If You Love Me... (Pt. 2)
John 14:15-21
”If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
18”I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. 19In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 20On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” *********************************
This is part two of a three part series on this passage from John 14. In part one, we talked about Jesus' statement… “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (The 'commandment' being “Love God and love your neighbor as yourself") And we pondered the question, “What happens when we don’t keep the commandments… Do we still love God… Does God still love us… Is my relationship with God contingent on my ability to keep the commandment… Is it reliant on my behavior?” And we came up with a couple key thoughts…
1. God never leaves us, no matter what. That there is nothing we can DO to make God love us less or more than God does right now… its unconditional.
2. When use our behavior (or the behavior of others) as a measuring stick, or to evaluate how much we love, or how much God loves, it leads us to be judgmental; and by falling into that trap we discount the power of the Holy Spirit living and working in each of us.
(For more info see part 1)
We also talked about the fact that this is the first of four passages in John where Jesus talks about the “paraclete.” When Jesus talks about the paraclete, he is talking about the Holy Spirit. “The word “paraclete” in Greek is composed of two roots that would mean "one called to your side." It was used to describe a person who stood with another who was on trial or under pressure. It was not a lawyer in the sense that we now think of lawyers or advocates; the paraclete didn't speak to the judge, s/he spoke with the person on trial encouraging and helping them through it.” Roger Hahn
Interesting isn’t it? Because most of the time, when we get into a bind and we pray, “Jesus help me,” we pray for God to “fix” our problem, or “stop” a series of events from happening or “do” something for us. We even want God to make decisions for us- to drop answers in our laps- in essence, to alleviate us from our responsibility in a situation.
And that’s normal... We don’t like to suffer as human beings… who likes pain or discomfort, (physical or emotional!) And if you have to go through something, especially involving a life decision, a relationship change, a job shift, a health issue… rather than struggle with the emotional turmoil, wouldn’t it be easier if we had a God that would hold up a big sign and say “Tim, do this! Barb, change jobs! Michael, get the surgery!”
At first glance it looks like that would be a great way to live life. We could use it for all kinds of situations. We could have something going on in our life or in the life of a loved one… as simple as job stress or as large as serious illness… or... why stop there- actually anything you could think of that goes on in the world; natural disasters, war, oppression, poverty… and we ask God to fix it… and God says “abracadabra” and God fixes it! Like a celestial vending machine- we put the prayer in the slot, make our selection- and voila, out come the answer.
But when it comes right down to it- is that what you really want? A magical fairy godmother god who grants wishes and makes all your dreams come true?
“Of course I do Pastor!”
Really? Because when I look back at the things I wanted or hoped for over the course of my life… if I had gotten my way and God did what I asked… Wow- some of them would have taken me down quite a different road. And some of the stuff that I wanted God to “fix” for me, or decide for me... even though they were very painful to go through, were some of the things that helped me grow and develop the most.
I hear from a number of you, especially you “more mature members,” about how you sense that “something is missing in our youth today…” how “they aren’t learning what it is to struggle” and how "our youth are being denied the gift of doing without"- of working hard to get a new bike, or having to fix the broken one… whatever it may be… material things, money, cars… “Kids are given so much,” you say. And we talk about your fears for the future; that the leaders of tomorrow won’t know the value of hard work.
And they are valid fears. In a society and an economy that is reliant on consumption, and frankly, has adapted quite nicely to having new everything… it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that we are traveling a very slippery slope. We are marketed to and many times sold on “bigger, better, faster” and the rush to have it NOW. As the country separates into visible classes of “have’s” and “have not’s” we don’t want to be left on the bottom rung.
So we work longer, stress more, compete with one another and learn that 'now' is better than 'later', cost is negligible, and throwaway is quicker… even big things; something breaks you just throw it out and get a new updated one… don’t waste time and energy fixing the old...
We have in fact, become a society that functions on 'disposable' and 'instant,' regardless of the havoc it plays on the environment, or on people, here or in other parts of the world… (“we don’t see those people anyway, so whatever… I’m thirsty so give me my plastic water bottle and when I’m done I’ll throw it in the trash…big deal it's only one bottle." or, "I’m bored so let me get in my car and drive around for three hours- it’s worth the gas… there’s nothing else to do”)
This may seem like a silly illustration, but for Christmas last year I got a hand powered coffee grinder. I’ve always wanted one, and John had to go all the way to central PA to find one, (he’s so sweet) but sure enough, the day after Christmas, I tried it out. Has anyone ever used one of those things?
My Face Book post that day read, “I just tried out the hand coffee grinder John got me for Christmas, and unless I’m doing something wrong, my ancestors must have had forearms to rival Popeye!”
It was a lot of work!
Not really… not when I stopped to consider how truly spoiled I have become. Even hand grinding my own beans I have it better than my ancestors. I didn’t have to go down to the creek to get water to make the coffee! And I didn’t have to gather wood and then build a fire to cook it! Or go milk a cow to lighten it! But I’ll tell you what, just the simple act of grinding the beans by hand, was not only meditative, (it forced me to slow down) but made me appreciate that first cup of coffee so much more.
