Friday night thoughts

Imagine if you would that you are the preacher (rabbi) called to do the memorial service for Jesus.

Perhaps the homily would go something like this:

I would take nothing away from the grief you feel today. I would not say to you that everything is all right. Because it’s not and you know it. You hurt. And we know you will hurt for a long time. God made us so that we can have relationships with one another and when that relationship is lost we feel pain. You have lost a loved one - and it hurts. Yet, I would like to speak a word of comfort today. I want you to remember what Jesus said last night.

Jesus was in the midst of us, his friends, when he told us:

Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am there you may be also. And you know the way I am going.

It was at that point that Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth and the life; no on comes to the Father, but through Me.

I know with him lying in the tomb that it is difficult to believe what he told us. It is difficult to get those images of him on the cross out of our minds. It is difficult to release our own burdens and our own sins and our own disappointments from our own minds.

But in Jesus' words, I find a degree of comfort.

From this passage of scripture I find three thoughts of comfort.

First, I believed Jesus when he promised us peace.

Notice the words “Let not you heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me”. Yes, I know that today is a day of sadness - a day of grief, a day of mourning, yet even in the midst of this you can have peace. Why? Because we have faith - we believe. We believe that even in the midst of the storm - even in the valley of the shadow of death there can be a peace that pass all understanding - because we know that God is with us. The 23rd Psalm says that too, doesn’t it. “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.” He is here. He is present. Believe in Him - Trust in Him and God will grant you his perfect peace.

The second thought of comfort is that God has prepared a place for us. Jesus said; “I go to prepare a place for you.”

I'm not sure exactly what that means, but I know this: The Talmud tells us that in six days God created the heavens the earth, but just think, Jesus has been preparing a place for us since he was born.

What a place that must be. The verse tells us that it is The Father’s house and that there are many rooms. A room for us, a room for you - a room for me. Isn’t that a comforting thought? God has prepared a place for us. Even in death, we belong.

The next thought of comfort is that God has prepared a way for us to get there. Everyone wants to go to heaven, some just don’t know the way. But Jesus told us last evening that he was the way, he was the truth, he was the life. He was the way. i don't know what that means exactly, but I believe He did. That's enough for me, right now. I cling to that as if my fingernails were at the edge of a cliff, and the dirt is crumbling and the greenery is being pulled out and that cliff itself is falling apart. But still, I cling. I know nothing else to do. I believe so strong that like he taught us, I'm trying to move a mountain with but my faith. The mountain is his death. It is not moving quickly, I must say.

It's hard to understand that now. It's hard to believe the grief we're feeling. It is an ache deep in my bones. The Romans are searching, I believe, for those who followed him, thought him a king, thought him a Messiah. So it's difficult to admit you followed a man who could be killed. I know that's hard. But we're asking you to hang on. Hang on. Keep on believing, for it is the foolishness of God that will set us on the right path, the right track.

It's hard to understand that God still will make away. But we are all travelers on a road called life. There are many detours and many side streets. We don’t need to be confused - we don’t need to be lost. All we need to do is follow Jesus, even unto death. He will show us the way - in fact He is the way. He will lead us and He will guide us. That’s comforting. What I don't know doesn't bother me. Who I know comforts me. His death takes nothing away from that.


IMAGINE if you will, that you had to preach the memorial service for Jesus without knowing that Sunday was coming, without knowing that resurrection was just around the corner.

It's not that hard to imagine. Many ministers have to do that for those who have not known Jesus but who have known death.

Still...

there is comfort. Know Jesus. Know faith. Know victory. It's really that simple, isn't it?