Two days ago I turned sixty-four. When I was twelve, my
father died suddenly just weeks short of his sixty-fourth
birthday. I am a break-the-cycle sort of guy. I have now outlived
my father. As part of my birthday celebration, a friend
and I planned a hiking trip to Cloudland Canyon State Park in
Georgia, to majestic Cherokee Falls. This trail happened to be a
challenging trip! We are not avid hikers, and we did not know
the way as first timers on the trail.

The hike to the falls was long and arduous and even more
so on the return, with the day growing longer. We began to
question our physical abilities and our mental faculties. Were we
still on the same trail? We were second-guessing everything. But
the yellow markers along the trail reminded us we were indeed
on the right path.

Jesus is preparing his closest friends for his departure. We
can only imagine how emotional the time is for all gathered. He
tells them, “You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Jesus assures them and us that we already know the way,
and it is he. We can break the cycle of our desert wandering and
become those who live in the world but not of it. He marks the
path for us by calling us God’s people. Before we know it, along
the way we begin to see glimpses of heaven, our Father’s house.
We have stopped running away. Jesus assures the disciples of
an ongoing existence in fellowship with him.

God offers many “dwelling places.” God’s grace abounds in
falling water. Shimmering, sparkling crystalline facets of abundant
love make up the many rooms of God’s house.

Who are these guys? They are Jesus’ closest followers, to
whom he promised eternal communion with him. May we hear
and believe that promise.