Room for All!

John 14:1-7

“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, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

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It's crazy when you think about it, but I spent a total of seven years of my life living in dormitory style housing. Four of those years were spent in an undergrad dorm, and three more years were spent living in seminary housing that was offered on campus. Dorms are an interesting thing because each room is typically the same in design, but the style is left to the imagination of those who inhabit each place. Perhaps you didn't live in a college dorm, and maybe you never had a room to yourself, but at some point, we all have had some control over the design of our dwelling place. And it is in that control, where our reading from the Gospel of John comes into the picture, asking us to envision a new reality.

This past week I've been thinking about what it means for us to live in God's mansion. For many, Sunday morning in church is the place where people feel they experience God. Yet, with everything that has been going on in our world, we have been challenged to bring the worship experience into our own homes intentionally. In many ways, we are actively living out the words of Jesus, who said, "In my Father's mansion, there are many rooms." How have you been experiencing God in your homes or dwelling place? In what ways has the home worship experience influenced your understanding of what it means to be part of a broader community of faith? Has it been stretched? Has it grown? Because I believe that the passage this morning pushes us to re-imagine what it means to live in the Kingdom of God and who lives there with us. 

However, it's hard to live in God's presence and this calling when it seems like there are so many people who don't care about the "room," the kind of world we share. It's disturbing, to say the least when we hear reports of workers being shot for asking others to wear a mask, bus drivers who get spit on for making similar requests, and people assaulting other public servants like the park ranger in Austin, TX for enforcing social distancing. It's appalling and heartbreaking, not to mention on top of all of this the other surmounting injustices that have gone unanswered such as the shooting of Arbery! Yet even in the midst of all of this, we hear Christ speaking to us, "Do not let your hearts be troubled." It's a reassurance that today may hurt and injustices may go unanswered, but we have tomorrow and the day after tomorrow where we can continue our work as the hands and feet of Christ. 

Those words of peace and reassurance that we hear are necessary if we are going to keep pushing onward in envisioning a new community together. The passage for our meditation today is the start of Jesus's farewell address to the disciples. You could guess that they were feeling uncertain and grieving that they were going to lose Jesus once again. Yet just as Jesus speaks these words of reassurance to them, they are also a reassurance to us. It is the kind of encouragement we need as there are many times it feels like we are stumbling and haphazardly making our way on the path that God has called us to tread. 

This balancing act of comfort and harsh realities is beautifully captured in an artistic interpretation by Pete Seeger of the reading from John 14:1-7: 

MY FATHER'S MANSION

(Pete Seeger)

My father's mansion has many rooms 

With room for all of his children

As long as we do share his love 

and see that all are free.

And see that all are free to know,

see that all are free to grow

And free to open or to close, 

the door of their own room.

What is a room without a door 

Which sometimes locks or stands ajar?

What is a room without a wall 

To keep out sight and sound from all? 

And dwellers in each room shall have

the right to choose their own design

And color schemes to fit their own, 

though differing from mine.

Yes and each room has its own design 

To suit the owner's state of mind 

And those who'd want them all the same 

Don't understand -- the human game. 

My father's mansions many rooms 

Have room for all of His children 

If we do but share in His love 

And see that all are free 

The choice is ours to share this earth, 

with all its many joys abound

Or to continue as we have

And burn God's mansion down.

(c) 1966, Stormking Music

Friends, the choice is ours. The choice is ours to re-imagine and stretch our understanding of what it means to live as people who have been touched by the love of God. In continuing to make room in our dwelling places and communities for all of us to live, we avoid the "burning down" of God's mansion. There is room for all of us. There is enough space where we can express ourselves. We cannot limit ourselves by viewing the world through a lens of scarcity. There is enough if we are willing to share what we have and empower those around us to live into this high calling of love alongside us. Our ability to live into the place God has prepared for all of humankind is limited only by ourselves. God has thrown wide the gate to the shelter that provides a place for all to lay their weary heads. The question is whether or not we will stand in the way, will we? 

Life is complicated. Whether it be living in a dorm, speaking out for truth and justice, or trying to find your way in the world during this chaotic time. Thomas understood this when he asked Jesus, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Most likely, we won't get things right the first time around, yet ironically that is an essential part of our faith journey. The way that Christ has laid out will involve tripping and falling on our part, but the direction is still the same. As long as we approach this journey with open hearts that are accepting of each other and eager to bring restoration to the places that are hurting, then we will be faithfully traveling on the path that leads to God, whether we know it or not. 

So let us dream, let us re imagine the places where God directs us to dwell in the broader picture of creation. Let us open up the pathways that empower and enable creativity amongst the people of God. Let us go to the places that hurt and bring justice and restoration. And let us go forth in faith and hope, knowing that with God, we can make positive changes into a reality for all people. So let your hearts not be troubled and go forth knowing that the way to the place where Jesus goes is paved with love, peace, and justice. Amen.