May 17th Sermon by The Reverend Loree Reed

John 14: 15–21
Lord, may we hear your voice in the words spoken in your name. Amen

This morning, once again, we find Jesus in that Upper Room with his disciples. There he has enjoyed one last supper with them, has tenderly washed their feet, and has commissioned them to go out in his name to love others in similar ways. Up until that point the evening had been pleasant – unusual perhaps, but entirely pleasant.
But when he begins to tell them that he now must now leave them and return to his Father’s house, the disciples grow alarmed and began to pepper him with questions.

       “Where are you going?”
       “Do you have to go?”
       “Why can’t we go with you?”
       “When are you coming back?”

They sound, for all the world, like a group of children whose parents have just announced that they are going out – by themselves – for the evening. And the children don’t like it at all.
So at first Jesus tries to explain that he is going away to prepare a new home for them, a home in the Father’s house, where they will one day be able to live together forever. It’s a beautiful promise – not unlike the promise a young bridegroom makes to his bride–to–be, as he gets their first house ready for their new lives together. But this is a promise the disciples aren’t ready for. They are not ready to hear it. And they’re still upset. Their cries are plaintive and their fears –– for a future without him –– are real.
So Jesus comforts them, promising he will not leave them as orphans𔄭 without parent or guardian, guide or teacher. Instead, he says, he will send them an Advocate, someone who will stand with them, come what may. Just as Jesus has been their Comforter, their Guide and Intercessor these last three years, so this new Advocate will stand beside them, will stand with them.
This morning, I think, you and I can sympathize with those disciples, feeling bereft, feeling uncertain about the future. Especially after these last few weeks of sheltering in the isolation of our own homes, we too have realized our need for community, our need for someone – or maybe a whole lot of ‘someones’ – to stand with us. We too need to feel connected to the people we love, to people who love us in return. And true to his ancient name Emmanuel – ‘God with us’ – Jesus hears our cry and promises to find a way to be with us.
Here in the Gospel of John he promises to send the Holy Spirit of God to come alongside the frightened disciples and help them in whatever they need to do. In John that Spirit is called the paraclete. And depending on the English translation you like best, the paraclete’s role is defined as advocate, as intercessor, as comforter, as helper, or as encourager. Translators use all those different terms because the Spirit’s role is multi–faceted.
Now, some denominations prefer the term ‘advocate’ or ‘intercessor’ because they view humankind as sinners who need an Advocate in the court of heaven –– to intercede, on their behalf, with a holy God. That‣s how they see an Advocate. But here in the Episcopal Church, we see things a bit differently. We see a God whose name is Love, a God who doesn’t have to be persuaded to love and forgive us. Instead, as often as not, it works the other way around. The Spirit comes to us, interceding with us on God’s behalf . . . and then reminds us, reassures us that we are indeed God’s beloved children, the sheep of his own fold, the lambs of his own flock.
Is it any wonder, then, that in return we love God, and will do whatever we can to show him our love? Of course not. And we don’t have to go very far to find out how to please him. For Jesus says it, right here.
“If you love me, keep my commands,” he says. In fact he’s been saying the very same thing all evening. After he had washed his friends’ feet he had said to them, “A new commandment I give unto you – that you love one another as I have loved you.”
So –– how had he loved them? He had performed for them an essential task – something no one really wanted to do, but everyone who had traipsed through Jerusalem’s dirty streets really needed. He had washed their feet in a basin of clear water and he’d dried them with a towel. And then, in case they had somehow missed the point, Jesus said again, “Love one another as I have loved you.”
It’s not about dirty feet, you see. It’s about going out of your way to serve someone else. However you can. Then, Jesus says, the Holy Spirit will be with you to help you do some task – even if the task appears small – or menial – to others.
Let me offer to you one very small example, a contemporary one. This week, Aubrey Harris is once again helping me to film this service. He has actually been doing this now for three weeks, buying the necessary equipment, securing a g–mail account for us and then learning how to upload the saved video to YouTube. Now, you have to understand. Aubrey didn’t really want to do this. He didn’t even know how to do it –– but he has been doing it for me because I told him I needed some help. And no one else at All Angels seemed to have a clue about how to do it.
So on Wednesday I emailed him my choices for some preliminary music before the service and a postlude afterward. Since the Gospel reading is all about the Spirit of God, I chose “Breathe on me, breath of God” for the first piece and asked for some quiet classical selection for the postlude. “Your choice,” I said. And within a minute or two Aubrey emailed me back. He had, he said, already made a CD with “Breathe on me, breath of God” as the first hymn . . .  and Handels’ “And the glory of the Lord” as the postlude. I think the Holy Spirit of God was with him, don’t you? In fact the Spirit was with us both.
That, dear friends, is how we can know that God is with us, even if we feel all by ourselves, all on our own, charting new territory. That is how we can enjoy the Holy Spirit’s comfort, encouragement and power. In fact, that is how we will do even greater works than Jesus himself did. As we love God by serving others – even in small ways – the Holy Spirit of God will be with us – empowering us, encouraging us, refreshing us.
To God be the glory!
Amen

 
 
 
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