Know where you are going?

It's good to be back after ten weeks away. That length of time is more like a lifestyle change than a holiday so readjusting may take a while. I'm very interested to hear what's happened and what God has been up to in your life. When we travel in England we tend to rent cars. We picked up our groovy Vauxhall from St Pancras Station one busy afternoon. Cheryl asked about a street directory? No, hire cars from Europcar don't come with street directories!No matter, I'd always intended to bring "Jane", my very knowledgeable friend from Oxfordshire, with us in the car anyway. Jane, of course, is the Sat Nav, the modern-day street directory that talks! I fell in love instantly (Cheryl took a bit longer) - a polite voice who never sounded irritated and when I messed it up totally would simply say, "You are going the wrong way. Turn around when possible." Jane was a godsend on those Midlands roundabouts with 13 exits. "Turn left at the fourth exit," she would say. "Turn left NOW!", she would command. Jane really knew her stuff, she really knew the way to the place where she was going while I, most of the time, hadn't a clue. John 14 is a favourite chapter of the Bible. In verse 4 Jesus says to his disciples, "You know the way to the place where I'm going." When I travel,  I like to sit and watch people. People everywhere seem to know where they're going - but I'm not so sure. There's often a lot of movement but no sense of an ultimate purpose or destiny. Where are people really going? This is what Jesus was talking about. If you know why you live, you can put up with almost any circumstance. Jesus is saying to people who are lost, anxious, shamed, guilty, floundering, directionless, "I am the way!" If you are wondering if you've invested in the right place, He is saying "You have if you've  invested in Me. You have God's forgiveness, love and connection, in this life and the next. But you must come and follow me because I speak the truth, I live the life, I know the way.” We had Ken Drayton's funeral here on Friday. It was big! Ken led St Philips for nearly two decades. He was a truth-teller, a plain speaker, a good operator, unremittingly clear that the best gift he could give anyone was an introduction to the forgiving, redeeming, life-transforming Jesus - the Jesus who, like Ken, was absolutely sure about the place and the way to where he was going. There's no point knowing Jesus 'a bit', like there's no point following Jane the Sat Nav 'a bit'. They both know the way to the place where they're going. I suggest you and I bow the knee, get on board and come for the ride - unless you have a better idea  (and that's another conversation altogether).It's good to be back.Malcolm