Fiery Courage: May 10

 Year A, Easter 6                                            John 14:16-21  

           One of my earliest memories is riding on a plane for the first time. I was really excited about what it would be like to fly through the clouds.  From down below the clouds look like the cotton you see growing on the plant before it’s harvested.  I imagined that once you were flying in the clouds, it would look the same way.  Maybe I would see some angels with harps.  You can imagine my disappointment when we first broke through the clouds.  It was just hazy.  You couldn’t see much of anything.  There were no places for angels to lounge gracefully.  I thought that these clouds were something you could really wrap your arms around, like a really amazing pillow.  It was a real let down seeing them close up. Now that I am an adult, I know that angels don’t lounge on clouds and heaven is another realm, not just really high in the sky.  Yet I still long for things that can be grasped.        

          The season of Easter is a bit confusing when it comes to our readings.  The first few Sundays, we have stories of the resurrected Jesus…which makes a lot of sense for the season of Easter. Then last week we shifted to John 14 which contains the words Jesus shared before he died.   Today we have a continuation of what we started last week.  It’s usually referred to as the farewell discourse, which is just a fancy way of saying---the long good bye. These were words that Jesus shared with his disciples as he prepared them not just for his death, but also his resurrection and then life after that—life without Jesus’ presence. 

This week’s portion is the introduction to the Advocate. The word Advocate comes from the Greek word parakletos.  I try not to randomly drop Greek words into a sermon because I think it just confuses people most of the time. However, when the word doesn’t have a simple translation, then I like to mention it.  Parakletos is translated to a bunch of different things in the New Testament.  The most literal translation is “called to one’s side.”  It is often translated to Advocate, Comforter, or Helper.  It’s also another way of describing the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is impossible to explain.  We use all kinds of images for it.  When Jesus was baptized, the Spirit descended in the form of a dove.  On Pentecost, the Spirit came in the shape of flames.  When Jesus returned from the dead and appeared to them, he breathed on them so that they might receive the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, it is depicted as wind.  So let’s see….dove, flames, breath and wind.  Those are not very consistent images. 

To be honest, I never really paid much attention to the Holy Spirit…maybe for the same reason the clouds were so disappointing to me. I like something I can hold onto.  It’s probably why we love our phones so much.  It’s something we can hold, something that gives us all the answers we want, yet few that we actually need. 

          The first time I remember really appreciating the Holy Spirit was reading a book called “The Shack.” I won’t explain the whole plot, but the book tried to depict all the parts of the Trinity in human or human like form.  Both God and Jesus were humans, but the Holy Spirit was almost like a colorful fairy who talked and did human like things, but was also incandescent. While the book is far from perfect theologically, I thought it did a really good job of bringing the Trinity to life.  One year, I used only that book for my youth confirmation class. At the end, I asked them all the same question I asked previous classes.  Which part of the Trinity to you feel closest to? Which do you pray to? Previous classes all said Jesus, or God the Father.  However, in this confirmation class, most said the Holy Spirit because they understood it in a more tangible way. 

The 2^nd time I really connected with the Holy Spirit was when I was very ill and confined to a hospital bed. For the first time in my life, Jesus felt far away.   But the Holy Spirit I could sense at times. She helped me feel a little less alone.  That’s what I think Jesus hoped the Holy Spirit would do, help us feel less alone.

          Jesus knew not only how hard his death would be for this disciples, but how hard it would be to be left on this earth without him.  Jesus also knew how hard it would be for the generations after him who would have no experience with the Jesus who walked on this earth.  He understood that we would all need someone to walk along side us.

          He said to his disciples, “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.”  In other words, I will never abandon you.  I will always be with you.  While you may not see me, that does not mean that I am not with you.  Death is not the end. My death will enable you to inherit eternal life with me.  I will see you again soon, and in the mean time, I will be with you in spirit.  Even as I reconstruct John’s words using simpler language, I can see that words are not what enable us to understand.  Knowing the stories, knowing that Jesus kept all those promises he made, that is what helps us to understand. No matter how many times he tried to explain it to his disciples, deep down, he must have known that they would not understand.  They would only comprehend the meaning of his words after the resurrection.  You can’t blame him for trying.  He had to try, because that is how much Jesus cares for us. He will not leave us ignorant or shield us from the hard lessons of life. He might leave us a little confused, but never unaware. 

