We had a fun game this week on the theme of “I am the Way”. You know those maze type pictures where you have to choose which of several strings/paths/fishing lines actually lead to the desired object at the end of the maze? Well, we did it life size! Although there appeared to be five strings to follow, there were actually two really long pieces of string, and one not so long. The two longer strings wound round and through the rows of chairs, but ultimately just led back to the start. Only one string actually led anywhere – and that was to a Bible.
And to help the kids to remember the verse we got them to make these wall plaques. We used an old map book, card to stick the maps to, and either paper fasteners (as shown) or stickers to decorate when finished. They then wrote on the front in marker pen “Jesus said: I am the way, the truth and the life.” John 14:6
(Gail)
This Week’s Message:
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life
First of all I decide where I do want to go?- what’s my destination? Let’s say town. How do I get to town? I have to know the way. I could use a GPS that gives me directions all the way and if I get it wrong, it recalculates and redirects me back to the way to my destination, into town.
What about life – where do I want to go? What’s my destination? Let’s say heaven? How do I get to heaven? I have to know the way. I could use a GPS but it doesn’t know the way. Any ideas?…. The Bible is our GPS it also redirects me if I get it wrong and start going the wrong way.
“As long as you believe in God and try to be a good person, your religion doesn’t matter.” “There are different paths up the same mountain, but they all lead to the same peak.”
Have you heard that before? – it is a common thought, politically correct, tolerant … and wrong.
Jesus said to his disciples (on the last night He had with them) “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no-one comes to the Father except through me.” The very next day He would be betrayed and then die. Jesus was preparing them for what He knew lay ahead – but what they had absolutely no idea of what was about to happen. As Jesus began speaking, after the Last Supper, it led to questions from His disciples as they tried to understand what He was saying. Jesus said “You know the way to the place where I am going.” The disciples were confused about where He was going, and how they could follow. Thomas asked “How can we know the way?” and it was to this question that Jesus answered “I am the way, the truth and the life, no-one comes to the Father except through me.”
THE WAY
Jesus is the only way to be able to have a relationship with God and the only way to heaven.
Thomas asked an age-old question, asked since the beginning of time “How can we know the way?” There have been many ways offered as an answer to the question of life and how to fulfill it. However these gave a false hope that if you did them they would work and complete you.
Yet none of these ways has brought about ultimate fulfillment or time with God, now or forever. How do we fill the void, the emptiness we feel sometimes? Honestly sometimes I retract and shut myself down, sometimes I reach for the biscuit tin, a cup of tea, or later in the day maybe a glass of wine. And yet who I should be reaching for at these times is Jesus – the only way we can fill any void or emptiness or any depth or darkness we experience.
THE TRUTH
Luke was telling me something recently and at the end of his story said “and Mummy it is real,” I said “yes dear” Then he said with seriousness and emphasis (get the hands on the hips) “BUT MUMMY IT IS REAL” I thought about it carefully and asked “are you telling me the truth” to which he responded with a sigh “YES”. And yes, the truth is real.
Jesus is the only truth, the only real truth. In fact, Jesus said He came to fulfill the laws and prophets written in the Old Testament. He is not just some of the truth but the entire truth. There is a modern saying that we all have our own truth and that is what is important. What this means is that our experiences, what we have seen and done, our feelings and what we believe is important. And it is, but it is not the truth – it is our life and our way of looking at life. There is only one real truth and it is Jesus.
THE LIFE
Jesus had just been telling His disciples about His death, and now He was claiming to be the source of all life. In John 10: 17-18 Jesus declared that He was going to lay down His life for His sheep, and then take it back again. He spoke of His authority over life and death as being given to Him by God, the Father. In John 14: 19 He gave the promise that “because I live, you also will live.” Jesus because He is perfect (which none of us is or ever will be). Because Jesus is free from all sin, all the things that keep us separated from God, we can come to know God ourselves through Jesus. What a privilege and honour to have our vey own relationship with God – the God who created this world and who loved us so much He gave his only son, Jesus to provide a way back to Him and a way to have a forever spiritual life together with Him in heaven.
Jesus was trying to prepare the disciples so that they would be able to face the dark days ahead and carry on the mission of declaring the gospel to the world. Of course we know from The Bible that they still didn’t understand, and it took several visits from the risen Lord to shake them out of their disbelief. Once they understood the truth of His words, they became changed people, and the world has never been the same. Just like today – once we understand the truth of his words, we will become changed people and the world will never be the same again.
(Vanessa)
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