Trinity Lutheran Church Of Ava

06/02/2026

Holy Trinity Sunday / Pentecost 1A May 31 2026 Trinity Lutheran Church, Ava, MO
Texts: Genesis 1:1—2:4a; 2 Cor. 13:11-13; Matt. 28:16-20 Wayne A Strohschein, Pastor

Holy Trinity Sunday - how in the world do I explain the Trinity in a way
that clarifies this concept of God the Father, God the Son, God the
Holy Spirit; a three part entity yet it is one entity? What can I say or do
that will engage your minds so that you will understand what the
Church calls the Holy Trinity?
The whole concept of Trinity seems to be so radically entrenched in
theological words and systems, formulated by centuries of historical
councils and their resultant creeds that I wonder - What am I, or for
that matter what is any preacher to do for a sermon this Sunday?
In the past I have used the standard illustrations of water in different
forms, of pealing back an onion and of the three legged stool, and
maybe some others, but what could I say today that might help you
understand this foundational theological statement of our faith - that
our God is a triune God, a Holy Trinity.
I wondered - what if we could go back some 45 years and listen in on
the conversation that surrounded choosing the name for this
community of faith, what would we hear? There are still a few of you
who were here then and I wonder what those days were like. I can
only imagine the excitement and anticipation for what you were
building - a church structure, but much more than that. You were
building a place where faithful people could come together to worship,
to build your faith so that you could then go and serve this Holy Trinity
who is the center, the heart and soul of Trinity Lutheran Church for
however long that might be.
It got me to thinking - if we think of Trinity Lutheran Church in the
abstract we miss the heart and soul of this place. If we think of God in
the abstract we also miss the heart and soul of God. When we think
of God as the Holy Trinity we are thinking of a theological abstract, a
concept and we miss the personal relationship God wants with us.
When I look at the lessons for today I can see how they point to this
abstract idea we call the Holy Trinity but if they take us no further it’s
no wonder we get ourselves all twisted up and can only come to the

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conclusion that the Holy Trinity is a mystery, one we will never be fully
able to get our heads around and understand.
That caused me to dig a little deeper. That is when I began to grasp
that the wonder of these lessons is not in their abstract theology but
rather in the personal and simple invitation they give us. They give us
the context for knowing our God, and what He wants for us. They
point us to the most significant truth about the Holy Trinity and that is -
Knowing God as Holy Trinity is not about having information about
God but in responding to His personal invitation to be in a relationship
with Him. He has invited us to know Him and be His partners in
bringing the whole world into God’s all encompassing plan for all of
creation, the world and our own role in that mission.
When we begin digging a little deeper we notice the First Lesson for
Trinity Sunday begins with the narrative of God creating order out of
chaos from first chapter of the Bible. It’s knowing this Trinitarian God
is the God of all of creation, this world and all that exists, and that
includes us. He had a purpose in His creation. He has a plan for His
creation and it involves us.
Genesis 1 does more than tell us the fact that God creates. Yes, that
is important knowledge but by digging a little deeper this text begins to
tell us what the nature of this Creator God. It tells us why He is doing
all this - His purpose. All there was to see and know was chaos, and
He was not satisfied. So He began to add new elements, new
dimensions. After He completes each phase He declares its
goodness. His creation becomes well ordered, beautiful, pleasing to
His divine eye, and able to function as He intended. But it was not
complete. It needed someone to have dominion over it all. And so He
created us humans. Then - God looked at all He had done and said
all of it was very good. If we believe God created us, then we know as
well that creation’s “goodness” is part of who we are in God’s eye. All
of creation was now ready to be fully engaged in becoming what He
intended for them.

