Life Notes—August 20, 2009
“So Jesus asked the twelve, ‘Do you also wish to go away?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:67-69
One evening when I was seven or eight years old I became very angry with my parents and decided I would run away from home. I was convinced they didn’t love me anymore, so I decided to leave and teach them a lesson! I remember gathering a few things into a sack, probably a few favored toys, and heading for the door. Not the back door, mind you, where I could’ve slipped out of the house unnoticed. I walked very slowly through the living room with my few possessions in tow and looked at my parents with my saddest eyes. Dad asked where I was going. I told him I was running away from home, expecting I would receive hugs and apologies and assurances that I was loved beyond anything else in their world. Once they had sufficiently repented for their offenses, I would forgive them and life would go on.
What do you think happened? Actually, my bottom was spanked very soundly and I was sent straight to bed. Although I do not remember, I am certain I felt betrayed and cried myself to sleep that night. In the passages preceding the above verses Jesus had shared some difficult truths with his followers that caused many of them to walk away. His were not words they were prepared to accept and they went seeking elsewhere.
Simon Peter’s response is piercing Truth: “Lord, to whom can we go?” Where was a self-absorbed kid feeling sorry for himself going to go where he would be more loved? In my case, at least, there was nowhere else to go. Ditto for the twelve disciples. And ditto for us, today. We may not always like the teaching of Christ or the direction God seems to be directing us. But where else can we go? To whom can we turn? We know there is no one more truthful or loving or who has our best interests in mind or who understands and is prepared to meet our deepest needs better than our Lord.
Tom’s sermon title is “Plenty of Places to Go,” based on the scripture from John 6:56-69. Life worship is at 10:45 in Brady Hall. Traditional worship is at 8:30 and 11:00. Contemporary worship on the west campus is at 9:30. Certainly there are plenty of places you can go this Sunday morning. But turning to God is the only direction where our needs meet the One who can best meet our needs.
Come home to worship this Sunday. We’ll leave the Light on for you…
Greg Hildenbrand, Life Worship Music Coordinator
Contemplating Grace 