We Are Not Alone!
When I looked at the gospel passage from John 14:15-21, verse 18 was like a neon sign and I knew that was the message for the folks at Bethel Lutheran Church in Portville, NY. This is my sermon based on the gospel passage:
What comes to mind when you
hear the word orphan? Maybe you think
of the TV ads for various organizations that ask you to support an orphan who
lives overseas. You may be supporting one of those children. The story of Jane
Eyre may come to mind or Dickens’ Oliver Twist. Or maybe you know someone who
as a child lost his or her parents thereby becoming an orphan.
We typically think of
children when we hear the word orphans,
but any of us can be orphaned at any age. In Jesus’ time, orphan was a common metaphor to describe disciples left without
their masters. The phrase “leave you orphaned,” could also be understood as an
idiom meaning, “leave you helpless.” One who was orphaned was without the aid
and comfort of those who serve as associates or friends—like children deprived
of their parents. Being orphaned is
being so isolated in this world that it feels like no one cares whether or not
we live or die.
We can be orphaned in
spirit. What is Jesus’ message for those
who feel desperately alone and afraid?
“I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you” (v. 18).
This promise is right in the
very middle of today’s gospel reading. Jesus is about to be crucified and will
no longer be walking with his disciples in the way he has for the past three
years. He will rise from the dead and return to his Father. He will be alive,
but his relationship with the disciples will be altered.
Change can be scary.
However, the disciples are
part of a new community of faith -- a family of brothers and sisters, born of
water and the Spirit, with God as their Father. Jesus’ departure does not
change this new reality that has come into being. This is a concrete truth in
the world of the Christian community that finds its life in Christ. “Relationship with Jesus does not
depend on [Jesus’] physical presence, but on the presence of the love of God in
the life of the community” (Gail R. O’Day, The
Gospel of John, The New Interpreter’s Bible: Volume IX). Not only will the
disciples not be abandoned, but with Jesus’ return after the resurrection, they
will enter into the new kind of life he has been revealing throughout his
ministry (v. 19).
In the second half of that
verse, Jesus said, “I am coming to you” (v. 18b). His promise to return,
immediately counters any possible perception of Jesus’ death as his abandonment
of his own. We see Jesus coming to his disciples and others in his Easter appearances
in the gospels (O’Day) that we have been reading throughout these weeks of
Easter.
How would Jesus be with his
disciples after his ascension, when he returns to his Father? Jesus promised
his disciples the Father’s gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus remains in communion
with his disciples through the presence of the Paraclete. There are many
meanings for the Greek word translated in our gospel text as “Advocate,” such
as “the one who exhorts,” “the one who comforts,” the one who helps” and the
one who makes appeals on one’s behalf.”
The English word Paraclete best expresses these various
shades of meaning. Paraclete is not just another name for the Holy Spirit, but
is a particular way of describing the functions of the Holy Spirit, which are
functions of Jesus as well. Paraclete is used to describe both Jesus and the
Spirit. God through the Holy Spirit dwells in believers—then and now. He is in
them and is known by them (v. 17).
In John’s gospel, to know is to be in relationship. This
knowledge is not a mere intellectual understanding of a truth. It comes from
participation in the divine reality itself. Not only will Jesus’ disciples not be abandoned, but they will enter
into the new kind of life Jesus has been revealing throughout his ministry.
The Spirit abides in God’s
people as well. in John’s gospel, abiding is also one and the same as
relationship.
As the divine presence among
believers, the Paraclete enables them to be God’s presence in the world. He is
in and with disciples, glorifying Jesus by revealing the truth about him (vv.
16-17) to believers. The Paraclete mediates the presence of Jesus to the
community of faith. By the presence of the Paraclete, God’s people bear witness
to Jesus, continuing Jesus’ own mission. Thus the disciples are led into all
truth and the world is convicted for their rejection of Jesus. This is how the
early church grew exponentially. It is how God grows his church today through
us.
What does it mean to have a
relationship with Jesus in his absence? One answer is that while Jesus may be
physically absent, God is not.
God’s message to us today is
the same as it was for the first followers of Jesus. We are not left alone. We
can have intimate fellowship with Jesus and the Father through the Holy Spirit.
The love John’s gospel speaks of is a reciprocal love—those who keep on loving
Jesus will be loved by the Father and Jesus. When Jesus loves us, he reveals
himself to us.
How
should we respond to these overtures of God’s love? Jesus said we are to keep
his commandments. The epitome of the commandments is to love one another as
Jesus loved us. This is not some warm fuzzy kind of love towards someone.
Rather the emphasis is on showing or demonstrating one’s
love—sometimes without the inner feeling. Jesus says that we are to love one
another to the point that we are willing to lay down our lives for each
other.
Last Thursday, I had a
meeting with Lenore, the director of Genesis House. I had an opportunity to
discuss the current goings on at Genesis House and heard many stories of
desperate people in need, who felt like no one cared about them; and who felt
like they were all alone—like orphans. Through the various support services
provided by this ministry, many lives have been changed.
Did you know they have only
2 ½ paid staff positions? All the other work is done by volunteers of all
religions and denominations. If you have a chance, please stop by sometime and
see what God is doing through this ministry.
We live in a world of hurting,
broken people. God’s word to us is to trust in the abiding presence and love of
God, and to remember that we are never alone, no matter what.
Our response to God’s love
and presence in our life is to get involved in our community; and to take care
of those who are less fortunate. There are plenty of organizations in
Cattaraugus, Allegheny, McKean and Potter counties that are in need of
volunteers to aid in their missions. Over
the years, we here at Bethel have supported the ministries of Genesis House and
the Portville Food Pantry. But we can do more.
The opportunities are endless. There are children of single parents who
need mentoring. There are elderly who would enjoy a visit or a phone call, or
who might need a ride to the store or the doctor. There are veterans who are in
need of the same.
As we celebrate Memorial Day
tomorrow, let us not forget why we are having a holiday. It is not to kick off
the summer tourist season; and it is not simply to kick off the summer barbecue
and grilling season. But we are to take the time to thank those living veterans
who put their lives on the line so that we could remain free. Most importantly,
Let us never forget those veterans who paid the ultimate sacrifice, with their
lives. Please take the time tomorrow, or during the week to visit a cemetery where
a veteran is buried, and say a prayer of thanks for that individual.
No wonder then, in the midst
of this life, orphans all, we can and must proclaim with the joy of our faith:
God is with us. We are not alone.
Amen!
Fred B. Craddock, M. Eugene Boring, The People’s New Testament Commentary.
Ann
Hosemann-Butler, http://www.patheos.com//Progressive-Christian/Orphaned-Anna-Hosemann-Butler-05-20-2014.html.
Gail R. O’Day, The
Gospel of John, The New Interpreter’s Bible: Volume IX.
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