In our gospel reading, Jesus promises his peace to the disciples. So, rather than my usual opening to a sermon I am going to say: “May I speak in the peace of Christ.”
A list of things to be done in your absence. We have all left them with friends or family when we have gone on holiday – when to feed the cat, who to contact in emergency and, if you are my husband, very important, which plants to water or not as the case may be.
My very close friend Alison Fewtrell was an extremely organised person. She had to be, she was a pharmacist and any careless mistakes in her work could have drastic consequences. When, because of frailty, she had to move into a nursing home she told her daughter that she had left a page of instructions as to what to do with her jewellery when she died. The pieces were to be divided between her daughter, her daughter-in-law and her granddaughter.
After her death, and I must say a great deal of searching, they found a sheet of paper with a list of her jewellery and by each an indication as to who should receive it. There were many crossings out and amendments where she had obviously changed her mind as family circumstances altered. But the final instruction was: “Oh, you are old enough and should be wise enough to sort it out yourselves.” And of course they did.
On a journey
Like Alison, Jesus knew that he was going on a journey from which he would not return. He knew that ultimately he would go to his Father and leave the disciples to continue his work.
He had to prepare his disciples for the time when he would not physically be with them. At the beginning of our gospel reading he assures them that he will not leave them as orphans, alone in the world. He would not leave them without support, to carry on his work unaided.
He knew that his disciples would be left behind to cope with grief, fear and uncertainty. He did not leave them a written brochure with instructions what to do on a daily basis, but promised them a totally different kind of support.
He told them that when he went away the Advocate would come to them. Other versions of the Bible use different words, the Good News Bible use helper, the New International Version uses Counsellor, and the Authorised version uses the word Comforter.
Comforter, helper, advocate and counsellor all terms for someone who would provide assistance and support.
One who brings strength
By the time that Jesus had this talk with those first disciples they were beginning to be afraid, uncertain what was going to happen. Things were not looking good.
The authorities were becoming very uneasy about this Galilean.
Jesus was well aware what was going to happen. He referred to it as going back to his Father but he knew the awful fate that awaited him. He knew that after the events of Good Friday that the disciples would be grieving, dejected and bewildered. They would be unsettled, afraid and uncomprehending. Even after Easter Sunday they would still feel bewildered and leaderless. Yes, Jesus knew all this, and knew that for them to continue his work they would need comfort, would need assistance, would need advocacy and would need counsel.
And the original meaning of Comforter was not as we now know it, but its meaning is derived from the word fort – strong, which appears in the middle of the word. Com is with, fort is strength. Comforter, one who brings strength. Someone who would make them strong would come to them. Perhaps the Authorised version has the best word.
The Holy Spirit
They would also need comfort, as we know it, to reassure them that all would be well, they would need assistance to continue to spread the message and to reveal Christ to others. The name we use most frequently to describe this power is the Holy Spirit.
Jesus tells them precisely what the Holy Spirit will do. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit who my Father will send to you, will teach you all things and remind you of all I have said to you. The Holy Spirit would continue to teach them and to remind them of the way they should go to follow in the path of Jesus. He tells them that they still have much to learn but that they will be reminded and have explained anew the teachings of Christ. He tells them not to be afraid and reassures them of his peace.
We know with that marvellous ability, hindsight, that the Holy Spirit, did come to the disciples at Pentecost. Unlike my friend Jesus didn’t say sort it out yourselves but revealed the Holy Spirit to his followers in the most in the most dramatic of ways. And their lives were changed beyond measure. They became convinced by the Holy Spirit, they became empowered by the Holy Spirit and they received the gifts they needed to continue Christ’s work. Just as Jesus had promised. Convinced, strengthened, equipped. What more could they need?
Power
Through that power the disciples were able to do things they never thought were possible. They moved from the despondency and gloom after Jesus had left them to conviction, to strength, to action. Through that power the message of Jesus has reached us today. Without it, we would not be sitting in this church. Eleven frightened men and a group of women would not have been able to find the strength to continue in Jesus’ name.
But Christ did not just promise the gift of the Holy Spirit to his immediate followers, but to all who sought it. In the last 2000 years, by the power of the Holy Spirit, thousands have come to understand the meaning of Christ’s sacrifice, thousands have found the way and the will to pass on his message and thousands have been given the gifts they need to serve Christ. They have been given the strength to obey his commands to act on his behalf and share his love with others.
The Holy Spirit is available to each of us today, to give us comfort when we are afraid, to make us strong, to give us help to carry on in our lives, to reveal God’s truth to us, and to give each of us the gifts we need to serve our Lord. Like those first disciples, we may be uncertain of how we can carry out Christ’s commission to take his message out into the world and to serve others in his name.
Bring the love of Christ
We may think that we do not have the talents, the skills, the knowledge, we may think we are too young, too old, too shy, too pushy, too frightened, but if we genuinely want to serve God in the name of Jesus and we seek the power of the Holy Spirit then we will be empowered in ways that we did not think possible.
No, we cannot all be like those first disciples visiting foreign countries, taking the message to other lands. We cannot all be preachers or even hold office within the church. But we can through our everyday lives, through our actions, our words, our deeds, our prayers bring the love of Christ to others. We can corporately as the body of Christ in this place act in ways that enable others to see that we are different, that we bring the light of Christ into the lives of others. All this is possible if we rely not on ourselves but on the power of the Holy Spirit.
Come down
One of my favourite hymns is the one with the opening verse:
Come down, O Love divine
Visit thou this soul of mine
and furnish it with
thine own ardour flowing.
O Comforter draw near
Within my heart appear
And kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.
It’s a prayer that the Holy Spirit will enter our lives, reconfirm our faith in us, fill our lives with enthusiasm for our faith and give us those things which we need to be good and faithful servants. Those first disciples certainly needed the Holy Spirit after the death of Jesus. We need it no less – and we only have to ask.
‘The Comforter’ was delivered by Margery Spencer at Christ Church Walmersley on Sunday 25th May 2025. It was based on John 14:23-29.