John 14
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.
11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?”
23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.
25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.
Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.
Rise, let us go from here.
Why should we believe?
1 Corinthians 15
16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
But at this moment the Messiah stands risen from the dead, the first one offered in the harvest of those who have died.
We all have circumstances we would like to simply have - vanish.
We are in the Tetons at a time when Edward is changing in his brain frontal and temporal lobe. Parietal lobe too. One son is going far away to Law School, the other is doing his Masters. No one wants to get a long. Everyone does as they pick to behave, at that moment. The cohesion is vanishing and the desire to cooperate is minimal, with less conversation. It is as if we tried to be a team, a family, the pain would be more difficult to bear than to be kind. The government has done studies on this illness and finds this to be par for the course. Escape and denial.
One of the reasons the Tetons and Jackson Hole Wyoming is so beautiful, it is surrounded by desert. The airport runway is not only expensive, but is a little short. It's difficult to arrive here. All arrive looking worn. And glad because this is like a slice of heaven, after many hours of desert. At one point the massive, old mountains hug you to them and you are warned of avalanche in winter. Huge animals in the highway - warnings.
Then surprisingly, the hills are smooth and houses are on them. The green is breathtaking after the desert. Suddenly, around the corner. the valley widens and you have plenty of room and sunlight to see far, far and wide. The rocks are more monumental than any Cathedral and planned by the Hand of God. Each formation has variations.
The Light is breathtaking. Storms typically roll in from far away. The clouds roll in and the light upon the gigantic Tetons change. Dark purple, grey and suddenly green fir trees and aspens glow almost golden as the cloud passes by. If you have an hour, you can watch the storm roll in. Maybe see lightning flash. Wind will pick up, temperatures will drop. And finally rain comes in.
And in having faith, it would be great to write we all are examples of shining humanity. In fact, we are all trying out what it will be to be further apart. Edward goes out to get a beer while I am in the bathroom. We are told when the adult offspring will arrive and instead of being pleased, they look like the drive has worn them to a nub and their plans are discussed, as if they are monarchs. Will someone give in - no, Edward is simply unmoved by a vacation 5 states away - where people can't decide how 2 days will be spent in cohesion. Can we agree to wait 15 minutes on laundry, to ride a ferry to the mountain top. No. King Edward will not wait 15 minutes. It is - crying out for - a stranger who, by their mere presence, creates socially appropriate behavior. Facts are discussed and reassessed for veracity in memory loss. Aspersions are cast. This is brain injury.
As this storm is rising, we will see the Grace of God rise up. Similar to the way the inept Disciples were never fired for being - boobs. This is not going to be an example of human magnificence. This is going to be messy. It is going to slog on. And in the end - I know the ending - in the end the 20 something sons will find the Grace of God carried us. We will find, we all do pass on. And these adult sons will find marriage meant something. When the fun was scarce. When blessings enfolded us and surrounded us and we all acted as if - we were clueless to the Sheer Magnificence of His Mercy and Bounty - someday the horn, or the bell, or the just the internal sigh, will arrive and the mindless self will encounter how blessed we are to have the ability to do this for Edward, for me, for our sons.
Do all things work for Good for those who Love the Lord? Let me assure you, yes. The family who arrived here 17 years ago and laughed and played, rejoiced and moved like ducks in a row - still loves. The V formation is not here with military precision. These ducks do not land in a row, they do not smile a lot. But they are here. And more memories are made and thoughts glance lightly on future events. There will be a future.
How do we know? Because we believe. That the circle will be unbroken, by and by, Lord, by and by. As we grump along, I remark, in my botanical interests, that the flowers are utterly and completely unstressed. And time is taken to examine, however briefly, the flower and plant. I remark - this looks like Heaven - with the incredible Green completed by a harsh, harsh, harsh winter. And all pause to take a breathe and LOOK.
Follow the Shining Water.
Abba,
And the circle, is unbroken as we bye and bye. And the circle is completed in our Lord Jesus Christ. And the Circle will be completed - by and by - Lord, bye and by.
In this, we will let our hearts break some. And the presence of God, our Father, will bend down, to enfold, to hold. And we will will know - the struggle is of Love. And in God, the upward is Higher. The Journey - Eternal.
The Helper, The Comforter, gives us His Grace allowing us to struggle and sink, rise and hope. Finding endurance and Hope. In a Word. Jesus. Above all. Amen.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †
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