Some people and situations leave lasting impressions. One of mine is of my grandmother comforting me, comforting me as a child when she and my grandfather had to leave us after a holiday with us and return to the south of England where they lived. Her going wasn't going to leave me as an orphan, no, I had a very loving family, but her going did cause me great sadness. I was always broken hearted when they left - they lived so far away that we didn't see them very often. I remember her sitting with me on the stairs in our home comforting me and giving me assurance - it made such an impression that I can still feel what it felt like and I still remember her words - or at least the message, a message that I hold onto when I find myself in similar situations even now!
So it is with this memory that I try to imagine how the disciples must have felt when Jesus announced that he was leaving them, he who had called them to leave their homes, families, friends and earthly securities to follow him. Jesus who had taught them all they knew.
This weeks Gospel reading continues where we left off last week when we heard of Jesus speaking encouraging words to his disciples before his departure - his final discourses that come from John's gospel before Easter, before his death and resurrection. The darkest hour is yet to come. Final discourses with the bad news set in the context of reassurance - last week - do not let your hearts be troubled and I am the way, and the truth and the life.
And this week we hear of Jesus saying if you love me, you will obey or keep what I command and I will ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate - the Spirit of Truth - the Holy Spirit, the comforter - Jesus has no wish to leave the disciples as orphans. Orphans and widows, along with children, were the vulnerable groups in that society that Jesus was concerned about, always putting them first, and seeking justice for them.
John's gospel is full of the oneness of Jesus and the Father and now we hear of the oneness that will exist between Jesus and the believer - the disciples. But he widens the audience to they who have my commandments - not just the disciples, but those who are willing to join them. Not to individuals but to a community of people. The Holy Sprit will be poured not only on the select few but on all the community - Jesus is calling them to be his Church - calling this community who will go onto abandon him at their hour of need, yet he assures them that if they follow his commands they will not be abandoned, no, the Father will send the Holy Spirit to live among them.
The Holy Spirit did not just speak to the first disciples, no, down the centuries God has used the Holy Spirit to communicate with us, to challenge us to bring us back to following Jesus' commands. I will not leave you as orphans - he would not leave his own as orphans in a world of hostility - then and now - comforting through his Word which is so full of promises of comfort. He comforts by his Son, whose teaching we can follow and through his Holy Spirit through which we encounter his providential dealings.
This is not easy for us - loving Jesus and keeping his commandments requires us to face trials that can be difficult to deal with, face us with difficulties and injustices both around us and in and other parts of the world. Injustices that it would be easier to ignore but the Holy Spirit draws our attention to them, draws us into acknowledging them and doing something about them if we can. Praying for them when we feel helpless to do anything else.
But God draws people together into a community to support each other, to be a community of loving obedience to follow the way of Jesus. God who knows each one of us far more than we know him - it is through his knowing us that we are forgiven for our sins. We grow in our relationship with Him in His kingdom both now and in the world to come.
Keeping Jesus' commandments is not the same as obedience to the Torah - no Jesus' commandments refer to all that he said and did - he is our example and what he expects from us is revealed by what he did keeping alive the memory of all that Jesus said and did.
And what we are asked to do goes way beyond obedience - people can detest rules and commands if they are forced to obey - no we keep Jesus' commands because they are important to us and we want to follow them.
Jesus told the disciples that the Spirit of Truth would set them apart - set apart only because others cannot or do not love Jesus and are willing to follow his commandments but Jesus says that all, not just the disciples but on anyone who will join them.
We will not be left orphans if we love Jesus and keep his commands, that was the promise then and is still valid today, a promise that is sure, not here today and gone tomorrow. A promise that reveals how deeply interested God is all that concerns our earthly life.
But what about those are not set apart? How can we take this promise to make a difference to other people's lives, lives of those who do not know Jesus and have no idea of the examples he left for us to follow?
Amen.
Sermon by: Christine Barclay