Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Whoever does not love me does not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.
“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me tell you,
‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’
If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.”
Sermon
Going and Returning
“I am going away and I shall return”
On Easter Day the Risen Jesus told Mary at the tomb “Touch me not for I am not yet ascended to the Father…” Now, in today’s gospel, he says “I am going away and I shall return…I am going to the Father”.
The days of the Lord’s resurrection appearances are coming to an end. His Ascension and Pentecost are approaching:
“I am going away” is Ascension;
“I will return” is Pentecost.
In today’s gospel announcement of his going away and his returning the Lord also announces three blessings for all Christians resulting from this transition:
- We i.e. the Father and the Son shall come to you and make our home with you.
- The Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.
- My own peace I give you…this is my gift to you.
He is promising his indwelling, his instruction, and his inner peace.
INDWELLING
To those who ask ‘where is God?’ the OT replies ‘he is in the tabernacle we carried with us on our journey out of Egypt and which is now in the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem temple” whilst the Gospels say “in Jesus God was incarnate” and since Pentecost the Church says “he is in all who love him and who keep his word”. His home today is in you and me. He indwells his own.
INSTRUCTION
Disciple means pupil i.e. one under instruction. The teacher is the Holy Spirit. In the world the most important quality of a pupil is a high IQ and an ability to read lots of books, ask lots of questions, to recall and to reason. But it is different for a Christian disciple. What he most needs are heart qualities not head knowledge – the grace to acknowledge ignorance, the humility to be open to the Holy Spirit, and the love of spiritual truth. It is the Holy Spirit who teaches and keeps us centered on the truth as it is in Jesus.
INNER PEACE
Billy Graham’s book, on sale at all his missions, was called ‘Peace with God’ which indicates his belief about the gift of peace at the heart of the gospel message. Our search for peace is in truth a search to know peace with God. Jesus alone is the one who gives true peace. As we accept the salvation he secured for us and we accept God’s amazing and wonderful love through him peace floods or heart and mind and soul giving us inner security and strength regardless of the trials and anxieties we face in life. “My own peace I give you…this is my gift to you”.
The three days between today and Ascension Day on Thursday are called Rogation Days or Asking Days and then the nine days between Ascension Day and Pentecost are the original source of the idea of Novena or Nine Days of Prayer so this is certainly a point in the liturgical year when the church encourages us to be expectant in prayer to be on the receiving end of the promised blessings of this transition time of the Lord’s going away in one form and returning to us in another.
We do rejoice in this Eastertide but we must not be sad at its ending. What we need to do is prepare ourselves, especially in prayer, to receive the fruit of his going away at Ascension and returning again at Pentecost. We should desire with all our heart His Indwelling, His Instruction, and His Inner Peace.
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