Easter 6A
May 17, 2020
John 14:15-21
INTRODUCTION
Today’s readings start to set us up for Pentecost, the day two weeks from now when we will celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit. And today’s picture of that Spirit is one of presence. We’ll see bits of that throughout, but especially in our Gospel reading. Today’s lesson continues last week’s story, which took us back to Maundy Thursday. Jesus has just washed the disciples’ feet and given them “a new commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus will implore them in this reading to “keep my commandments,” but in fact, the only commandment Jesus gives in all of John is that one, great commandment: to love one another. Now, of course, that one commandment is a doozie, much easier to say than to do, and so, in this difficult task, Jesus will also promise them an abiding presence, that of the Holy Spirit.
Recall as you hear this story, the intensity of emotion that was in that room: he’s been foretelling his death, he’s told Judas to go ahead and “do what he needs to do” (aka betray him), he’s foretold Peter’s threefold denial. Now he’s saying he’s leaving them – so, they know something is up! And so here, Jesus’ tone is a pastoral one, offering them a comfort and peace beyond their understanding. Keep all that in mind as you listen to this exchange. Let’s listen.
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| Stained glass symbolic representation of the Holy Spirit as a dove, c. 1660. |
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
A few years back, I remember reading a story about a family of three who adopted seven children, seven siblings from the same family. The kids had been in foster care for nearly four years. The children, ranging in age from 5 to 14, moved into the couple’s three-bedroom home about nine months before, and now, suddenly, the family of three became a family of 10! The story featured several family photos, including some of the adopted kids holding a sign that said, “We were in foster care for 1359 days. But today, we’re adopted!” and the biological son holding a sign that said, “I was an only child for 1426 days, but today, I became a little brother!” While I’m sure the new situation brought plenty of challenges, the faces in the photos exuded pure joy.
Stories like this are so heartwarming – for the sheer generosity and love of the couple, to be sure, but also for the recognition that so many children lack the generous, loving presence of parents in their lives, either because they are orphans, or because their biological parents are for whatever reason unable to provide that for them. Our hearts truly ache to see an orphaned child, especially a young child, and that has always been the case. It’s no surprise the Bible repeatedly implores us to care for the widows and the orphans, because both groups are particularly vulnerable.
That feeling of being orphaned, though – it is not only for those who have experienced an untimely loss of their parents. We all might now and then “feel like a motherless child,” as the old spiritual says. We feel it whenever we cannot find our footing, when we feel lost in this world, when we are without direction and can’t find the love and support we need. We might feel that sense of being orphaned any time we lack the connection we humans so desperately crave. When we lack genuine and loving connection, the other challenging aspects of life can seem insurmountable. Sometimes, we even see such a lack of connection end tragically.
Which is why Jesus’ words to his disciples on the night he was betrayed, these words we heard just a moment ago, are so important. “I will not leave you orphaned,” Jesus says. What music to their ears, as they come to realize that their friend, teacher, and indeed their advocate is fast approaching his death. Remember, these guys, the disciples, are a bunch of nobodies, and Jesus has made them somebodies. He has called them, empowered them, taken the time to teach them, and to send them out to care for others. Perhaps this is the first time they have felt like they actually mattered to someone – mattered, even, to the world!
So I’m sure there was some real fear around losing that. They were losing this man who had been so much to them. Which is what makes what Jesus offers so remarkable. The specific word Jesus uses here to describe the Spirit is paracletos, paraclete. It means, literally, one who comes alongside you, who accompanies you. It is translated various ways: comforter, helper, counselor, and encourager. But most literally, its translation is, as we see here, “advocate”: one who pleads your case, who takes your side, who intercedes for you, who stands up for you.
