John 14:1-6 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Grace and peace to you from God who walks with us in our grief, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus, who is our Christ. Amen.
Today’s gospel comes from the 14th chapter of John, the beginning of John’s Farewell Discourse with Jesus and the disciples in the Upper Room. Jesus has just washed the disciples’ feet, and predicted that Judas would betray him and Peter would deny him. The energy that would have accompanied this group’s celebration of the Passover meal together in Jerusalem had just been sucked out of the room. In its place, grief had filled the space.
And Jesus began to speak to them.
“My Father’s house has many rooms. If that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?”
Scott, Shelly and Sherri, I imagine your Dad’s room has a view of the woods. Your Mom went ahead to pick it out, surrounded by pine trees. Made sure there were flowers, too. Of course, they both knew the way. They’ve been telling you about where they were going their whole lives.
They knew the way. Not a bunch of directions or doctrine. Your dad kept it simple: “Love. Love. Love. Just love everyone.”
About that love: He built a life of love with Gloria, starting on their wedding day, right here at Our Savior’s. That love expanded with each one of you.
I heard that in the stories you told me about your Dad: the way he was always there for you. At your events. There for the special moments in your lives. Going out West, to Cody and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Piling people on a houseboat and lighting up the sky with fireworks. Figuring out how to make anything work, either the usual way or Gerry-rigging it and getting it done. Those jack-of-all-trade guys are fewer and fewer these days.
Summer, fall, winter, spring. Your Dad was happiest outdoors. In his work as a lineman, his business trimming trees, cutting grass. Pulling you around on a sled behind the snowmobile. Filling the Blazer with stumps and heading down logging trails to hunting camp. He knew that giving you stuff was temporary, but giving you memories would stay with you forever. He continued that through the generations. He cherished his six grandchildren and then six great-grandchildren.
But alongside all the family, and all of his dedication to this community was another thread: his solid faith in his Lord and Savior, Jesus: the Way, the Truth and the Life. Again, not a bunch of directions or doctrine. That wasn’t Roger’s way. Your dad put his faith into action through serving his neighbors. In service organizations. In the community. Here at Our Savior’s. If there was a project to be done, count him in.
He worked a tough, hands-on, physically challenging job. A lineman. Out in the worst possible weather: thunderstorms, ice storms, blizzards. Restoring power to his customers. That, too, was serving his neighbors.
Roger walked in the Savior’s way. Our Savior, Jesus, who when the authorities tried to trap him in words and rules, wasn’t having any of it. “Which of the 613 Jewish commandments was the most important one to follow, Teacher?” And Jesus responded, “The Greatest Commandment of all is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. And the second one is like it – Love your neighbor as yourself.” Roger took those words to heart. Love, love, love: Just love everyone.
Roger beat cancer in his 50s. And in the past years, he managed his own challenges. Dialysis? A necessary procedure. Learning to care for Gloria, to accept help, to cook and take care of things she would have done. Harder, but he managed. He wasn’t ready to go yet. He still had things to fix. And calls to make – every night. He was still serving as only Roger could do. And passing along those lessons to you.
Sherri said she had a good conversation with him on Wednesday, days before he died. And of the things he told her, it was those words that stuck with her. “Love, love, love. Just love everyone.”
Jesus told his disciples, “You know the way to the place I am going.”
Family and friends, you know the way to the place Jesus was going. Roger taught you well. The directions are simple. Love, love, love. Just love everyone.
Amen.
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