29 May
2011
St. Athanasius Lutheran Church
Easter 6 Vienna, VA
“I Will Not Leave You as Orphans”
Text: John 14:15-21 (Acts 17:16-31; 1 Peter 3:13-22)
Alleluia!
Christ is risen! [He is risen indeed! Alleluia!]
Grace,
mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ. Amen.
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
I don’t know if there is a sadder thing to
see in our world than an orphan - a child left without a father and mother to
care for her, to love him. Orphans aren’t as visible in our country today as years ago, because we
don’t have
institutions called “orphanages” anymore. But they’re still around. Tornadoes and floods
in the midwest, car accidents, crime, 9-11, the AIDS epidemic in Africa, and as
we remember this Memorial Day weekend, parents who lose their lives serving our
country - all leave behind orphans. Yet perhaps saddest of all are the children
who are orphaned simply because their parents didn’t want them.
When God
created the world and decided to populate the world not all at once with the
simultaneous creation of a million people, but through families - parents who
take part in the procreative process and have and raise children - orphans were
not part of the picture. It is sin and death that creates orphans. It is sin
and death that rips families apart. It is sin and death that makes our lives
less than God intended them to be, in so many ways.
And so
how appropriate that the One who has come to atone for our sin and defeat our
death - the very sin and death that creates orphans - today, we heard, makes
the promise: I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
You know, he is the only person who could ever say that. We can’t, because we don’t know. We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. We don’t know when our end is going to come.
But Jesus knew. He knew that the time for the cross had come, and that His
disciples would feel like orphans - frightened and alone. But He also knew that
the resurrection would follow, and that He would come to them. I will not
leave you as orphans; I will come to you. I don’t think the disciples fully
understood those words yet - but they would. They are truly words to hang your
faith on.
But the
devil is an orphan-maker, and he wants to make an orphan of you. He does not
want you to believe this Word of Jesus, this promise, but instead to believe
that God has left you. Maybe because of your sin. For look at you! You don’t deserve a heavenly Father. What
have you done for Him? You don’t even think about Him half the time, do you? . . .
And what did Jesus say today? “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” But you don’t, do you? You love yourself, your
things, your life, more than Him, and it shows in your life, doesn’t it? I know it does mine. . . .
And the Holy Spirit? Well, where’s the evidence of Him in your life? You don’t feel very spirit-filled, do
you? . . . See? You can’t count on God. Look at the tragedies in the world. Look at
the troubles in your life. If you’re not an orphan, who is?
The
devil makes a convincing case, doesn’t he? He good at arguing, and logic, and pointing out our
sins.
But here’s the thing: God’s love for you
defies logic. It doesn’t make sense. It isn’t a love of this world. It isn’t earned. And there’s always more of it. God’s agape love. His self-giving
love. His undeserved love. His love that would cause Him to send His Son to die
for your sins. All of them, not one excluded, no matter how small or how large.
And then to send you - as our reading said today - another Helper,
to be with you forever. The word there for “Helper” is the word Paraklete, which is very hard to
translate into English. It means Helper, Comforter, Advocate, Counselor, Guide,
Defender - all those things rolled into one. And so, perhaps, given all those
meanings, we could translate it this way: the one who will give you whatever
you need; and who, as Jesus says, will be with you and do so, forever.
Which
means you’re no
orphan!
But, the
devil breaks in at this point and says: maybe, just maybe, that’s true. But you blew it! Jesus did
come to you, and He did send the Holy Spirit to you, but you blew it. You
rejected Him with your sin and unholiness and idolatry. Maybe He did all those
things, but you left Him and made an orphan of yourself.
Another
good argument, Mr. Devil. And it doesn’t take long to look around in the world today and see lots
of people living as prodigal sons, as spiritual orphans. And to see people
living like those St. Paul dealt with in the Areopagus - not really knowing who
God is, listening to all the new ideas of the world, chasing fads and gimmicks,
being spiritual but not godly. We don’t have to wait to see those TV commercials of orphans from
Africa who need our help to see orphans - they’re living right next door to us. Quite right, Mr. Devil.