When the narrative gets to our creation, the wording is different. Up to
this point it says - And God said. When God gets ready to create us,

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in verse 26, it says: “Let us make humankind in our image, according
to our likeness . . . ,” Let us…I take this as the first clue God gave us
the there is more to Him than - God the creator. Perhaps this is the
first clue we have of a Trinitarian God.
This gives us a valuable insight into our God. Dare we yet say - into
the nature of the Holy Trinity?
There is a peaceful sense here, now that all is in order and God
himself sees it as good. With this clue of God being a Holy Trinity
there is also a sense of wholeness, of completeness that comes with
its affirmation of a God who is above and beyond us, yet beside us
and also abides within us, a presence that will be stirred and
awakened in our baptism.
These are words of greeting but they are also words of sending. In
the gospel Jesus sends his disciples forth to baptize: “…in the name
of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit”. These words are
more than a doctrine, more than words expressing theology and what
we hold as our faith. These words of the Holy Trinity give voice to the
heart of our faith. We celebrate the mystery of the Holy Trinity in word
and sacrament, as we profess the creed, and as we are sent into the
world to share the faith we have been given. Whatever piece of God’s
world we tread with our feet; whatever piece of God’s created
materials we work with our hands, imagining what it can become;
whatever relationships we can hope for or imagine they can only be
what God the Holy Trinity will let them become. There is mystery in
that.
Congregations across time and space sing the Sanctus, the “Holy,
holy, holy.” This threefold affirmation of God’s otherness, holiness,
sacredness is often on the tip of the tongue of people of faith. Yet
when asked to explain the concept of Holy Trinity many may not get
very far but may only be able to say - it’s a mystery, and yet we are
invited to join with the heavenly choir that sings of God’s holiness day
and night (Rev. 4:1-8). We taste God’s holiness in communion, we feel
the water of our baptism, we sing of God’s holiness in our worship,
and hear promises of God’s Holy presence to be with us every where
we go, in all that we do.

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It is in such times we experience - perichoresis—a Greek word
meaning the presence of three persons of the Trinity, distinct from one
another yet in perfect unity. Can we imagine what has been called -
the dance of the Trinity, as all three entities of God work in holy
harmony flowing into us and amongst us seen and unseen?
Jesus told them: “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth.
Go then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples;
baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. …and I
will be with you always, even until the end of this age”.
God has come to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. What more do we
need? Perhaps it is a mystery that God is not distant and alone, but is a
communion of love who comes to be with us and if the Holy Trinity is
still a mystery - it’s OK. Just allow the Holy Trinity to come and be
present with you and in you, and don’t be surprised by what may
happen. On this Trinity Sunday, we can only place our trust, our
future in the Holy Trinity. It’s our only option. May we be open to its
presence.
We may think our future is daunting. Imagine the disciples being told
to go into all the known world and make disciples baptizing them in
the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching
them everything he has commanded. That must have seemed
daunting, but that is what they did. How could they do this risky and
difficult work of making disciples?
This Trinity Sunday, let us remember that promise has been given to
us also. It is the power of the Holy Trinity that is given to us in our
baptism. That power is even now within us, waiting to be called upon.

05/27/2026

05/24/2026

The Day of Pentecost A May 24 2026 Trinity Lutheran Church, Ava, Mo
Texts: Acts 2:1-21; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13; John 20:19-23 Wayne A Strohschein, Pastor

Fifty days after Passover, Jews from every nation would gather in
Jerusalem for the Harvest Festival, (Exodus 23:16). But this year
the festival scene was different. Acts 2 tes how the whole festival
is transformed by the dramatic arrival of the Holy Spirit. It came
with the sound of a violent, rushing wind and tongues of fire
dancing above their heads. Jesus told them this would happen,
saying, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come
upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea
and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Like those
disciples on that day of Pentecost, God is constantly calling us to
new and uncharted territory. But who could really be prepared for
such a calling? Wouldn’t it take a miracle, a transformation?
The miracle came that day as the gift of the Holy Spirit gave
people from “every nation under heaven” the ability to speak new
languages, to hear and understand each other. Unity amidst
diversity was discovered. It was a transformation so profound,
some cast it as unbelievable, dismissing those so filled with the
Holy Spirit as a bunch of crazy drunks. Unity amidst diversity, if
only we could discover it today it would again be a profound
transformation. But I fear some would again cast doubts, calling
it unbelievable, dismissing those so filled with the Holy Spirit as a
bunch of crazy drunks or worse, bring lawsuits against them,
falsely accusing them of all sorts of wrong doings.
Into that melee stepped Peter to give his first sermon. He begins
by reciting the words of Joel, emphasizing how the Spirit gives
ordinary people, all people, some kind of gift to be used for the
good of all people. Fear and self-doubt too often hold us back

