Dear friends in Christ, grace and peace to you from God our father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The English author of Alice in Wonderland Lewis Carroll is famously quoted as saying, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.”  The actual exchange between Alice and the ever smiling Cheshire Cat is slightly different. It begins with the girl’s question, “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” To which the Cat answers, “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.”  To which the girl said, “I don’t much care where–”

“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
“–so long as I get SOMEWHERE,” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”

No, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there “ may not be an exact  quotation, but it summarizes one of the most familiar occurrences in life. People get lost when they have no sense of direction.

I remember, one summer evening, years ago, early in our marriage, when Janna and were driving to her parents’ home in Duluth. The traffic on I-35 was horrible.  It was bumper-to-bumper and reduced to one lane.  The late afternoon sun was beating in the windows.  And so, as we neared the Forest Lake exit, after only thirty miles on the road, I decided we would veer off the freeway and drive to Duluth cross-country.  I didn’t have a map in the glove compartment, nor a GPS in those days, but I figured with Janna as my co-pilot, we would make it to her parent’s home in plenty of time.  Within minutes, I was so pleased that we had abandoned the main road, that I turned to Janna and said, “Well, I don’t know where we’re heading, but we’re certainly making good time.”  Five minutes later we drove over the bridge to Wisconsin, and we ended up in Duluth two hours later than expected.

That same impatience and lack of direction is what the disciples were experiencing in this morning scripture reading. The events of the Last Supper depicted in the previous chapter of St. John’s gospel had not unfolded as the disciples anticipated. They watched awkwardly as Jesus their master washed their feet and commanded them love one another. In the middle of the meal, he abruptly predicted his imminent betrayal at the hands of the one with whom he was sharing bread, Judas, who then departed them. Jesus went on to announce that his most ardent and loyal disciple Peter would betray him. Finally, he predicted his own suffering and death. “Where I am going, you cannot come.”  Is it any wonder that the disciples were upset and confused?

My friends, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there,” but I can assure you that God has a destination and a direction for you, and there is work to do along the way. This morning, let us meditate on Jesus’ words, “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will do the works that I do, and, in fact will do greater works than these.”

God has a direction for you and there is work to do in his kingdom, unfortunately, it is impossible to know everything that will happen in life. And if you wait until you have all the information, life may well pass you by.  Indeed, wouldn’t we all like a personal spiritual and vocational map marked clearly with signposts and warning lights providing clues to all the trials and dangers on the way? That’s what the disciples were longing for that night. Surprisingly, the disciple known for his doubts Thomas spoke the most honest and poignant question addressing all the disciples’ concerns. “Lord, we don’t know where you’re going? How can we know the way?”  To which Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”

In the ancient world, the Way could be interpreted literally, as the road or path, but it could also be understood figuratively as “in the manner of living.” In the Acts of the Apostles, we read that the first men and women who followed Jesus called themselves “the people of the Way.”  The Jesus’ Way, his manner of living, was the manner in which his followers were to imitate his life and to follow his example. To this, Jesus added Truth.  Our Savior’s example of living, of forgiving, of helping and encouraging others, was to serve as a vocational, moral and ethical compass. In those troubling hours, when the disciples were wondering how they should they speak, or what they should do, they were to turn to Jesus. Ethical and moral truth and fairness to the poor was consequential to following him. Finally, Jesus reminded his disciples that he was also always on the side of life. In spite of the fact that he himself was walking in such a way that would lead him closer and closer to his own brutal death on the cross, he was never to be seen on the side of death, revenge, murder, war, killing, cruelty and destruction.  By contrast, his words and actions testified to the truth of God’s love and mercy- and not his power. Jesus was to their Way and their Truth and their Life  always revealing to them the  true nature of the Father.

Then Philip, the equally skeptical disciple, received the greatest challenge when he questioned Jesus, asking him, “Lord, show us the Father and we will be satisfied.” Jesus turned to him and said, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me?  If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. The one who believes in me will also do the works that I do, and in fact, will do greater work than these.”

Discipleship was a daunting challenge and responsibility for the Lord’s chosen twelve, but the invitation to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, didn’t end with that first generation of disciples. God is still expecting great things from his followers, including you and me. But we need to know where we are going.

If you read Church history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were those who thought most of the next. They knew where they were going. The early apostles themselves, uncertain at first, soon set their eyes on the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great leaders of the Protestant Reformation focused on a Church that would share the good news of God’s love and provide education and meaning for all people, and then there were the men and women of the English Evangelical Movement who worked to abolish the Slave Trade.  They all left their mark on the earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with eternal life.

The British Christian apologist C.S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity famously wrote, “Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither.”  His words were echoing Jesus’ parting words to his disciples. If you focus your life on eternal, spiritual goals, you will experience a better earthly world.  Conversely, if you pursue only worldly happiness, security and power, you will ultimately fail to enjoy even earthy treasures.

Of course, there will be unmarked stretches where faith and trust in God will be needed to inspire and encourage you.  There will be moments when you will feel there is little hope and no sense of direction.  I know that personally. 40 some years ago, when my Confirmation Pastor, Carl Borgwardt died at 54 years old on the handball court, the congregation wondered how they could move on. But the familiar words he preached came back to the church as a word of comfort and strength. They set us back in the right direction.  “Death” he said, “is not a tragedy for those who live in the hope of Jesus Christ.”  I was reminded of this story again, when a dear friend was diagnosed with Hodgkins-Lymphoma. He faced his diagnosis with an uncanny strength, as he remembered the words spoken to him by his own mother when he was young, “Oh Richard, there are worse things than death.”

My friends, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” But if your hope and destination is ultimately the father’s Heavenly Home, let Jesus be your Way your Truth and your Life, and remember that along the way, there is work to be done. “The one who believes in me will also do the works that I do, and in fact, will do greater work than these .” Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.