          Even in our confusion, we still know that we have a place to turn, and that is the advocate, the spirit of truth.    We don’t have to understand the Holy Spirit to believe in the Holy Spirit. While there are a lot of translations for parakletos, the one I found that really resonated with me is: helping the dispirited person be brave.[1]  When we translate parakletos to comforter, or helper, we think of someone who will sympathize, or give us a big hug.  While everyone needs that at times, I don’t think that was Jesus’ intention.  Jesus knew that his departure would leave his disciples distraught.  He knew that they would face many obstacles, and most likely a violent death.  Thus he left them exactly what they needed, courage.

          We still need that courage.  I wouldn’t say we need courage more than ever. I am sure most of us can think of times we have needed courage, even more than now.  But I think this is a time in our nation and our world where Christians need more than a helper or comforter.  We don’t need a dove or a gentle wind.  We need that fire that we will witness on Pentecost, the fire that refuses to be quashed, the fire that spreads.

I heard a quote when I was writing this sermon--“That we have a God who might protect us from nothing, but who will sustain us in everything.”[2]  I often wish that God would swoop in and keep bad things from happening, that God would protect us all from the harsh realities of this life.  Yet again and again I see that is not how God operates. I could complain about that (and I do sometimes) or I could just release that expectation and instead focus on what God is doing.  God doesn’t protect us from the hard things, but God does sustain us when we are facing the hard things. God gives us the courage that we need.  So let us harness that courage.  Let us call on the Holy Spirit to make us braver, braver than we ever could be on our own.

 

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[1]Barclay, William.  The Gospel of John volume 2, p.167.

[2] Rev’d up for Sunday podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGPyMmWDhxE

 

People of God Do Extraordinary Things: May 22, 2022

 Year C, Easter 6                                                                  John 14:23-29                                                                                        

            Poor Judas (not Isacriot)---he gets one line, one recognition in the whole Gospel and the author feels the need to call him not by his full name, but Judas (not Iscariot).  In the Gospel of Luke, he has a full name---Judas, son of James.  In Mark and Matthew, his name is actually changed to Thaddeus.  Here in the Gospel of John, he is labelled not as who he is, but who he is not.   It’s understandable.  This scene comes right after Judas Iscariot left Jesus and the other disciples and went off to betray him.  It also comes right after Jesus predicts Peter’s denial.  Talk about and a tense meal.

And it wasn’t just tense, it was incredibly sad. Jesus had been trying to tell his disciples about his impending death for quite some time.  It wasn’t like he just sat them down for this one special dinner and laid it all out.  He had been preparing them, probably for years.  They were told it was coming, but they didn’t know when or how.  They probably hadn’t completely accepted it.   But Jesus knew.  Jesus knew he would soon die a horrible death. He would be denied, betrayed and abandoned by some of the people who he had been closest to. 

We don’t actually know what happened to Judas (not Iscariot) after Jesus was arrested.  We know he didn’t do anything horrible like Peter or Judas Isacariot.  He probably just hid with the rest of the disciples.  Because we know so little, Judas (not Iscariot) can sort of be a blank slate for us.  We might even imagine ourselves as him.  Have you ever been labeled for someone you are not rather than the person you are?

            When I have imagined Jesus telling his disciples not to let their hearts be troubled and not to be afraid, I imagined him saying these words with confidence and authority.  Isn’t that how we normally picture Jesus?  But as I studied this text and looked at where it fell in the story, I wondered if that was really the case.  Jesus was not one to hide his emotions.  He wept when we was mourning his friend.  He threw things when he was upset that people were taking advantage of the poor in the temple.   I would think it was incredibly hard for him to tell them not to be troubled, not because he wasn’t confident, but because he knew how hard it would be for them to believe and not be afraid.

