Psalm 31.1-5; 15-16
John 14.1-14
Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled

Our Lectionary Reading today places before us a very familiar account.  Jesus is preparing his disciples for his imminent death, and departure from this world.  He is preparing them with the comfort they will need.  Martin Luther called this passage “the best and most comforting sermon that the Lord Christ delivered on earth.”  Jesus urges his disciples to trust him, that he is going away to prepare a place for them in the spacious house of the Father, that he will return to usher them into that eternal home, and that he is the way to this glorious destiny.  Now, of course, these are words of comfort for these days of COVID-19, when people are filled with anxiety.  But, the reality is that if one looks beyond this obvious cause for anxiety, there are many things that trouble our hearts.  And in those troubling times, we need to hear these words of Jesus, Do not let your hearts be troubled.