. Our beliefs are not meant to stay on paper or only be spoken in a creed. They are meant to take flesh in the way we treat our neighbors, pray for our community, forgive one another, care for the vulnerable, and bear witness to God’s steadfast love.
So this week, we are invited to bring our questions into worship, not hide them. What is the way? How do we know the truth? What does life with God look like here and now? Like Thomas, we can ask honestly and trust that Jesus will meet us with grace. As we pray, sing, confess our faith, and listen for God’s voice, we are called to unite belief with holy living.
Grace and Peace because grace always goes before peace,
Pastor Sharon