Fifth Sunday of Easter (Year A) | May 10, 2020 | The Rev. Heidi Thorsen

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be pleasing to you, O God, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.

The House of the Seven Gables. The House of Mirth. The Haunting of Hill House. Full House. Bleak House. House of Cards. The Cider House Rules. A Doll’s House. House Hunters. Little House on the Prairie.

This is just a quick summary of some of the television, movies, and books that have the word “house” in their title. I start with this list because I am struck, this week, with how much we as human beings are drawn to the very idea of a “house” - a structure that is built for us to live in. Our very human interest in houses is about more than the need for shelter, a simple survival instinct. We are drawn in by something else too - the desire for security, or a sense of identity that is built into sturdy walls with a roof overhead. We long not only for shelter and safety, but for a place of our own. A place that we call not only a house, perhaps, but a home.

I suspect that we have all gotten a bit more familiar with our dwelling places, over the past weeks. Perhaps COVID-19 has kept you inside your home for longer than you’re used to. Perhaps you’re beginning to notice the dust on the window sill, and the tumbleweeds of cat fur that linger in dark corners of the closet. Perhaps you are extra mindful of those who don’t have a home of their own, at this time when we are told to stay home and stay safe. 

Every time I read our gospel passage in preparation for this Sunday, I kept coming back to these words: “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?”  In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. These words are particularly comforting to me this week, at this time when we are extra aware of our own houses and dwelling places, or lack thereof. Today I would like to talk about three ways in particular that this passage is speaking to me - and, I think, to all of us.

First, there is a place for every one of us in God’s house. We are not talking about a bench on the side of the road, or a studio apartment in New York City that feels all too claustrophobic under quarantine. We are talking about a house with many dwelling places - a house with a room that is just for you. When I was younger, the idea of “a room of one’s own” would have been enough to convince me to live in God’s house. There was a time when I would have gladly looked forward to a space I didn’t have to share with a roommate, or a sister. And yet God’s house - the house with many dwelling places - isn’t just the promise of a room of one’s own. It is also the promise of having neighbors.

And this is the second thing that brings me comfort today. God’s house isn’t a mansion full of locked doors. It is a community. There are many rooms in God’s house because there are many people to fill them. As we live through this time of isolation, I’m reminded of how important it is that our faith is lived out in community. Even as we sit in our separate spaces we choose to come together for worship - because as Christians we believe that faith isn’t something you do alone. We are all part of Christ’s body; we are all tenants in God’s mansion. Everything we come to believe is learned through relationship - both our relationship with God, made known to us especially in Jesus, but also in our relationships with one another. God’s house is not a place of isolation or loneliness. It is a place of community and connection.

The third and final way that this passage speaks to me today is simply in the observation that Jesus has gone before us, to prepare a place. As we continue through this COVID-19 crisis there are some days when I feel anxious because I don’t know where we are going. I don’t know what the church will look like after all of this. I don’t know what our country will look like, after all of this. But I do know that God goes before us to prepare a place. We don’t necessarily have to know where we are going, to commit our hearts to the journey. All we need to know is the way - what road to take so that we can get there. Thankfully, our gospel passage tells us what road we should take. It tells us that Jesus is the way, and the truth, and the life. The way of Jesus may not be a straightforward line on a map, or a list of directions to follow on Google maps. But the way of Jesus is better than all those things, because it is personal. Jesus meets us where we are at and guides our feet forward, one step at a time, as we slowly but surely move towards the kingdom of heaven, towards God’s house.

Now I want to be clear that God’s house isn’t merely a metaphor for life after death. It can be easy for us to think this, especially when our gospel passage today is so frequently read at funerals, as a comfort to those imagining where their loved ones have gone. Without a doubt, I believe they are in God’s house. And I also think that heaven has a way of spilling over this world. After all, so many of Jesus’ teachings are about bringing the kingdom of God here, among us. I think the Book of Revelation says this most poignantly when the prophet writes, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them.” The home of God is among mortals - God made this plain in sending Jesus to become one of us. And so our hope in heaven isn’t just about life after death. The dream of God’s house, a house with many dwelling places, isn’t simply a carrot on a string that we hold out for the future. Jesus goes before us, to prepare a place for us - not only in the world to come but also in this world. 

I don’t know what our church will be like, what our world will be like, after COVID-19. But I believe that Jesus goes before us, and is preparing a place for us. And in that future that God is building there are many dwelling places - rooms for all of us, and space for neighbors, guests and friends. We might not know where we are going, but God knows. All we need to know right now is that Jesus is the way.

In the name of God who creates, redeems, and sustains us. Amen.