All these images strike me as an especially meaningful gift right now. This Paraclete is so much more than a mere presence. Presence is a wonderful promise, but sort of a vague one, for what does it mean for someone to be present when we can’t even see them? But this Advocate, this Paraclete, is offering just exactly the sort of support we are craving right now. Comforter, when fears and worries and grief are a daily struggle. Helper, when life is overwhelming. Counselor, in the midst of so many important decisions. Encourager, when we start to doubt our ability to keep up with this crazy situation. And then, all that this image of an Advocate has to offer: someone who cares so deeply about us, that they would speak up on our behalf, pray on our behalf, actively intervene on our behalf, so that when we feel powerless and weak, we know someone is still holding our best interest at heart. Wow! Our God would do this! Our God does do this!
Some may think of the Holy Spirit as the most elusive person of the Trinity – certainly not as concrete as the man Jesus, or even the Creator of all that is. But I rather like the Holy Spirit, because there is also a lot of symbolism used to describe it that makes it really fun to watch for how that Spirit may come right up alongside us in our daily lives. And I wonder if this might be a useful exercise for us in these days when the gifts the Spirit brings are so needed.
For example, do you remember what form the Holy Spirit takes at Jesus’ baptism? The Spirit descended upon him like a dove. A bird! Plenty of those out these days, huh? So I’ve been noticing lately my daughter’s recent infatuation with birds. She will sit at the window and just watch them flying, but she will also run out into the yard in her footie pajamas, flapping her arms and tweeting, in hopes of tricking them into thinking she’s one of them, and then getting close enough to touch one. And while this is, turns out, not a good technique for getting close to birds, it does remind me that this is how God feels about us – God wants more than anything to come alongside us, to get close, to touch us. God even came down to move and talk like us, so that God could be closer to us, even, to touch us. So whenever I see a bird, I think of the Holy Spirit coming close.
Another way: In a couple weeks, we will celebrate Pentecost when the Holy Spirit comes down like a rushing… what? Wind! Well, wind is easy enough to come by in Rochester! And so this week as I enjoyed some time outside in the warmer weather, I noticed how the warm air seemed to caress my cheeks, as if the Holy Spirit herself were offering her warm embrace. I can almost imagine that Holy Wind, then carrying my prayers and concerns to heaven, and promising me God’s counsel, guidance, and comfort.
Another way the Spirit is often described is as a breath. I remember sitting once with a family during the husband’s heart surgery. The room was anxious, as it often is with major surgeries. But then, when the family got called back to talk to the doctor, the first thing the doctor said to them was, “You can breathe – everything went well.” Breath – just like a few weeks ago when Jesus breathed his Holy Spirit on the disciples after the resurrection, saying, “Peace be with you.” After waiting for that surgery, the family was invited to breathe in that comforting peace that all had gone well.
How many ways there are to experience the Spirit’s presence in our lives! How many reminders that we are not orphaned, that indeed, through the Spirit we are immensely connected – to God and to one another. And that’s not all: Jesus’ promise to his disciples that night that he was sending an Advocate means also that it is possible to keep that greatest commandment, to love one another. It is a commandment that is simple to say and difficult to do, especially when we are struggling ourselves, but with the comforting, encouraging support of the Paraclete, the Advocate, we are also enabled to do it. And even when we do fall short, we can rest in the promise that God will not ever let us go, nor leave our side – not when we feel orphaned, or abandoned, or misunderstood, or overlooked. Not when we feel vulnerable and helpless. Not when we feel unloved, unloving, or even unlovable. And that Advocate wants for us health and healing, community and blessing – in short, abundant life.
God gave us Christ so that we would have that abundant life. But God didn’t stop there – for we also are given the Holy Spirit, to encourage and look out for us, to care for us and stay with us and walk alongside us, to make it possible to love one another as Christ has loved us. In other words: the Spirit came to be like Christ for us, every day. Thanks be to God!
Let us pray… Holy Spirit, when we feel disconnected or alone, you come to us again and again in your many and various ways. Help us to remember to look for you whenever we are in need of comfort, counsel, support, and connection. In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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