"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them
now."
Can we yet?? Can we yet bear forgiving our enemy who is sitting a
couple of pews away from us? Can we yet bear selling all we have and
giving it to the poor? Can we yet bear being saved by grace, and not
by our good deeds, our upwardly mobile lifestyle, our positive
thinking, our consummerism, our strong economic growth, or our bombs?
Can we yet bear these word?
"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the
truth."
Can we really bear the truth into which the Spirit is guiding us?? Can
we bear the truth of our role in creating and maintaining the poverty
of the world? Our role in dictating to the rest of the world the
direction their governments should take (paying off their monetary
debts to us instead of building schools and providing medical care)?
Our role in dictating to others what they must believe in order to
become like us? Can we bear this truth?
The Spirit "will glorify me...."
Are we ready for this? Are we ready for the crucified one to be
glorified, and not ourselves? For sacrifice to be glorified, and not
our accomplishments? For giving to be glorified, and not accumulating?
Can we bear Jesus' words? Are we any more ready than those first
disciples?
Come Holy Spirit!
Rick in Canada
16:5 - I wonder why they didn't ask?
That was my big question too. Why didn't they ask? It echos with no
explanation. Two possibilities come to me: 1.)they didn't ask because
it was the one big piece they thought they understood. Just as Elijah
had been taken up into heaven so would the Messiah, in a dramatic
whirlwind with a chariot... the mantle passing to one of them... or
2.)Some things are too frightening to bear immediate inquiry.(A clue
is that Jesus says their hearts were "full" of sorrow... some things
are so overwhelming that questions don't come until later.) Also,
there were 12 disciples... there may have been 12 different reasons
for not asking... We can have many reasons for not daring to inquire
what God is REALLY telling us... especially if it is going to mean
that we must experience change. DL in ME
Concerning why they didn't ask: THEY DID ASK! See 13:36 (Simon Peter
said to him, Lord where are you going?) See also 14:5. Maybe they just
couldn't grasp where he was going? Or they didn't think of where he
was going when they were feeling sad about the fact that he was
leaving. If they focused on where he was going, rather than their own
loss, they would understand. (?)
DG in NYC
Oh yes, thanks, Rick in Canada for your helpful comments. DG in NYC
The Spirit will guide us in the truth, Jesus tells disciples. A
favorite hymn of mine is "We Limit Not the Truth Of God, to our poor
reach of mind, to notions of our day and sect, crude, partial, and
unkind... there is yet more light and truth to break forth from God's
word." Sharon Joseph
DG, you are right, but that just HIGHLIGHTS the question. Why does
Jesus make the "mistake" of saying they are not asking where He is
going? When Peter asks where Jesus is going in 13:36 Jesus answers
that Peter can not follow him there... but that LATER he will be able
to. Jesus interprets that the question Peter is REALLY asking is not
so much about WHERE Jesus is going as it is about how Peter will
follow Him. Thomas' actual question in 14:5 is NOT "Where are you
going?" but, rather, a statement that the disciples don't know where
He is going "SO HOW CAN WE KNOW THE WAY TO GET THERE?" Both of the
questions Jesus interprets as questions of HOW TO FOLLOW, rather than
WHERE JESUS is going. Jesus seems to want them to be able to inquire
about where He is going WITHOUT immediately assuming they can go too.
This next step will take preparation and the Holy Spirit. They had to
WAIT, and PREPARE and CHANGE... growing in faith and understanding
before they could follow. Jesus was pointing out that they were NOT
asking where He was going... what their questions meant was... how can
we avoid being separated. Christ was trying to show them that they
could avoid being separated by remaining connected to the Spirit and
acting with love for God and other people. But they weren't learning
about the way to grow because they weren't really asking where Christ
was going... Their REAL question was "Where are WE going?" and the
answer was they were (as Wesley would say) "moving on to perfection"
and Jesus was going on ahead! Jesus was trying to point out that all
the time their hearts were asking, "What about me? What about me?"
They wouldn't get it. Sometimes we have to just ask about Christ. DL
in ME
DL in ME Thanks for your work & comments on this passage. It's very
helpful. It reminds me of clients I've had in an Alcohol/Drug
treatment center when they're trying to rebuild trust and
relationships in their lives: instead of listening to their loved ones
(especially children) and hearing what THEY have to say, they often
just have this deep need to get their loved ones to understand THEM.
