The Fifth Paraclete Rick Wright Trinity Sunday (C) May

Love…? Love is the one thing we can perceive that transcends the dimensions of time and space. (Amelia Brand, Interstellar, 1:28.24) Nice quote but… Love???

Connected physically How old? Atoms? H and He Small stars Large stars Supernovae Linked to past And to future

John “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he 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. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

John 16 Farewell Discourse (= Good-bye Speech) Jesus shares last meal with friends Knows that next day he will die Departure of Jesus = Crisis (Gail O’Day) Jesus = Incarnate Logos of God Logos = Word… Dao… Wisdom… Son… Incarnate = Takes on flesh… becomes human Is our experience of Jesus less? Our faith less?

Crisis and answer God is physically present in Jesus Christ Jesus will leave Jesus announces the Paraclete Greek parakletos = Helper... Advocate… Paraclete = the Holy Spirit the indispensable reality of the Christian community (!?!)

Who is the Paraclete? What does the Holy Spirit do? "Make Jesus and his work present and available to the Christian community in his absence“ Continue the work and mission of Jesus Through the Christian community

His mission => Our mission Holy Spirit available for work of mission (John Stott) We continue the work of Jesus How??? Alone??? John 16:12-15 = Fifth Paraclete teaching (Fifth time Jesus talks about Holy Spirit during Farewell Discourse)

Who is the Paraclete? Part 2 Holy Spirit does what Jesus does Jesus speaks words from God the Father… gives glory to God God the Father -> Son -> Holy Spirit

Connected spiritually How do we experience Jesus after he leaves physically? Holy Spirit (= Paraclete) Paraclete makes Jesus available to us today “No temporal or spatial limits to the love of Jesus or our access to it“ (O’Day) (?!?)

John “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth… and he will declare to you the things that are to come… 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. Holy Spirit = teacher and witness Remember words of Jesus… in new situations

Conserve and create Preserve what is old Do not throw away truth + wisdom from past And… do not hold on too tightly to what is old Open to news ways of interpret and apply Tradition is not what so much as how (Vladimir Lossky) How Holy Spirit leads us to understand more deeply what God already revealed Need to balance (1) received + (2) new

How? Scripture (= Bible) – Book of John itself example of how Holy Spirit works – I believe in the Holy Spirit… he has spoken through the prophets (Scripture) [Nicene Creed] Preaching (sorry) Prayer – Kursk Root Icon from 12 th century

Seraphim of Sarov The true goal of our Christian life is to gain the Holy Spirit of God. As for fasts and worship and prayer and giving and every good thing done for the sake of Christ – these are only the means of gaining the Holy Spirit of God. We can always pray Pray always