John 8:31-36
Gloria was one of the homebound members I visited in a previous parish. She had lived on her own most of her life, a career woman in the financial world in an era when it was dominated by men. She had many friends and travel partners and a full life. But as she aged, Gloria’s world got smaller. She feared the new neighbors moving into her area. She was mistrustful of other people’s help, including her only relative, a nephew, who occasionally stopped by. The local news with its constant refrain of violence made her feel uneasy about living alone. She moved into a retirement community, but she still didn’t feel safe.
But Gloria loved receiving the bulletin every week. It was in the days before livestreaming, so the church regularly sent them out. When it came in the mail, she’d turn off the TV and pray through the whole service. “I love to dwell in the Word,” she said.
I thought a lot about that comment from Gloria. It seemed that during the week, she often dwelled on things that scared her: the economy, the safety of her town, her future care. When she dwelled in the Word, however, her anxiety disappeared. She felt loved, safe, and at peace.
Gloria was living out the first line of our gospel lesson today: Jesus says, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” The word ‘continue’ here is the Greek word meno that is also translated to ‘remain,’ ‘abide,’ ‘dwell,’ or ‘live.’ It literally means to put up a tent and to take up residence. It is used throughout the Gospel of John to describe Jesus’ presence. In chapter 1, ‘the Word became flesh, and lived – menoed – among us.’ In Chapter 14, when Jesus says, “In my fathers house there are many dwelling places,” the word is again meno. Meno describes Jesus’ solidarity in being present with us, and our presence in his safety and provision.
“If you dwell in my word, you are truly my disciples,” Jesus said. Dwelling with Jesus, intentionally coming into his presence, is how a person becomes Jesus’ disciple. It is how they follow Jesus and learn from him. The curriculum is Truth with a capital T, the truth that is Jesus himself, who says, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Jesus is the truth that shines light into dark corners, liberating one from fear of the shadowy places in life. Jesus says, “If you dwell in my word, you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
That’s what Gloria experienced when she prayed through our worship service: freedom. When she came into Jesus’ presence, she centered on Jesus. She focused on the largest truth, that ultimately her life was in Jesus’ hands, and nothing could snatch her away. Gloria’s time in prayer and worship liberated her from her fears.
To me this passage has a contemporary ring. It comes from a section of the Gospel with a lot of conflict: some of Jesus’ followers had left, in fact, because of his strong rhetoric; other people pushed back at Jesus, revising history by claiming they had never been slaves to anyone, though in reality their ancestors had been slaves in Egypt. If you read John chapters 7 and 8, you see that Everyone seems to be twisting words to suit their own agendas. There’s no agreement on anything and no common ground. It is as if these controversies and fights and questions of reality came not from a Gospel almost 2000 years old but from the mouths of modern leaders, pundits, and news outlets.
And that makes me extra interested in this passage, and the Jesus it speaks of. Because in this week before the election, it seems like we’re a bit like Gloria – inundated with news coverage and political ads, unable to escape dire warnings and feeling anxious about the future. And so it is good that we gather for worship to prepare: not to stockpile food or firearms, not to move funds to the bond market, or apply for residency in Canada, but to prepare spiritually. Our job as Christians is to be like Gloria taking the bulletin to hand and choosing a different place to dwell. Together, no matter where we come from on the political spectrum, we gather to center ourselves on the Truth with a capital T – Jesus. Jesus, who promised a place for all in his father’s house with many dwelling places. Jesus, who reached out to political insiders with power and influence like Nicodemus and to foreigners with no political standing like the woman at the well. Jesus of whom it is said, “God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” Jesus who is God’s revelation on earth, and God’s presence on earth.
When we come into the presence of this Jesus and dwell in him, we take on these same qualities of bridge-building and healing among people. We lift up God’s provision for the whole world and do what we can to be part of it. We remain in Jesus’ word and become his disciples; we open ourselves with humility to learn from him and his ways.
What will you dwell on this coming week? Where will you remain in these days before the election, and afterward? In the rancor and anxiety of the news cycle? Or in the trust and hope that even when all seems lost, God’s got it?
In the last chapters of John’s Gospel, the Risen Jesus confers his Spirit on his disciples, those who remain in his Word and believe in him. We are Jesus’ modern-day disciples. We have received the Spirit in Holy Baptism, and that means that Jesus lives in us. We become his body in this world, his force for Good, his word of forgiveness and the truth. The Truth in Jesus is that God’s love is stronger than any evil we can cook up. The Truth in Jesus is that God’s power of life is stronger than death. Dwelling with Jesus, making him our truth, releases us from our fears and turns our gaze outward to love and serve the Lord; to live in peace and joy; to be free indeed.