BACKGROUND
‘follow me,” that’s the invitation Jesus extended to each of us when we first encountered him. To travel with him to wherever he is going. So, where is Jesus taking us? He answers that question in a conversation with his apprentices and friends in John 14:1-7:
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 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? 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. And you know the way to 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 had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Following Jesus takes us somewhere, namely, home to the Father. In some way, this is the destination we all long for, the home that beckons us as it did Jesus. A home that is “some ultimate end in which our whole nature and capacities are fulfilled,” as we are brought “into contact with the One we seek,” united “to God in a union of wills.”[1]
And, as Jesus showed us in his life, this pilgrimage home—to who we are truly and wholly in a responsive relationship with the Father—is neither a solo expedition nor a walk in the park. The life Jesus invites us into as we follow him is a life with others on the same pilgrimage to our Father, becoming like him through (little) deaths and (daily) resurrections, a life together historically called being the church. But let’s be honest, this image of the church as a hodgepodge of spiritual companions following Jesus as the way to home on earth as it is in heaven is not the first picture that pops into our minds—good, bad, or otherwise!
Before we can get too far down the road together, we need to do that thing Jesus kept telling his faith family to do in his pastoral letters, repent. We need to turn and let go of what images (and experiences) of life with others in Jesus keep us from the way Jesus has prepared for us to arrive at home. We need to lay down our misunderstandings, unmet expectations, wounds, ideals (which tend to become idols!), and anger at the cross of Jesus. Letting Jesus take what is ours so we can receive what is his, a resurrected life with others.
To do so will require vulnerability and trust. An openness before one another in the presence of Jesus. The same transparency that we see in the admission and question of brave Thomas in the passage above: “Lord, we don’t where you are going. How can we know the way?”
We don’t usually think of Thomas as the brave but as the doubter. Certainly, he doubted how we get to where Jesus desires us, as we all do. Yet, if you follow Thomas in the gospel stories, you see a man who stood up when others did not, to lead and encourage his fellow apprentices to follow Jesus into ushering in God’s kingdom, even if it cost them their lives (Jn. 11:1:-16). Demonstrating that what he wanted from Jesus was where Jesus said he was taking him. Here (Jn. 14:1-7), Thomas is the only one willing to be vulnerable with his fellow followers before Jesus, admitting his confusion at the kingdom’s coming and his way in it. And yes, Thomas doubted when Jesus died. He doubted that words were validation enough, wanting to see more. Still, he was brave enough to accept his spiritual friends’ invitation to let the presence of Jesus confront his doubt and waited around long enough for faith to become sight (Jn. 20:24-29).
So, if, like Thomas, we want to stay on the path of our pilgrimage home through our doubts and confusion, experiences and ideals, hurts and expectations, we’ll need to be vulnerable with one another before Jesus. So that we too might see what we long for together.
PREPARATION
IMPORTANT: Depending on group size, you’ll need about 45 minutes for this practice. While you could have this conversation over a meal, in order to do so from a quieted heart, you might want to set aside some time after dinner for the practice.
Appoint a facilitator to assign readings, make sure you stick to the time frames of each movement, and that everyone has the opportunity to share. Don’t be afraid to set a timer and kindly ask people to wrap things up if they are taking too much time; both are truly helpful.
PRACTICE
READ John 14:1-7 aloud.
Now that you are familiar with the context and words, have everyone close their eyes and take three deep breaths. As they breathe in, pray “Holy Spirit… and as you breathe out, pray, “…Give us ears to hear.” Ask God to give you an openness to hear whatever the Spirit wishes to bring to you personally and the group as you open yourselves to Jesus. If (when!) your thoughts wander in the stillness of this first movement, breathe the centering prayer to quiet your mind. Focus on your breaths as you envision breathing in God’s presence.
Now, ask the participants to envision themselves eating dinner with Jesus and his close followers, like you. Everyone at the table has committed a lot of time, energy, resources, and emotions into life with Jesus, and in turn, to one another. Admittedly, this life of faith hasn’t been everything you expected it to be. There have been moments of excitement and disappointment. Times of clarity and times of confusion. Expectations exceeded and expectations unmet. You’ve experienced healing and hurt, victories and defeats. Now Jesus is talking about taking you somewhere, to the very place you long to be. A place where you and all those with you are whole and holy on earth as they are in heaven.
Then reread the passage slowly as you imagine this scene together. Ask the participants to consider what emotions and experiences come to mind as they hear Jesus say he has prepared a path and place for you all. A way you are already on and a place (presence) you’re already within. Use the questions below to help guide your internal dialogue.
What thoughts and images come to mind as you think about being part of a community following Jesus together? How do these ideas and pictures make you feel?
How have your experiences (good, bad, or otherwise) on this pilgrimage with Jesus alongside others shaped you (good, bad, or otherwise)?
When you consider being an apprentice of Jesus on a pilgrimage home through the muck and beauty of ordinary life, is your first inclination to join with others on the same road or go at it alone or at a distance anyway?
Give your group 3-5 minutes to ponder the questions and listen quietly.
REFLECT
Now that you’ve all had time to put yourself in the shoes of Thomas, considering your doubts and fears, expectations and ambitions, hurts and hungers for life with Jesus alongside others, engage Jesus as Thomas did.
Encourage participants to be open with Jesus, confessing with Thomas that they are unsure of where he is taking them and asking Jesus if his way really is the way?
As they prayerfully confess and question, listen. Listen to how Jesus responds just as he did to Thomas. Have the participants write down what they hear the Spirit say to these questions:
What is Jesus encouraging you to let go of in your image, expectations, and experiences of his way to the Father?
What images, expectations, and expectations is Jesus encouraging you to hold onto along the journey home?
Give your group 5-10 minutes to ponder all this. Then, confess what Jesus said is true “you know the way to where I am going.” (Jn. 14:4)
RESPOND
Now it’s time to be vulnerable…with one another. Depending on group size, allow each person 2-5 minutes to share what they wrote in the previous movement. Let each person share what Jesus is asking them to let go of and what he is asking them to embrace in their vision of life together in him. Encourage those not sharing to not interrupt or add commentary even if they are doing so as affirmation.
After everyone has shared, allow a brief discussion (2-3 minutes) of overlapping themes.
REST
After your time of sharing, pray. Release what Jesus laid on your group to let go of, and entrust to him what he shared with you to hold fast.
CONCLUSION
Conclude your group time with these words from Psalm 37:5, “We commit our way, our lives’ journey to the Lord; trusting in him, that he will do whatever needs to be done” for us to arrive home.
Having fed on the word through this practice, give it time to digest. Encourage the group in a day or two to come back to their thoughts and observations about themselves, your group, the church, and our church; praying these back to God and asking for clarity, encouragement, and courage to respond to Him. Consider bringing these back up over a group dinner sometime in the next few weeks to encourage one another as “siblings and partners in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance which are in Jesus” (Rev. 1:9).
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[1] Thomas Merton, Bread In The Wilderness, 13.