May 17, 2020, John
JOHN 14:15-21
Many of you will remember a popular comic strip, “Little Orphan Annie.” When growing up I not only read her in the Sunday Paper comics, but would beg for “Little Orphan Annie” comic books when I saw them in the store. Annie was this scrappy girl who despite being orphaned, could get herself out of just about any situation using her good sense and gumption, and I admired her.
As humans we naturally fear being orphaned as it means we are left alone to make our own way in the world. Psychologists say that being orphaned is the human fear that we are not enough by ourselves. The reality of the situation is that we were never created to be alone. We are all familiar with the story of creation, and in Genesis 2: 18, we are told, “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Thus, we were never intended or created to be alone and self-sufficient. We were never intended to stand alone as individuals. We were created to be in loving relationships with others here on earth as well as our God.
We can just imagine the confusion the disciples felt that day when Jesus told them that soon they would not see Him anymore, and even more perplexed by Jesus statement in verses 15 and 16. “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” You can almost see the disciples scratching their heads, and asking Jesus to repeat it again, thinking they must have misheard what was said.
As church goers, Jesus’ words are a little clearer to us. After all, we have read about the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, in God’s Word, heard sermons and Sunday School lessons on the topic. In catechism we learn that the doctrine of the Trinity states there is one true God who is make up of three separate persons, God the Father, the son and the Holy Spirit. We are told to listen for the small voice of the Holy Spirit in us. Yet, really describing the Holy Spirit remains elusive for most of us.
One way to better understand the Holy Spirit is to think of the spirit as transmitting knowledge of things He wants us to have or do. Many of you probably have moments when you experienced a strong, inner knowing, where you felt you knew something without any shadow of doubt. Sometimes the Holy Spirit is described as a person’s inner conscience. That small voice that tells you something is wrong, warning you not to do something, or the voice that encourages you to do something that you should be doing. So, you see the Spirit is indeed an advocate just as Jesus described. To advocate means to support or recommend a particular cause.
Since the Holy Spirit according to our understanding of the trinity is God, then Jesus statement tells us that God dwells in us. There are many places in the Bible that echo this thought. For example, Galatians 2:20 states, “I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.” The apostle Paul has also described believers as earthen vessels containing the treasure which is Jesus Christ in whos’ face we see the glory of God. Scripture goes on in John 15:5 to assure us that if we have faith and see that God is in us, we will bear much fruit for God here on earth.
It is probably safe to say that the majority of us have seen the movie, The Wizard of Oz. In fact, it is probably safe to say that many of us have seen it many times over, and know the story well. We all have our own yellow brick roads that take us to where we want to be. Max Lucado, in his book, Experiencing the Heart of Jesus: Knowing His Heart, Feeling His Love, made this statement that has always stuck in my mind when thinking of the Holy Spirit. “The wizard [of Oz] says look inside yourself and find self. God says look inside yourself and find [the Holy Spirit]. The first will get you to Kansas. The latter will get you to heaven. Take your pick.”
As we begin this upcoming week, I hope each of us will take some time to think about Jesus being in us and what it means in how we live our lives, how we treat others and ourselves, how we care for our bodies and so forth. Much spiritual growth can come from wrestling with these ideas.
During this time of significant change in how we live our lives in light of the pandemic, being isolated from family and neighbors, it is easy to feel we have been orphaned, that we are no longer part of the community at whole. These are times of transition and change that can make us feel alone. Yet, we can have faith that in the future, no matter what happens, we will find a new form of normal for living life and community. God is ultimately in charge and will right everything in His own time. Of one thing we can be certain, Jesus has promised that He will not leave us orphaned. Regardless of the circumstances of our lives at this moment in time, despite the storms, death, separations that may come, we have never been nor will we ever be orphaned by God. There is no greater assurance than that. We are and always will remain beloved children of God.
Amen