It’s easy for Christians to fall into a rut: Church is a thing you do, prayer is a box to check, and faith seems far from “the real world.” This fall we let Jesus himself confront our ruts. “Do you believe this?” he asks (Jn. 11:26).
To believe in Jesus is to experience him. It’s more than logic, argument, and doctrine. It is intimate knowledge of God himself. This fall, let Jesus himself speak to you in his seven “I AM” statements in the gospel of John. How is he changing you? What response is he inspiring in you? To believe in him changes everything.
Invocation
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Ponder
Today we ponder the I AM statement: “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” Think about your favorite door – your house, your church, a favorite old building, etc. Ponder all the things that doors do – protect, guard, welcome into a home . . . . How is Jesus a door for you?
Word
John 14:5
“Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
Meditation: Hero’s Journey by Susan Becher Schultz
As Harry Potter fans already know, the actor who played Hagrid, Robbie Clotrane, recently passed away. He was the perfect actor for the role, and the community is in deep mourning of his loss. For anyone who isn’t a Harry Potter fan, Hagrid is a character who guides both Harry and the reader into the magical world. In the very first book, Hagrid knocks down the door (quite literally) of reality and invites Harry to follow closely behind him into a place one only dreams of existing.
We see Hagrid continue his role as a guide at the beginning of each school year. He ushers the first-year students by rowboat across the lake and into the castle, assuring they arrive safely. Even as Harry matures in the books, Hagrid remains a safe haven. His hut sits at the edge of the school grounds, and when Harry needs extra support, it’s always there he runs to.
In my first attempt to write this meditation, I both overcomplicated and misunderstood this text in John. I was trying to explain the hero’s journey in relation to both Harry Potter and Christianity. In the hero’s journey, the protagonist has a mentor who they learn from. Eventually, they depart from the mentor and set out on a journey of their own. I first read John 14:5 with the hero’s journey in mind:
“Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” (John 14:5)
In my draft, I tried to explain how Jesus departed from the disciples to entrust that they were ready to begin their own individual journeys. But it took me a while to understand that the hero’s journey is not the one we take with Jesus. Which seems obvious, I know! But, for some reason, I was just as confused as the disciples with this text. I was so hyper fixated on John 14:5 that I didn’t focus on the verse that comes next:
“Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:6)
In the final installment of the Harry Potter series, it’s Hagrid who carries Harry in his arms when death seems to prevail and all hope is lost. This is more the picture of what our relationship with Jesus looks like. Jesus carries us across our threshold, we don’t go forward alone. We never learn all there is to learn from him and part ways. We are not the hero at the end of the story that defeats the evil villain by ourselves.
Instead, we have a Savior that never leaves us. One who has already completed the journey into death and resurrection for us. As much as I, like the disciples, want to make sure I know the right ‘way’ to follow him, the answer is simple: It has nothing to do with me becoming a hero, and everything to do with believing Jesus is who he says he is.
Dear Lord, thank you for simply being the way, however I may try to complicate it. Continue to remind me that I don’t need to be any kind of hero to earn your love. Amen.
Prayer
Jesus, you said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” I often feel left outside, far from you. Bring me in. Welcome me into the home of your presence. Be my door, for you alone are my security. Amen.
Benediction
The Lord preserve us from all evil; the Lord preserve our souls. The Lord preserve our going out and our coming in, from this time forth, and even forevermore. Amen. (Ps. 121:7-8)