Fourth Sunday of Easter, May 3, 2026: Acts 7:55-60;1 Peter 2:2-10; John 14:1-14; Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16
Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe. This prayer from the psalmists reflects what we all seek: a safe place to live.
The in John, Jesus tells his disciples In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. There is a place for all of us in God’s house. My first thought when I read this was about the use of this passage at funerals. So I remembered those I have cared about who have found a space in God’s house.
But then I thought about the availability of “many dwelling places”. There is room for everyone. And that means not just Christians I disagree with. It means people who find God through other faith traditions, or who encounter the divine as they engage with the world. They may not name God the way we do, or worship as we do. But there is space for them in God’s house.
When I visualize this passage, I think of some of the extraordinary sets of Bhuddist caves in China. In the Mogao caves, the caves toward the south of the complex are highly decorated, and were places of worship and pilgrimage. But to the north, similar caves were not decorated, and were where the monks lived. There is room for everyone.
There is space for everyone because we believe that the universe is God’s dwelling, that God is everywhere. Jesus’ life was designed to show us that. When later in the passage Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life”, he is not being exclusive. He came to show us God’s presence (the way). God is present in the universe (the truth). And our lives are best when they are lived in awareness of the presence of God (the life).
It is good to remember that there are many dwelling places with God. God welcomes us all — even people we might not welcome! Jesus has shown us the presence of God in the world.
May the peace we gain from knowing there is a dwelling place for us with God help us live in harmony with all those we meet.
- The Mogao Caves, Photo from https://www.advantour.com/china/dunhuang/mogao-caves.htm
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