Easter 5 Draft

Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed, alleluia!

Sometimes our Lord will cut across our bravado. What's the old phrase – pride goeth before a fall? Our Lord has expressly told us that He will cut across our bravado, our false boldness, our bluster. Jesus Christ is the Truth – and tall tales and boasts are not of the truth. And so, part of what Jesus does that Maundy Thursday night is call the disciples' bluff a bit. Remember, they had been all bold and boisterous that evening – we'll never leave you Jesus. Peter had the whole “I'll never deny you” - oh really, well remember that boast Petey when you hear the Rooster crow, alright? These were the disciples, they were supposed to be in the know, in the inner circle – they could handle anything!

And Jesus takes them down a peg – gently, mind you. The Passion is terrifying for the disciples; Jesus gets them thinking so it's not quite as big a shock. Now I am going to Him who sent Me and none of you asks Me, “Where are You going?” But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Getting taken down a peg hurts, even if you need to be taken down a peg. Being reminded of your weakness, of your need for God hurts – we see this clearly today in the rampant fear. And for the disciples it was extra scary – because if Jesus goes away, it's going to fall to them to take care of things. Daunting – you betcha that is! Oh well, disciples – adulting is hard. And their boasts and pride war with their fears and doubts – a mess I'm sure you're familiar with – and Jesus is talking about going away, this is bad, isn't it?

Nope. Not bad at all. In fact – Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you. What's coming is better. What's coming, what the Church will look like in 20 years is better than it is now, disciples. It will be better for everyone when you're Apostles instead of disciples. And it's true – even now, even in the midsts of pandemics and all that jazz, it's better. We've got a leg up on what the disciples had when they were following Jesus. Why? Because we live in the post-Pentecost Church.

Right here Jesus points the disciples and us to Pentecost, where the Holy Spirit is poured out – the Helper, the Comforter, the Paraclete. That's a great word there – that word “Helper” is the Greek Word Paraclete. Right, so what's a Paraclete. Well, when you were in court on trial for a crmie your Paraclete was the person who sat along side you (para, like parallel) and called (cleted) out to you to tell you whatever it is you needed to know. It's your defense lawyer, the person who faces off against the Accuser – the Satan in Aramaic. And your Paraclete would speak to you all the things you would need. He'd calm you down if you were panicking, he'd explain what the Accuser is doing with all his tactics, he'd tell you how to counter them – and if you were going to go say something stupid to the judge he'd stop you. Useful fellow, a good paraclete.

Jesus here is describing what the Holy Spirit does for you. You have received the Holy Spirit. You are Baptized, washed with water and the Word and made a temple of the Holy Spirit. You are part of the same Christian and Apostolic Church with the same Spirit given at Pentecost. Jesus sends you His Spirit along with His Word, and whenever you hear the Word of Jesus, Jesus gives you the Holy Spirit at the same time – you don't need to try to find the Holy Spirit or Catch Him – He is with you and He is with the Word.

And what does the Holy Spirit do? Well, glad you asked – And when He comes He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. When the Spirit comes He's going to lawyer on up and take the case square on, and He's going to have His fancy and fine lawyer talk and take it to the world – and He's going to smack the world around over three things – sin and righteousness and judgment. First - Concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me. The Holy Spirit will show sin to be sin. In fact, you can't really know sin to be sin apart from the Holy Spirit and believing in Jesus. Most other cultures, they don't really have the idea of sin. People might make mistakes – but most of the time they deny that fact. Or people might have bad habits – but those get swept under the rug. But the idea of sin – the idea I am corrupt and that I fight against my creator and that every action I take is tainted and twisted – that even I, Eric Brown, as I stand here in the Church and preach, am a poor miserable sinner – in thought, word, and deed – corrupted and vile and deserving of death? Or that you, the folks listening, hearing – that you yourselves are sinners to, and that even believing in Jesus you'll need to confess, that every week in service we'll rightfully start confessing our sins? That makes no sense to the world. That makes no sense to us apart from the Holy Spirit giving us faith in Jesus. In fact, the only reason we could bear to consider the weight of our sin is because we have been given to know Jesus, that He takes our sin up upon the Cross and Crucifies it. And that's what the Holy Spirit reminds you of via the Word of God, and that's what we proclaim to the world.

Second – Concerning Righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see Me no longer. The Spirit will proclaim Christ Crucified. Okay, Christ Crucified, Risen, and Ascended and seated at the right hand of the Father – Christ Crucified. Because that is what righteousness is. The world thinks that to be righteous is to be nice, a decent fellow. But in reality the world doesn't know what righteousness is. What proof? Go get into a debate with someone about how we should handle governmental policy concerning Covid. What's the “right” thing to do – oh, you'll hear so many theories about what the right thing to do is. Even we here might toss our own two cents, our own two worthless cents into the discussion. No, you want to know what righteousness is? While you were yet a sinner, Christ Jesus died for you. He takes up the weight of your sin, and in its place He gives you all that He is – for He is righteous, no one is good but God alone, and Jesus Christ, true God gives you all that He is, and you are made righteous, justified in Him. Righteousness has nothing to do with what you do or your thoughts or plans – righteousness is Jesus for you. And the Holy Spirit will proclaim Christ Jesus for you in a world that often forgets or ignores Jesus.

And the third – Concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. Oh, and just in case you get freaked out by what you see in the world, just in case the sin and death and chaos and illness and bicker that Satan has wound up gets you a bit concerned, the Holy Spirit will proclaim again and again that Satan has been defeated by Christ the Crucified, that Jesus has risen and you will rise and that there's not a thing that Satan can do to stop your resurrection. Jesus wins. Period. This world's prince may still scowl fierce as he will. He can harm us none! He's judged, the deed is done! We can forget that sometimes. Sometimes we get overwhelmed. The Holy Spirit doesn't. And so in His Church the Spirit will proclaim the Victory of Christ by Christ Jesus' own Word of Truth, and He will keep you in this victory and truth. That's what the Spirit does.

And this is the life of the Church. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. The disciples couldn't get everything right at that moment. And to be honest, we don't get everything at all moments. There are some things about the Christian faith I understand better now than I did years ago, and there are some things about the faith that I understood better as a Second Grader. That's life. And that doesn't surprise Jesus. In fact, that's why He sends the Spirit – because the Spirit will continually guide us into Truth, to Jesus – the Spirit will make you see Jesus for you in all the ways that you need to see Jesus for you on the given day you're in. He's got it under control, and He has it under control for you. And the Spirit will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. The Spirit will over again over proclaim what is coming – not what Tuesday's powerball number is going to be or when I can go to a game at Wrigley again (I'd even be happy getting up to Comiskey or whatever they call it these days again). The Spirit will proclaim to you Christ's Victory and the truth that He shall come again. And everything God knows you need to hear about Jesus until then, the Holy Spirit has got that in the bag. The Spirit will give you Jesus – He will glorify me, for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that He will take what is Mine and declare it to you. The Holy Spirit will Gospel you, He will pour out the good news of Christ Jesus' salvation – so that whatever else is going on, you know, you hear that you have Jesus. That you are forgiven, redeemed, and bound for eternal life. That every good blessing of the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is yours.

And that's true today. Still is. Because the Holy Spirit is still with you now, in the Word of Christ Jesus. God has comforted you, He has given you the Comforter, the Spirit – so that even now and in all your days, you know that Christ Jesus is your Lord and Savior, and that you have forgiveness and life in His Name. And this is a free gift of God, with no boasting needed. So, let the Lord cut across your bravado – He gives you something better. He gives you the Spirit, who proclaims always that Christ is Risen....