April 17, 2012

Reflecting on John 14: 18-31

I have always liked the “Advocate” in chapter 14 of John’s gospel.  “Advocate”--in English, the synonyms are: supporter, backer, promoter, believer, activist, campaigner, sponsor.  And since I first encountered this passage in English as a boy, I’ve always thought that “Advocate” sounded a lot better than “Holy Spirit.”  An “Advocate” was someone who likely had your back; the “Holy Spirit” seemed and still does seem a lot less certain.  

So it’s “good news” in my mind that the “Advocate” Jesus promises, “will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.”  Because the measure for loving Jesus is keeping his commandments--which sometimes seem a little less direct than the Ten Commandments inscribed on stone tablets!  Jesus says, “don’t let your hearts be troubled,” I think in part, because the Advocate has our backs.  

But that doesn’t get us entirely off the hook.  There’s still the matter of keeping the commandments.  Don’t worry, says Jesus, you have the Advocate to teach and remind.  But still... the commandments.  

This passage ends with Jesus saying: “ ...the ruler of this world is coming.  He has no power over me; but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father."  I don’t know who “the ruler of this world” is; it could be Pilate or the religious authorities--maybe both.  But though the ruler of this world is coming, Jesus says, “he has no power over me.”  Still, “I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.”  In other words, the ruler of this world doesn’t have the power to make him keep the commandments or love the Father, but Jesus does as he was commanded--”so that the world may know he loves the Father.”  

Jesus wants the world to know that he loves the Father; Jesus wants us to love the Father--and he tells us that when we keep his commandments, we love him, and when we love him, we love the Father.  And then I begin to see it more clearly--the ruler of this world is what’s in my way.  Not Pilate, not the religious authorities of Jesus’ day--the ruler of this world.  And there are many who rule this world.  

The culture.  Political leaders.  My own sense of right and wrong.  My desire for money, wealth, success, prosperity; my demand for freedom to do as I want, my selfishness, the selfishness of others--and the list goes on and on.  On any given day there’s a lot that affects my willingness or my desire to keep Jesus’ commandments in the face of worldly rulers.  

And that, too, is why I like this “Advocate”--who not only is going to have my back, but who is determined to help me do what I am not always prepared and/or willing to do for the sake of someone or something else.  Or, for the sake of loving the Jesus and the Father.  

Monday, April 16, 2012

I heard a conversation on the radio this morning about whether or not Jesus advocated for larger or smaller government.  On the one hand, the whole disagreement seems rather trite—aimed more at the personal gain of too few and at the expense of many others.  But Jesus says to us: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.” 

Jesus says that I need another advocate.  Or taken in the broader sense, Jesus says that Christians need another advocate.  Government large or small aside, this seems surprising. 

In my culture, high value is placed on personal freedom and responsibility.  Many people believe that your future is what you make—that it shouldn’t have to do with your race, nationality, creed, or condition.  And we’re used to understanding, presuming, and believing that if we want to believe and follow Jesus, we just do it—it’s up to us.  So it’s surprising to hear Jesus totally put the brakes on that!  “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.  …[This Advocate abides with you, and will be in you.” 

In a way, Jesus is saying, “it isn’t up to us”—alone; it’s at least going to be us and the Advocate. 

That I need another advocate sounds strange in a world built around self-reliance and personal responsibility.  But I find it’s also “good news” for me—in a world that puts enormous expectations on us to “do it ourselves.” 

But the starting place for Jesus’ words about the Advocate come in the context of keeping Jesus’ commandments—if we love him.  I like to think that “I love Jesus,” but I also seldom ask whether or not I’m keeping all his commandments.  The truth of our human condition is like when I ask my young children if they “were good” at an event or for a shopping trip with their mom—meaning, did they act respectfully and comply with mom’s requests.  They sometimes say, “I was MOSTLY good; I was just a little bit bad.” 

I suspect that when we ask ourselves in earnest if we “love Jesus,” and the measure is “keeping Jesus’ commandments”—most of us have to concede something lacked.  Does that mean we don’t love Jesus?  I don’t think so.  Because we have another Advocate.  

Audio Link for my Sermon from Sunday, November 6th, 2011

If you'd like to listen to an audio recording of my sermon, "Faithful Action Done Now, Prepares Us For God", preached on Sunday, November 6th, 2011 at the Presbyterian Church of Llanerch in Havertown, Pennsylvania; click on the link below: 

http://www.box.net/shared/yrkb0lop3jjuplithdb8

Audio Link for my Sermon from Sunday, October 30, 2011

If you'd like to listen to an audio recording of my sermon, "The Great Reversal," preached on Sunday, October 30, 2011, please click on the link below to download. 

http://www.box.net/shared/3ceso6ogug0zjc0dprre

Audio Link for my sermon from Sunday, October 23, 2011

If you'd like to listen to an audio recording of my sermon, "What Did Moses See?  What do you See?  What Did Jesus See?", preached on Sunday, October 23, 2011 at the Presbyterian Church of Llanerch in Havertown, PA; click on the link below to download. 

http://www.box.net/shared/5kxqrvj0u6name3ujil6

Audio Link for my sermon from Sunday, October 16, 2011

If you'd like to listen to an audio recording of my sermon, "Tax Advice You can LIVE With", preached on Sunday, October 16th, 2011 at the Presbyterian Church of Llanerch in Havertown, PA; click on the link below to download. 

http://www.box.net/shared/mad0brtqueimtzfbxuyt

Audio Link for my sermon on Sunday, October 2, 2011

If you'd like to listen an audio recording of my sermon, "Eat this bread, Drink this cup", preached on Sunday, October 2nd, 2011--World Communion Sunday--at the Presbyterian Church of Llanerch in Havertown, PA; click on the link below to download. 

http://www.box.net/shared/h85d03z46o0nov2br0kn

Audio Link for My Sermon on Sunday, September 25, 2011

If you'd like to listen to my sermon, "Who am I?  Who are you?", preached on Sunday, September 25, 2011 at the Presbyterian Church of Llanerch in Havertown, PA, click on the link below: 

http://www.box.net/shared/sdhevmvqgx8xfjtv5ymr

Audio Link for my Sermon from Sunday, September 11, 2011

If you'd like to listen to my sermon, "What Do You See?", preached on Sunday, September 11, 2011 at the Presbyterian Church of Llanerch in Havertown, PA, click on the link below to download: 

http://www.box.net/shared/7l2z77sthxhfzrdzv997

Audio Link for my Sermon from Sunday, September 04, 2011

It started as a bit of summer vacation--mid-August.  A long weekend camping with my family; but that then got stretched over the following weekend when I attended my maternal grandmother's memorial service.  I was supposed to be preaching on August 28th--but Philadelphia was visited by Hurricane Irene and during the time our congregation would have been worshipping, two trees fell on our building. 

Now, it's September.  And a month removed from when I last praught... it was actually nice to be back in the pulpit. 

If you'd like to listen to my sermon, "Laboring in the Bondage of Community," preached on Sunday, September 4th during worship at the Presbyterian Church of Llanerch in Havertown, Pennsylvania, you can click on the link below.  If you'd rather not listen, it's odd that you're still reading this. 

http://www.box.net/shared/d6e6xr8bzj4ffn6sdd56