Room for all

Fifth Sunday of Easter: Acts 7:55-60; 1 Peter 2:2-10; John 14:1-14; Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16

“Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe.” The psalmist is concerned about shelter and safety, the things we hope for in the places we live. The psalmist wants a refuge to protect him. The castles that I have seen in Europe are almost all on top of hills, in defensive positions. They protect you from the world.

Jesus offers his disciples a dwelling, but the image is very different. “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.” Rather than a defensive place, this is a vision of welcome and abundance, and they struggle to understand it. They want to know who the Father is, and how they get there.

Jesus tells them that “I am the way, the truth, and the life”: following him is how you get to the Father’s house. But he also makes it clear there is room for everyone in God’s house. It is not an exclusive place. Older translations made the abundance seem greater, saying “In my father’s house there are many mansions”.

Jesus’ vision of abundance and welcome is often difficult for contemporary Christians as well. Christians all try to follow Jesus in the right way, but there are many differences between the ways we do so. Different Christian communities prioritize different aspects of Jesus’ teaching, and draw different lines. Jesus calls us to see ourselves as connected, even if different: there are many dwelling places.

Jesus has prepared a place for all of us. We often talk about welcoming everyone, but that is often an aspiration rather than a reality. Our challenge is to believe that even if we don’t do so well in this world, everyone is welcome in God’s house. There we will find many dwelling places, and room for all.

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