John 20:19-31 Doubting Thomas’

One Easter Sunday morning, a minister looked out on his congregation and noticed many people who had not been there for a long time. Before he began his sermon he said, "Since this will probably be the last time I see many of you for awhile, let me be the first to wish you 'Merry Christmas' "

The Sunday after Easter is sometimes called Low Sunday. This term has a perfectly respectable origin. We can think of Easter Day as the start of an octave, a period of eight days that runs through today and thus contains two Sundays. The first of these Sundays is Easter Day, the greatest of all Christian feasts. Today, the other Sunday in the Easter Octave, is by comparison Low Sunday.

But the term has gained another connotation-one that refers to church attendance. Attendance on this particular Sunday is not as high as on Easter Day. It is by comparison low, hence the term Low Sunday.

The name I prefer, along with many other ministers, for the Second Sunday of Easter is Thomas Sunday. The Gospel read on this day is always the story of how Thomas became to believe in the risen Christ. And while this Sunday is sometimes slighted for its low attendance, so its featured apostle Thomas is frequently dismissed as a doubter-hence the origin of the term "Doubting Thomas".

Jesus' appearance to the disciples in today's Gospel reading is actually the second time he appeared to them after his resurrection. He made three promises to them this time:

• "Peace be with you"

• "Receive the Holy Spirit"

• "Do not doubt, but believe"

The last promise was a response to Thomas' doubt. There are three different kinds of faith. Faith comes in different ways and different intensities to different people. People have different needs and find various routes into faith.

The "locked door' referred to in the Gospel represents the fear the disciples had, but it also represents Christ's power, because nothing can stop him. The disciples have Christ's peace in spite of persecution by a world that hated them. Those who have faith in Christ today and show it publicly also have Christ's peace in a modern world that more often than not also hates them. One only has to look at how Christians are treated in some Middle Eastern and Asian countries to see concrete examples of this hatred as expressed by persecution. The Holy Spirit is a defender of victims through forgiveness-even forgiveness of the victimizers

When Jesus said to the disciples, "Peace be with you", the kind of peace he gave them was the one set in motion by forgiveness. The disciples' future, along with Christ's forgiveness, was their main qualification for being chosen to continue Christ's work. Their fear, as represented by the locked door, showed their human weakness. Forgiveness was the core of the message Jesus gave to his disciples as he sent them out into the world. He gives us the same message today. We must all be ready to mediate God's grace to all those who are ready to receive it. Christ stands before God as our representative, pleading our case. He re-establishes our broken relationship with God. God used the resurrection to give Christ victory over sin and death.

Christ's promise to "receive the Holy Spirit" is an affirmation of the Great Commission. The authority of one who is sent is the same as the authority of the one who sent him. God is present in Christ's work, and Christ will be present in the work of the disciples-just as he is present in our work. When he breathed the Holy Spirit on the disciples, he transferred his mission to them and gave new life to them. Faith does NOT depend on the physical presence of Jesus, because the Holy Spirit accompanies us on our faith journey-just as it did for the disciples..

"Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe". These words encouraged early Christians who felt slighted, having missed Jesus by only a few months or years. They also encourage those of us who are among those who have not seen but who believe. Happy are those who have made a decision to assert that life is stronger than death, that good is stronger than evil, that love is stronger than hate-despite all they have seen that suggests the opposite. Thomas didn't believe what the disciples told him. He had to see before he could believe. We believe even though we haven't seen.

This 2nd Sunday of Easter reveals as mistaken the myth that Thomas's faith did not remain dead. It was also resurrected. Belief and doubt can be marred by fear, close-mindedness, lack of trust, pride and laziness, as well as the honest doubt we have when we struggle with hard questions and circumstances. Sometimes this is caused by hurt, but the doubter remains open to belief and faith like Thomas did. He moves ahead on faith when he sees the risen Saviour. When he was presented with the chance to see proof of Christ's resurrection, Thomas didn't need the evidence. Jesus lived for Thomas as Lord and God. Faith in Jesus gives life to the believer. We can also move ahead in faith when we see the wondrous heart of Creation, the witness of other Christians or even an event in life that shows us that God is at work.

Faith begins with honesty, and doubt is the foundation of honesty. Faith is the overcoming of doubt, NOT an absence of doubt. The most endearing things in life can't be proven-they have to be accepted on faith. We must move beyond doubt to faith. There are those who say that because of the bad choices you have made in the past, you have sinned and fallen so far away from God that you can't get back. Well, God says, "I doubt it!!!!!". Doubt can lead to solutions and a better understanding. It doesn't matter what the cause of our doubt is. Living beyond a doubt means living as encouragers through prayer concerns for others, preparing meals for those who are sick or mourning the loss of a loved one who has just passed away, or sending notes and cards. Belief includes some sense of experience.

Jesus' breathing of the Holy Spirit on the disciples is a metaphor for God breathing life into us. The disciples were made into new beings for the work for which Christ called them. Every word of Christ received in faith comes with this divine breathing of the Holy Spirit. Without it, there is neither life nor light. Christ doesn't require perfect faith from the start. What he asks for is an open heart, one not closed to belief or by belief. He asks for the open heart so he can lead us, and keep leading us, from honest doubt to honest faith.

When we assemble in Christ's name, especially on his holy day, he will meet with us and speak peace to us. If we are faithless, we are Christ less, graceless, hopeless and joyless. Thomas was ashamed of his disbelief. Sound, sincere believers, though slow and weak, shall be graciously accepted by Jesus. It is the duty of all of us who hear and read the Gospel to believe and embrace the doctrine of Christ. At the time of John's Gospel, there was a trend toward Gnosticism, especially to a Gnostic belief that Jesus just SEEMED to be human. The disbelief in the Thomas story was more about the crucifixion than the resurrection and was an attempt to answer Gnosticism.

Christ appears most often within the community of believers that we call the church. When we gather with fellow believers, when we meet with those who feel as we do and have touched the hands and side of the Lord in faith, when we break bread and have fellowship together, it becomes more than words. When we greet someone at our door who is an answer to a prayer we have never uttered, the words become real and they change things for us. Blessed were the disciples who met in the Upper Room on the night of the resurrection to comfort one another and have Jesus appear to them. We too are blessed when we gather as a community in his name and share his love with one another. When we separate ourselves from the church by not attending services regularly, we take a chance on missing his unique presence.

Thomas could not believe that God could raise Jesus from the dead, even though the resurrection of Lazarus was still fresh in his mind. He could not believe that a shamed Messiah was worthy of resurrection. After all, how could the one who was powerless against the violence that killed him be the one who saves us from it? What peace does Christ bring to the world? The answer is simple-it is the peace of God, which passes all understanding, and it is also the peace of righteousness. This peace is always in conflict with the fears and violence of this world. Christ sent his disciples upon the most appropriate mission the world has ever encountered.
 
Christ's resurrection was a both new creation and a parallel of springtime. It represented a rebirth, a re-awakening after a long, dark, cold winter. Christ's appearance in the Upper Room was intended to overcome the disciples' doubts. Jesus comments about the power of the resurrection to create faith in Luke 16:31-"If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead". The resurrection is a new way of looking at ourselves and at life. The story of Thomas's honesty and forthrightness gives us hope and empowers us in moments of doubt. It is OK to be confused, bewildered, afraid and doubtful. We do well by facing the truth of these feelings. It is harder for us to take things on faith because we are so good at finding scientific proof for so many things today. We are obsessed with Christ's death and resurrection that we sometimes ignore his life.

Many people today think that seeing is believing, but the opposite is true-believing is seeing. Believing something opens to us the possibility of experiencing it, of seeing it come to pass, and of having that which we believe produce in us many kids of blessings. What will it take for us to believe? What proof are WE looking for? When we are ready to believe, Jesus is ready with tasks for us and to give us the Holy Spirit. Jesus' abundant grace, as shown by his acceptance of Thomas' doubt, wants nothing more than to move every person and all of society toward faith.

John 17:20-26 United We Stand

In the early days of World War II, Germany bombed England unmercifully. The British teetered near defeat as German planes dropped tons of bombs on London. The people of London urged the Queen Mother to send her children to safety in Canada. She replied by saying, “The children cannot go unless I go, and I will not go without the King, and the King will not go!” Is it any wonder that England held on? Is it any wonder that they survived? Is it any wonder that they won? That terrible war welded the British together so strongly that it helped them to keep going in spite of the terrors of war.

The prayer Jesus prays in John 17:20-26 is one of inclusion and unity. He prays for three things. First, he prays that he will be restored to the glory he had before incarnation. Second, he prays for the disciples. Third, and most important for my homily this morning, he prays for the people who will be converted by the disciples.

Our Lord wanted his people to come together in unity, and he still does. The church today is sometimes divided along social and theological issues such as same sex marriages, the ordination of homosexual clergy, and even the ordination of women. Christ’s objective or goal was unity. He used military-style tactics:

1.      He set an objective of uniting his followers

2.      He used a strategy of creating a family, a family life, a shared life so that men and women all over the world, by becoming by new life members of that life, are so filled with joy and warmth that other people see it, long for it, and long to join it.

3.      He used the tactic of creating a new commandment-“Love one another as I have loved you”

In this morning’s Gospel reading, Jesus prays for the success of his followers’ work in the world. By stating that he is part of the Father’s oneness, Jesus makes himself equal to God. Jesus and God are united in will, in power, in loving intent for humankind, in commitment to salvation, and in mercy that endures forever.

Are we also united in one? Do we talk about “we” or do we talk in terms of “us and them”? The passive tense used in the Gospel reading shows that it is God who is perfecting us into our oneness with him. It is more appropriate to talk about the church acting or witnessing as one rather than being one. The primary purpose of our existence is for us as one body to be effective in our witness to the world. The fulfillment of this prayer is not up to us. The Holy Spirit continues to bless us with unity. Jesus prays for the success of our witness

A good example of unity is the unity of our local churches-whether it is through the local association of churches, the local ministerial association, or the amalgamation of several churches in various denominations. Unfortunately, there are still some people who have an “us versus them” attitude. It is a sad example of the divisions that exist in Christianity today. The old attitudes will not work in the new reality that exists today. They need to be thrown out like we throw out our household garbage. A change in attitude won’t happen overnight. It will take time.

God loves diversity, yet he calls us to be one. If we have Christ’s love, we can love one another and the world can see how much God loves them. Unity is often missing because although Christians seek to be one with Christ, they refuse to be one with another. Unity in Christ means that we must give up something of ourselves. Every church says it wants to grow, but what that usually means is that the church wants more people to come in and support the church that has been created according to the wants and tastes of its current congregation. We want our church to grow while staying the same. That’s not likely in today’s world where change is the order of the day, nor is it in keeping with what Jesus told us to do-“As the Father sent me, so I send you”.

We are all connected; however, we must not let being connected with God become bogged down in our rituals. If being “one” means conforming to a set of rules, some people soon become uncomfortable. When the rules are broken or when they change, others feel excluded, especially when we are used to having a particular minister or lay reader lead the services and he or she is replaced by another minister or lay reader. Our rituals must be adapted to the changing circumstances of our world. We must not think that the world will adapt to us, or that it should at least acknowledge the heritage of our presence.

Unity does not mean sameness. It means similarity of purpose, of situation, of allegiance, of intention, and of behaviour towards one another. It means accepting. For those who believe, it means gathering under the canopy of creation and being part of a great singleness of purpose. The problem with trying to achieve unity is our ignorant hearts. We do not know Jesus like Jesus knows God. We do not trust him like a child trusts a parent. We are “on the outs” with God and he is “on the outs” with us. By beholding God’s glory on the cross, we also take it as the truth about ourselves and we are embraced in the unity with God and Christ here and now.

Picture, if you will, the cross, especially the horizontal beam. Imagine it growing and extending its arms. Watch how they grow and stretch and bend until they curve in upon themselves and form a huge circle that includes all of us, and our friends across the street, across the province, across this country, and around the world. We are stronger together than apart. We have the responsibility to reach out to others in that love and forgiveness and grace we have come to know and experience in this place.

The Great Commission-“Go forth into the world and make disciples of all the nations”- is an example of the tactics God uses to unite his people in faith, hope and love. We are not here to save the world, because it is doomed to anarchy and chaos. We are called to show the world that God sent Christ to the world. We are to convince the world of three things:

1.      Jesus is the true voice of God.

2.      Christ is the true voice of what God wants to do in the world.

3.      Christ is the key to history and reality, the revelation of the invisible God.

Once we have revealed these things to the world, the world can either reject him and remain lost OR accept him and be saved. If the world does now know God and Jesus and his disciples DO know God, this implies that Jesus and his disciples cannot be part of the world-which means that we as his followers are to be different from the world. What Jesus says about unity cannot and does not apply to those who have not accepted the truth of the Bible and of Jesus. We are not to be united to those who do not hold to Jesus through the apostles’ teachings. In other words, we are not to associate with non-believers who refuse to believe. We must be ready to defend the apostles’ teachings against all attacks, regardless of where they come from.

Sometimes when I am eating breakfast on a Sunday morning, I listen to evangelists on the radio. I disagree with 99.9% of what these Bible-thumping preachers say, but I do agree with one thing one of them said recently. He said, “Religion is man’s attempt to reach God. Christianity is God’s attempt to reach man”. Religion often speaks to God in several different voices at the same time. Just like we can’t understand several people when they are all talking to us at the same time, God cannot and will not hear us when several different voices speak to him at the same time. He speaks to us with the one voice of Christianity through the words of Christ and the disciples. Sadly, the church is fragmented today along hundreds, if not thousands, of Christian denominations, and it is also divided along the lines of doctrinal differences. Jesus’ prayer has not been answered. We are not all “one”.

 We are all the same in the eyes of God. Wealth, status, etc. mean nothing to him. We are all equal, especially in death. Death is the great equalizer. If you need proof, just take a walk through any cemetery. The rich and the poor are buried side by side. The famous and not-so-famous are buried side by side. Unity can only be achieved through genuine Christian love and its three essential qualities:

1.      Mutual concern

2.      Mutual contact

3.      Mutual contribution

We are to be the channel of his love. When we are ready to consent to love, he is quite ready to love. We have to reach out to those in need, to those who are in pain. We must respect ALL people and the entire environment. We must let the Holy Spirit guide us in our daily contacts with people. The Holy Spirit helps us reach out when we feel hesitant or embarrassed.

How, then, can we create unity? The process has four steps:

1.      We must celebrate what we have in common.

2.      We must celebrate CREDIBLE differences of opinion. We are not to be carbon copies of each other.

3.      We must speak positively of other members of God’s household.

4.      We must pray for one another.

The world is striving for meaningful, personal relationships such as those we have with God. God wants us to be a force for him in order to reach the world with his message of love and reconciliation. God will deal with those who do not know him and refuse to accept him as their Saviour. Conversely, he will pour out his love on those who know and accept him as their Saviour. Believers’ relationship with God and Christ allow them to share his divine love and be joined with other believers in perfect unity.

Unity is best illustrated in Christ’s metaphor of the vine and branched in John 15. We are all separate branches, yet we are all connected to each other through one vine-Jesus Christ. Each and every one of us has specific gifts, interests, responsibilities, roles, etc. As each of us prayerfully gets into the Bible and as we grow in our own unity with Christ, we grow closer to each other. We are not alone. We are part of creation, created to live in community with one another, with nature and with God.

We depend on each other, and we are all dependent on God, God gives us Jesus AND our unity so that we may be effective witnesses to the world. This unity is the key to understanding what it means to be a Christian. Unity with integrity requires that we state not only what we agree with, but also what we disagree with. We must be united in purpose, love, action and holiness. Unity in sharing God’s love is a broad and inclusive platform upon which we as Christians can stand and tolerate great diversity. There is no place in this unity for hate, prejudice or writing people off. We must do the right thing by following the Golden Rule-“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. If we do, God will be happy with us.

Jesus prays that those who do not believe in him will change their ways and join in the unity. He did not go to the cross hoping people would believe-he went knowing they would believe. This certainty comes from his power-the same power that works in us. Nothing we do or say can save us-only he can. The true meaning of Easter is Christ’s coming to save us. He wanted us to experience unity with him and each other. He came to guarantee our home in heaven. Faith comes only through The Word, specifically the Gospel. It creates the quiet unity that allows the unbelieving world to believe that God sent his son. His purpose in sending Christ was love. Behind is lies the vicarious atonement. He took our place.

John thought it was important to remind people who had never met Jesus in the flesh that Jesus was still present, but in a new way. He is still present today in a real, immediate way-in the constantly forming community of believers reflecting the oneness of Jesus with the Father in their own relationship with Christ. One way we come together in unity is when we gather around the Lord’s Table for the Holy Eucharist. It shows that we are determined to live as Christ’s people in unity with all his other people throughout the world. Sadly, not all Christians in the world can gather freely. In the early history of the church, Christians worshipped secretly in the Roman catacombs and died publicly in the Coliseum. In many parts of the world today such as India, China and the Middle East, Christians are still worshipping in secret and are being persecuted in public, but they are still united as one with Christians throughout the world in their faith in Jesus Christ. They must gather in secret and in fear, much like the disciples did when they gathered behind the locked door of the Upper Room after Jesus’ resurrection.  

Unity of believers is God’s work, not ours. Jesus asked God for unity, and God gave it to him. He gives it to us today, and he will give it to us in the future. Christ stands at the door, knocking, hoping someone will open the door so Christ can invite them out to share his life in mission with the human hopes and hurts of people in the community. Easter calls us to do this. Do we run the church for us and our traditions, or do we run the church community and change whatever is needed to put us in touch with unbelieving people? When Christ’s love is given space to grow, the unity Christ speaks of arises within us, where our witness becomes one of power and light-for it is no longer simply us as individuals or a group that makes witness, but God himself working through us.

All of today’s readings focus on the theme of unity in faith. The story of Paul, Silas and the jailer is an example of what can happen when we unite in faith and fulfill the Great Commission. Unity is the foundation for evangelism. People understand God’s love when they see it in his people. People are turning away from the Gospel today because of the bickering among Christians. We need to become united, just like the Protestants in Northern Ireland, under the leadership of Rev. Ian Paisley, have finally formed a unity government with the Catholic-led Sinn Fein party to bring peace and stability to that troubled area. If Rev. Paisley can put his lifelong hatred of Roman Catholics behind him to come together with Catholics to bring peace, can we do no less by coming together with fellow Christians?

John 16:12-15 The Three Musketeers-Father, Son and Holy Spirit

There was once a teacher who was teaching first grade in a large elementary school. One morning all of the teachers were called to the staff room for an emergency meeting, and they hurried over, leaving their classes unsupervised. All of the teachers were worried, but none more so than this particular teacher, because her class was especially mischievous and unruly.

When they got to the staff room, the teacher decided to listen in and find out what was going on in her classroom. She turned on the intercom, and sure enough her room was in chaos. Children were yelling, jumping and throwing things. But one little voice stood out above the others. The teacher recognized the voice. She picked up the intercom and in her sternest voice said, “Elizabeth, sit down!!!!!!!!”

 Immediately, the room fell silent. After a few seconds, a small humble voice answered meekly, “Okay, God”

I’d like to jog your memories for a few moments. Most of you, especially the older members of this congregation, may remember the TV series “Perry Mason” or perhaps you’ve read some of the Perry Mason novels that were written by Erle Stanley Gardner. If you are closer to my age, you may remember the Perry Mason made-for-TV movies that came out in the 1980s. In any event, from September of 1957 to October of 1966, Perry Mason tried 270 murder cases on television, and more in the novels and made-for-TV movies, and only lost two of them AT FIRST GLANCE. In both of those cases, he came through with new information and at the last moment reversed the verdict and cleared his client. The mere mention of his name struck the fear of God into the hearts of any prosecutor. Well folks, there IS one prosecutor that even Perry Mason cannot beat, and that is the Holy Spirit.[1]

Today, as we celebrate Trinity Sunday, we can think of the Trinity as a courtroom. God is the judge, the Holy Spirit is the prosecutor, and Jesus is our defense lawyer. When the prosecutor, the Holy Spirit, presents his case, no one will have any defense on their own; however, everyone can have a defense because Jesus Christ has offered to take any case for free if he is allowed to, because he has already paid the ultimate price for our defense. If he is not allowed to take our case, and the verdict of “guilty” rings out for all eternity, every defendant will acknowledge it is true, and the entire world will know it. To me, this analogy is accurate but harsh. I prefer to think of the Trinity in terms of mediation in a dispute. God is the mediator/arbiter, Jesus represents our side of the dispute, and the Holy Spirit represents the other side.

The concept of the Trinity is a difficult concept for us to grasp, and part of this problem lies in how it is presented in John’s Gospel. John wrote his Gospel for an audience that was primarily Greek. The Greeks were leaders in science, thought and philosophy. In other words, Greek society was very intelligent and highly sophisticated, especially in terms of understanding abstract concepts. This is one reason why John’s Gospel is very theological in nature.

Trinitarian Theology is complicated for a reason. The very complications of the Trinity are designed to bring us closer to God. There is something we need to know. We don’t know everything about God, but we know everything about Him that we need to know. The Scriptures assure us of that. We do not have to understand everything, spiritual or non-spiritual the minute we become adults and that includes the Trinity. We know enough to save us. God pours out grace upon us, in abundance and consistently, whether we realize it or not. The Holy Spirit helps us and the Church to understand all of what Jesus said, especially what he said about God.

The Trinity is one of the most fascinating aspects of Christian theology, but it is also one of the most controversial. It is a mystery to us because it is a reality that is above our human ability to understand things. We can begin to grasp it on our own, but we must really discover it through worship, symbol and faith. In essence, the Trinity is the belief that God is one in essence, but distinct in person. In other words, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are somehow distinct from one another, yet at the same time they are completely united in essence, will and tasks.

The Trinity is a mystery, but this does not mean a riddle. Instead, the Trinity is a reality above our human comprehension that we may begin to grasp, but ultimately must know through worship, symbol and faith. In order to understand it, we must live in the light of its implications for our human lives. The relationship that exists among the three divine persons suggests to us that we can know God through our relationships---not only in God’s relationship to us, but to the entire created world.

In spite of its abstract, theological nature, John’s Gospel has an ordinary, down-to-earth purpose; namely, to lead people to Christ. John did not believe that “truth’ consisted of what he had written or that it could be found only in the Scriptures. He was speaking of spiritual truth rather than the philosophical, historical or scientific truth which has enveloped the world since the Age of Enlightenment over three hundred years ago. He gave us a method of determining what is spiritually true and what is not. The fundamental criterion of truth for the church is that it must always witness to Christ and reveal God’s purpose that love shall be of first importance in all relationships throughout the whole of creation.  

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is setting the stage for his upcoming death, resurrection and ascension. The disciples are understandably quite terrified. Their lives are about to take a dramatic turn. They are quite concerned about the future. How would they continue to do his work without his presence and guidance?

                                                                                     

That was a valid question, and it is the same question many Christians have today. How are we going to do Christ’s work in our society? How are we to care for the less fortunate and spread the Good News? Fortunately for both us and the disciples, Jesus had an answer. He promised to send another advocate or helper-the Holy Spirit. The Spirit would not be bound by Jesus’ limitations of time and space. Whereas Jesus could only travel slowly and teach those within the sound of his voice, the Holy Spirit could be present anywhere and everywhere-throughout the world and throughout history.

Jesus knew that his disciples could not face the reality of his death and resurrection or the reality of their own persecutions for doing his work. They were too weak at that time to face that reality. It would be the job of the Holy Spirit to guide them and strengthen them for the challenges they would face. Many of us face the same concerns today. We often feel that we are too weak to do God’s work on our own, and in fact we ARE weak. We cannot do it alone. We need the teachings and the strengthening power that the Holy Spirit provides.  

The Spirit will guide us in our life’s journey. It will be the still, small voice inside of us that says either “Don’t do that!!!!!!!!!!!” or “Go for it! “ He will guide us in the right direction like a built-in compass. How many coincidences in life are eventually understood to be considerably beyond the level of chance in the long run? Perhaps there have been times in our lives when, for just a fleeting moment, we have been overtaken in some circumstance by the urge to acknowledge “something”-something which had caused an impossible situation to take a turn for a better…just when our finely laid calculations and finely made plans were at the point of collapse. Something happened. A new direction, a difference perspective, another alternative emerged from the confusion. Some call it intuition or inspired genius or coincidence. Others call it the promise Jesus made to us; namely, the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus tells us that the Spirit will lead us into the truth. The Spirit will speak with the authority of God, telling us what God is thinking. The Spirit will give Jesus glory because he will translate what Jesus has to say to us. He will tell us what to do and what to say when we are doing God’s work. The Spirit can do this because it is not an “it”. He is a person with knowledge, a will, a mind and affections. You can lie to him, insult him and grieve him. He is not an impersonal force. He is not Popeye’s spinach or a surfer’s wave. He is God within you to help you. In fact, John calls him the Helper. He never leaves us. He comforts the saved, convicts the lost and conveys the truth.

 The Holy Spirit is the force that gives us energy, but it comes to a group and not to individuals. All we have to do is remember the story of Pentecost that we heard last week, where the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples with tongues of fire and gave them the ability to speak in different languages to see that this is the case. The only way we can get the same energy other than by studying God’s Word in the Bible is by associating with fellow believers. The energy that we get from fellow believers is actually the Holy Spirit coming to us. In his Pentecost letter to the Anglican Communion this year, the Archbishop of Canterbury encourages Anglicans to pray for renewal in the Spirit and focus on the priority of mission, so that “we may indeed do what God asks of us and let all people know that new and forgiven life in Christ is possible”. 

The great evangelist D.L. Moody once planned to have a campaign in England. An elderly pastor protested, “Why do we need this ‘Mr. Moody’? He’s uneducated, inexperienced, etc. Who does he think he is anyway? Does he think he has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?” A younger, wiser pastor rose and responded, “No, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on Mr. Moody”.

Speaking to a large audience, D.L. Moody held up a glass and asked, “How can I get the air out of this glass?” One man shouted, “Suck it out with a pump!” Moody replied, “That would create a vacuum and shatter the glass.” After numerous other suggestions Moody smiled, picked up a pitcher of water, and filled the glass. “There,” he said, “all the air is now removed.” He then went on to explain that victory in the Christian life is not accomplished by “sucking out a sin here and there,” but by being filled with the Holy Spirit.

In every area of our inadequacy, the Holy Spirit encourages us to meet our needs in a way that honours God. He leads us to salvation, regenerates us, convicts us of our sinfulness, teaches us to live for Christ, and seals us for redemption. The Holy Spirit does not deal with the symptoms of a problem. He deals with the cause, just like a doctor treats the cause of human illnesses and not just the symptoms. Sins are just the symptoms. Sin is the problem. Sins are the fruit of our problem; sin is the root of the problem. The Spirit equips us and empowers us to accomplish everything that God calls us to do. The Holy Spirit’s role is to glorify Christ not in his own person, in the view of estimation of men. He serves as an intermediary between Jesus and the church. He is also the continuing presence of Jesus, who brings the power and word of Jesus to bear on our lives.

The Spirit breathes upon our lives in many ways. It is the Spirit who calls us to various Christian ministries, whether it be ordained ministry, lay ministry, reading Scripture during worship services, or even just the way we lead our lives. The Spirit even leads us to teach others in our lives about Christ.

Our world can be confusing. That’s why John 16:13 attracts believers. “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth…” If there is one thing we need today, it is to be led by the Spirit of truth. The Spirit will guide us to remember the truth, reproduce the truth and receive the truth. It will help us to find the truth, act upon the truth, and speak the truth. In order to do so, we have to find him. We find him by:

1.      Acknowledging his leadership.

2.      Asking for his leadership.

3.      Accepting his leadership.

The Spirit works with us to guide us closer to God in faith and helps us to do his work in the world. In this way, the Holy Spirit acts as our helper. He lives inside us and knows us even better than we know ourselves. He works 24 hours a day 7 days a week to enable us to be the person God wants us to be AND to help us grow in the likeness of Christ. There is no problem that he can’t handle. He will help us get through our troubles and will also use our burdens to teach us about God’s love, power and wisdom.

The Spirit will also guide the church as it wrestles with issues such as homosexuals in the church, abortion, war, and capital punishment. Jesus did not speak directly on these issues, so we need the Spirit’s guidance.  He does this by giving us the answer to these two questions:

1.      What would Jesus do in these circumstances?

2.      What would Jesus want us to do?

If it points to the need for change, the Spirit will help us to facilitate change and flow with change. It uses our experiences and those of others to teach us, and it reveals to us the truth we need to live our lives.