And if we went around this room right now, all of you could give me a hundred stories like that from your own life- most not as trivial as a cup of coffee, where working hard for something, or struggling through something, made you somehow more grateful, more appreciative… the satisfaction of knowing “I did this!” or “I made it through.”
It’s empowering to say the least. Whatever the trial or struggle or opportunity… you walk away having learned something, about yourself… you are somewhat stronger, more empowered… and it feels amazing!
And isn’t that what God is about? Prodding you, empowering you to grow stronger in all aspects of life? Encouraging you to live out everything that God has designed for you to be? Being present with you through difficulties; as someone to lean on… who is always by your side to talk to, vent to, cry to… like the best friend you wish you had.
Truly folks, human beings don’t have that kind of dedication or resolve to another person. Even the best friend you’ve got is still a human being, with needs of their own, with limited patience, with limited tolerance for our needs and incessant whining…
And I’m not suggesting that people don’t care about one another… don’t get crazy. (I’ll have three people in my office after this saying “That’s not right what you said Pastor… I CARE for people”… well amen…
Yes, we care for one another- as much as humanly possible… and truly this church has some of the most humble, dedicated caring folk I have ever run across. But like it or not, human beings have limits. At the end of the day, much as you would love to stay with a suffering person, someone has to go home and do the cooking. You have to go to your job. You have to go get the kids from soccer. It’s called life…
And believe me, God knows us too. It’s not because God is disappointed in our ability to stick with one another that Jesus described the paraclete… the friend who never leaves your side… but rather because of God’s great love for us. Because God knows who we are, God knows our shortcomings, God knows our misdirection and the power of persuasion from the world to be a part of it; to be fearful, to know pain, even to abandon those in need to concentrate on ourselves…
And so God is modeling for us in the paraclete – the helper- everything that God desires for us to be, in fact, everything that we can be… not by our own power or strength, but by relying on and gathering strength from and listening to the Spirit within us. “Spirit is another word for "God Present"”(Tillich) God present…
Can you imagine walking alongside another human being and because of the Spirit living in and through you, that person feels the presence of God? That whatever they are going through is somehow surrounded by a holy presence of peace whenever you are there?
Truly I tell you that by accepting and getting to know the paraclete that lives in you, acknowledging and leaning on that one who comes alongside to encourage you, allowing you the "gift of struggle" but never leaving you to face it alone, you can learn to be that to others… you can live out loving one another…again, as naturally as breathing… I in Christ… Christ in me…
”If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
18”I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. 19In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 20On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” *********************************
This is part two of a three part series on this passage from John 14. In part one, we talked about Jesus' statement… “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (The 'commandment' being “Love God and love your neighbor as yourself") And we pondered the question, “What happens when we don’t keep the commandments… Do we still love God… Does God still love us… Is my relationship with God contingent on my ability to keep the commandment… Is it reliant on my behavior?” And we came up with a couple key thoughts…
1. God never leaves us, no matter what. That there is nothing we can DO to make God love us less or more than God does right now… its unconditional.
2. When use our behavior (or the behavior of others) as a measuring stick, or to evaluate how much we love, or how much God loves, it leads us to be judgmental; and by falling into that trap we discount the power of the Holy Spirit living and working in each of us.
(For more info see part 1)
We also talked about the fact that this is the first of four passages in John where Jesus talks about the “paraclete.” When Jesus talks about the paraclete, he is talking about the Holy Spirit. “The word “paraclete” in Greek is composed of two roots that would mean "one called to your side." It was used to describe a person who stood with another who was on trial or under pressure. It was not a lawyer in the sense that we now think of lawyers or advocates; the paraclete didn't speak to the judge, s/he spoke with the person on trial encouraging and helping them through it.” Roger Hahn
Interesting isn’t it? Because most of the time, when we get into a bind and we pray, “Jesus help me,” we pray for God to “fix” our problem, or “stop” a series of events from happening or “do” something for us. We even want God to make decisions for us- to drop answers in our laps- in essence, to alleviate us from our responsibility in a situation.
And that’s normal... We don’t like to suffer as human beings… who likes pain or discomfort, (physical or emotional!) And if you have to go through something, especially involving a life decision, a relationship change, a job shift, a health issue… rather than struggle with the emotional turmoil, wouldn’t it be easier if we had a God that would hold up a big sign and say “Tim, do this! Barb, change jobs! Michael, get the surgery!”
At first glance it looks like that would be a great way to live life. We could use it for all kinds of situations. We could have something going on in our life or in the life of a loved one… as simple as job stress or as large as serious illness… or... why stop there- actually anything you could think of that goes on in the world; natural disasters, war, oppression, poverty… and we ask God to fix it… and God says “abracadabra” and God fixes it! Like a celestial vending machine- we put the prayer in the slot, make our selection- and voila, out come the answer.
But when it comes right down to it- is that what you really want? A magical fairy godmother god who grants wishes and makes all your dreams come true?
“Of course I do Pastor!”