            Before he tells them not to let their hearts be troubled and not to be afraid, he said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.”  Obviously we cannot know what the disciples were thinking when he said that.  But put yourself in their shoes (or sandals) for a moment.  Think of Judas (not Iscariot).  You have given up your life to follow this man.  You have seen him do incredible miracles. You have seen him raise the dead.  He has loved every person he has encountered, especially those who all others considered unlovable.  He has loved you unconditionally.  You believe he is God and will save the world.  But now he has told you he has to die a horrible death.   Then he tells you he will be betrayed and denied---maybe by you.  Then he gives you his peace.  His peace.  Would that bring you comfort? 

            Notice how he differentiates the peace that he gives from the peace of the world.  It was about 30 AD which was part of the 200 year period known as Pax Romana.  It was a period of relative tranquility in the Roman Empire, which meant there were no major wars.  The Roman Empire protected and governed individual provinces, allowing them to administer their own laws as long as they accepted Roman taxation and military control. Peace came at a price. Roman authorities would often violently crush any perceived opposition or threat to their rule.  It’s one of the reasons that Jesus was killed.  They were worried he would create an insurrection.  They crushed him and others to maintain peace. This was what people perceived as peace at the time…a lack of war. 

While we aren’t living in the Roman Empire, in many ways we perceive peace the same way, a lack of conflict, or lack of conflict immediately surrounding us.  But we don’t have to look to the Ukraine for examples of conflict. It is everywhere.  We saw it in a dramatic and deeply disturbing way in Buffalo a week ago. We see violence in our own small city. I wish that crime and hate was an anomaly, but it’s not.  This world has never known peace---whether we define it as the absence of conflict or something more holistic.  However, just because the world doesn’t know peace, doesn’t mean that we (Christians) cannot know peace.

I know that the disciple’s hearts were deeply troubled when Jesus was taken away by men with swords, and then whipped and crucified.  How could they not?  But that was not the end of the story.  Jesus was resurrected.  He returned to them and when he did, the first thing he said was, “Peace be with you.”  Because peace isn’t a one and done thing.  Even though Jesus tried to give it to them, he knew they would need more than the gift.  They would even need more than his resurrection and assurance.  They would need someone to come along side them and be with them as they attempted to carry the peace of God with them. 

He said to them, “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.” The word translated to advocate means, “one called to the side of.”  It is also translated to counselor and comforter.   The Holy Spirit reminds us of what Jesus said then and what he continues to tell us now. The Holy Spirit counsels us when we cannot make sense of what Jesus says.  And the Holy Spirit can comfort us when it feels that all is lost and peace is elusive at best.    

No one knows exactly what happened to Judas (not Iscariot).  Because he isn’t named in two of the Gospels, some believe he changed his name to Thaddeus.  It wasn’t unusual for someone to go by multiple names in the Bible.  Jesus loved changing people’s names. Judas was a very common name before Judas Iscariot made it the least popular name in the world.  It meant praise.

 I like to think that Judas did change his name to Thaddeus, which means heart or courage.   Because that is what Jesus was asking his disciples in this text, days before his death. “Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”  We are living in a terrifying time right now.  Personally, I feel the fear profoundly.  I don’t think we all need to change our names.  That would just get confusing, but I do think it’s time to embrace the heart and courage of those early disciples.  They were able to build a church and spread the Gospel, not because they were full of confidence and had resources.  They did it because they believed in the gift that Jesus had given them, the gift of the Holy Spirit. We still have that gift!!  So why do we act like we don’t?  Why do we Christians act like beleaguered players of the losing team in the final quarter?  We have the same gifts that the early disciples had. We don’t need to define ourselves by what or who we are not. No, we are not the church we were in 1965.  No, we don’t have to add chairs in the aisles for Christmas or Easter.

Photo by Nick Fewings 

We must let go of those memories and embrace the new people, the new church we can become.  People with big hearts and deep compassion, people who love this city and the people of this city, people who always want to feed the hungry, people who make music even with masks on, people who consume the body and blood of Christ any way they can, people who sing outside people’s windows when they cannot come out….the people of God.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  You are not who you once were. You are not your mistakes or misdeeds.  You are the people of God.  And the people of God do extraordinary things.