Rik's Sermons: companion

Sunday, May 21, 2017

The Spirit of Truth - the Advocate

Sermon for Easter 6A – RCL

May 21, 2017

Jesus said, ”If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.

”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.”

The Reading today is more from Jesus’ “farewell discourse”. Jesus has just washed the feet of the disciples, Judas Iscariot has left to betray him and Jesus has given us a new commandment – to love one another as Jesus loves us. Jesus then goes on to say that if we keep his commandments then he will send another Advocate to be with us for all time. And that advocate is the Spirit of truth.

Notice that Jesus says that we will receive another advocate – “another” because Jesus has been the advocate while he walked in human form among us. Jesus was the advocate who came to show us that God’s dream is one where we do love one another. Jesus came and showed us that God’s love for humankind will not end – not ever. Even when mankind tried to kill that love on a cross the love of God refused to die. And even goes so far as to promise the third person of the trinity – the Holy Spirit – will walk among us forever and remind us that we are never alone.

The Spirit of God’s truth – that same spirit that hovered over the waters at the time of creation will be with us at all times. That is the promise in this gospel. And all we have to do is to keep Jesus commandments. We are to love God and love our neighbor. Simple enough – or is it. Sometimes it is not too easy to love our neighbor. Sometimes our neighbors do things that make them very unlovable. Sometimes our society seems to be so out of whack that it makes it impossible to love our neighbors.

And sometimes because of all the turmoil in our lives we feel abandoned and alone. The good news is that even when we feel abandoned by society and those around us we have the Spirit with us. And I admit the promise of this nebulous thing we call the Advocate of truth is not easy to grasp. We would rather have the embodied God, Jesus, to walk along side us. We can understand a companion in flesh and blood.

But the spirit? How is that comforting? I for one have a strong theology of the spirit. I believe that the spirit is manifested in many forms. Sometime it is in the form of the friend who is always your companion. The friend who will tell you when something is not right. The friend that loves you no matter what you do. The friend that knows when to just walk by your side in silence – the friend you know you can reach out to no matter what.

At times we feel like we have no one – that the world has abandoned us but if we sit still and open our hearts to the presence of the God we will discover that the Holy Spirit is there. And sometimes we discover that she has been trying to get our attention for years. Because she is nothing if not persistent in trying to break through our barriers to show us that we are loved.

I have has some very strong experiences of the Holy Spirit moving in my life. In one instance – when I was a lay preacher – I was scheduled to preach during the summer. The Gospel was the feeding of the five thousand. I spent the week before preparing for that sermon and had an outline all ready to go. And then the Holy Spirit showed up and everything was turned on its head.

On that Friday I came home and in the mail was “The Missionary” – the former monthly newsletter of the diocese. The cover story was titled “A voice for the Voiceless.“ It was the account of a young man who committed suicide because he was gay. The article was written by his friends who had not known the despair that this young man had entered into. I was moved to tears when I read the article.

The next morning I sat down with my outline to write my sermon on the feeding of the five thousand and instead a very different sermon came out. I sat down and in under 30 minutes I wrote a sermon on the sin of exclusion. How words indeed hurt and can even kill. As I wrote that sermon I reached for reference books and opened them to the exact page that had quotes that fit perfectly.

When I was done I read the sermon and thought – who wrote this? It wasn’t me. It was certainly a powerful expression of God’s love to all of us. A sermon on keeping the commandment to love God and Love our neighbor. It was a sermon written with the Holy Spirit pouring through me. It was one of the most powerful feelings of God being present in my life that I have ever felt. God the Spirit – the Advocate – flowing though me and being present to add another voice to the voiceless. The promise that no matter what happens – whatever horrors society presents the advocate will be with us.

Catherine Keller – a theologian and professor wrote in her book “On the Mystery” that “Whatever horrors we as a species perpetrate against the earth and all its populations, the spirit in process continues to call us towards the “new heaven and earth”: the renewal of creation.”[i] The Spirit moves though each of us when we Love God and Love our neighbors pushing us to bring God’s dream of Love to this earth.

The Advocate is with so that we are not alone. The Advocate is with us to push us to express God’s Love to all of creation. The Advocate is with us so that we can be ensured of the promise that we are never alone. That we are never un-loved. That is the promise Jesus made to his disciples before he was crucified. That is the promise that God makes to us.

Oh – and just a cautionary note. When we open our hearts and bodies to the Sprit of God please remember to have your crash helmets ready and hold on tight. Because the Advocate will show us God’s love and will push us to show God’s love to a society in ways that we may never have dreamed of. The Sprit will move us to go out and bring God’s dream of Love to this earth in ways we never expected.

May the Holy Sprit be with each of us and move us to show that we are never alone. To show the world that God so loves all of God’s creation so much that he sent the Spirit of Truth, the advocate to be with us always.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

[i] Keller, Catherine – On the Mystery pg 165

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

God’s peace is more than just a cessation of hostility!

Easter 6 C-RCL 2016

Acts 16:9-15

Psalm 67

Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5

John 14:23-29

Jesus said to Judas (not Iscariot), "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.

"I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, `I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe."

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

Today’s gospel for the sixth Sunday of Easter is, in many ways the prologue – or perhaps foreshadowing is the better word for the Gospel we heard on the second Sunday of Easter when Jesus appeared to the disciples in the locked room and said “Peace be with you” and then breathed the holy spirit into them. Gave them that wonderful and scary gift of the Advocate – the Holy Spirit. That wonderful and wild member of our triune God that will take us places where we never thought we would go!