Really? Because when I look back at the things I wanted or hoped for over the course of my life… if I had gotten my way and God did what I asked… Wow- some of them would have taken me down quite a different road. And some of the stuff that I wanted God to “fix” for me, or decide for me... even though they were very painful to go through, were some of the things that helped me grow and develop the most.
I hear from a number of you, especially you “more mature members,” about how you sense that “something is missing in our youth today…” how “they aren’t learning what it is to struggle” and how "our youth are being denied the gift of doing without"- of working hard to get a new bike, or having to fix the broken one… whatever it may be… material things, money, cars… “Kids are given so much,” you say. And we talk about your fears for the future; that the leaders of tomorrow won’t know the value of hard work.
And they are valid fears. In a society and an economy that is reliant on consumption, and frankly, has adapted quite nicely to having new everything… it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that we are traveling a very slippery slope. We are marketed to and many times sold on “bigger, better, faster” and the rush to have it NOW. As the country separates into visible classes of “have’s” and “have not’s” we don’t want to be left on the bottom rung.
So we work longer, stress more, compete with one another and learn that 'now' is better than 'later', cost is negligible, and throwaway is quicker… even big things; something breaks you just throw it out and get a new updated one… don’t waste time and energy fixing the old...
We have in fact, become a society that functions on 'disposable' and 'instant,' regardless of the havoc it plays on the environment, or on people, here or in other parts of the world… (“we don’t see those people anyway, so whatever… I’m thirsty so give me my plastic water bottle and when I’m done I’ll throw it in the trash…big deal it's only one bottle." or, "I’m bored so let me get in my car and drive around for three hours- it’s worth the gas… there’s nothing else to do”)
This may seem like a silly illustration, but for Christmas last year I got a hand powered coffee grinder. I’ve always wanted one, and John had to go all the way to central PA to find one, (he’s so sweet) but sure enough, the day after Christmas, I tried it out. Has anyone ever used one of those things?
My Face Book post that day read, “I just tried out the hand coffee grinder John got me for Christmas, and unless I’m doing something wrong, my ancestors must have had forearms to rival Popeye!”
It was a lot of work!
Not really… not when I stopped to consider how truly spoiled I have become. Even hand grinding my own beans I have it better than my ancestors. I didn’t have to go down to the creek to get water to make the coffee! And I didn’t have to gather wood and then build a fire to cook it! Or go milk a cow to lighten it! But I’ll tell you what, just the simple act of grinding the beans by hand, was not only meditative, (it forced me to slow down) but made me appreciate that first cup of coffee so much more.
And if we went around this room right now, all of you could give me a hundred stories like that from your own life- most not as trivial as a cup of coffee, where working hard for something, or struggling through something, made you somehow more grateful, more appreciative… the satisfaction of knowing “I did this!” or “I made it through.”
It’s empowering to say the least. Whatever the trial or struggle or opportunity… you walk away having learned something, about yourself… you are somewhat stronger, more empowered… and it feels amazing!
And isn’t that what God is about? Prodding you, empowering you to grow stronger in all aspects of life? Encouraging you to live out everything that God has designed for you to be? Being present with you through difficulties; as someone to lean on… who is always by your side to talk to, vent to, cry to… like the best friend you wish you had.
Truly folks, human beings don’t have that kind of dedication or resolve to another person. Even the best friend you’ve got is still a human being, with needs of their own, with limited patience, with limited tolerance for our needs and incessant whining…
And I’m not suggesting that people don’t care about one another… don’t get crazy. (I’ll have three people in my office after this saying “That’s not right what you said Pastor… I CARE for people”… well amen…
Yes, we care for one another- as much as humanly possible… and truly this church has some of the most humble, dedicated caring folk I have ever run across. But like it or not, human beings have limits. At the end of the day, much as you would love to stay with a suffering person, someone has to go home and do the cooking. You have to go to your job. You have to go get the kids from soccer. It’s called life…
And believe me, God knows us too. It’s not because God is disappointed in our ability to stick with one another that Jesus described the paraclete… the friend who never leaves your side… but rather because of God’s great love for us. Because God knows who we are, God knows our shortcomings, God knows our misdirection and the power of persuasion from the world to be a part of it; to be fearful, to know pain, even to abandon those in need to concentrate on ourselves…
And so God is modeling for us in the paraclete – the helper- everything that God desires for us to be, in fact, everything that we can be… not by our own power or strength, but by relying on and gathering strength from and listening to the Spirit within us. “Spirit is another word for "God Present"”(Tillich) God present…
Can you imagine walking alongside another human being and because of the Spirit living in and through you, that person feels the presence of God? That whatever they are going through is somehow surrounded by a holy presence of peace whenever you are there?
Truly I tell you that by accepting and getting to know the paraclete that lives in you, acknowledging and leaning on that one who comes alongside to encourage you, allowing you the "gift of struggle" but never leaving you to face it alone, you can learn to be that to others… you can live out loving one another…again, as naturally as breathing… I in Christ… Christ in me…
Photo from Joe Mabel
