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St. Andrew's Church
An Anglican Church • Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
Preached by
Stuart Pike
Rector
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Easer 5 A - Many Mansions
Acts 7: 55-60
Psalm 31: 1-5, 15-16
1 Peter 2: 2-10
John 14: 1-14
One of the things which my family and I used to love doing when we lived in England was to see many of the grand homes, the manor homes and palaces and castles and cathedrals.We would spend a lot of free time on the weekend traveling to one mansion or another.
I remember that one of the first palaces which we visited was Hampton Court. It was a 14th century Manor home which was rebuilt by Cardinal Wolsley during the time of King HenryVIII and became the greatest palace in England.
Then, as Cardinal Wolsley was falling out of favour with the King, Henry took it over from him and it because Henry's own palace. The sheer size of it was amazing. In it were so many different rooms for different occasions. There were certain wings which were for the servants, there were wings for guests. Every room seemed to have a special nook for some purpose or another.
When I hear today's Gospel lesson I think about Hampton Court when Jesus says, "In my Father's House there are many mansions." At least, the word, "mansions" is the one which is used in the King James version of the Bible. The NRSV which we usually use for our readings uses the word, "dwelling places."
Although I kind of like the mansions bit, the word dwelling place is good too. Perhaps that is because, usually when we see a mansion today, we are on a historical tour looking at a building in which no one is living at the present - or, perhaps the family living there lives only at one end of the mansion behind doors which is out of bound to the common tourist.
While Jesus is talking about mansions, he means that they are really places where people live - where they dwell. We use this reading often at funerals to remember the promises which Jesus gives to us about a life which go on after our life here on earth.
Last night I was paged at a wedding reception. I left the opulence of a beautiful wedding hall - much like a mansion with its beautiful chandeliers - to go and sit at the bedside of a dear little lady who is dying of cancer. She is living in her daughter's home and she doesn't know why she isn't dead yet. She believes in God's love for her. She follows Jesus as her Lord, but she is still afraid and she doesn't know why.
Her body is under such stress by the cancer and by the drugs which are steadily put into her bloodstream to keep her pain free. It is natural for her to feel anxiety with all that is happening to her. But we did speak about God's peace - even his peace which passes all understanding. It seems completely beyond understanding that someone like this dear lady can feel God's peace at a time like this, and yet she can feel that peace start to settle in her as we pray together and when she remembers to pray by herself.
But, I think Jesus' intention in speaking the words of today's Gospel to his disciples was not only to provide us a sense of peace and hope about a life which goes on after our life on earth. His words certain provide that, but this was one of the last days of Jesus, he was entering Jerusalem for the last trip. He knows that he will not be long with them.
When Jesus speaks about many dwelling places, I think he is telling us that we are to dwell (live) in God's house, in his mansion even now. We are to be citizen's of God's Kingdom while we walk this earth. Because Jesus is leaving - we are to carry on his tasks.
We are baptized into the body of Christ. We, together, form the body: the hands and feet and mouth of Jesus in the world today. Jesus says to Thomas: "I am the way, the truth and the Life." We are to make Jesus our way - by following his example. We are to discern his truth and to live his life. It is only by doing this that we can truly welcome all into God's mansions - into his dwelling places, for there are many of them - and they are for all people. Amen.
