Weekly Liturgy : April 27 - May 3
- Cory
- Apr 27
- 3 min read
John 14:1-14
NIV Translation
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 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 to the place where I am going.”
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
REFLECTION
from Cory
Empires breed anxiety. That is true today and it was true in the time of Jesus.
In this passage, Jesus is predicting his execution and the disciples are anxious about what that means for them.
The “do not let your hearts be troubled” almost has a comic feel to it.
“I am about to be executed, but do not let your hearts be troubled.”
“You are going to be violently persecuted, but do not let your hearts be troubled.”
A troubled heart in that context seems like the normal human response.
Jesus’ response is often viewed as a descriptor of heaven, but what if “my Father’s house” is not just some future heavenly realm? Jesus is continually inviting us into a community of resistance and the heart of that community is an inclusive hospitality. That is not an other-worldly or future community, but a here and now community.
Every empire is driven by scarcity—there is not enough and so we must violently hoard and protect what we have and take even more from the less powerful—but in Jesus’ counter-kingdom, “there are no shortages when people are willing to share, to open their doors to one another.”
In the midst of an empire of scarcity, may we provide places of hospitality and rest for those with troubled hearts.
PRACTICE:
Outward Mindset Application
How can you create hospitable spaces for other people’s presence and ideas?
Non-Violent Communication Question of the Week
What does it look like to provide hospitality to other people’s ideas, and even their criticisms?
Pathway Toward Center
Caregiving (Loving God through care and compassion for others):
At the start of each day this week, list one person in your world who you know has a need. Check in with that person during the day to ask how you might help!
Questions for Reflection
Where are you being pushed into a scarcity mindset? What is a tangible practice you could do with others to see abundance—a meal, a birthday party, game night, a walk in the woods?
“Liturgy” refers to the habits and practices humans use to form community around shared values and meaning. At Church at the Park, we desire to be a community of practice, becoming people who see the world through the eyes of the marginalized, making meaning through the lens of pain and suffering, and committing ourselves to non-violence in a wounded world. This weekly email is intended to provide pathways of practice for becoming the type of people who embody these values.
Many of our reflections on each week's text come from other sources. If you're interested in reading more of what inspires us, here our our two favorite reflections.
Copyright (C) 2023 Church at the Park. All rights reserved.
