Listen

“Don’t be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in me. My Father’s house has room to spare. If that weren’t the case, would I have told you that I’m going to prepare a place for you? When I go to prepare a place for you, I will return and take you to be with me so that where I am you will be too. You know the way to the place I’m going.”

John 14:1-4

Think

There’s something great about seeing your own name specifically welcoming you to some event. It feels like your place as already been prepared, like someone has actually been expecting you. Simple acts of hospitality, whether name tags, welcome posters, or place cards go a long way to make that welcome feel personal and special. Not just that they’re expecting the general public or random guests, but that it’s you they’ve been waiting for.

I think that’s what can be so comforting about Jesus’ words here, and maybe why they’re so often used at funerals or memorial services. Not only can we picture a place for a loved one we’ve just lost, we imagine a similar welcome that waits for us, too.

The image of many rooms tells me that there’s always room for one more. The actions of “going” and “preparing” remind me that Jesus is actively involved in getting things ready. And Jesus’ words “for you” makes that preparation personal, too. There is room enough for each of us, for all of us.

Peter Hanson

Pray

Thank you, Jesus, for continually making space for me, with you.

Amen.

Go

Go with good courage, not always knowing where you’re going, but trusting that God’s hand is leading you and God’s love is supporting you.

inspired by the “Prayer of Good Courage” by Erik Milner-White (1941)