The "What about me? me? me?" part seems similar. Perhaps it's a
practical illustration that can be developed. Thanks. Janice in Ks
Thanks for all the contributions so far. "Rick in Canada": You've
provided a lot of food for thought. You ask the question: Can we
really bear the truth into which the Spirit is guiding us?
I can't remember the source, but I read a story one time that
addresses this question from at least one direction. Hope it is
helpful to some of you out there!
A seeker of truth once climbed a high mountain to visit a spiritual
master who lived alone at the top. When he arrived at the summit,
weary and parched, the seeker immediately began firing questions at
the master: "Why do you live up here all alone? You are renowned for
your knowledge, yet it is so difficult to reach you. Why do you
isolate yourself in such a place that so many people cannot benefit
personally from your teachings?"
And then, tripping over his words as they gushed out in a torrent, the
seeker went on to describe what he thought was wrong with the world
and why he was frustrated that no one would listen to the good ideas
he had come up with to solve the world's problems.
Appearing to ignore the passionate outburst, the master said, "You
must be tired after such a long and arduous journey. Let me first give
you some tea to refresh you."
"Thank you," the seeker said. "But let me tell you why I've climbed
this mountain to visit with you. I came to implore you to teach me all
of your wisdom that I may return to the valley to teach everyone the
meaning of life and how to live properly."
The master didn't respond. He just started pouring tea into the
seeker's cup. Just as the level of the tea came close to the brim, the
seeker reached for the cup, but then withdrew his hand as the master
continued to pour. He thought the old master was having trouble with
his eyesight, but he didn't want to embarrass him by saying anything.
But then, the tea began to spill over the edge of the cup and onto the
ground. Yet the master continued to pour, seemingly oblivious to the
growing puddle of tea.
Finally, the seeker could stand it no more and he impatiently cried
out, "Master! You have poured more than enough. This cup cannot be
filled any more! To put any more tea into this cup, I must first drink
from it to empty it, thereby making space for more."
"My son," the master replied with a gentle voice, "you have just
leanred the first, and most important, lesson concerning the
acquisition of true knowledge of the meaning of life. Just as this
vessel must be emptied before it is capable of holding more tea, so
the vessel that is your mind must first be emptied of all the
preconceived notions and prejudices it now contains before there will
be any room for me to pour out my wisdom to you."
The question Rick poses is an extremely important one. We can't bear
the truth into which the Spirit is guiding us if we are too "full" and
build up walls around our "fullness". Ands that is the whole impact of
the Gospel of Jesus Christ, isn't it... we must allow ourselves to be
emptied in order for the Spirit to have full use of our hearts and
minds.
Some musings from RevIan in Québec
"I will send you the Advocate...
I'm intrigued by the Advocate and the advantage to having Jesus send
the Advocate.
Through the Advocate Jesus can reach more people. Who are our
advocates? Friends, brothers and sisters, pastors, family members....
How do they lack in being the advocate Jesus sends to us? And how does
God use these to advocate our faith?
I'm thinking of looking at characters in Mary Higgins Clark novel
"We'll Meet Again" Molly the main character has three advocates First
a High School Friend Jenna Whitehall who appears to be a bussom buddy
standing beside here through her trial and conviction but does not
believe in her innocence who in the end really stabs her in the back.
(I won't say how or no need to read the book) Second, Philip Matthews,
her lawyer, who gets her a good plea bargain but who does not believe
in her innocence. He befriends her at a price. Third is Fran, a High
School classmate, who Molly, Jenna and friends would not give the time
of day. Fran returns to the hometown believing in Molly's innocence
and proves it against all odds. Fran is a true advocate working
overtime to promote truth, righteousness, and justice.
The Holy Spirit is our Advocate which convicts us of sin but does not
condemn us. Guides us in right paths pointing out we are a worthwhile
child of God. And sets us free of our past through God's justice
system.
Bruce in WI
The doctrine of the church makes clear that the Holy Spirit lives
within the church interpreting the truth and calling us to mission;
yet we live the power of the Holy Spirit to penecostals and
charismatics and present the Holy Spirit to our people with the utmost
rationality, or historical research, we have very little understanding
or experience of how the Life-Giver dwells within us calling us into
relationship with all creation, or how we stand in an intimate and
life transforming relationship with God through the Third Person of
the Holy Trinity that binds us all together as one. We have adopted
the world view, the mystery of our lives is drying up, our churches
are beautiful chimneys without any fire - it seems to me that the
first call of Pentecost in our time is for conversion of the
institution of the church to embrace the fulness of faith, not only
Protestant but Catholic, not only Catholic but Orthodox, not only
Orthodox, but a universality that lets go of our prejudices and calls
us to embrace a truth that is found in the depths of our hearts.
tom in ga
I have been reflecting on the term 'Advocate'. An advocate is one who
works or speaks up on another's behalf. But whose advocate is the Holy
Spirit? We speak of Him as ours but is he really? As the Spirit of
Jesus is He not one who speaks on Jesus' behalf? Sometimes I think we
view the Holy Spirit as some kind of cosmic chaplain who ministers to
our needs - counselor, comforter - but He is much more than that.
Jesus said, "When the Advocate comes...he will testify on my behalf."
RG in Ontario
Thank you DL in ME. You set me straight and started me on my sermon.
In thinking about how we try to hold on to the familiar, and have such
a hard time facing death, I came across Henri Nouwen's book "Our
Greatest Gift, A Meditation on Dying and Caring". I'm using this story
as an illustration of how we have trouble seeing death as something
positive.
Two twins are in a womb, about to be born. The twins were talking to
each other, and the sister said to the brother, "I believe there is
life after birth." The brother protested vehemently, "No, ne, this is
all there is. This is a dark and cozy place, and we have nothing else
to do but to cling to the cord that feeds us." The little girl
insisted, "There must be something more than this dark place. There
must be something else, a place with light where there is freedom to
move." Still she could not convince her twin brother.
After some silence, the sister said hesitantly, "I have something else
to say, and I'm afraid you won't believe that, either, but I think
there is a mother." Her brother became furious. "A mother!" he
shouted. "What are you talking about?" I have never seen a mother, and
neither have you. Who put that idea in your head? As I told you, this
place is all we have. why do you always want more?..."
The sister was quite overwhelmed by her brother's response and for a
while didn't dare say anything more... Finally she said, "Don't you
feel these squeezes every once in a while? They're quite unpleasant
and sometimes even painful." "Yes," he answered... "Well", the sister
said, "I think these squeezes are there to get us ready for another
place, much more beautiful than this, where we will see our mother
face-to-face."
Nouwen adds, "This story may help us to think about death in a new
way. We can live as if this life were all we had, as if death were
absurd and we had better not talk about it, or we can choose to claim
our divine childhood and trust that death is the painful but blessed
passage that will bring us face-to-face with God."
Then, of course we have to talk about the difference Jesus' death made
to us... in the releasing of the Holy Spirit. (I haven't gotten that
far yet). Hope this quote is helpful to someone.
DG in NYC
Yes, DG, it IS helpful... perfect! Thanks. What about the Holy Spirit
(in connection with your story from Henri Nouwen) thought of this
way... Human mothers about to deliver do better with a coach guiding
them through focus and breathing to minimize the pain and strengthen
their work in delivery. God, as mother awaiting our birth, needs no
such coach so the infants (i.e. us) about to be born (through death to
new life) are able, because of Christ's gift of the Holy Spirit, to
have a coach inside the womb (i.e. the world) with them helping them
focus and enabling them to respond to the delivery process in a way
that facilitates a healthy birth and minimizes the difficulty and
trama of delivery. By dying for us and rising to new life, Christ gave
the proof that the doubting twin in Henri's story needed. By receiving
the Holy Spirit, we live with that proof in our hearts, urging us,
coaching us to prepare for new life with our heavenly mother/father.
DL in ME
The Advocate is the Spirit of Truth, I think. In this trial, "we
recieve the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth."