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from believing we have a God given gift. Sometimes we can’t
imagine what God’s Spirit can accomplish through us.
I wonder what would change if we trusted the Spirit’s power to
transform even the likes of us into agents of change, agents who
believe they can accomplish what God asks of them?
Disillusionment is easy, thinking we CAN’T instead of we CAN,
with the help of the Holy Spirit. We choose to mourn what slips
past us, the missed opportunities, the things lost, the times lost.
We grow frustrated over our failure to create positive change,
losing hope in the face of overwhelming problems. We move
toward depression as we lose hope.
But, what would you try if you believed the Spirit would fill you
with the gifts of skills and talents, the abilities you’d need for the
work to which God calls you? Would you be transformed to
speak, to act in ways that would surprise even you?
What would we do as the church if we trusted the Spirit to fill us,
use us, and give us abilities that rise to the call God has given us?
Would we be transformed, excited, filled again with hope for what
we might do?
Can we imagine the disciples coming out of that upper room
where they huddled in fear now being filled with the Holy Spirit
unabashedly proclaiming what God has done without fear? Being
filled with the Holy Spirit, they were empowered, filled with
courage, filled with the knowledge of God’s Word. They were
ready to take His message to all the known world so God’s Word
and His message of love and grace might be known.
We have trouble thinking BIG and so we think too SMALL when
we measure God’s call by our human capacity. We think what we

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cannot do other than what God can do through the transformative
power of the Holy Spirit. We can do more and be more than we
think is possible when God is working through us. Who thought
we could raise over $900 for Sweet Pea Farm, but we did with
God’s help.
The message of Pentecost is an all-inclusive one. God’s Spirit
can transform ordinary people, like you and me, even if you would
rather be the one who goes unnoticed, or quietly sits in the back
pew, or avoids the limelight. God’s Spirit can transform any and
all of us into extraordinary servants of Christ.
Maybe we just need to pray the words of the hymn - “Spirit of
the living God, fall afresh on me; melt me; mold me; fill me;
use me” and then trust in the Spirit of the living God, to do just
that. Then with the gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit, dream big
dreams, step into action, trusting God for the tools, talents, and
skills we need but don’t feel or believe we have. Maybe it is a -
not YET.
The words of this simple hymn give voice to our heart, mind and
soul. They speak from the core of our being whenever words fail
us and our knees grow weak and we fall down in fear, despair, in
hopelessness. They speak for us and to us when we believe we
cannot go on, when we don’t know where to turn, when we don’t
know what to do next, when we feel we are at the end of our rope
and the knot is slipping.
These words give voice to my fears and hopes when I begin to
prepare a sermon and when I begin a worship service. They give
voice to those times when beginning a counseling session or a
pastoral visit or when something requires more talent than I feel I
possess. I need these words to be my prayer. I need this
reminder that God’s Holy Spirit can make good use of me — even

