That's the Spirit
Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-10; John 14:15-17
Rev. Richard H. Thompson, April 25, 2010
Last week we began a new series on the Holy Spirit. We saw how the Spirit of God puts us together in very practical ways. For example the elders and I talked about the state of the church-that WPC is at a crossroads. Financial support has remained flat for the last five years while our ministries have continued to grow and reach more and more people. Inevitably we've come to a moment of truth. And we're in this moment together, every single one of us who calls WPC their spiritual home. I said it's time for us to do three things: One, to STUDY the Guide to How to Develop a Generous Life. Two, if you have not already done so, START making a written commitment to support your church financially (that's what the green cards and envelopes are for), and THREE, if you've already started, to STEP UP your giving by increasing what you give and, if you can, accelerating your giving into the first half of the year. Many have already responded.
One thing for sure, giving like this makes it real, doesn't it? It's not just a feeling, or an idea, or something other people believe. When you and I give real money suddenly things get concrete, as real as the ink I put on that check, as real as what you and I give up to write that check, as real as hitting the "SEND" button on that commitment on our website. It's a little scary, sort of like signing a wedding license, or the agreement to pay that tuition bill.
But it's also kind of exciting, isn't it?
Because it's real.
This is the problem with talking about the "spirit". It's that the word can mean just about anything anybody wants it to mean. So we say for example, "She's a really spiritual person," or we hear someone say, "I'm not a religious person, but I'm spiritual..." Studies of Americans tend to suggest that generally speaking we're vague on what we mean by spirit, or God.
The thing about keeping it vague is that it's easier for everyone to agree that it's good to be "spiritual". But if we get more specific then things tend to get... awkward.
We're not the first to wrestle with what we mean by "spirit". In surrounding cultures in biblical times the word meant all sorts of things. It was like fire, air or earth. It was used to describe the influence on poets and artists. It meant "excitement", and "insight". It could be good, and it could be bad. But within Scripture "Spirit" is not just a "thing" or an "element". It's the breath of God that makes the clay creature alive to become "Adam", reassembles dry bones to bring them back to life in Ezekiel's vision. The Nicene Creed dates to the 4th century when church leaders struggled to be more precise about who the Spirit is. After years of debate, settled on these words we just said together: The Nicene Creed
"We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets..."
They could be this specific because of what Jesus told the world about the Spirit. It was while he was with his anxious friends in the Upper Room in the hours before his arrest. He spoke about God's love. He washed their feet and told them to do the same for each other, to be in this together. Then he said this, (John 14:15-17)
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you."
In the wonderful mystery of the Trinity, Jesus prayed to the Father, that He would give to us, and here the word gets hard to translate:
Another Advocate, Counselor, Helper, Comforter, Someone to stand by you. The most literal translation would be, "One called alongside to help."
To do what?
Certainly to strengthen, encourage, and comfort. To let us know in amazing ways that we are not alone. That we are not orphans. But there's more. Jesus calls Him the "Spirit of Truth". But again, here is another potentially vague word. What does he mean by "truth"? I have a dictionary in my study for questions like this. It's ten volumes long. It takes almost three feet of shelf space. You look up the word "truth" in that dictionary and you're in for an adventure through languages and cultures how this word was understood and used, and more importantly, how Jesus understood and used this word.
I'll spare you the details. Let me sum up what "truth" means biblically speaking. It means "what's real". Other synonyms logically follow: trustworthy, correct, sincere, genuine. As opposed to mere appearance. Stable, firm, reliable. Grounded.
Biblically speaking there's a profoundly practical sense about "truth". You can rely on what's true the way you rely on these seats you're sitting in. The way we count on the roof over our heads to stay there. I think of millions of Haitians all sleeping in tents because they cannot rely on their buildings. They have proven to be unreliable. In a sense they are "untrue". As the priest sadly said when we first arrived in the village a couple of weeks ago, "Welcome to our tent".
Jesus says the Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. What is true is what is real. That has to mean that the Spirit is here to help you and me see what's real. What's true. About absolutely everything. About God. About Jesus. About this world. About what is to come. About what really matters. About ourselves.
Here we run into a little problem. What if I don't want to know the truth about me? The "truth" is, what's really real, about me, is that I tend to resist the truth about me. I'm ambivalent about truth. Grace? No problem. I'm all about "grace". But "truth" is a different matter. Have you noticed how we seem to like to name our kids "grace"? I've yet to hear of any parent naming their child "truth".
