Word to the Wise
Saturday, May 7, 2016 - 6th Week of Easter - Sat
[Acts 18:23-28 and John 16:23b-28,370]"For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father." [John]
"Coming from" and "going back to" form a kind of overarching theme in the Gospel of John. Jesus presents himself as the "one sent by God," and is now about to return to the one who sent him in order that the Spirit will come and be the abiding presence of God in the faithful. It is this Spirit that Jesus is trying to explain to the disciples so that they do not despair when he is crucified ("lifted up").
I know in my own experience that it is the living presence of the Holy Spirit that enables me to fulfill the ministry that I am called to - itinerant and online preaching. Each morning I sit down at the computer, open my "misalet" to the scriptures of the day and look for what the Spirit is saying through the Word of God. This could seem rather pretentious in the saying, but I assure you, this is the way it happens. The same thing is true for pulpit and retreat preaching. I come with an idea and hope that the Spirit will help me find the words to present it. The Lord's assurance of that Spirit keeps me at it.
Jesus' return to the Father is part of the story in the Gospel of John. His ministry began with the Spirit at the Jordan River. Ours begins with our baptism/confirmation. Confidence in that Spirit can enable us to share our faith with others so that they too may come to believe that Jesus is the one whom God has sent, and the Spirit is the one who comes from their love. AMEN