鈥淲alk this way鈥� is a classic pun used variously in entertainment. In the Three Stooges short Don鈥檛 Throw That Knife a woman instructs the Stooges to walk this way and saunters off swinging her dress. The Stooges shrug and swing after her.
Bugs Bunny tells Elmer Fudd, 鈥淨uick, run 鈥榯his way鈥�!鈥� and puts him through some crazy dance steps while they continue to run. And the hunchback Igor says to Frankenstein 鈥淲alk this way鈥� in a Mel Brook鈥檚 movie.
Recently I had an inspiration while driving through Calgary with confidence and expertise. How did this hap-pen? I simply followed my son-in-law鈥檚 car. I didn鈥檛 have to puzzle about Crowchild, Deerfoot or Sarcee trails. Then I thought, wouldn鈥檛 it be easy to get to heaven if we followed someone who knows the way?
The path to God has many turns, twists and challenges, but following the scriptures, church and spiritual exercises can help us glide along with confidence. It isn鈥檛 really so difficult if we follow Jesus who said, 鈥淚 am the way, the truth and the life鈥� (John 14:6).
Jesus told Peter and Andrew 鈥淔ollow me;鈥� then James and John, 鈥淔ollow me,鈥� and the next day he told Philip, and they all followed, leaving everything behind. It was easy not to get lost if they kept their eyes on Jesus and listened to his instructions, 鈥淲alk this way.鈥�
One of our biggest worries in this world is about what will happen when we reach our destination. What will it be like? What kind of a welcome can we expect? In this world the welcomes are heart-warming. I remember landing in Ottawa on my first visit to my son and daughter-in-law. I started smiling, and I realized I would be smiling for a while.
Billy Graham is a good tour-guide of the way to heaven. In Angels he relates an experience of D.L. Moody when death was at hand: 鈥淓arth recedes, heaven opens before me.鈥� Moody saw familiar faces of loved ones through heaven鈥檚 gates. But God sent him back to earth.
The moment of leaving earth will be filled with wonder. Angels will escort us, Billy Graham says. When his grandmother died, the room was filled with a heavenly light. His grandmother sat up, almost laughingly saying, 鈥淚 see Jesus. He has His arms outstretched toward me. And Ben (her husband) and I see angels.鈥� Then she expired.
Graham shares the story of the passing of Phillip Brooks, writer of O Little Town of Bethlehem. A five-year-old Boston girl exclaimed after news of his death: 鈥淗ow happy the angels will be!鈥�
The road to heaven is less mysterious since Jesus showed us the way. Accompanied by a host of angels when he came to Bethlehem, Jesus tells us Lazarus was 鈥渃arried by the angels鈥� to God (Luke 16). Just as Jesus was accompanied by angels in His tomb, we will not leave this world alone but angels shall bear us up.
Jesus tells us today, 鈥淲alk this way. Come, follow me.鈥�
