The Advocate has your Back!

Sermon John 15:26-27; 16:4-15 May 20, 2018 Pentecost

The Advocate has your Back!

We all love the story in the Acts of the Apostle’s where the Spirit rushes in like a mighty wind and takes center stage for all to hear and understand the message of Christ. This Pentecost experience was a holy moment in the history of the church. It was one step of many steps, many acts of the Holy Spirit. It was the power of God to transform many lives.

We mark this occasion in Acts chapter 2 as the first day of the assembly of the church. And from that day the church has grown to where we are today. The church is all over the world and in every corner of it. Large and small, rich and poor, the church is still very much alive.

The day of Pentecost is not the only day to celebrate the Holy Spirit. In the gospel of John, Jesus spends a long time through his final discourse telling the disciples what to expect about the Spirit who will come to them. John is the one who helps us to recognize the fullness of the presence of the Spirit in our lives. He gives us some details to look out for and to embrace.

If we use the example in Acts chapter 2 as the way the Spirit works in the church, we will all become sorely disappointed. Because the church rarely grows 3000 souls at a time. But, if we go further in Acts and become witnesses to the varying ways the Spirit worked in the lives of the people we will discover the strength of the church to work one person at a time for the glory of God and for the power of love to create a new world. There might be a few churches in this world where there are thousands coming in droves and growing beyond the ability to keep up with the numbers. But, there are millions of churches across this globe who are small faithful, sustaining powers of the Spirit working the gospel one person at a time.

Most often the changes that happen in a big way in the world (for good or bad) started with one small spark. The embers of love and of hate can erupt rather quickly when the breeze blows.

Each and every relationship matters.

How we live and what we say makes a difference to everyone we encounter.

Our church and the churches around us are witnesses to everyone who sees us. And it is up to us to respond to the Spirit within us so we can hear and understand the words of those who speak to us.

Our relationships with each other are put to the test every day. 

That’s why the words about the Spirit from Jesus are so important to us. 

Jesus says he is sending us the Spirit of truth. 

The Spirit of truth is coming to make a home within us. 

The Advocate is coming to us and has our back!

The Advocate or (Paraclete in Greek) is the real presence of God in a special personal role. The literal definition of Paraclete means to ‘come alongside’.

An advocate is also a lawyer.

One who advocates for you,

who is on your side,

who has your back.

That’s one of the ways the Holy Spirit is important to me. I am constantly in need of a presence to keep me on track and to keep my heart in the right place.

Too quickly I jump to the negative or to inappropriate judging. I count on the Spirit to put my heart to the test and keep it straight in caring for others and to keep it in alignment to the promise of Jesus when he asked us to ‘abide in his love.’

The power of the Spirit offers us the real presence of the love of Jesus to fulfill our lives and to move in the direction of creating a new world. 

Are we willing to allow room for the Spirit’s disruption? 

Once we grant permission for the upheaval of the Spirit’s power 

there is no turning back. 

The Spirit will take us to uncomfortable places 

and have us testify to Christ’s love and to the Kingdom of peace.

When we enter into muddy waters, grey areas, fuzzy ideas, the Spirit is the One who brings clarity. The Spirit is the One who guides us through and provides us with acute hearing and understanding. 

We need the Advocate who has our back as we are thrust into a world where the way is not so clear. People who are policy makers understand there are several sides to an issue and all of them are worthy or at least can be made to look that way. That’s often why there are disagreements even among Christians as we look to the variety ways of living in this world. As we look to the ways of right and wrong. As we look to the ways of caring for the poor and the sick and the dying. It’s not that my right is more right than yours. But, my right according to my understanding of the Spirit working in me is…

And it is here exactly here…

where those who are listening to the Spirit will 

be willing to pause, 

to hear one another, 

to hear the abiding love of Jesus 

working to the power of God to create, 

to imagine, 

to cause a new way 

that had never been thought of before.

When the Spirit enters our life 

as we grow in God’s love 

we begin to recognize 

and see things 

in a way we never have before. 

We discover a changing within us. 

A power we cannot describe stirs up in us. 

We notice God in the details of life. 

We find ourselves in an awakening. 

We experience a freshness of our soul. 

And somehow, some way, our life is unfolding into a truth we come to embrace and live.

 The Advocate has our back through all this and more. 

Let us grant the Spirit center stage today. Let us be open to let the Spirit get the fire going and spread God’s love to everyone and let us pass it on. Amen.

Resources: Feasting on the Word.