Prayer: May we see you on our journeys, O God. Amen.

When the kids were younger quite a few years ago now, we would play games in the car, especially if we were on a longish journey. One of the games stretched our imaginations, a little. We would pick out a house and try and guess who lived there. Or, as an oncoming car approached, we would point it out and imagine who was in the car. We would imagine the person’s name, what he or she did for a living, how old the person was, how many were in their family, where they were going at that particular moment, why they were going there, etc. Oh my! The creative abilities that bless our kids! We came up with all sorts of scenarios and situations that most of the time got pretty bizarre! “Hey! I just saw Mr. Henry Higglewigglestein!” No! Really? “Yeah, and he’s going to see Mrs. Elizabeth Higglewigglestein who is in the hospital with the mumps!” What???

I was reminded of those experiences with the kids as I read this passage from John which seems at least on the surface to be about the road Jesus is traveling, the road he wants his disciples to travel, what he was planning, where he is going and why, etc. He says he is going to prepare a place for us in God’s house where there are many dwelling places. Is it any wonder that this text is a common one read at funerals?

But I found an interesting dynamic in the text. The road that Jesus is on is a two way street. Did you catch this? Notice John describes Jesus as going ahead to prepare a place, but then, Jesus will turn around and come back for us. Instead of going on ahead of us on his journey, he turns around and Jesus is now like the oncoming traffic approaching us. But, instead of passing us by on the other side, Jesus is depicted as meeting us where we are, so that we may be with him.

Even the psalmist indicates that God comes back to us. First the prayers of the psalmist are going to God: “I seek refuge, incline your ear to me, rescue me speedily, be a strong fortress to save me,” Then we read that God has responded… God has come and the psalmist affirms that with these words, “you are my rock and my fortress. You are my refuge. You have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.”

I think that God and God’s Holy Spirit found in Jesus Christ moves back and forth on our streets; the streets in which we live and move and have our being. The journeys of life and faith that we are on. God is always ahead of us, but always returning to us on our journeys. We are not alone, for God is with us, right now, in our present day.

The two way street deepens, however, when we realize that as a metaphor, it means that while one person bears a certain responsibility, the other bears another certain responsibility, too. God may return to us and meet us where we are, but maybe it’s our responsibility to invite God to do that!

I invite you to recall again the Easter story of how the two followers of Jesus were walking on their way to Emmaus after rumors of Jesus’ resurrection had circulated. As they were walking along in their sadness, maybe in their fear, Jesus shows up walking with them. They don’t recognize him, though, and Jesus asks questions about what has been happening in Jerusalem. “Are you the only one who doesn’t know these things?” As the conversation ensues, they tell Jesus about himself, and Jesus responds by speaking to them about what the Hebrew scriptures say about the Messiah’s suffering.

Now, here comes the interesting part—the followers reach their destination, but Jesus proceeds to walk ahead as if he was going on with his journey. He would have go on, too, had it not been for the followers inviting him to stay and have supper with them. As they did, Jesus broke the bread, and that’s when they recognized him. (Luke 24: 13-35)

I think that the invitation for Jesus to come into their lives is critical. It is also our responsibility on our side of the two way street. We might come to a point where we could experience our risen Savior’s presence right here in our worship service. We might feel his love. We might sing songs of joy. We might remember his words that reveal God’s holiness. We might pray and be aware that God hears our prayers. We might resonate with the psalmist, or with the gospel, or with the sermon or with the music. We might see God on our journeys right now, right here. I praise God for all that!

But, there comes a point when it’s time to go on to the next thing. We hear the benediction, we listen to the postlude, and we hit the road. But, the road is a two-way street! So, maybe we need to invite Jesus to walk on that road with us. Maybe he has fulfilled his part of the covenant by coming to us as he promised—“Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in their midst”—because that promise is fulfilled, maybe now it’s our turn to fulfill covenant. We have to reach out to God, inviting God to move with us. “Lord, even though our worship is over, don’t walk on without me. Come with me. Come to where I live. Come and meet me in my living. Come with me to my family, to my work, to my leisure time. ‘Lord, do not let me be put to shame, in your righteousness, deliver me.’ Come , be with me as I face the challenges of my life and my world.”

