The Gift of the Spirit
Sermon for Easter 6A RCL May 25, 2014
"I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them."
When I read the Gospel lesson for this week I had to go back and make sure that I had the right Sunday. The reading from John certainly sounds like we have fast- forwarded to Pentecost Sunday. What is all this talk about the sending of an Advocate – the Spirit of truth doing in an Easter gospel? Remember Easter is a season and not a day in the church – while our secular world is heading headlong into the summer season of barbecues and vacations the church is still in Easter.
Another preacher who I follow started her commentary on today’s gospel reading with “Jesus did not stop talking!”[1] And I wanted to start todays gospel with “Jesus continued talking to his disciples… Instead of what was printed in our bulletins “Jesus sad to his disciples..” Today’s little snapshot of the Gospel of John is just part of what we call the “Farewell Discourse”.
We heard last Sunday Jesus promise that “, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” And that if we know and abide in Jesus we know and abide in God the Father. In this discourse Jesus is getting the disciples ready for his arrest and crucifixion as well as his resurrection and ascension. Jesus is trying to get that rag-tag group of thick-headed disciples (aka people just like us!) to understand that Jesus the advocate will not physically be with them forever. Jesus promises that another advocate – the Spirit of truth – will be sent to them after Jesus the advocate is gone.
So what are we to make of this little clip out of John’s Gospel. What does it say to us today? Well for me it is a powerful promise. Jesus promises us that as long as we obey his commandments that none of us will be alone. We will be part of God’s family. Period.
So what about this “condition” that we hear before we can get the gift of God’s Spirit? What are the Commandments that John’s Gospel is talking about? Do I need to read through page after page of fine print before I sign on the dotted line? Should I take this list of conditions to an attorney before I sign up? After all I have read Leviticus. I know what kind in lists of do’s and don’ts are in the bible – oh and my Alb already breaks one of those as it is a fabric blend! And I had bacon for breakfast yesterday before sitting down to work on this sermon. Both forbidden in the Bible.
Jesus commandments are simple. Love God and Love each other in community. Period. End of Story. If we love God we are promised that we will be treated as children of God.
If we love each other as God loves us we will be treated as children of God.
And as children we will never be left alone. Jesus promised his disciples – from that initial rag-tag group all the way to this rag-tag group that once he was gone that another advocate “The spirit of truth” will be with us. So why are we hearing this during Easter?
Carolyn Lewis from Luther Seminary says it this way “That this text is located in the Sundays after Easter promises that the presence and power of Jesus will extend beyond the empty tomb, beyond Easter, and well into this next season we call Pentecost. All too often, the resurrection is preached as a culmination rather than an inauguration, the ultimate believer’s reality rather than the penultimate promise, especially for the Gospel of John.”[2]
The promise is that the Spirit of truth will be with us at all times. The same spirit that hovered over the waters of creation will continue to guide us in our lives. The Spirit of love is there poking and prodding each of us into the way of truth. The spirit of God speaks to each and every one of us – if we are willing to listen for it and to hear it.
Sometimes we don’t hear the Spirit because we don’t want to act on the condition. We forget Jesus commandments. Especially that hard one. The commandment to Love God’s creation as we love God and as we love ourselves. To create a community of love and respect in the here and now. To call out and point out places in our communities where God’s love is missing.
We are called as children of God to see God in every other child of God. It is easy to see God in those who are close to us. But what about seeing God in the guy who cuts us off in traffic? Or seeing God in the person who doesn’t dress, look or speak like us? What about seeing God in those who – for whatever reason – are unable to work and have a roof over their heads? It is especially hard when we hear or read in the news about a shooting rampage like the one that happened in Santa Barbara yesterday. Are we to see God in them and to acknowledge God’s presence in them? Or are we too look only to our small community to see God in each other.
Well the answer is yes – Jesus really did mean it when he commanded us to Love. Love everyone. Not just our families or those we agree with. We are called to see everyone as children of God. And when we dare to do that we are promised the gift of the Spirit. That we will be able to hear and respond to God’s continuing presence in our lives.
But what are we to make of this promise? How are we to think or recognize what another preacher called the “Shy member of the Trinity?” Well I don’t know if I would call her a shy member of the trinity in the least. Perhaps the least understood or recognized facet of our triune God but diffidently not shy! You see when we open our lives to God’s spirit it is time to fasten our seat belts. The Holy Spirit is that aspect of God that will call us out of our comfort zones. The Spirit is the one who can grab us and show us God’s dream of a radical love for creation. A love that loves those we do not see as lovable. The Holy Spirit is anything but shy. Oh she may have a soft voice at times. But once we listen we will be hooked. She will show us ways to love and to bring God’s dream of a love to this earth.
God’s Spirit is the promise that we are never alone. God’s Spirit is one that always recognizes us as part of God’s family. Not just some small cog in a clockwork creation - but as family. The Spirit promises us an intimacy that is hard to comprehend. It is an intimacy born out of love and not out of command. We especially know and feel that intimacy when we are sharing it. When we go out of this church and greet everyone as if they were brothers or sisters, fathers or mothers and worthy of our love and respect then we too will know that intimacy that Jesus promised would be with us after his physical body left us.
We are called to love people even when we don’t want to. We are called to treat each and every other person as a child of God. We are called to let the Holy Spirit – the advocate of truth – into our lives.
And then we better hold on because the love of God and the intimacy of God can be a wild ride. It can make us see creation in new and wonderful ways. It can grab us and take us to places where others see nothing but hurt and despair but where we will be able to see the possibility of Love. It will take us to places where others see nameless people and where we see our brothers and sisters. Where we see children of God. The Holy Spirit will make us partners in bring God’s dream of love to fruition now – and not wait for some “future end time”. The gift of the Spirit is that presence that will be with us as we help bring God’s love to creation. I invite you when we leave this service to treat everyone as children of God and to bring God’s love into our hurting and hurt-filled world.
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
