If you have ever had any doubts that we need to be the people of the word—the people of sacred scripture—perhaps the readings for this Sunday can bring us back to this very important principle. It is so easy for us to take what we have already learned or what the church has offered us and to run with it. The danger in doing that is that unless we measure the principles that govern our lives and the church by the word of God, we can actually become further and further distanced from what Jesus intended.
St. Peter says this in today’s second reading. He notes that it is by the word that you will be strengthened. He speaks of those who are living in a way that is not appropriate, and he says they stumble because they disobey the word. It is vital that we keep going back to the word to understand how we are to live.
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus tells us to count on the fact that there are many dwelling places in his Father’s house. Jesus says this as a response to the frustration the apostles are feeling after he revealed to them the plan of salvation—that he must suffer and die. The plan made no sense to them, and they were unable to comprehend it. In the midst of that darkness, Jesus tells them, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me.” He is telling them not to rely on their own understanding or abilities, but to trust in him.
What are these “many dwelling places”? It is easy to look at this passage and say Jesus is talking about heaven, which is one interpretation, but it is not the most complete one if we look at the context of the Gospel of John. Whenever John speaks of the house that God is about to build, he is speaking of Jesus Christ himself. Whenever Jesus refers to God’s house, he is talking about the temple, and he speaks of the temple of his body, which is the church. Peter goes even further and says, “Let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, the dwelling place.”
Ultimately, Jesus is speaking of the church—not as the Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican, or Presbyterian denominations, but as the body of Christ and the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. The church is the expression of Christ’s presence in the world through every believer who chooses to follow him. Unless we keep going back to the word, we can get sidetracked by debating which earthly church is “right.” When we engage in those arguments, we often miss Christ, which is the tactic of the evil one to divide, conquer, and confuse.
There are many ways in which you can belong to the church of Christ. Stop trying to figure out who is right and who is wrong; the only one who is right is Christ through his sacred word. If we are creating division in the name of Jesus, we have moved far away from what he wants to offer us. Jesus is being transparent; he is not a salesperson trying to sell something at any cost. He is telling us that being a Christian involves a cross, and the truth is that everyone is invited.
In our world today, it is important to know that you matter to God and that there is room for you. You are not discarded simply because you belong to the “wrong” tradition, race, group, or political ideology. It is so easy to discard, diminish, and demonize others based on these divisions, but to know that there are many places in God’s house is to go against the grain and realize that you are wanted. God is perfect and he sees you as a beloved child.
If people truly embraced this—if they knew the most powerful being on earth wanted them and that they had space and dignity—how would that change our engagement with the world? Everybody counts, including the politicians we disagree with and the neighbors who drive us crazy. If we find ourselves filled with anger and judgment, we need to step back, root ourselves in the word of God and prayer, and renew our spiritual lives. Only then can we engage in a way that honors God and properly presents his character to the world. May we all be agents and witnesses to who God is. Amen.