Stayed Plugged in!

Christ was under no allusions, not everyone would be open to the Holy Spirit, the Counsellor.

If I went outside and stopped the first five people who walked by and asked them ‘what is Church’ what would they say? Perhaps some would say ‘that building there’, others might say it is Archbishops – power, big buildings.

I wonder how many see it as each and every person who goes into church to worship? not just when all together but each person in their own right.

Of course we know the word Church does not refer to a physical building composed of wood and stone. That it refers to us the living stones, Christ’s body here on earth now. But we are only living stones through the gift and grace of the Holy Spirit, without the Holy

Spirit there can be no living Church. I might go to a shop and buy a light bulb, but until I plug it into the electricity it gives out no light, it is of no use, so it is with us until we plug ourselves into the Holy Spirit, listen to God and let him guide us we are not his body, not his disciples. Unless we are connected to the Holy Spirit and His power, our Christian life just won’t achieve anything. It is the Holy Spirit who empowers the Church and without Him our lives would be senseless and empty, fulfil no purpose, and most of all we would not be serving God.

Last Wednesday we have a power cut after the 10am service – no big deal – but in a way we became lost – where was the CD playing music to sing to, where’s the cup of coffee. Just everyday things, but isn’t it the same if we lose the power of the Holy Spirit – we can’t achieve all we would like to.

Christ came to earth to live among us and he knows how much we need a helper and the Holy Spirit is God’s gift to the Church. Jesus did not give his life for us; suffer for us, just to leave us floundering like a fish out of water.

We know we need the Holy Spirit and it is more than a prop. Variously over the centuries the word has been translated differently. In this reading it is counsellor, in other advocate and comforter. Three words which to us convey a slightly different meaning. In the dictionary Advocate – a person who pleads a case on someone’s behalf; comforter a person who provides consolation; counsellor – a person who gives advise. But do any of these words do justice. to the Holy Spirit?

I understand, for I do not know ancient Greek, that the nearest translation for the word used in the Gospel ‘parakletos’ is one who gives strength – just what the Holy Spirit does.

Going back to the three words I think I like the word advocate most – because it seems to convey justice as well as bringing comfort. We cannot serve God unless we believe in truth and justice.

People may seemingly obey Jesus’ words but they don’t love him (for we are surrounded by people who lead good lives but do not know Christ). But it is impossible to love him and not obey him. All of us who have had children or worked with children know that children will obey for many different reasons. Children cotton on quite quickly in life to the fact that doing as they are asked is the best way of getting what they want.

Sometimes they obey for fear of punishment, but we all know that they best way of being obeyed is because they love us.

And it’s the same with God – God wants us to follow in Christ’s footsteps not for some reward or out of fear, even less so we appear more righteous and can condemn others, but because we love him. Like any parent he wants our obedience to be the result of our love for Him as our Saviour and Lord.

It is only when we wholeheartedly respond to Christ with a willing heart that we are truly serving Him. If we love Christ we will do whatever he asks whenever he asks. We are not free to pick and choose what or when we want to obey. Love should make us want to obey Christ willingly and without question. But as St Paul discovered in the reading from Acts obeying Christ may not bring instant rewards, indeed even instant support, for as it said in the Gospel ‘whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees or knows him’.

Paul was discussing his faith with a group of people who were interested in religious debate. Paul wanted to tap into that interest, and help them to turn to Christ, but he was not interested in making Christianity fit in with what they wanted. He wanted to show them what it means to follow Christ, what it means to serve him. That we cannot buy favouritism with God, setting up grand altars is not what belief in Christ is about. That they will be judged on all they do not just on the gifts they offer to God. But this isn’t what the Athenians wanted to hear they didn’t want to hear about repentance of keeping within God’s laws, they wanted perhaps to be in control, they wanted to be affirmed in what they were doing not to be told they had to change their ways.

And isn’t this what we are faced with today – many people can’t understand why Christianity is about humility being told that to serve God you must pray to him and obey his commands. They don’t understand why people can’t just buy gifts why they are told they need to hear the Gospel and worship God. That they need to leave time to pray to God, for they need his help.

Society today encourages the individual – of course that is right – but it seems so often to be at the expense of community. Society wants all children to do well in their SAT’s but what about those children who don’t have the ability – does society make them feel like failures at an early age. And at the other extreme does the right to power for the individual lead some to regard themselves as superior to others. That they have the right to call the tune.

Today the Church has been asked to pray specially for Zimbabwe – where Mugabe feels he is so superior to others that he needn’t acknowledge the votes of the people, accept that they deserve justice. He is an extreme example – the tyrant.

But aren’t we tragically seeing this is a way in our own country – young men shot because they ventured into another gang’s patch. Never has society needed the help of the Holy Spirit, counsellor, advocate, comforter so much, and yet without a doubt many people who would call themselves Christian coming to Church seems pointless, perhaps its not exciting enough, there’s no instant feel good factor – they cannot understand the need for prayer.

The sure certainty of God’s love for us is that it is always just – at times life may not seem fair but God is always just. God is the God of Truth, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth and so God will only deal with us

on the basis of truth. Those who love Christ will obey his commands simply because it is Christ’s word

spoken to them. Whether it is the spoken commandment of Christ in the Bible, or the still small voice of his spirit speaking to us alone - those who love him will obey him. Our desire should be to obey Christ and serve Him only, for if our obedience is not truly God centred then we are in danger of serving ourselves and not Christ.

So where are we today, where do we fit into the picture?

Jesus is preparing to go again to his Father – Ascension Day is this Thursday. Are we listening to these words as if we are hearing them for the first time, seeing our lives in the context of the Holy Spirit, questioning ourselves?

Through the gift of the Holy Spirit are we fully focussed just on Jesus, are we allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal the wisdom of God and thereby helping us to understand God’s revelations. The Holy Spirit enables us to live according to God’s will. The Christian life demands relying on God for each step we take. That we may know and do his will, use our time to fulfil his will, and most importantly that we pray to God that we may do his will.

Let us pray that we always stay ‘plugged in’ to the Holy Spirit, accept God’s love and guidance. May we love life in this world to the full as God’s gracious gift, but never love it so much that we forget it is only the beginning of our eternal journey. Amen