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John 14:2–3 — “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus comforted His disciples with a promise. He assured them that His departure was not abandonment but preparation. He was going to prepare a place in His Father’s house, and He promised to return and bring them there. Gratitude grows when we realize that our Savior not only died for us but also secures our eternal home.

The promise, “I will come again,” anchors our hope. Just as surely as He came the first time in Bethlehem, He will come again in glory. The manger reminds us that God keeps His Word, and the cross reminds us that He has secured our redemption. Gratitude flows when we rest in His reliability.

This promise also reveals His desire for fellowship. He did not simply say He would bring us to heaven but that He would receive us to Himself. The heart of heaven is being with Christ. Gratitude looks beyond golden streets to the presence of the Savior who loves us.

For the disciples, these words calmed troubled hearts. For us, they give strength in times of grief and trial. Gratitude steadies us when we lose loved ones in Christ, knowing He has prepared a place for them and will one day gather us together.

Pastors can preach this promise with joy, for it assures the flock of Christ’s personal return. Believers can live with confidence, knowing that no matter how dark life becomes, our destination is secure. Gratitude is the natural response to such a hope-filled promise.

As we celebrate Christmas, let us not forget that the child of Bethlehem is the returning King. His first coming guarantees His second. Gratitude fixes our eyes not only on the past manger but also on the future glory of His coming.