The Paraclete

In this lesson from John, Jesus continues to prepare his disciples for his departure from this earthly life. He teaches them how they are to maintain their relationship with the loving God after he leaves them. First, it is by believing his words, which he attributes to his Father God, and by obeying them. Secondly, it is in this mutuality of relationship, that God and the risen Christ will send a divine presence to help fulfill the ministry of Christ Jesus on Earth.

The word for this divine presence in Greek, the original language of the New Testament is Paraclete. There is no exact English equivalent for this word since it has so many shades of meaning. In this context it actually means “one called alongside to help.” However, the Paraclete is translated in various places as the Holy Spirit, Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Comforter, Guide, or as the Spirit of Truth.

Jesus also tells his Disciples that in addition to the Paraclete, they will also receive a peace – the peace that comes from the assurance that all is happening as it should. Jesus’s death enabled him to return to the spiritual dimension of life in God, and this would allow him to return through the Holy Spirit to fulfill his mission. He wants the disciples to remember his words so that when they would later experience the Holy Spirit, they would believe.

I remember the stories of the thin places told by my Latino family in San Diego where I grew up. During the frequent family reunions of my numerous aunts and uncles, the topic of the conversation would shift from family events to old World war II stories, and then as the evening wore on, the sharing would become spiritual and personal: near death experiences, strange coincidences, prophetic dreams, premonitions, healings and answered prayers that were always understood to be manifestations of the Holy Spirit. These events were experienced as a mysterious, but natural part of life; sacred, and savored as evidence of the overlapping of the spiritual and earthly realms where God and Christ commingle with our own earthly existence. This type of spirituality is common to many Latinos – possibly from a blend of the Native traditions and Roman Catholic beliefs.

Last week I attended a conference at Kanuga on Latino ministry where I met the Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Mexico – Carlos Touche-Porter. In an address to us, he shared his amazement and fascination by the similarities between the Celtic and the popular Mexican traditions. It reaffirmed my own conclusions, and explained the deep resonance I feel with the expressions of Celtic spirituality in the Episcopal church. In my Bible study group, we call it - being “comfortable with mystery.” Is that statement an oxymoron?

There are certain things I miss, being so far away from my extended family of origin in San Diego. I miss hearing their Spanglish - a mixture of Spanish and English that horrifies the purists, amuses others, but which seemed perfectly natural to a kid growing up with that fusion. I miss their festive ways, and their sweet affection for one another. But most of all I miss those spiritual stories of comforting encounters with the Holy Spirit which always reaffirmed my faith in benevolent realms of existence far more vast than my human self could perceive.

One of my favorite stories involves my mother. Ten years ago, on a bright and beautiful morning, like every other one in sunny San Diego, her husband of 52 years, my father, died of a sudden heart attack at the age of 83. The day before, they had spent a lovely day with my sister and her children. He had been living a full and active life, and then, all of a sudden, he was gone. My mother was stunned. Yet, every kind word, every comforting gesture was received as a blessing from God. She never succumbed to self-pity.

How could she, was her reasoning, when he had died quickly and without suffering, just as he would have wanted. She thanked God for this blessing even though she now faced the incomprehensible reality of life without him. Several days later a small group of us took my mother out to lunch at a Chinese restaurant. At the end of the meal, we read aloud the messages in our fortune cookies. One person had a message of good luck, another the promise of romance. But my mother’s message was a comforting Bible verse from Hebrews which read “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

She received this reassurance as a tangible manifestation of the Lord’s tender mercy and compassion. And she told me again – for this sermon – that she has never ever felt alone because of this message. I don’t know about you, but I have never heard of a Bible verse appearing in a fortune cookie before or since.

Those of you at St. Andrew’s with whom I got to know better are aware that I love to share stories like these. Aside from the joy that the telling brings, I have another agenda. I hope that it encourages you to share your stories with me. Your stories about how you felt Christ’s presence in your life whether as a Comforter or Healer, Protector or Guide, feed me and remind me how connected we are to a heavenly Grace that accompanies us on the journey of our lives.

Do you remember lying on your back on the grass as a kid, looking at the sky on a starry summer night and contemplating concepts like infinity, and eternity? It raised a lot of questions. It didn’t generate a lot of answers.

Right? That is what it feels like to me when I contemplate the Holy Spirit.

It is a mystery as to how and when and why it appears in our lives. It appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus as a blinding flash of light. And in today’s reading from Acts we see the work of the Spirit in a healing miracle. While Jesus was on Earth, he was confined by his human form.

But the resurrected Christ is free from these limitations and able to manifest in our lives today in the various forms of the Paraclete. In my quest to understand the Holy Spirit, I have noticed a few factors. A divine presence seems to be more likely to manifest when there is prayer. It is not limited to that. Paul was a persecutor of Christians when slain by the Spirit. But I have noticed that when there is prayer in a group that meets together, no matter how different the group members may be from one another, a powerful bond of love forms in a mysterious way – a kind of supportive, spiritual fellowship. I felt this with my Stephen’s Ministry class at Greensboro Urban ministry. And I feet this way about my discernment support group at St. Andrew’s.

I have also noticed that when people, like my mother, have a constant attitude of gratitude, they seem to develop a heightened spiritual vision. The more she acknowledges the gifts of grace or love from God, the more she tends to see, or to receive, gift-wrapped in the peace that passes all understanding.

I have also seen the Holy Spirit at work through the body of Christ in various ministries of outreach, education, service and worship. An inspiration becomes a vision; the vision attracts resources; the resources concretize the original in-spiriting of the divine presence. In this process we see hearts and mind galvanized towards projects of goodwill that witness to the fulfillment of Christ’s mission on Earth.

And I see the beauty of these processes unfolding here, at St. Andrew’s, where I have been so blessed, so fortunate to have been able to serve as an intern since last September. There is a special feeling here, in this parish. A sweetness, a gentleness, an penheartedness and generosity of spirit that is delicious to behold. You have several beautiful ministries here, from music to worship, Christian service, pastoral care, education and hospitality, all functioning really well together in friendly fellowship.

The church staff and vestry are truly dedicated to serving the needs of this body of Christ so that all of you, in turn, can have a place where you can come and thank God for your blessings in life, reconnect with the Spirit in worship, and return to the world with the light of Christ rekindled in your hearts.

Your priests, Wendy and Bob, are an inspiration in and of themselves. They are very spiritually connected to our Lord, as well as to you, their dear parishioners. They speak of you with great love, gratitude and admiration – and you are constantly in their prayers. And it is in this kind of environment of mutuality that the Holy Spirit moves and dwells.

You have a very rich banquet of new opportunities being laid out before you, you personally and for your parish. You have an awesome array of talent here; you have excellent resources – your library and the materials Wendy has developed for your ministries are the best of their kind I hae ever seen. So – come to the feast – and oh! Did I forget to mention - it’s really a potluck! Bring the gift of yourself and the gifts God gave you to the feast, and be prepared to meet it’s host – The Holy Spirit!