The Second Gaze - Go

Jesus often tells his followers to go but he rarely tells them where or how. Simply "go." This is when he sends out his followers in groups or individuals early in the Gospels. This is at the end of Matthew's story. and in Acts. Thomas asks a question I know I have asked, "Lord we don't know where you are going. How can we know the way?"

Jesus' response is not a series of steps but simply this...

I (Jesus) am the way, and the truth, and the life.

John 14:6

There are many ways that these words have been understood (message about the path of salvation, about exclusivity, etc) but what I am hearing today in them is that it is in Jesus that we see the way we are simply to go, to live, to follow.  But many times that way we are to go isn’t always clear much like the morning that we had yesterday.  We had our first foggy morning in many months and for a good bit of my walk, it was not easy to see a distance away.  I could see clearly right in front of me, but in the distance it was not nearly as clear.  

That is what the way of Jesus feels like for me.  I can usually see what the immediate steps look like but the longer term steps seem unclear.   That’s how I especially feel in this period in which we find ourselves as the church.  The way ahead is not entirely clear and that feels scary and unsettled.  But we know that the immediate steps ahead are the same as they’ve always been.  Go.  Take a step.  Take another.  Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly.   Take a step.  Take another.  Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly.   Take a step.  Take another.  Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly.   Take a step.  Take another.  Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly.  Take a step. Take another.