John 14:1-7

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and

the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

“I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life” –Knowing God’s Way

John 14:1-7

Chapter 12Entry to Jerusalem on a donkey

Chapter 13 Washing of the feet

The Lord’s Supper and betrayal

Chapter 14 of John begins with…“Do not let your hearts be troubled.”

Why? Because the previous days were difficult

Hosanna’s and complaintsPassing the baton; the washing of feet

Communion and the betrayal by all

To all of this Jesus says…Don’t be troubled

Don’t worryIt’s going to be okay

There is a planLet me tell you about it

Who is Jesus sharing this information with?

His closest friends and followersIt is not a speech or a sermonIt is a heart felt conversation

among fellow workers in ministry

John 14“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.

This is the starting placeWe trust JesusOr we don’t!

Nothing he says after this matters if we do not trust him

2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

You know the way…No we don’t!

So how can we get there?

4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

You are in relationship with meI am the way

If you know the Father you know meIf you know me you know the FatherThe way is a relationship with Christ

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

The ten commandmentsThe Mosaic Law

The priests, judges, prophets and kingsThey provided rite and ritual

But it does not saveJesus provides a relationship

Family

After all, that is what he had been teaching them

Three years togetherThis teaches us we need to spend

time with Jesus

What did they do together?PrayedServedStudied

PracticedLearned how to live life differently

New values, morals and a new family

They learned that sacrifice and discipline bring joy

They sacrificedJesus sacrificed

It is interesting: we tend to get more joy out of giving than receiving

They learned about compassion, grace, forgiveness and service

They learned that it was not about observing laws

Laws can change livesRelationships change more lives

Now, for us, it is about being the I AM for others – we become an extension

of God’s love in Christ

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

These words are not weapons to use on others

They are words that remind us of the importance of relationshipsA relationship that we need to

share with others

Connect, spend time with JesusInteract with Jesus

Sacrifice for Jesus and discover joyLearn compassion from JesusBe in relationship with Jesus

That is Jesus’ way

Litany

When we face a complicated situation that challenges us to see what God wants us to do, we can remember Jesus saying to his friends, “I am the Way.”

When we find ourselves wondering if we’re really accepted by God, we can take comfort in remembering the grace embodied in Jesus who said, “I am the Way.”

When we are tempted to believe that we know who’s in and who’s out, we can remember that Jesus welcomed outsiders and outcasts and said, “I am the Way.”

When we fall into the trap of thinking that faith is about rules, we can remember the call to relationship found in Jesus’ words, “I am the Way.”

When we wake in the morning and wonder what God asks of us in that day’s encounters, we can find our model and our answer in the one who said, “I am the Way.”

We are the Federated Church.

Our Mission is to…

Seek Christ, Serve Christ and Share

Christ.