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though I have doubts and fears. I just need to remember who is in
charge and the gift He has given me in my baptism - the gift of His
presence in the Holy Spirit.
Transformation so profound some cast doubts saying it’s
unbelievable, dismissing those so changed by the Holy Spirit
calling them just a bunch of crazy drunks. And yet we know they
do happen - think of Phil Robertson, Jelly Roll, all those who tell
of the changes that came into their lives when they believed
Jesus is the Christ even knowing there would be a price to pay for
saying so. Ridicule, scorn, lies, and even life itself could be the
price. Jesus paid the price. The disciples paid the price and so to
have count less others through the years and still do today so
others, so we could hear about Jesus.
Can we, dare we celebrate the Holy Spirit as God’s presence
within and among us? In Acts the Spirit arrived in rushing wind
and flame, bringing God’s presence to all people. Paul reminds us
that though we each have different gifts, we are unified by the
Spirit as it directs us to use these gifts for the good of all. Jesus
breathes the Holy Spirit on his disciples, empowering them to
even forgive sin. We celebrate that we too are given the breath of
the Holy Spirit in, with, under and through the waters of our
baptism and are now sent out to proclaim God’s redeeming love
to all the world.
That day God’s presence was in the fire and wind. It was in the
breath of Jesus. Today, God’s presence is still with us as the living
Word of Scripture, in the waters of Baptism, in the bread and wine
of communion. Today, God’s presence is in the church as it
gathers to worship and to serve others. The Church was born to
say to the whole world with words and deeds, “Are you searching
for something, something that will give you, your life meaning and

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purpose? Come and know God and His Son Jesus. Come and
know Christ for it is in Him that we find unity in our diversity.
It is an unexpected miracle that begins the story of the Church in
all its messiness. The story is not finished yet. Our lives have yet
to leave their mark on the world. The mark we make will depend
on the choices we make, the efforts we make, the tasks we
accomplish. God is still present as the Holy Spirit and may have
more surprises in store for us and through Him we may leave a
bigger mark than we could ever imagine.
We begin forming our mark when we come to know the heart of
Lutheran theology that says: “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’
except by the Holy Spirit.” Some of you may remember from
confirmation class the words of Martin Luther that you may have
had to memorize. Luther wrote: “I believe that I cannot by my
own understanding or effort believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or
come to him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel,
enlightened me with gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith”
(Martin Luther, Luther’s Small Catechism, Augsburg Fortress
Press).
Belief that Jesus is the Christ can become just another thing
among all the other things we say we believe in. Yet, Luther’s
invitation is clear: what makes this belief different is the calling
that goes with it = go and tell! And when we do, we will then
come to know we can rely and trust the Holy Spirit in our times of
need.
“Come, Holy Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me; melt me;
mold me; fill me; use me”. Maybe that can be our daily prayer.

05/23/2026

Ascension of Our Lord, A, Thur May 14, Sun. May 17 2026. Trinity Lutheran Church, Ava, Mo.
Texts: Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians 1:15-23; Luke 24:44-53 Wayne A. Strohschein, Pastor

In today’s readings we have the narrative of the risen Christ
ascending into heaven. That is a nice sounding theological
statement but what does it mean to us today in our life and time?
We live in a world that is filled with some really bad stuff. We
have at least three wars going on - Ukraine, Iran and Nigeria - as
well as other places where violence seems to be the norm. We
have a scary hantavirus disease, although they say it’s not really
that bad. We have nations making threats to each other of
violence they are willing to inflict. We have economic
uncertainties, social unrest, political / governmental turmoil and
much more.
Unfortunately we have the same bad stuff going on in the United
States, which doesn’t seem so united these days.
That, added to our own local events, keep law enforcement busy.
Some of those create stress in our personal lives adding to what
we may already be dealing with, like making ends meet, health
issues, work or school demands, getting along with neighbors,
friends and at times even family members. How we long for a
quiet time and place in which we can shut out the pressures we
feel if only for a brief time. How we long for a few minutes sipping
a cup of coffee, or tea, or maybe a couple fingers of Irish mist.
The fact is we do more than just long for moments of reprieve.
We actively seek them, willingly spending a great amount of time,
energy and money seeking “some sort of relief,” sometimes to no
avail, sometimes to our detriment.
Are we really any different that the disciples in this? Are we really
any different than those who came to hear Jesus, seeking to be