Bibliography

1.      Trinity Sunday, Year C, May 30, 2010. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

       2.      Dr. Henry Clarence Thiessen, “Introduction to the New Testament”. (Jan. 2002, Peabody, MA. Hendrickson Publishers Inc., pp. 162-176)

      3.      Matthew Henry Concise Commentary. Part of Wordsearch software package.

4.      Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, New American Standard Version

5.      Abingdon Commentary. Retrieved from www.esermons.com

6.      Larry Powell, “A Continuing Presence”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com

7.      James Merritt, “God’s Guidance System”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com

8.      David Cartwright, “Saved by the Spirit”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com

9.      King Duncan, “How Can I Know the Truth?” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

10.  King Duncan, “Well…I Was a Little Confused” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

11.  King Duncan, “What Do You Really Know” Retrieved on May 3, 2010 from www.esermons.com

12.  James Merritt, “The Prosecutor Perry Mason Can’t Beat” Retrieved on May 3, 2010 from www.esermons.com

13.  “All About Trinity Sunday”. Retrieved from www.churchyear.net/trinitysunday.html

14.  Today in the Word, September, 1991, p. 30 as quoted in “3 Simple Reasons You Need the Holy Spirit”, written by Eddie Lawrence.

15.   Charles F. Stanley, “The Holy Spirit, Our Guide”. Retrieved from www.crosswalk.com

       16.   Charles F. Stanley, “The Holy Spirit’s Role in Salvation”. Retrieved from www.crosswalk.com

17.  R.A. Torrey, “God’s Power in Your Life” (1982, New Kensington, PA, USA. Whitaker House. Pgs. 51-86). Special Printing for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association        

18.  Fr. David McLean, O.P., “Searching the Mystery of Love”. Retrieved from www.torch.op.org

19.  Fr. John Boll, “First Impressions, Trinity Sunday, Year C, May 30, 2010” Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org

20.  John Shearman’s Lectionary, “First Sunday After Pentecost-Trinity Sunday-May 30, 2010” Retrieved from www.seemslikegod.org/lectionary/archives

21.  Max Lucado, “Music for the Dance”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

22.  The Most Rev. Rowan Williams, “Archbishop of Canterbury’s Pentecost Letter to the Anglican Communion”. Retrieved from www.anglicancommunion.org

23.  Dr. Lanie LeBlanc, OP, “Volume 2: Trinity Sunday 2010”. Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org

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John 16:12-15 Dirty Windows (A Talk with the Children)

Have you ever tried to look through a window that is smudged and dirty? Well, if you have, you know that it’s hard to see out of it because the dust and dirt block any clear view. As we think of how the Holy Spirit acts as a cleaner in our lives, we can see how the Holy Spirit helps us understand the truth.

When we talk about the truth, we mean more than just facts or even beliefs. Our truth is a person, and his name is Jesus Christ. Our focus as children of God should always be on him, but sometimes our view of him is ruined by our disobedience, pride and independence. WE may not always have a clear picture of Jesus, but the Spirit is always pointing to God. He reminds us of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. In other words, the Spirit reminds us of what Jesus did while he was on earth. The Spirit reminds us of how Jesus spoke and acted so that we may become more like him. The Spirit helps us clear away everything that might get between God and us. When the Spirit is near, we are ready to hear and respond to what God wants us to be and to do. This is part of what it means to become more like Christ. The Holy Spirit helps us understand the truth.

When we are saved, we need help to live as believers. We might not always know what to do to please God in every situation, but God does, and he shows us what to do through the Holy Spirit. He shows us the actions that please God and the actions that do not please God. All we have to do is follow his lead and go in the direction he points us.

John 14:26 says, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, who the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you.” A counselor is someone who gives you advice, or suggestions about what to do and what not to do. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would be a counselor to remind the disciples of all the good things he had taught them. The Holy Spirit also helps us to understand Jesus’ words in the Bible, so the Holy Spirit is also a teacher.

Sometimes you may feel that living for God is hard. There are temptations to do wrong, or perhaps what God is asking you to do seems like it is too hard. The Holy Spirit comes to help us. He gives us the strength to overcome temptation and to do tasks that would be too hard for us to do on our own. He is our guide and teacher.

Let us bow our heads for a moment of prayer. Lord, we pray that your Spirit will help us as we seek and try to understand your truth. You have shown us what truth is through your son, Jesus Christ. Help us now to live this truth out each day. AMEN