Oak Chapel United Methodist Church

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Probably the saddest of all the spirituals, wouldn't you say? "Sometimes I feel like a motherless child, a long way from home." Mothers' Day 1999, the last Mothers' Day of this millennium. We thank our mothers, if they are living. We remember them, if they are not. And, if we are sensitive at all, we think, on this day, how unfortunate, indeed, is the child without a mother. Mother is a thousand deeds of love, mother is good advice, mother encourages, mother exhorts, mother comforts. And, using all these virtues, mother sustains and strengthens us through all our stumbling. When we were little, if we lost sight of her (even for a second), we were afraid. Later, when we lose sight of her in death, we are afraid again. She is "the wind beneath our wings."  

Our Spiritual Mother-

So the Holy Spirit encourages, exhorts, comforts. Would it be too much to call the Holy Spirit "mother of the church?" Maybe not. Saying goodbye to his disciples, Jesus told them he was not leaving them orphans, not abandoning them. He promised "another comforter." (That is, one to take his place.) They would not be alone in this hard world. He would give them an advocate, an instructor, an encourager, a comforter. (The Greek word "paraclete" means all these things.)

Pentecost God, very God, came to earth in Jesus, and after Jesus ascended into heaven, God, very God, remained on earth in the person of the Holy Spirit. It is now only two weeks to Pentecost, when we celebrate a time the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples, encouraged them, and filled them. Jesus kept his promise. In fact, the Holy Spirit anointed the disciples, and many others
in the early church, at Pentecost, and obviously remained with them throughout their amazing lives. Someone has said that the Book of Acts, which tells the story of these first Christians, should not be called The Acts of the Disciples, but "The Acts of the Holy Spirit." "… I will ask the Father," Jesus had said, "and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever." The world can't possibly know him or receive him. But he abides with you and is in you."  

The Holy Spirit Seals a Relationship of Love-

Jesus establishes a special relationship with his church here. Listen carefully. "If you love me, you will keep my commandments….(or, conversely) Those who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them." Can we love Jesus and not keep his commandments? Apparently not. And his commandments are the commandments of love: that we should love each other even as he has loved us (that is, with no "ifs," "ands" and "buts" --with no strings attached). "If anyone says he loves God, and hates his neighbor, he is a liar," says the writer of First John. So here is the relationship between God and the followers of Jesus (the ecclesia, the church): God loves Jesus, Jesus loves God. Jesus brings his followers into that love. And they respond, quite naturally, by loving each other, as Jesus had commanded. And God sends them an Advocate, a Comforter, to lead them while Jesus is gone. That comforter is the Holy Spirit, the church's mother, if you will.  

On the Principle of Love, He Built His Church-

This would all be gobbledygook, except for the fact that a church was established on these principles, and turned the world on its ear. The church grew exponentially. It spread everywhere. In less than three centuries the mighty Roman Empire succumbed. Jesus had beaten Pilate. And the world's values and beliefs were forever changed. You can't explain that in ordinary terms. Somebody said about Pentecost, "You can debate what happened there, but there is no debating the fact that some kind of earthquake occurred in the hearts and minds of some very ordinary men and women, something got into them, and encouraged them (gave them courage), and empowered them far beyond what anyone might have reasonably expected." Jesus had not left them orphaned. He had come to them, as he promised.  

Heirs of the Promise-

We are the heirs of this promise, but we seldom claim our inheritance. For some insane reason, we choose to live as orphans. "We have the form of righteousness," as Paul wrote to Timothy, but we "deny the power thereof." I think we are afraid of it, afraid of this love affair with God and how it might change us. The relationship is too close, the stakes are too high. Jesus says that this Advocate, which the Father will send, "shall be in you." John Wesley adds, "…as a constant guest." We're not so sure we want a constant guest. For, if the truth be known, the Holy Spirit can be like the man who came to dinner. He never leaves. But the testimony of those in whom the Spirit lives is that he is a good guest. He does rearrange the furniture. Our lives are never the same after the Spirit of God moves in. Our churches are never the same, either.

Radical Change-

The idea of radical change scares me. Why? Two reasons: Because I am reasonably satisfied with my life (a very dangerous position to be in), and because I've already got plenty on my plate. I'm running at gag speed half the time. I'm barely getting done what needs to get done. How could I possibly add a new relationship with God? I don't want to be a hero or a saint. I just want to be me…and left alone. But let me tell you the problem with that. We were created in God's image, and without the Spirit of God in us we founder. Charles Spurgeon, back in the great day of trains, used to say that a person (or a church) without the Holy Spirit was like a locomotive without fire and steam. Not only was it not going anywhere. It was rusting away, and would soon be useless. We cannot say, "I'll just
choose to stay as I am." Life changes around us constantly, and without the renewing influence of the Holy Spirit, our spirits flag. That's what wrong with talking about the Holy Spirit as a gift. It makes it sound like something fanciful, some icing on the Christian cake. If it
is a gift, it is a gift of something necessary; like the gift of water to someone who is thirsty. We don't flourish as orphans. Jesus promised us the Spirit for a reason. We cannot take it or leave it.  

God's Presence Among Us -

Without getting too theological, the Holy Spirit is part of God. In short, it is God's presence among us. So when we talk about "receiving the Holy Spirit" we are really talking about taking God into our lives today -- not a long-time-ago God, who created heaven and earth, not a used-to-be Jesus who once lived Palestine -- but a living, vibrant God, alive right now and making a huge difference in our lives. Like everything else in our faith, we didn't earn the Holy Spirit. It is given to see us through. Jesus arranged for it. We don't have to make a Federal case out of the Holy Spirit. We just have to make room for the Spirit in our lives -- and choose to obey Jesus' commandments, which is part of the deal. And when we do that, he says, he will send us the Spirit of Truth, the Advocate, the comforter.

Revival in the Holy Spirit -

Of course, the pressing question for the apostles, and later for the early church, was how would they manage without Jesus. He was the light of their life, and he was saying goodbye. By the time John's Gospel was written, the situation was worse. Almost all the people who actually knew Jesus had died. In fact even the people who knew people who knew Jesus were dying off. As each generation passes, won't the warmth of that original relationship fade? No. Because the Holy Spirit revives it and renews it. A warm relationship with Jesus doesn't depend on his physical presence, but on the presence of the love of God in the life of the church. And that is there when the Holy Spirit is there.   Like a Candle We burn candles in the church to symbolize the presence of the Holy Spirit. As we come into this house, and prepare ourselves for worship, we lay aside (temporarily) so many things: our fears, our preoccupation, our bitterness. In this hour, if at no other time in our lives, we do "let go and let God," as they say. We welcome the Spirit into this house and into us. To worship means to welcome God. Holy Spirit, Truth divine, Dawn upon this soul of mine; Word of God and inward light, Wake my spirit, clear my sight.