Prayer of the Day
Bountiful God, you gather your people into your realm, and you promise us food from your tree of life. Nourish us with your word, that empowered by your Spirit we may love one another and the world you have made, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Gospel: John 14:23-29 23
Jesus answered [Judas (not Iscariot)], “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words, and the word that you hear is not mine but is from the Father who sent me. 25 “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur you may believe.”

Pastor’s Commentary
Over the last couple of weeks, I have offered commentary that relates to the sermon without being the actual sermon. I’d love to know whether you find the commentary useful. A video recording of the sermon is available on St. Matthew’s website Sundays, so you also can see the connections between the commentary and the proclamation.

Placement in the Gospel (known technically as canonical context) John chapters 13-17 are part of a ‘long goodbye’ that Bible commentators call the farewell discourse in which Jesus prepares his followers for his death and his return to the Father.

John 13:31-39 includes the New Commandment to love one another, and we note that Maundy Thursday is named for the commandment (mandatum) to love. When Simon Peter asks Jesus where he is going and asserts that he would lay down his life for Jesus, he hears Jesus say that Peter will deny Jesus three times….these words leave the disciples afraid and troubled

John 14:1-14- Jesus says to the followers to not let their hearts be torn up (troubled). The next words are ones read at many funerals and they speak of Jesus’ preparing a place for us and Jesus says he himself is “the way”.

John 14:15-31-Part of this section is read as the Gospel for the sixth Sunday of Easter. Jesus again calls on his followers to keep his commandments (the commandment being to love) and he promises the Spirit of God will be gifted to the followers. The promise of the Spirit is repeated in John 15:26 when Jesus speaks of the rejection his followers can expect and again in John 16:4-15. After Jesus has risen, he finds the disciples in the upper room, locked away hiding from the religious authorities. Jesus appears and speaks peace to them and breathes the Spirit upon them (John 20:19-31)

John 15-Jesus is the True vine and invites his followers to be part of the life that flows from him and again calls on the disciples to love one another (verses 12-17).

Chapter 16- offers a fuller description of the Spirit’s word among the disciples in the world including comfort, truth telling (judgement) about misdirected trust in earthly rulers and righteousness (things working as they are designed to work)

Chapter 17 is often called Jesus’ priestly prayer as he prays on behalf of his people (Jesus intercedes and advocates)

Connections to the Church Year In the Sundays of Easter we have heard again Jesus command to love one another and we have heard how Jesus passes through locked doors and speaks peace and breathes God’s Spirit onto his followers. As the Easter season ends and we come to Pentecost Sunday, we hear of God’s Spirit rushing like a powerful wind, bringing God’s declaration of affirmation and Good News to everyone; all understanding in their own language.

A Word Study: Jesus promises “another advocate” in John 14:16, read as part of the Gospel for May 25. The word advocate sounds like our word “vocation” vocare in Latin meaning “calling”. The Greek word literally means “one called alongside” (paraclete, from the word para+kale-ow). There are many connotations for paraclete including defender, comforter, helper, encourager, intercessor and in other writings from other sources outside the Bible the word was associated with a defense counsel (like a lawyer) or even a prosecutor. Some Bible commentators invite us to let all of these connotations blend as we hear Jesus’ promise of the Spirit to draw alongside us (and the Church).

Connection to our present time(sitz im leben, or life setting) How do we experience the Holy Spirit in our lives? Where do we yearn for the Spirit of God to come alongside us?

Personally, I grieve the war, violence and death in Gaza and Ukraine and the gun violence in many parts of the world. I feel sorry for those who have no place to sleep at night. We know how lack of sleep compromises our physical and mental health, Imagine almost never getting a good night’s sleep because you sleep outside and are vulnerable to being robbed or attacked by four legged and two legged intruders.

Today I feel angry, fearful and sad that the current political administration in the country of my birth voted early Thursday morning to legislate deep cuts of health care benefits for people like many of my own family and friends. These cruel and bankrupting cuts will finance a multi-trillion dollar tax windfall for billionaires. I pray the Holy Spirit draws alongside those who suffer and also confronts those causing the suffering. I’m getting ahead of myself in quoting the psalm we read on Pentecost praying that God would send Spirit to renew the face of the earth. May Spirit also draw alongside us and empower us to love in a world too in love with power.