Hello friends,
This is Mark Gladman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood monk in docks,
Welcoming you to another day reflecting on the I Am statements of Jesus,
As we walk deeper into Jesus' words,
I Am the Way,
The Truth and the Life,
From John chapter 14.
As always,
I invite you to let your thoughts quiet,
As you take a deep and slow breath in,
And out.
Settle into this moment,
And allow your ears and heart and mind to listen.
Imagine with me for a moment,
Walking with Jesus.
The air is cool,
The ground firm beneath your feet.
The path stretches before you,
Winding gently through rolling hills.
Jesus walks beside you.
His steps are steady and unhurried.
The breeze carries the sound of his voice,
As he speaks with his disciples.
And then you hear Thomas,
His voice filled with uncertainty,
Saying,
Lord,
We do not know where you are going.
How can we know the way?
Have you ever felt this way?
Those times in life where we are searching for direction,
Where we long for some clarity about something,
Where there's a choice or a decision that has to be made,
Or it's already been made and we're wondering if now,
As we walk,
We're on the right path.
You turn to Jesus,
And he looks at you with eyes full of kindness.
There's no impatience in his voice,
Only reassurance as he speaks the words,
I am the way,
The truth,
And the life.
This is not some distant path to be discovered or a hidden road map with secret instructions.
This is a way of being,
A way of living,
A way of loving.
Jesus is not simply pointing to a way,
Or even the way,
But Jesus is the way.
Just sit with that idea for a silent moment.
Now you continue walking with Jesus and the disciples,
And as you do,
Consider this,
Where in your life is Jesus inviting you to walk in his way,
To release your need for control and trust that he's leading you to where you need to go?
Think of a place in your life where you feel lost or uncertain right now,
And picture yourself bringing that uncertainty to Jesus,
Laying it before him,
And hear his voice again,
And sit with it in the silence after I share it.
Jesus says,
You already know the way,
Because you know me.
You already know the way,
Because you know me.
Can you trust that friend?
Can you let go of the need to see every step ahead and instead take one step forward in faith on the bit of path that you can see with Jesus beside you?
And as you walk,
And I ask you to prepare yourself for this,
Because this one may hit very hard in a good way,
But it might be very difficult for you to get your head around it,
And perhaps even accept it.
But as you keep going,
Jesus continues to speak,
And the next thing he says is this,
After you already know the way,
Because you know me,
He says,
If you know me,
You know the Father,
And you will do even greater works than these.
Greater works friend,
Not because you must strive,
But because when you walk in the way of Christ,
In the way of Jesus,
His love flows through you.
His way is the way of love,
The way of service,
And because of that,
It's the way of deep connection to God.
What might it look like to live that way today,
To walk through your ordinary moments with the assurance that you are already on the right path,
Simply because you are walking with Jesus?
Let's pray.
Jesus,
You are the way.
Help us to walk with you,
To trust that where you lead is where we need to go,
To believe that in knowing you,
We already know the way.
I invite you to breathe in and out,
And as you rise from this time,
Reflecting together,
May that deep trust and knowing flow through you,
And may that love empower you.
Grace and peace be with you friend.
Until tomorrow,
Bye for now.
