May 14, 2023
Rev. Mary Erickson
Hope Lutheran Church
John 14:15-21
The Ever-Present Advocate
Friends, may grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I’ve been doing a lot of research into my family history. As I’ve pondered my relatives who immigrated here from Europe in the 1800’s I marvel at the monumental decision they made to leave behind their relatives and beloved motherland. When they boarded the vessels to carry them thousands of miles away, they must have known they likely would never return, never see their loved ones again.
It hasn’t changed a bit for the people who immigrate to the U.S. today, especially for those who come here seeking asylum. They leave behind their family and familiar land never to see them again.
Soldiers leaving for military service also face this same prospect, especially if it’s in a time of conflict. They don’t know if they’ll ever see their loved ones again. Glen Campbell’s song “Galveston,” which he sang during the Vietnam War, captures that emotion:
Galveston, oh Galveston
I still hear your sea winds blowin'
I still see her dark eyes glowin'
She was twenty-one
When I left Galveston
Galveston, oh Galveston
I still hear your sea waves crashing
While I watch the cannons flashing
I clean my gun
And dream of Galveston
Galveston, oh Galveston
I am so afraid of dying
Before I dry the tears she's crying
Before I watch
Your sea birds flying in the sun
at Galveston
Before they leave, these immigrants and soldiers, do they leave something precious with their loved ones, something to remember them by? A locket with a picture inside, a lock of hair, a tear-stained letter expressing their everlasting devotion and gratitude?
What does the soldier leave with their sweetheart? What memento does the departing child give to their mother?
Our gospel reading today comes from the evening when Jesus will be arrested. In just a few hours his destiny will unravel towards its agonizing terminus. He knows that in a short while, he’ll be leaving his dear disciples. What will he leave with them, what can he give them in his absence?
He tells them: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.”
This Advocate, the Holy Spirit, is Jesus’ forever gift. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul refers to the Holy Spirit as the PLEDGE of our inheritance. The gift of the Holy Spirit marks the promise of all that is ours and cannot be taken from us. That word in Greek for pledge is “Arrabon.”
In Greek, “Arrabon” is also used to describe an engagement ring. The engagement ring is a token of the promise of the giver’s commitment to establish a lasting bond. The Holy Spirit is that pledge for us.
It’s this pledge, this promise of intent, that Jesus gives his disciples. It’s the cherished token of his everlasting love that he leaves to his disciples.
Jesus refers to the Spirit as the “Parakletos,” the Paraclete. It’s one of those words that doesn’t translate directly. In our versions of the Bible, it’s been translated as Advocate or as Counselor or as Comforter or Intercessor.
Literally, Parakletos means “called to one’s side.” A Paraclete takes on various meanings:
• In a legal situation, a Paraclete is someone who pleads your case. They’re the lawyer who advocates on your behalf, or they’re a witness who stands by and vouches for you.
• The Paraclete can also be someone who gives you comfort and encouragement. They’re someone who provides you with good counsel in a time of need.
• And the Paraclete can also be someone who comes to your aid in a time of danger. They’re like the lifeguard at the beach or the EMT who comes in the ambulance. Like the person who grabs a pedestrian to pull them out of the pathway of an oncoming car.
And God’s Holy Spirit fits all of these categories:
• Jesus told us not to worry over what we need to say when we’re under fire. The Holy Spirit will inform our words when they’re needed the most. “It is not you who speak,” Jesus said, “but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” And haven’t you experienced the times when words simply came to you, words that needed to be said, and it’s like someone dropped them into your mind right on the spot? Is it the Spirit interceding for you?
• And isn’t this Paraclete also our comforter and encourager? St. Paul spoke about the peace of God that passes all human understanding. Have you had an experience when you felt that peace? In a time of trial, through an exhausting ordeal, when suddenly a great peace seemed to descend from heaven and encourage you? And that peace gave you the encouragement to take the next uncertain step forward, to see you through to another day.
• And in times of peril, have you felt a protective presence around you? Has a rescuer come to your aid at just the right time, like they were sent to assist you? Or maybe your steps have led you to a place and directed you into a situation where you’ve been able to lend that aid to another?
These inexplicable “God moments” – are they the whisperings and mysterious breezes of the Holy Spirit working in and around and through us?
Jesus promised his disciples, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you ANOTHER Advocate, to be with you forever.” He didn’t say THE Advocate; he said ANOTHER Advocate. That implies we’ve already received one Advocate already.
Indeed, we have! It’s Jesus himself. He’s the first Advocate we’ve received. But there’s a difference between Jesus and the Holy Spirit. As incarnate, Jesus walked among his disciples. He was with them in time and space. But as incarnate, he was confined by the limits of time and space. His earthly presence would come to an end. He would suffer and die. Then he would rise from the dead and ascend into eternity. He would leave this earthly realm. This earthly Jesus gives a promise to his disciples. There will be another advocate.
And unlike the flesh and blood Jesus, this other Advocate, the Holy Spirit, he will not be confined by time and space. This un-seeable Spirit is not limited by flesh and blood. This Advocate will be with us, always. And not only WITH us, but IN us. The Spirit will be closer than close. He dwells in and among us, testifying, comforting, assisting.
And some day, when we depart this realm for the one to come, there we will see, face to face, our first Advocate, our Lord Jesus Christ. He’ll be sitting at the right hand of the Father. And he’ll be advocating on our behalf through the righteousness of his endless love.
