In today’s Gospel, we join
Jesus on the night when he will be arrested, as he is talking with his
disciples. Throughout this Farewell Discourse that begins in Chapter 13 and
continues through Chapter 18 of John’s Gospel, Jesus is preparing his
followers,
explaining that he is on the move.
But in the midst of his
goodbye to them, he makes promises too. In this short passage he affirms that
he is not leaving them alone.
And, as if he knows their
doubts and fears will drown out his words of assurance, he says it three times.
First, he says,
“[An advocate] will abide
with you”
The word Jesus uses here is
“paraclete.” Helper, comforter, counselor and advocate are all ways it gets
translated into English. The point is: we
are not alone.
The disciples had been
following their rabbi Jesus who was both very visible and vocal, and now he was
leaving; he wanted them to know that even when they cannot see him
face-to-face, he is still present. Their faith was not in an ordinary human,
but in God, revealed in the person of Jesus.
Now, an advocate is not merely
a friend, but someone who takes risks for another; someone who protects the
vulnerable and speaks up for the neglected; someone who, as Luther put it in
his Heidelberg Disputation, “calls a thing what it is” – naming evil as “evil”
and good as “good” – without regard for popular opinion. An advocate lends
strength and courage when it is waning, rallying us, bringing us to our feet
when we are weary and helping us face life unafraid.[i] This is who Jesus promises is
accompanying us in his absence.
But sometimes, when we look
over our shoulder, it still feels like we’re alone. The people we are
used to sharing our days or our lives with aren’t always with us. The disciples
would scatter later that same night as they fled from the soldiers who arrest
Jesus and hide behind locked doors after the crucifixion. Against the creeping
uncertainty and fear, Jesus says,
“I will not leave you orphaned”
We are made sons and
daughters of God by faith and that status is immutable; it cannot be
taken away or lost. We are not
orphaned because God is steadfast in God’s continuous and
lifelong love for us. [ii]
Finally, saying, “I am in my
Father, and you in me and I in you”
Jesus speaks of the
indwelling of God.
We cannot separate Jesus from
God and Spirit, and we cannot separate ourselves from God. Sure, we can try,
and we do; we walk away or denounce God; we get angry and scream at God. More
than once. But God remains steadfast.
God persists in being God, and upholding the promise that God is with us.
So trusting what Jesus says
here, that God is with us, empowering us, what does it mean to follow Jesus on
the move? After all, faith in a living
Christ means we are on the move, too.
For the first disciples,
eventually, it meant traveling to new places, meeting people who didn’t know
Jesus and teaching what he taught. Through the Acts of the Apostles we hear
about their travels and persecutions, and how people were being added to the
church.
For one man in Umbria in
central Italy in the 13th century, it meant living monastically for
three years, before becoming an itinerant, or wandering, preacher who traveled
in poverty and faith throughout Italy and to France, Germany, Spain, the
Balkans and even to Egypt to share the good news of Christ. We know him today
as St. Francis of Assisi.[iii]
For a whole lot of people on
Friday night, it meant showing up in the heat at the fairgrounds for Relay for
Life, gathering for fellowship, walking the track and reading the names on the
luminaries as we celebrated, with thanksgiving, the lives of survivors,
and remembered, with tears, those
who have died. But most of all, we were witnessing that death and disease do
not get the final word; faith, hope and love are greater.
As we get ready to welcome
summer, I invite you to think about where Jesus is on the move with you, in
your life and in our community. To help you out, I borrowed an idea from
children’s author Jeff Brown who wrote the book Flat Stanley. If you’ve known a first or second grade student in
the last few years, you may have come across him. He’s a little boy who becomes
flattened and flies through the mail to all kinds of adventures. Today, I have
“Flat Jesus” here for you. All ages - you can take him and color him; some
people like to laminate their Flat Jesus using clear contact paper or
laminating sheets from the office store. That’s up to you.
This summer, take Jesus with
you wherever you go, whether your day is filled with the everyday stuff of
life, like work or school and errands; or you’re going on vacation, or you’re
spending time with family and friends. If you have a phone with a camera, take
a picture of “Flat Jesus” with you and send it to me in a text or an email, so
we can share all the places Jesus goes this summer.
It may feel silly but
laughter and silliness are part of our God-created life too, and it’s a
hands-on way to remember that even when Jesus is on the move, he is with us.
Let us pray…
Emmanuel, God with us,
Thank you for the gift of
your Son through whom we know your love for us.
Thank you for the gift of
your Holy Spirit that we always have an advocate, someone on our side, with us.
Teach us to follow in faith,
trusting your promises, and sharing the good news of your grace wherever we go.
Amen.
[i]
Interpreters’ Bible Commentary.
[ii]
Moloney.
[iii] Chris
Webb. The Fire of the Word.
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