First UMC
Oh, The Places You Can't Go, Shouldn't Go, Must Go
John 13:31-35 NRSV
“Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. John 13:32 (NRSV)
The word glorified can be understood as “revealed” or “made obvious.” When someone has attained glory it means we know about them. Jesus is telling his disciples that it is all out there for you. There is not another chapter to be written.
9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, Colossians 2:9 (NRSV)
PLACE YOU CAN’T GO
‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ John 13:33 (NRSV)
The place where they cannot follow is the cross. The place where eternal forgiveness was won. The place where reconciliation with God became possible. We can’t do that for ourselves. Jesus’ cross is the cross of justification. Our crosses are for sanctification (help us to grow in grace to become more like Jesus as we participate in his mission on earth.)
PLACES WE SHOULDN’T GO
Betrayal was the end result of Judas' decisions, but betrayal is a result of other ways of living that lead to major breaks such as pride, fear, envy, lust, and selfishness. The road to destruction is usually not a hole that opens up and swallows us immediately but rather a series of small decisions that lead us down a path that ends with us walking off a cliff.
PLACES WE MUST GO
Here are the places you must go if you want to love and have an abundant life.
1. Wash feet. The first must be last and the last must be content. The greatest must be the least and the least must be content. Be content with your position. Stop the climbing and instead begin to look for what God wants to do where you are. If there is one lesson in my life that I wish I had learned earlier it is that one.
2. Offer forgiveness. You will never regret forgiving someone. Never. Ever. There is no other avenue given to humanity that leads to reconciliation. Without forgiveness life is a series of gashes that never close.
3. Bring healing. Be a healer. How? By being present. Literally and figuratively present with one another. When a Christian shows up in a situation we bring the presence of Christ through the Holy Spirit with us. That is a promise.
4. Be willing to suffer. Oh, that is a happy thought. Scripture says that by his wounds we are healed. By our willingness to be present in the depths of another person's hurt we too share their burden.