{"id":4514,"date":"2026-05-03T13:50:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T20:50:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/?p=4514"},"modified":"2026-05-03T17:13:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T00:13:07","slug":"the-house-of-my-father-permanent-residence-john-141-12-may-03rd-2026-fifth-sunday-of-easter-pastor-lucas-albrecht","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/the-house-of-my-father-permanent-residence-john-141-12-may-03rd-2026-fifth-sunday-of-easter-pastor-lucas-albrecht\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe House of my Father – Permanent Residence\u201d \/ John 14:1-12 \/ May 03rd, 2026 \/ Fifth Sunday of Easter \/ Pastor Lucas Albrecht"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sermon \u2013 May 03, 2026<\/strong>
\nHope Lutheran Church, Port Coquitlam BC<\/strong>
\nText: John 14.1-12<\/strong>
\nTheme: The House of my Father – Permanent Residence
\n<\/strong>___________________________<\/p>\n

Intr<\/strong> \u2013 \u00a0In February 2017, my family and I became Canadian residents. But one word needed to be added to “residents” back then: temporary<\/em>. From time to time, we were reminded of that condition, because we needed to go through the visa process again. We were reminded that we were guests \u2014 blessed guests \u2014 but still guests who could be asked to leave if the paperwork didn’t align or the laws changed.<\/p>\n

Being a temporary resident means knowing that at the end of a certain period of time, you may be asked to leave the country. In our case, literally \u2014 the “flagpole turnaround” was the easiest way to do so back then. You leave the country and come back in.<\/p>\n

I think this is a reality present in many lives in our area. Being a temporary resident isn’t just a status \u2014 it’s also a state of anxiety. You are constantly aware that your life in Canada has deadlines, and you may be asked to leave unless you can prove, yet again, that you belong. As a result, the regular checking the IRCC portal for an update that may or may not be there is a part of the weekly routine.<\/p>\n

What may look like just paperwork also carries with it deeper questions about the future: Is this home, or do I need to look somewhere else? Can I buy furniture, or should I keep everything in boxes just in case?<\/em> To be a temporary resident means to live halfway between a permanent house and a permanent plane ticket.<\/p>\n

Unless something different happens. Something that could change our status in Beautiful British Columbia. It’s called Permanent Residency<\/em>. When one becomes a permanent resident of the province \u2014 and consequently of the country \u2014 you don’t need to leave anymore. You can make this place your permanent home. You are no longer just a guest, but a permanent neighbour.<\/p>\n

I thought of this whole process while studying the Gospel for this Sunday. Jesus speaks of “the house of my Father.” The place he has prepared for us. The permanent residence that we have. In a world where housing is a problem not only for temporary residents but for many of our compatriots, hearing about a place that is our permanent home is not only refreshing \u2014 it is a promise that takes hold in our lives right here, right now.<\/p>\n

I see a parallel between the PR process and the words of Jesus that I’d like to lay out this way: anyone who has navigated the PR process knows that the “way” to PR is narrow and exhausting. But how does it happen? I would say there is a way, a truth, and a life.<\/p>\n

The WAY<\/strong> \u2014 The way to permanent residency is to apply for it. There is a process one must undergo to request PR status.
\nThe TRUTH<\/strong> \u2014 There is a law that regulates the process, to which we must abide. The law is the truth of Canada. And one must provide truthful information as well. If they fail in that, the law will not fail them in return.
\nThe LIFE<\/strong> \u2014 Also, to be a PR in Canada you must have… a life here. You must have a track record within the borders for a given number of days. You need to adopt Canada as the country where you want to live permanently.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It Is Ours
\n<\/em><\/strong>Christ’s words show us that he has provided us, through faith, with a permanent residence in heaven. And as we heard from Jesus\u2019 words in John 14, it happens through the Way, the Truth, and the Life as well \u2014 though we need to look at how it differs from the process I mentioned at the beginning.<\/p>\n

The Way<\/strong> \u2014 We don’t apply in order to get onto this Way. Jesus is<\/em> the Way, and he<\/em> calls us. We don’t find him \u2014 he found us.
\nThe Truth<\/strong> \u2014 This is not a mere set of laws thrown together. This Truth is different from civil law. When we speak of God’s Word we mean not only his Law but \u2014 above all \u2014 his Gospel of forgiveness and hope in Christ.
\nThe Life<\/strong> \u2014 We don’t need to be in compliance with such-and-such rule of living to be accepted. He is the Life. He is our<\/em> life. We are accepted first \u2014 and then we put faith into action, seeking to obey God’s commandments.<\/p>\n

While in this world though, we all face a deeper, more spiritual “temporary status\u201d – whether we are newcomers still waiting for your papers, or fifth-generation Canadians. We feel the temporary nature of our health, our jobs, and our very lives. We all crave a place where we don’t have to prove we belong. And that brings us to the Gospel today. Jesus isn’t just offering a “work permit” for heaven \u2014 he is talking about Permanent Residency. The House of my Father.<\/p>\n


\nPermanent Dwelling<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

When referring to the House of the Father, Jesus says \u201cI go to prepare a place for you\u201d. There are two important and interesting things to reflect upon here.<\/p>\n

First, the contextual background for Jesus\u2019 words. It is the Jewish betrothal process (erusin<\/em>). After the betrothal, the groom returned to his father’s house to build a wedding chamber (a huppah<\/em>) or an additional room. Many families lived in what is called the The Insula System <\/em>\u2014clusters of rooms around a central courtyard. This architectural reality provided the literal imagery for “many rooms” in one “house”.<\/p>\n

Jesus is the groom and the Church is the Bride, that language is present in the Bible. Therefore we know that the Groom loves his bride deeply and he prepares that special, permanent place, for the family to live together into eternity.<\/p>\n

But when we think about Jesus preparing a place for you, there is another way to look at his words. Where did Jesus prepare a place for us? On His Cross<\/em><\/strong>. This is where He guaranteed that we have a place in the Father\u2019s House. While in Canada, there are quotas or “caps” on how many people can become residents, in the Father\u2019s House that doesn\u2019t apply. Jesus offers room for everyone, because his sacrifice on His Cross was for the forgiveness and salvation of the whole world \u2013 which is realized for those connected to Him by faith.<\/p>\n

A relevant question then becomes: who are the children who have permanent residency? Because there are different ways the world understands what it means to be a child of the Father.<\/p>\n

The world’s version could be summarized this way:<\/p>\n