The time between the tables

As I was reading through the last chapters of John, I found myself captivated and intrigued by the time between the Last Supper (John 13) and breakfast on the beach with the resurrected Jesus and his friends (John 21). So much is taking place in this short span of time and the characters were being shot, like a pinball, between a variety of emotions. In all honesty, it really resonates with my own life and I’m sure many of you can relate as well. Life has a way of turning on a dime, so to speak. One moment we are comfortable with how things are going and within moments, it’s taken on a whole new perspective, sometimes leaving us full of joy and excitement and a whole new sense of direction and purpose for our lives and other times with fear, anger, sadness, doubt, weariness, or grief.This is the great adventure that Jesus invited those first disciples to and the same thing he invites us to when we say yes to him. Faith in Christ is trusting Jesus when life is going great as well as when all, or even part of life, feels out of our control. When we hear the word adventure, for some of us it conjures up excitement for what lies ahead, while others grow in fear at the mention of anything new and different that could shake up our usual routine. We like regular rhythms and feel like, “why mess with a good thing”.Wherever you find yourself in regards to adventure, I’m certain that as we move through a few of the characters in this story, over the next few weeks, you will find that somewhere along the way, you can relate to one or more of them.  Hopefully, they will serve as reminders of places in your own life where you have felt abandoned, powerless, confused and full of grief. But more than that my hope is that it will also remind us that we are not alone. Not only are there millions of other humans trying to figure out what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, but also reminding us of the comfort that it brings to know that He did not leave us to do it alone, we have the Holy Spirit as our comforter and our guide.I recently finished Lysa TerKeurst study called Finding I AM. If you haven’t done it yet, do it! It’s so good! She took us through the seven I AM’s of Jesus in the book of John and in the midst of it, we were reminded that we are likened to sheep in the Bible. At first, this doesn’t feel awesome. Especially when you really take a look at what sheep are like. Lysa shares just a few of their characteristics in the chapter on Jesus being The Gate and The Good Shepherd. They are defenseless animals, prone to go astray, they have poor eyesight, they tend to follow other sheep without thinking and they are stubborn. Sound familiar to anyone??? But after careful inspection we get to see that being a sheep isn’t so bad, because it means that although we aren’t always wise about how we live,  we’re being watched, cared for and led by The Shepherd.In fact, Jesus is the Perfect Shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep and not only that, he is not surprised by our humanness. His very job is to shepherd us, which means that his expectation is that we will wander at times. The things that we do out of our humanity aren’t meant to keep us stuck by looking at our limitedness, but to push us into dependence on the One who made us and can shape us into all He’s fashioning us to be.As we begin the first leg of our journey together, we find ourselves at the table during the Last Supper. There is so much happening at this table! Celebrating the Passover feast was not new to them, they would have experienced this every year for their entire lives. But this year, not only was it a celebration of what God had done so many years ago with the Egyptians, freeing them from the life of slavery under Pharaoh, but the One who would fulfill the cup of redemption was sitting in their midst.Because he knows he’s coming to the end of his earthly time with them, like so many of their other times together, he uses it to equip them for what it means to be one who belongs to the Way and he begins his discourse with a towel and a basin. Demonstrating for them that in order to be a disciple, you must become like the least. The King of the Universe, bends down to do the lowliest task, washing their feet. Something that not just a servant would do, but the lowest of the servants would be required to do. This act was the final step of the cadence he had been walking with them for the last 3 years.The dirty work of stooping low is what will make you great!And right from the start we begin to see the angst this brings with Peter, the first to speak up about how backwards it all seems.  I sure do love Peter and can totally relate to his passion. He quickly moves from, "no Lord, not you" to "not just my feet, but my whole body".  The pendulum of his passion swung right through the Lord’s point, missing the mark of what Jesus was trying to show them. Isn’t that often what we do? Think we know better than God. As crazy as it sounds to say it aloud, it’s true. I often find myself telling God what I think He should do, forgetting that He is the Alpha and the Omega, whose ways are perfect.   (sigh)….back to the table.This time at the table was the final space for them to take in the purpose of their time with this King that had become their friend. The One who had entered their lives and changed everything! This would not just be a time of relaxing around the table, but the final push to all He had come to do. Jesus, knowing full well what lay ahead for him, longed for his friends to understand who He was, and what it would mean for the rest of their lives. He called them to look beyond and see that one would betray and one would deny but that He would remain committed to all that He came to do. Reminding them that He was the Way, the Truth, and the Life, that in order for the Helper to come, He would have to leave. While continuously driving home the fact that they would forever be His and yet, there would be a time between were his mission would be lived out through their very lives.The fulfillment of His purpose would give them theirs.  The conversation continued as he used the resources around them to illustrate the connection that they would need to pursue, as they lived out their identity on the planet. The vine and the branches parable would give them the daily picture that they needed to keep things in their proper perspective. “You are not the Vine or the Vinedresser. You are the branches that must stay connected to the Vine and allow the Vinedresser to do his pruning work to make you the fruitful branches He has in mind for you.”Remain.Abide.It may be harder for us to understand this illustration since most of us don’t live in the midst of vineyards, but, many of us do enjoy a occasional glass of wine or feasting on a bundle of delicious ripe grapes. Either way, the fruit of the vine is what Jesus is inviting us to pause and take a look backwards at how it became the life giving source that fills our mouths with its goodness.He uses the term, abide, and although it sounds simple, today more than ever, abiding is almost a foreign word. Probably the closest thing that people can relate stillness to, is that weekend set aside for bingeing on Netflix. Blinds closed, jammies on, with lots of snacks pre-purchased for our lounging enjoyment. But this is a far cry from what Jesus was showing them and us! A Netflix binge is more like an opportunity to “check out”. To relax and forget about the worries of life.Abiding is an opportunity to “check in”. To sink into our Creator and remember all that He was and still is, and to let Him remind us who we are.Abiding is not just getting still. It’s getting still “with” Someone. It’s communing. And, it’s only here that the Life Source can fill us up with abundance and make us a life giving source for others. They, like us, would need this reminder as we get mixed up about how the things of God are birthed in us, not by our own doing, but by the beautiful infusion of his life surging through ours.This fruit bearing life he’s calling us to is an invitation to abide in his love. And his love is fruit producing. It is the very ingredient necessary for growth.Last weekend I got to spend an evening with all of my kiddos. We met up to celebrate our youngest, who had just had his 21st birthday. Throughout our time together I got to have moments with each one of them. Moments that made my heart full. Time to look in their eyes and hear what’s happening with them. Time to share in their joys and their sorrows. Opportunities to relate to one another, simply because we love each other. I feel like this is a hint of what it’s like for Jesus when we choose to abide. To decisively move into his presence, share with him and listen to him and enjoy one another. To be held by him and be present, without distraction.This divine relationship we’ve been invited to, would not be possible had He not done the hard thing of completing the mission the Father had invited him into. The rescue mission on my behalf and yours. Condescending to earth in order that we might ascend with Him to the heavenlies, even as we step through our todays on planet earth. Opportunities to experience the divine in the midst of the mundane.As the disciples spent time with him that night at the table, they were free to be fully human. It’s what He expected from them. Full of questions and passions, doubts and wonder, hanging on his every word, not fully comprehending what this life he was offering would cost Him. And yet, their humanity did not stop him from unfolding the deep wonder of his divinity and his invitation to join him in this life. I love that about Jesus! My limitations don’t hinder his declarations or invitations. The invitation is always ‘come’. Abide with me Kari, and you will find the life you’re looking for.So today, I hope you’ll listen for his voice and answer, not with your mouth, but with your very presence. March your sweet self right into the open arms of the Savior who washes feet and invites us to do the same. I’ll meet you there!