We’re Never Home Alone

Note: On Fridays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.

Perhaps it was a Scout campout, or a sleep-over at a friend’s house. Or maybe there was a family crisis your parent or parents had to attend to out of town, leaving you with an aunt or uncle or other relative or a trusted babysitter. In any event, it’s likely you remember the first time you weren’t with your parents when you went to bed at night. Your mother or father wasn’t there to tuck you in or say “sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite” or hear your prayers or make sure you had your favorite toy or that the nightlight was on.

They were still there in your heart and your memories, and you in theirs. They said they’d be back, but you didn’t know what that meant. All you knew was they were gone.

As Jesus prepared to leave the disciples physically for his Calvary journey, he had to know they would be frightened and at loose ends without him, despite three years of parables and preaching about the goodness of the Father. And so, at the Last Supper, he reassured them he was going ahead to get a Home ready for them… and that he would be back. And their joy when he returned, and the impact of what that return means to all Christians, was far beyond that they’d ever experienced when they had encountered a long-gone friend or family member. What he had said was true! There was life after death for him and now, for them as well.

At some point, people die peacefully in their sleep or violently in accidents or by the hand of evil. For us, they live only in our memories. But Jesus is always there, preparing our Home and helping us to prepare ourselves for that permanent residency. He never leaves us.