Today’s reading is from what is referred to as the farewell discourse. It takes place the night before Jesus is handed over to suffering and death. This takes place when the disciples are not filled with peace but filled with other emotions. Emotions I can only imagine. Jesus has told them that he is going to die. They are afraid, sad, scared, anxious, worried. Take any antonym for peace and those are the emotions that were likely in that room. They are worried that soon they will be orphaned by their leader. That Jesus is going.

And Jesus is trying to explain to them that not only is he going but that his going is a good thing for them. Jesus is going to the Father and with the Father Jesus is preparing a place for all of us. Jesus is trying to reassure them that there will be peace. That God is not abandoning them but instead sending the Advocate – the Holy Spirit – the companion. That will be with them always. And will lead them and us into truth.

In short Jesus is telling the disciples – and us – that resurrection means companionship. A companionship that will be with us at all times if we only follow his commandments. For John this means that Jesus is promising that the kingdom of God is here. The word made flesh – the incarnate Jesus is ushering in Gods Kingdom of Peace and companionship with all of us. For John the kingdom of God is both here and not yet here.

The peace that Jesus offers us is not of this world. Indeed it is a promise that is extremely counter-cultural for us. We are told over and over again that this world is a scary place. That we should build walls to keep the other out. That our only hope is to isolate ourselves. We need to worry about who might be in a public bathroom with us – I mean really? That is what this world is coming to for so many. A world of demonization and scare tactics.

This is not what Jesus calls us to do. Jesus calls us – filled with that scary thing called the Holy Spirit to usher into this world God’s peaceable kingdom. Our world is hungering for that peace.

When I walk to work I say "good morning" to everyone I pass – or at least try to! And you might be surprised by the reactions I get. When I pass someone who is gathering up all of their possessions after spending the night on a hard concrete sidewalk they are surprised that I greet them and do not ignore them. I wonder how often they are ignored – or worse. It is not infrequent that the return is not only Good morning but also God Bless.

I am being blessed by people who our society wants to go away. I am being blessed when I am able to see God in the young person – who for whatever reason – has been left with nothing but a bedroll and a hard concrete bed . I am being blessed when I can open my eyes – and with the help of he Holy Spirit hear Jesus word to Love God, Love Neighbor.

We are blessed when we can open our hearts and hands and ears and listen for the Holy Spirit in our lives and in the lives of those we meet. God is not calling us to isolation and despair. God is calling us to peace. God’s peace is more than just a cessation of hostility!

Another preacher I follow said “But Jesus gives differently than the world. Jesus gives freely, with no expectation of return, only the hope that, transformed by this peace, we might pass it on, giving others the gift we have received.” [1]

Peace freely given with no expectation of return. That is not how our world seems to operate. When the world offers peace there is an expectation of something in return. When peace treaties are brokered usually one side – the losing side – has to promise to give up something - land, there ability to have self rule - in return for peace.

When society offers someone a shelter bed it is at a price. Usually no animals. Single cots. With expectations about behavior that many of us of more well-to-do means would not stand. No privacy. No personal space and the constant fear that the little they have will be taken. And everything happens on the shelters time schedule. For sure it is essential to offer shelter space. St. Matthew’s offered shelter space inside the sanctuary for 80 to 100 every night for part of lent. St. Matthew’s –as a shelter – seemed to offer more than shelter. It offered peace.

On Maundy Thursday at St. Matthew’s we offered foot washing and fresh socks to our guests – and thank you to all of you who provided socks for that ministry. We also offered an agape meal – which I admit was perhaps not as tempting as the beef stroganoff meal Sacramento Steps forward provided. But we offered as part of that meal a Eucharist. As I was getting ready for the Agape meal and transitioning from washing feet to making Eucharist around a table I saw a young man standing at the back of the church.

I walked up to him and greeted him. And he looked at me and said. “For some reason when I walked into this church the first time – as part of winter sanctuary – I cried. There is something about being in this space.” I said that perhaps it was the years of prayer that have soaked into the walls that offers a different kind of space. A space of peace and closeness to God. He just nodded. And then joined us – with some uncertainty that he was really welcomed – in our Agape Meal and Eucharist.

I see that kind of welcome here all the time as well. Every Wednesday when we do the service there are people invited to the table that I don’t think get invited very often. Perhaps tolerated but not welcomed. To see people who are hurting and homeless standing side by side with members of our Altar Guild receiving communion is a vision where I see the Holy Spirit at work. To see a homeless young man stand holding hands with others waiting for and receiving anointing and laying on of hands for healing is a powerful statement of the Holy Spirit.

To see the Altar Guild insist on serving those who show up for the hot meal – not in a buffet line but as if they were in their own dining rooms is a miracle. I don’t think many of our guests get served like that very often. But our ladies insist that these people be served. And I tell you the Holy Spirit is frequently seen in our Parish Hall as we welcome people who are turned away from so many places – and worse who are ignored and not treated with the dignity that God’s creation should be treated.

We are called to listen to the Holy Spirit – our constant companion – to offer a different kind of peace than the brokered kind of peace our world offers. A peace where we acknowledge the Holy Spirit in each other. A peace that is more than peace but include companionship and the promise that God is always with us. Even – and perhaps especially – when we least expect it.

We are called as the crazy Jesus People we are to open our hearts to see the good in creation. We are called to open our hearts and let the Holy Spirit – Jesus’ promise – into our hearts and into our lives. And when we do that we will both offer that Peace of God to the other but will equally receive that peace.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

[1] http://www.davidlose.net/2016/04/easter-6-c-peace-the-world-cannot-give/