“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
John 14:1-14
Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, but if you do not, then believe because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
My sermon from the 5th Sunday of Easter (May 3, 2026) on John 14:1-14.
Even though our lectionary – the cycle of readings we use in worship – works on a 3 year rotation, there are some passages in our Bible that I’ve preached on way more than others. We will, for example, celebrate Pentecost very soon and hear the same passage from the book of Acts we hear every year. Listening to the same story over and over again can feel repetitive. But there are times when hearing these words after experiencing new joys and struggles can help us see God more clearly. Today’s reading from the gospel according to John is a text we hear every three years. Yet it’s also a text I’ve read quite a bit since it’s used for funerals. There’s something very comforting about leaning into Jesus’ promise for those we love while living through our own incredible heartbreak and sorrow. But on a regular Sunday after our big Trash and Treasure rummage sale, this word sounds a bit strange. As I was preparing for today’s sermon, I didn’t think I’d have anything new to say since I’ve already written dozens of homilies about this passage. I did, though, find a commentary by Professor Laura Holmes of Wesley Theological Seminary who showed me something I hadn’t really noticed before. At the very start of our reading is one of the more difficult parts of this text. Jesus’ invitation to “not let our hearts be troubled” sounds like a command we’d never meet. We assume Jesus wants our faith, joy, and life to be so secure that our emotions are never too out of whack. Yet it doesn’t take much of actually living our life before a troubled heart is all we’ve got. We can imagine that living with faith should make us into a kind of robot whose emotions are always in check. But when we notice how Jesus was often troubled himself, his invitation lets us be more human and faithful too.
Now we are at this point in John’s version of Jesus’ life near the beginning of his long sermon shared during the last supper. Jesus had gathered together with his friends and after hosting them, then launched into a four chapter long sermon. Jesus knew the Cross was on its way and he wanted to help his friends live through a future none of them wanted. This dialogue was more than Jesus simply lecturing at those around him. They talked back, asked questions, and forced Jesus to repeat his main point in many different ways as he tried to get them to hear what he had to say. Jesus knew their expectations were about to be completely undone since they had seen the abundance, power, and grace of his ministry manifested in real and tangible ways. But in just a few hours it would look as if his – and the disciples’ – story had come to an end. As he spoke, their anxiety grew since Jesus kept hinting at what was coming next. His invitation “to not be troubled” felt like an impossible – and unfair – task. But Jesus also knew what it was like to be troubled since he was associated with that words a few chapters before. When Jesus came face to face with the loss of his friend Lazarus, his heart had been troubled. And when he came to terms with his own death and how one of his friends would betray him, his soul – and his spirit – were troubled too. Being troubled, then, can’t only be about having our emotions turned upside down. Jesus was, instead, pointing to what happens when a loss makes us feel isolated and alone. Jesus wasn’t telling his friends a faithful life should act as if our hearts will never break. Rather Jesus’ connection with us will always be stronger than whatever trouble comes our way.
Now that promise within Jesus’ words is something I’ve pointed out quite a bit. But what I didn’t realize was how Jesus, in these words, showed how we experience this promise everyday. The words as they appeared in the ancient Greek language they were first written in are really hard to translate. If we wrote them out, they might read something like: like “You all, do not let your heart be troubled.” The “your” is plural which means Jesus was talking to the disciples as a group. But the word used for “heart” breaks all our grammar rules since it’s singular. Jesus wasn’t telling each disciple to make sure their heart – their individual emotions – were never upset. He wanted them to recognize how, because of Jesus, they have one communal heart. Faith, for Jesus, is always a group activity. We need a team of folks to care, pray, and show up for us through everything life brings our way. And so Jesus chose to point to our responsibility to live as if we really are part of one body – using our gifts, experiences, stories, and abilities to help each other thrive. We often act as if our own personal and individual success and happiness depends only on the work we do, yet one of the things we get to do is reminding one another we’re not alone. It doesn’t take much for us to wonder if God’s promises really are meant for us. There are way too many times when our prayers are met with silence and the good life we expected ends up very topsy turvey. Doubt; anxiety; fear; rejection; anger; sadness; and resignation are part of a faith-filled life too. And when we’re feeling as if we’re living this life all on our own, we need the person next to us at the communion rail or posting comments on our livestream to remind us we are not alone. When, in the immediate moments after Jesus’ meal with his friends and their bonds of fellowship broke down, their troubled hearts are what caused them to flee from Jesus’ side and for Peter to deny knowing Jesus in the first place. Jesus doesn’t want us to do everything we can to stop our own hearts from feeling. He wants us to trust that through him, in him, and because of him – we are connected to one another and the divine.
And that’s because Jesus is more than a teacher, prophet, guide, or cool friend. He is a “Way.” His life – and our faith – isn’t only about bringing us to an amazing destination that makes life worth it. It is, rather, about showing how – together – we get to live out God’s love, grace, hope, and mercy right now. Our eternal life also includes this moment – and it’s the connection we have – and continue to have with Jesus – that brings us into our tomorrow. And so we get to remind each other that our baptism; our trust; our care; the ways others answer our prayers and how we get to the be the answer to other’s people prayers too – is how Jesus chooses to show up in our lives and in our world. And when we feel as if Jesus is far away, it’s through one another where we have the opportunity to remind each other how Jesus is always by our side. You truly are a beloved child of God and you really are part of what Jesus is doing in the world. And there’s no troubled heart that can break the hold God’s love already has on you.
Amen.