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“healed” mentally, physically, spiritually? Weren’t they seeking
what we seek - wholeness, purpose, meaning, reasons to live,
finding joy in life?
Many came to Jesus. Many found what they were seeking, but
many did not. Many heard His Words first hand. Many saw what
He did first hand. Still, many rejected Him. Some became so
angry that they turned to violence. We know that narrative.
They probably thought they had somehow “won,” in some twisted
way of thinking, when He died. They thought it was now over and
they could go back to everyday life, whatever that was. Little did
they know He had won the day as the Easter narrative proclaims -
He has Risen!
The news of that day began to spread, slowly at first, just among
a small band of followers, to others and then to an ever growing
number, a number who traveled far and wide, endured much,
telling what they had seen and heard and now believed with their
whole being. And now, the news has reached us. We have
heard the “Good News” and chosen to believe it and have faith in
the promise it holds.
We would not have heard the “Good News” unless His followers
were given the gift of the Holy Spirit that day. It assured them,
and empowered them to become witnesses throughout the known
world, but first it was necessary that He return to His heavenly
Father. That account is the subject of our lessons today.
There are some important things to note. He first is to notice
Jesus opening their minds to understand the Scriptures. To this
day we believe in the importance of studying and understanding
the Scriptures because if we don’t, then we don’t know God and
His Word and His deeds. Without that, we have nothing to tell.
Then He says to them: You are witnesses of these things. What
is a witness to do? Simply it is to tell what they have seen and
heard. In other words, He commissions the disciples to go and

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tell the world, beginning with Jerusalem. They are to make it
clear that His life and ministry are in line with the law and the
prophets. That is a huge connection for us. It ties together the Old
and New Testaments. It says the Old Testament is crucial to know
and understand for it gives us the grounding base we need for
understanding who Jesus is and what His role is to be.
Also worth noting is Jesus’ words: “Behold, I send the promise of
my Father upon you.” These are not idle words. I think the
Contemporary English Version captures it best. It puts it this way:
“I will send you the One my Father has promised.” That is the
narrative of Pentecost Sunday! He was not sending them to “Go
and tell” without preparing them to go and tell, filled with the Holy
Spirit that gave them what they needed to accomplish the mission
Jesus had just given them.
That mission was huge, with huge risks. He already knew what
lie ahead of them - persecutions, harassments, stoning,
imprisonment and death. They would go to towns and not be
welcomed. They would go to local synagogues and newly formed
churches and be attacked. All they had to do was remember
what had been done to Jesus and they would know what they
was coming their way.
By having them come with Him and witnessing His Ascension He
affirms they are now taking over His earthly role; they are now
carrying on what He started. They could now give their personal
witness of Jesus’ Ascension, His departure to be at the right
hand of God. They could speak to those who question who Jesus
was, telling them that Jesus was truly the Son of God and through
His gift of the Holy Spirit He would be continue to be active in
God’s rule over the church and the world, and now us until the
day He returns.
Ascension then takes us beyond Easter and says that one day we
too shall rise to a life with God. Jesus’ narrative does not end
with Easter but goes on.

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Ascension says - Our life does not end with physical death but
goes on to a new life, one resurrected from the grips of death.
One day we too shall have our Ascension to eternal life with our
God, the Father and Creator of all that is. That is Jesus’ destiny.
That is our destiny.
But what about now? I started today posing a question. What
does the Ascension or any of this Church stuff mean to the lives
we are living? Simply put, it means we have hope.
Jesus instructed them in the promises that will come to them with
the coming of the Holy Spirit. Those promises are for us.
Thus the story of the Ascension forms a bridge from Luke into
Acts, from the time of Jesus into the time of the church. It forms a
bridge from then to now. The Ascension marks the end of Jesus’
resurrection appearances on earth. No more can anyone claim to
“see” the risen Jesus in the same way that Mary Magdalene and
the other disciples saw him. The forty days of Easter appearances
are over. In this sense, the Ascension narratives mark a
watershed moment: Henceforth, Jesus can only be known
through the power of the Holy Spirit, in the scriptures, and in the
church. We believe we have been given the gift of the Holy
Spirit’s presence in our baptism. With that gift we have been given
the nucleus of faith that will grow into the faith we have today and
into the faith we can yet attain, for our faith will continue to grow if
it is nurtured.
Thus we can and do say the Ascension is not about Jesus’
absence but about his presence in the world in a new way. We
can only wait and pray as they did, filled with joy for the promised
“power” of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirt came to them that day,
has continued to come to the early church, and is still promised to
us. Are we open to receive it?
Their gaze was directed not toward heaven but to the world
around them. Where are we looking? Our mission is now to be