(Remember Jesus said, "I AM the Truth) It is no wonder that in the
epistle lesson, creation is groaning as it waits. Truth is too bright
a light for our fragile pupils to handle all at once. The comments on
going on to perfection fit with this. We can't handle it all at once
and so we grow in the Spirit. The pentecost fire catches us unaware
and burns within us and shines from us as the Spirit of Christ
overcomes the spirits of evil. But the Holy Spirit feeds the soul so
that it burns even brighter rather than to burn out as the soul living
in self reliance does. Sunday I will have everyone in the congregation
light a candle from the paschal candle and put it on the altar as a
testimony of the life of Christ burning ever more brightly in the
church which is the new body. (I've had 12 candles burning since I
relit the Tenebrae candles on Easter, representing the early church)
"See how great a flame aspires..." That spirit will burn the tares to
ashes and the good crop of "fruits" will be sweeter still from the
protection of the waters of baptism. Ain't Pentecost grand! Peace and
blessing, Fisherfolk in OH
I just realized that we are recognizing high school graduates in this
service. The thoughts about the disciples desire to avoid separating
from Jesus apply here. Can you imagine not letting your child go away
to college because you would miss them too much? (Some parents
actually do that...)
DG in NYC
Is it just me or is anyone else looking at the missing verses of this
pericope? Jesus is not only telling the disciples that he is going
away, but that people will kill them and think there are doing God a
favor when they do it.
We want to make Pentecost the "Holiday of Champions," which it is, but
it is a different kind of champion. A champion who suffers and loses.
Not the world's champion, but an imitation of the God who loses to his
own people in order to win them back.
The Acts text also plays on the tension between those who responded to
the coming of the Holy Spirit by being baptized and those who sneered
and came up with a different excuse for what was happening.
Our churches (at least the ones I serve)today are filled with tension
between those who claim the Holy Spirit is birthing a new church and
those who sneer and say that God would never do that.
God's Spirit is a creating Spirit that blows across chaos
orchestrating relationships that benefit life. As the Spirit blows it
testifies with its very breath the truth about Jesus; that he is the
Son of God and that by trusting and obeying his call we will find new
life.
Even when people (churchly people) kill us and call it worship to God.
Jonesy
I will tie this in with the Ezekiel passage and how we are nothing but
dead and dry bones unless we allow God to work in and though us with
the Holy Spirit. If we become more caught up in how and not doing,
then we become dry bones. If we become more caught up in the service
than who we are worshiping than we are dry bones, but when we allow
God to work in us through the Holy Spirit, we become more like Christ
and we become alive.
Rev. Belle in NY
Does anyone have the story of the father whose son and his best friend
were washed overboard in a huge storm/ His son was a chrisyian , his
best friend was not. The father threw the only life preserver to the
unsaved best friend. Much later a pastor told the story in a sermon.
Two teenaged boys told the pastor it was a good story, but could not
have happened. The Pastor said, "Yes. it did happen. You see, I was
that best friend." revup
Revup, someone e-mailed that to me just the other day. Here it is: THE
OLD MAN AND THE SEA After a few of the usual Sunday evening hymns, the
church's pastor once again slowly stood up, walked over to the pulpit,
and gave a very brief introduction of his childhood friend. With that,
an elderly man stepped up to the pulpit to speak, "A father, his son,
and a friend of his son were sailing off the Pacific Coast," he began,
"when a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to
shore. The waves were so high, that even though the father was an
experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright, and the three
were swept into the ocean." The old man hesitated for a moment, making
eye contact with two teenagers who were, for the first time since the
service began, looking somewhat interested in his story. He continued,
"Grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating
decision of his life....to which boy he would throw the other end of
the line. He only had seconds to make the decision. The father knew
that his son was a Christian, and he also knew that his son's friend
was not. The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent
of waves. As the father yelled out, 'I love you, son!' he threw the
line to his son's friend. By the time he pulled the friend back to the
capsized boat, his son had disappeared beyond the raging swells into
the black of night. His body was never recovered." By this time, the
two teenagers were sitting straighter in the pew, waiting for the next
words to come out of the old man's mouth. "The father," he continued,
"knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus, and he could not
bear the thought of his son's friend stepping into an eternity without
Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son. How great is the love of God
that He should do the same for us." With that, the old man turned and
sat back down in his chair as silence filled the room. Within minutes
after the service ended, the two teenagers were at the old >man's
side. "That was a nice story," politely started one of the boys, "but
I don't think it was very realistic for a father to give up his son's
life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian." "Well,
you've got a point there," the old man replied, glancing down at his
worn Bible. A big smile broadened his narrow face, and he once again
looked up at the boys and said, "It sure isn't very realistic, is it?
But I'm standing here today to tell you that THAT story gives me a
glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up His Son for
me. You see....I was the son's friend." Author Unknown There you go...
DL in ME
