August 27 - In My Father's House

August 27 - In My Father's House
John 14:1-4

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

When Dorothy’s house lands on the Wicked Witch of the East, she is treated as a hero. Color floods the screen, a beautiful woman shows up to introduce her to the Munchkins, who celebrate her coming. Her name will go down in history and they promise to put a bust of her in the Hall of Fame.  It doesn’t take long for the witch’s sister to show up and threaten her life, though.  It is time to get out of Oz.

For the rest of the movie, Dorothy is on a journey to return to her home. She follows the yellow brick road, meets wonderful friends, encounters dreadful monkeys and confronts the evil that threatens her.

When Glinda tells her that she needs to leave Oz, Dorothy says, “Oh, I'd give anything to get out of Oz altogether -- but which is the way back to Kansas?  I can't go the way I came.”

We’re on a similar journey. We can’t go back the way we came.  But, Jesus wants us to know that home is always there for us.  Just as Dorothy didn’t have to travel the yellow brick road by herself, we aren’t required to walk through our lives alone. We might face dreadful monkeys and we definitely have to confront a great deal of evil, but there is a promise greater than Oz for each of us.

Jesus is preparing a place for us in his Father’s house. He promises to return for us and He also tells us that we know where it is He is going.

Today is another step on that journey. Sing and dance a little along the way, knowing that from the moment you were born, Jesus began preparing a place for you in your Father’s house.