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his witnesses “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the
ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). That includes where we live and
work. That is where we will see, know and feel its presence
making a difference through us.
The first followers of Jesus awaited the Spirit by gathering
together in the upper room on the Mount of Olives. Together they
devoted themselves to prayer “with one accord.” There is
something to be said for the power of prayer in worship to grow
faith, to change things. Maybe even in us.
We are standing in a doorway. We don’t know what lies ahead for
us. Neither did the disciples. Maybe there is some comfort in that,
because we have the same promise they had - the promise of the
presence of the Holy Spirit. That presence enabled and
empowered them to go forward. May it do the same for us.

05/10/2026

Easter 6 A May 10 2026 Trinity Lutheran Church, Ava,
Mo
Texts: Acts 17:22-31; 1 Peter 3:13-22; John 14:15-21 Wayne A.Strohschein, Pastor

It is two weeks until Pentecost Sunday, the time we celebrate the
descending of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples as tongues of flame,
filling them with God’s Spirit so they could deliver a powerful message
of God’s mighty and wondrous acts. Often it is the only time the
church focuses on the Holy Spirit. There are other appointed readings
that mention the Holy Spirit but they focus on something else, not the
Holy Spirit. In some ways the Holy Spirit is the undersold third person
of the Trinity. But as I read today’s lesson it struck me that this
passage from John has the Holy Spirit front and center as a promised
gift that will be with us forever and ever. That is a powerful and
comforting gift to be given.
It also struck me that today is Mother’s Day. As I thought about this
combination, I realized there is a not so often realized relationship
right before us, for it is often our mothers who, like the Holy Spirit, are
our constant supporters, biggest cheerleaders, and strongest
advocates. Just maybe, if you give it some prayerful thought, it might
help you grasp this ever so hard image to understand the third person
of the Trinity.
So let us begin to do a little digging into these Words from John.
The context for todays Gospel reading in John 14:15-21 is Jesus’ Last
Supper Discourse, His farewell conversation if you will, continued from
last Sunday’s lesson. Jesus has now washed his disciples’ feet and
given them a new commandment. We get a sense of His human side
as we imagine the feelings He was experiencing as one of his closest
friends will soon betray him and another will deny he ever knew Him.
We also get a strong sense of His deep concern for them. Jesus says
some wonderful, powerful and emotional things to them. We can get
a sense of this emotional event when we remember times our best
friends were leaving and we exchange our goodbyes and promises to
never forget each other and to communicate often.

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Jesus says His goodbyes and makes an amazing promise. He does
His best to encourage his followers through the coming horrible hours
and days He knows are coming. The words He speaks are meant as
an exhortation to persevere through the difficult times of ridicule and
persecution that lie ahead of them. He wanted them to know with
certainty and without fear that they were not being deserted or left on
their own. They would have a constant companion right by their side.
That companion would be the Spirit of God Himself. Jesus promises
to send them an advocate, a Paraclete who will be with them and in
them forever. The word Paraclete means – one called to ones side.
We need to remember we have been given that same promise. We
are not left on our own. We have a constant companion, the same
Spirit of the God who made us. He is - by our side. We have been
given that Spirit of God in our Baptism, in, with, under and thru the
waters of our baptism. That Spirit is for us, will be in us forever and
ever, guarding, protecting, encouraging and sustaining. As Martin
Luther so famously said: I cannot by my own reason or strength
believe in God but by the power of the Holy Spirit I can believe and
have faith. Jesus promises to - call to our side - the same Paraclete
He promised to the disciples that night so long ago. This Paraclete
will be by our side and in us forever.
What does that make you think of? Perhaps, that we are being
encouraged to think of this Spirit as one who provides protection,
argues on our behalf, and guides us, never giving up, never
abandoning us, even when we ignore its advice or become difficult as
children are wont to be at times. Think about the Holy Spirit like that —
tenacious and willing to get into what really counts - for us, for our well
being.
Paraclete has also been translated as helper or comforter, another
whole new dimension for us. Isn’t it great to have someone on our
side to help and comfort us? Someone who listens to us and speaks
words of encouragement and peace? This is a great promise, Jesus
gave, especially when it feels like the whole world is against us. We
can do ever so much more, perhaps almost anything, if we know we
are not alone, not forgotten or abandoned. We need to remember -

