I Am the Way

“I Am the Way”
-John 14:6

Across the years I have enjoyed the cartoons in The New Yorker Magazine. In one cartoon etched in my memory two older men are talking as they looked out their penthouse office suite. One says to the other, “I made it to the very top only to realize that I was in the wrong building.” Being lost is uncomfortable, extremely anxious, and sometimes dangerous to say the least. Having to make an early exit from I-285 in Atlanta is all of these qualities and more.

It is tragic to come to the end of one’s life and discover we have been on the wrong destination.

To his disciples Jesus said in John 14:6: “I am the way.” He did not point the right destination to them, or to us today. He was and is the way. Belief systems are important, but the essence of the Christian life is not always having the right set of beliefs. Walking in the way of Jesus is fundamentally what Christian discipleship is all about. Walking in the shadow of Jesus means that we are not ever lost, waiting to be found. Walking in the way of Jesus means that we hear his voice and listen to his teachings and see his dramatic and life-transforming works.

The way begins at a particular point and moves ever forward to its ultimate destination. For Christians, following in the way of Christ begins with repentance for our sins and our resolve to receive the gracious pardoning from Jesus Christ. The beginning is not the ending destination. Living our lives in the way of Jesus Christ means we have a relationship of grace.

Being lost is a necessary part of travel in relatively unfamiliar places. Being lost in life is not necessary, for Jesus himself is the Way!

Grace and Peace to all who seek to walk in the way of Jesus Christ! Amen!

          Submitted by the Reverend Lowery Brantley