And ho! How the challenges are immense! There are numerous attitudes, cultural mores, and habitual tendencies that fly opposite what our faith teaches. One attitude embedded in our culture is that we want answers immediately and with the least amount of effort on our part to get the answer. We want the convenience. Everything at our fingertips. We want the easiness of obtaining what we need. We want to follow pre-determined formulas.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say to me, “You know Jesus says in the Bible, ‘I will do whatever you ask in my name… If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it?’” I say, “Yeah, I know that passage.” “Well, I tried it. It doesn’t work.” What do you mean? “I prayed to God, ‘In the name of Jesus Christ, God please, let me lose weight.’ Didn’t work.” A youth said to me, “In the name of Jesus Christ, God please, let me get an A on my test. Didn’t work,” she said. The formula doesn’t work. Well, of course not! It’s a two way street! God will help you, absolutely. But, you have a part in it, too. “Did you study?” I ask the youth. “Well, pretty much.” Maybe more concentrate, quality study time is needed. Did you address your eating habits? “Well, sort of.” Work on your willpower and determination?

Sometimes we can get caught up in wanting a formula without the doing critical work. Thomas said, “How can we know the way?” Here’s a formula for you, says Jesus, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” But, it’s a two way street. Your part is that you have to come to know me. You have to make an effort to be close to me.” Sometimes we can emphasize that we want God to make it easy for people… “Just show us the Father, Jesus, then we will be satisfied,” said Phillip. Jesus says, “I’ve shown you the Father… just look at me.” But, it’s a two way street. For your part, you must believe in me and do the works that show you know God; indeed you will do greater works than these.”

For our part, I think it’s imperative to emphasize the proper thing. If we get the emphasis on the wrong thing, then it is likely that we end up thinking and doing the wrong things. Wrongful expectations. If the emphasis is on ‘what’s in it for me?’ then we can’t see nearly as well what I can do for God and for others. If the emphasis is on having truths that are indisputable, then it’s very difficult to see others with different perspectives as welcome additions to our conversations and our communities. If it’s difficult to see others as welcome additions, then it’s even more difficult to follow Jesus’ command to love one another, and to live lives committed to peace between people and justice for all. If we emphasize that we are trying to figure out who’s in and who’s out, who can serve and who can’t, who is welcome and who is not, then we cloud our vision, and we cut off any ability for us to see the way of Christ, in fact, we cut off our ability to see Christ at all coming to us on the street where we live, move, and have our being.

But, God in Christ does come to us as we move on this journey of faith. And, God in Christ does come to others as the presence of God can be seen and experienced in people of many faiths, I believe. “There’s a stretch of road outside Washington, D.C. known as the ‘highway to heaven’ where there is an amazing variety of new places of worship exist side by side, block after block. Along the highway are congregations of Vietnamese Catholics, Korean Presbyterians, Cambodian Buddhists, Ukrainian Orthodox, Spanish Seventh-Day Adventists, Muslims, and tucked away among the newcomers, American Episcopalians” (Kincaid, William, III, “Our Path to God,” Biblical Preaching Journal,” Spring 2008, p. 9). In our own community, just down the street is the Camp Hill Church of Christ, routinely confused with us. Over a few streets to the east is the Greek Orthodox Church. And, down on Market Street in Camp Hill, there’s a plethora of churches, as I’m sure you know.

Perhaps this shows that the street we are on is indeed a two-way street! But, it might have many lanes on it. Can we envision such a thing? Can we picture a wide street with many lanes leading to God’s dwelling place for such as these? Can we become creative and imagine how God might come to all people traveling in different lanes?

For us, we rely on and trust Jesus as our guide. For others? Jesus is preparing a place for all others. I believe that is totally up to God as to how God wants to come to those folks who are on the street with us. Thanks be to God. Amen.