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Jesus has not left us orphaned and alone. He is with us as the Holy
Spirit, as is God Himself, as is the Triune God.
On Mother’s Day we call our Moms or think of the times when they
were present with us because we know they are advocates for us.
Maybe God has put something of the Holy Spirit in them helping them
to be Paracletes, Mom’s, in human form. How often have we relied on
them for guidance and support? How often are we quiet enough to
hear their Spirit speaking love, life and light to our inner being? How
often have we failed to take advantage of their wisdom as often as we
should have or need to? And still, in spite of what we have said or
done or not said or done they come through for us with so much
peace, so much help, and so much truth so that we might be
strengthened and comforted.
How often have we asked the Holy Spirit within us to be our advocate
for directions, guidance and support? How often have we been quiet
enough to hear the Holy Spirit speaking to us, to still our souls? How
comforting it is to know even though we fail to take advantage of our
advocate, our Paraclete as often as we need to, still, this great helper
breaks through with so much peace, so much help, so much truth that
we are strengthened and comforted in spite of our human failings.
In todays lesson there is yet another gift. We may well wonder if there
is a relationship between receiving this paraclete and how well we
keep Jesus’ commandments. In other words are there conditions that
must be met before we can receive this gift or is the gift of the Holy
Spirit only for those who believe and keep God’s rules?
If we dig below the surface we find the answer is - no there are no
conditions. Jesus said these words to comfort and assure His
disciples. When we keep his commandments, we are able to
experience his presence with us and enjoy our advocate, helper,
comforter as God in us. The reverse is also true: Obeying the
commandments of Jesus is impossible without our advocate. Loving
Jesus and keeping his commandments are inextricably tied together in
the Holy Spirit.

4 of
We see this in the commandment Jesus gave during this discourse.
“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I
have loved you, you should also love one another” (John 13:34).
The truth is that we do not always love as Jesus loved. In the reality
of our humanness there are some people we will find unloveable. We
are limited in our capacity to love. I find it helpful if I can separate the
person from the words or behavior. The person is what God created,
the one I should love. But somewhere, somehow things went wrong
for that person and they chose words and deeds that I should not, and
can not love or accept.
I don’t need to love an ornery person, the one who bitterly disagrees
with me or treats me with violence, wrath or disrespect. I need to
strive to exercise forgiveness in response to wrongs done to me, or to
turn the other cheek as Jesus commanded but I have no need to
accept their bad behavior, evil hateful words or their violence aimed at
me. Loving as Jesus loved is the hardest thing we will ever do. As
G.K. Chesterton, a commentator said: “Christianity has not been tried
and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.”
So, what do we need to turn us around, to change us, to be found
faithful, to make us into the people and church God is calling us to be?
We do not need a 12-step plan. We do not need more money or
better facilities or marketing strategies. We need to free the Holy Spirit
within us, the Spirit Jesus promised the disciples and us, the Spirit of
God, the Spirit that disrupts, disorients, and brings new life to a
troubled church and troubled world and troubled people, opening a
new life of peace and joy.
And so, we always need to pray: Come Holy Spirit, be by our side,
be our advocate, helper and comforter so that we may love Jesus
with our whole heart, mind and spirit striving to keep his
commandments as our witness to His love for our weary world and all
our neighbors. Make it a habit to acknowledge the Paraclete by your
side and within when you wake and as you fall asleep.
Amen. Peace be with you.