But here’s where you’re wrong: Jesus didn’t just come for us one time, and He doesn’t just send the Spirit to us once -
He is coming to us all the time, and sending the Spirit all the time. A
continual giving of Himself for us. For the Spirit isn’t our possession, a dove to try to
keep in the cage of our lives - but the continual self-giving of God for us.
His ongoing coming to us and for us. And so Jesus words are really more like: I
will be asking the Father . . . and He will be giving you another Helper . . .
and I will be coming to you . . . and you will be living, and loving and
keeping.
And that
really is the Christian life. We sometimes think (wrongly!) of the Christian
life like jumper cables - that God jump starts us and gives us spiritual life
and then we take off and go. But no - the Christian life is really a continual
receiving from our Lord; a continual connection, with Him providing us with all
that we need, from the smallest babies, to the oldest adults, and at every
stage in between. I will not leave you as orphans; I will be coming to
you.
And He
is. That’s why Jesus ascended into heaven, as we will commemorate on
Wednesday night. Jesus didn’t ascend to leave us, but to fulfill His promise to be with
us always. Not just in one place at one time, but in all places at all times.
And He didn’t ascend
because His work was done, but to continue His work for us.
And He
is. Working, coming, praying, sending.
Coming in the waters of Holy Baptism and raising those dead in sin to new life
in Him and His resurrection. Coming in His Word to teach us the truth, that we
not listen to all the new ideas of the world and chase after the latest fads
and gimmicks, but be filled with His Word and truth. And coming to us in His
Supper, the food of His Body and Blood, to feed and strengthen the new life He
has given us. And in all these ways coming not alone, but with His Spirit, to
be dwelling with you and living in you and joining you to God and His life and
forgiveness.
For
though the devil’s right
- we blew it and continue to blow it with our sins, the Father welcomes back
and forgives us prodigals, Jesus has compassion on us who are like sheep
without and Shepherd and so is for us our Good Shepherd, and the Spirit comes
to us as our Helper, our Comforter, our Advocate, our Defender, our Guide, our
Counselor - our Paraklete. That you may know the truth of your sin, yes, and
repent, and know the even greater love of God for you. That you are no orphan,
but a child who is loved even more than you can even imagine.
And that
love given is now the love you live. If you love me, Jesus said, you
will keep my commandments. Does that mean: if you love me you will obey
the Ten Commandments? Yes, for the Ten Commandments teach us what true love is.
But it means much more than that. For the word keep there doesn’t just mean obey - it means to
hold onto, to guard, to treasure. And what we hold onto, guard, and treasure is
the whole Word of God - all that Jesus has said to us, and all
that He is for us. And how we hold onto, guard, and treasure Jesus and His Word
is by faith. The very faith the Spirit has given to you and is keeping in you.
And so the Christian life is a constant receiving by faith what our Lord is
constantly giving, and then living the life and love and forgiveness you are
receiving.
That’s not easy, and, as Peter said, you
may suffer for it. Yes, you may suffer for doing good. Which, again, the devil
will then try to twist to make you think you’re an orphan when you’re not, or to get you to throw your hands up and give up,
but don’t. But
at just such times, remember Jesus’ promise, that He is sending you a Paraklete. He didn’t promise Him because you weren’t going to need Him, but exactly
because He knew you would! Because of the attacks of the devil. Because of the
struggles of this world and life that wear you down and wear you out. Because
of the sadness and fears that rise up within you. Jesus knows them all. He
lived them. And so to you He has made this wonderful promise: I will not
leave you as orphans; I will be coming to you . . . and I will be praying for
you . . . and I will be sending you a Paraklete, to be with you forever.
And He
is. Which is why you are here. He knows
that not a day goes by when we do not need Him. And so He comes. For you, to
you, and now through you to others.
For you
are no orphan! No, you are dearly loved. Don’t let the devil deceive you or
mislead you into despair, but fill your ears with Jesus’ Word, your mouths with His food, your
hearts with His love, and your lives with His forgiveness. For truly He is
coming to you and sending you His Spirit. You are no orphan. He is here,
for you.
In the
name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.