⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:5-7)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.

Recently, I had part of a song stuck in my head. This is not uncommon, but the fact that this one was beneficial was. The chorus of Diana Ross’s goes, “Do you know where you’re goin’ to? Do you like the things that life is showin’ you? Where are you goin’ to? Do you know?” Albeit I doubt she was reflecting on church mission, it does apply. The answer to the reimagined question is, in a very Lutheran fashion, both ‘yes’ and ‘no.’

Ultimately, we do know where we are going. We are going with Christ. His death and resurrection demonstrate to us that we are, and always will be, secure in His loving embrace.

Like Thomas, we would like a few more details. It would be nice to have a roadmap rather than just the final destination. Or for those who haven’t used an actual map in a while, we want the ‘steps’ on GPS, not just that red location pin icon.

In Hebrews, Noah, Abraham, and Moses are all extolled for their obedience to God despite the odds. Noah built the ark and leaded up the animals. Abraham left his home to go to a land yet unseen. Moses returned to Egypt to lead the Israelites into the wilderness. None of them (or their wives or families) knew how their journeys would include or how they would conclude. Yet they left what was familiar and ventured into God’s plan.

The church does not have a detailed roadmap, as much as we would like one. The Holy Spirit is our guide, and the Spirit can seem like an ambiguous and complicated scamp. Jesus compared the Holy Spirit to the wind during his interaction with Nicodemus. “The windblows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8) The Holy Spirit’s disregard for human paradigms can be disconcerting and even frustrating. God has this tendency to do things His way instead of ours.

The Spirit “calls, gathers, enlightens, and makes holy the whole Christian Church on earth.” (Luther, Small Catechism, Apostles’ Creed: article 3) The function of the Holy Spirit is to be our GPS system, our roadmap. However, the Spirit is not bound to guide us in the direction or by means of our desires. Using the GPS metaphor (or maybe beating the metaphor to death), God enters all the options, destination, route, and mode of transportation. Occasionally (but very rarely) do we get a glimpse of the route along the way.

The Spirit is also tasked with giving us hope along the route. As we travel by faith, not only do we trust God is leading us, but we trust that we will be strengthened for the journey. As we discern and travel on our journeys as congregations, we can pray with confidence that God guides us. With the Psalmist we declare, “He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:3b) God is our shepherd. The Holy Spirit does guide and strengthen us. Even if we are not sure where we are “goin’ to,” we are sure that God’s Will is (and always will be) done.

The peace which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.