John 14:15-21
Comfort food, comfortable shoes, comfort of home all these spark images for us. Images of what it means to be comfortable, to live in comfort. Comfort is an old word, actually derived from the Latin com meaning force and fortis meaning strength. It never meant ease until the 17th century. Thinking of this as a force giving us strength is something quite different, like bringing up a warm quilt on a rainy day and reading a great story.
Jesus promises today we will not be left as orphans. We won't be left alone, we won't be left to try and discover our own way, we won't have to grieve alone. It is because in John he knows he is dying soon. He knows the grief and loss the disciples will face. So this Greek word Paraclete is used here for Spirit, the one who will be sent to us. A Spirit of truth. There is this call once again of abiding within us.
These words are meant for comfort, the Spirit is meant for truth and strength and many other things. This is the wonderful thing about Jesus' farewell speech. It is meant to show the way for all disciples of what it means to carry on in faith. At the time John's gospel is finally written down the community of faith was having a crisis. All the first disciples of Jesus had died and they had thought Jesus to return before that happened. They are living into an uncertain future. Jesus hasn't returned and what do they do? Live on in faith or doubt and fall apart?
These words were written to strengthen this community. Somehow they did find the wherewhithal to go on. It is the same for us. These are frightening times. We live into a world of uncertainity. Jesus' promise to be with us through the Spirit is needed now more than ever and how does this comfort happen? In abiding.
How do we abide? Well in these last two weeks we have gotten instructions from Jesus about abiding. Jesus abides in the Father, the Father abides in him, and through the Spirit abides in us. Think about this connection. I mean it. Take a deep breath, and again, the breath you breathe is related to Spirit. Spirit gives the first man life, Spirit dances over the creation, Spirit gives us breath when all else is lost. Thnik about abiding in this dance of love, this dance of life. It gives us health, healing of our spirit, healing and comfort within. What it takes is the time to abide in it.
It is like a deep meditation when we actually sit, picture our hurt souls, and trust God to heal. It is all here in this passage though. It is like drawing up the warm blanket, smelling the food that brings comfort, feeling the arms around us which claim us with a love we can't begin to fully understand.
We are not left alone, desolate, isolated we are given the way to know we are a part of this dance, love we call trinity.
So make some time to be still. Make some time to breath. Make some time to become aware you are drawn into this net of family and invited to rest, to find comfort, to find peace. Go and find the place where the living water flows.
Comfort food, comfortable shoes, comfort of home all these spark images for us. Images of what it means to be comfortable, to live in comfort. Comfort is an old word, actually derived from the Latin com meaning force and fortis meaning strength. It never meant ease until the 17th century. Thinking of this as a force giving us strength is something quite different, like bringing up a warm quilt on a rainy day and reading a great story.
Jesus promises today we will not be left as orphans. We won't be left alone, we won't be left to try and discover our own way, we won't have to grieve alone. It is because in John he knows he is dying soon. He knows the grief and loss the disciples will face. So this Greek word Paraclete is used here for Spirit, the one who will be sent to us. A Spirit of truth. There is this call once again of abiding within us.
These words are meant for comfort, the Spirit is meant for truth and strength and many other things. This is the wonderful thing about Jesus' farewell speech. It is meant to show the way for all disciples of what it means to carry on in faith. At the time John's gospel is finally written down the community of faith was having a crisis. All the first disciples of Jesus had died and they had thought Jesus to return before that happened. They are living into an uncertain future. Jesus hasn't returned and what do they do? Live on in faith or doubt and fall apart?
These words were written to strengthen this community. Somehow they did find the wherewhithal to go on. It is the same for us. These are frightening times. We live into a world of uncertainity. Jesus' promise to be with us through the Spirit is needed now more than ever and how does this comfort happen? In abiding.
How do we abide? Well in these last two weeks we have gotten instructions from Jesus about abiding. Jesus abides in the Father, the Father abides in him, and through the Spirit abides in us. Think about this connection. I mean it. Take a deep breath, and again, the breath you breathe is related to Spirit. Spirit gives the first man life, Spirit dances over the creation, Spirit gives us breath when all else is lost. Thnik about abiding in this dance of love, this dance of life. It gives us health, healing of our spirit, healing and comfort within. What it takes is the time to abide in it.
It is like a deep meditation when we actually sit, picture our hurt souls, and trust God to heal. It is all here in this passage though. It is like drawing up the warm blanket, smelling the food that brings comfort, feeling the arms around us which claim us with a love we can't begin to fully understand.
We are not left alone, desolate, isolated we are given the way to know we are a part of this dance, love we call trinity.
So make some time to be still. Make some time to breath. Make some time to become aware you are drawn into this net of family and invited to rest, to find comfort, to find peace. Go and find the place where the living water flows.
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