I've found that marriage is one place where I have to confront this truth about me. After thirty four years of marriage I think we've been pretty well "dis-illusioned" about each other. I mean that in the good sense. No more illusions. Reality. Early in the morning standing in front of the mirror truth. Suzanne knows what's real about me, and at times I absolutely hate it. She can point out my blind spots better than anyone. Of course I'm not too bad at pointing our hers... What do I do when she shows me the truth about me? I get defensive. So she says to me, "You always leave your shoes out where I can trip on them in the middle of the night." How do I respond? Not, "Sorry honey." No. I say, "Oh yeah? Well you always leave the dish towels soaking wet in a wad in the sink! Hah!"
What is that? That's called resistance. It's called evasive maneuvers. Some years ago Jody and Sue Martin invited my family on a tour of the tide pools at Leo Carrillo. Jody is a marine biologist and loves to hold the animals up for close inspection. I'll never forget when he reached in to grab a sea slug. It squirted out all this purple ink all over the pool to make its escape. That's what we do when someone gets close to the truth about us.
The ego is such a fragile thing because I suspect we rely on things that won't hold up in crisis~. M~be we think we have to be rich, or good looking, or brilliant, right all the time, or really nice all the time. So the truth poses a threat. And we run for cover. We spew out purple ink.
The Spirit of Truth is with us to teach us about what's real about us. Here's what' real: that we are loved of God. That our self worth is real because we have God worth. The truth cannot hurt us because it is covered in grace. Grace says we are loved beyond words. Grace secures us. And truth matures us.
Jesus has prayed for the gift of the Holy Spirit to be with you and me every moment of every day. Comforting us. Encouraging us. Showing us what's real.
I suspect this is what going on in the pit of our stomach when we step away from God's good pleasure. When we compromise our own integrity, and His. We're told in Scripture that the Spirit of God is "grieved" when we speak falsely behind someone's back, or spread bitterness, engage in empty speculation, and let our anger burn out of control. Something inside, and sometimes someone outside helps us to see how this doesn't fit. It's like we're being coached in how to use our own tongues.
It's also that sense of "Yes" that we feel when we've acted in some redemptive way, when we've gone with that "nudge" to make a call on someone, or to receive that call, and be honest. How many times have I heard people describe this sense of peace after they've given themselves away in some way, or set aside their own agenda, or given their time or their money to God's work. It's like we get confirmation... joy.
It's the excitement we feel when we make a connection between the words on the page God's word and a conversation we've just had. It's almost as if Someone is standing right next to you saying, "This is what I'm talking about..."
But we have to be prepared. Not everyone will agree. "The world cannot receive the Spirit of Truth because it neither sees him or knows him." All Pilate could say to Jesus in response to his claim that he bore witness to the truth, was, "What is truth?"
In fact Pilate was asking Jesus, "What is real?"
That certainly is the spirit of the age we live in, isn't it? Truth has taken a heavy hit over the last few centuries. What's real is what's in your head. Your truth is yours, mine is mine. And if that's the case, then we can invent truth. We can declare what's real and sell it in advertising, or in political rhetoric. Seems like we can make people believe whatever we want them to believe if we have enough money.
Jesus answered Pilate's question. But he didn't answer with words. He answered with history changing action. With his dying, and with his rising. Jesus risen publicly, showing us, the world, what is real. The truth.
What we can count on. What we can rely on. What we can trust with the full weight of our lives.
And here's the amazing thing. With the help of the Spirit of Truth, we become that kind of person ourselves.
When my brother and I were little sometimes we would play together at a local playground where there was a teeter-totter. Know what those are? They're illegal now. Too dangerous. My brother demonstrated why. He would get on one end and convince me to get on the other end. We'd go up and down for a while. And then, with me hanging high in the air, my brother, with a sly smile, would jump off his end and I would come crashing down.
After a few times of this (I was a little slow) I figured out that my brother was unreliable. He's grown up now. He's matured. A long time ago he gave his life to Christ. He's married. He's an elder in his church. He's learned a lot about responsibility. Now he's the kind of guy a lot of people count on. This is what happens when the Spirit of Truth lives in us. Slowly, imperceptibly, we become the kind of people others can lean on, (ride with on a teeter-totter), count on. Reliable. Trustworthy.
Jesus said, "You know [the Spirit of Truth], because he abides with you, and he will be in you."
Let me tell you the truth about the Spirit of Truth. If you open your life to Him, He will come and live with you. You will grow up. You will mature. But it will probably be different that what you expect. Prepare to weep. And to laugh. Prepare to be angry and to grieve over what you see happening all around you. Prepared to be surprised by passion burning in your belly that moves you to act. Prepare to feel past what you typically allow. Prepare for your heart to be broken...open. Prepare to feel like a kid with millions of questions. Prepare to sense that you are deeply loved. Prepare for boldness. Prepare to be greatly used of God."
It's a little scary that the Holy Spirit is this real.
But at the same time, it's also really kind of exciting, isn't it?
|
Westminster Presbyterian Church |