EASTER  6             17^TH MAY 2020                 

WE GATHER IN GOD’S PRESENCE –

Lighting the Candle

Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world.

Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness

but will have the light of life.’

Let us be mindful of each other as we engage in worship:

Greeting:

the Lord is risen HE IS RISEN INDEED

this risen Lord be with you AND ALSO WITH YOU

We Focus on God     (Psalm 66.8,9 & 20)

Bless our God, O peoples,
    let the sound of his praise be heard,
WHO HAS KEPT US AMONG THE LIVING,
    AND HAS NOT LET OUR FEET SLIP.

Blessed be God,
    because he has not rejected my prayer
    OR REMOVED HIS STEADFAST LOVE FROM ME.

We Sing: TIS 387 Christ is alive

Prayer :         Gracious GOD,

we gather with praise and hope in your presence

because last Sunday began again

that contact with others, though limited,

which sustains us in our living…

We are in awe that you offer us similar intimacy

through your abiding Spirit;

as we focus on you and your word for us,

may your care for the world

become our care for creation,

its creatures and humanity;

open our eyes to how we might live

in obedience to our Lord’s command,

love one another, as I have loved you

as an expression of our devotion to Christ,

our obedience to you,

and our witness to your indwelling Spirit…

therefore we pray as our Lord taught us to pray:

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours

now and forever. Amen

WE LISTEN FOR A WORD FROM GOD

Holy GOD,

as we reflect on the mystery and the miracle

of your presence with us and amongst us,

anchor us in your love,

ground us in your peace,

and open us to the truth and the comfort

of your Holy Spirit, today and always. AMEN #

Scripture

1 PETER 3.13-22

¹³ Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? ¹⁴ But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, ¹⁵ but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defence to anyone who demands from you an account of the hope that is in you; ¹⁶ yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷ For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. ¹⁸ For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, ¹⁹ in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight people, were saved through water. ²¹ And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for^[f] a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

In this is the Word of the Lord   WE HEAR AND REJOICE, O LORD

JOHN 14: 15-21

¹⁵ ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another paraclete, to be with you for ever. ¹⁷ 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.

¹⁸ ‘I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. ¹⁹ In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. ²¹ They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.’ 

Please note, in this Gospel text the word paracletos appears in verse 16.

And I will ask the Father,

and he will give you another paracletos

to be with you for ever

This is the Gospel of our Lord  PRAISE TO YOU LORD JESUS CHRIST

Prayer of Confession

Holy God, Jesus said, if you love me, you will keep my commandments

He elaborated: that you love one another as I have loved you.

 (John 13:34;15:12)

We come confessing the challenge in that demand:

we too often allow that which irritates us about others,

appearance, mannerisms, language…

to hinder that care and concern Jesus shows us;

Lord have mercy…

we too often allow that which makes us uncomfortable with others,

their chronic condition, their drug dependency,

their state of mind, their need…

to stifle that care and concern Jesus shows us;

Christ have mercy

we too often allow that which alarms us about others,

their country of origin, their race, their political persuasion,

at times their theology…

to thwart that care and concern Jesus shows us;

Spirit have mercy…

Declaration of Reconciliation

The apostle Peter declares: (1 Peter 3:18-21)

¹⁸ For Christ also suffered for sins once for all,

the righteous for the unrighteous,

in order to bring you to God.

Let us remember our baptism, what Peter called our:

appeal to God for a good conscience,

through the resurrection of Jesus…

in Christ, his death and resurrection,

we are reconciled with God,

therefore we say with peace in our hearts THANKS BE TO GOD

Passing the Peace.. as we raise our hands in blessing to those unseen…
The peace of the Risen Lord be with you all  AND ALSO WITH YOU.

We Sing:  TIS 158 GOD HAS SPOKEN BY HIS PROPHETS 3VV

Contemporary Word   Three Cheers for the Paraclete

A book I appreciated immensely only a year or so after ordination in 1969 was ‘Three Cheers for the Paraclete’, by Thomas Keneally.

I have to confess I bought the book to read

mainly because of the title which included the word paraclete!  

   I should have realized there would be no definitive explanation of the origin and meaning of the word paraclete, it is a novel after all.

   The publisher’s description stated: Set in a Roman Catholic diocese today (that would be the 1960’s) Three Cheers for the Paraclete

is about the dilemma of the rebel who knows

that established authority is wrong,

but doesn’t know how to put it right,

because he is himself too much a part of it. 

A later edition simply stated:

Time and again his efforts to do the right thing for his fellow men (sic)

lead him into conflict with his superiors

and the immutable laws of the church –

a conflict which ultimately threatens to destroy him

both as a priest and as a man.

   However,the story as it unfolded,

demonstrated incidental moments of grace

which reflected the nature and work of the paraclete,

the Jesus promised Holy Presence

which would nurture and nourish,

guide and support,

defend and protect those who decided to follow his way! 

I found it incredibly encouraging and affirmative

of my own sense of call to ministry

in those challenging early post-ordination years of my ministry practice.

   Paraclete is the word in John 14:16

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another paracletos,

to be with you for ever. 

The Jerusalem Bible, for one, does not translate paracletos into English,

but transliterates, that is, replaces Greek letters with English ones,

(as happens with e.g. baptism, and angel

in N.T. translations most used by us).  It comments: 

The title ‘Paraclete’ used is a transliteration of the Gk word parakletos;

in English it is difficult to choose between the various meanings:

 ‘advocate’, ‘intercessor’, ‘counsellor’, ‘protector’, ‘support’. …^[1]

   A quick check of 58 different translations of paraclete into English

had Helper (20) as first preference,

Comforter (13) as second,

and with nine each, Advocate and Counsellor as third.

(I could not determine if Counsellor in USA based translations

is in fact an American alternate term for Advocate,

if so it would move this legal role into second spot)

Three translations opted for Paraclete,

two for Friend,

with Companion and Holy Spirit scoring one each.

   Rather a ponderous way by me to introduce the paraclete,

who is promised to us, if you like,

as an undefinable alternative presence to Jesus

(Jesus said: and he (the Father) will give you another paracletos,

to be with you for ever).

The very variety of possible understandings

of the paraclete’s presence and role echoes, it seems to me,

an Isaiah text (9:5,6) we associate with Jesus,

and his multifaceted presence and role!

For a child has been born for us,
    a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
    and he is named
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Just to clarify, Counsellor in the context of the times

(both that of Isaiah and that of Jesus)

means not a social worker, or psychologist, but advisor, consultant!

Comforter might come closest to our understanding of counsellor…

A listing of the paraclete’s roles and functioning in modern terms

could include:

defence council, lobbyist, life coach, security, coach, advisor, consultant,

counsellor, therapist…

What are we to make of these multiple possibilities of understanding paraclete?

My thinking is that our focus should be on

the reference to another paraclete

so when we think in terms of person, role and function,

we automatically think in terms

of an extension of Jesus’ person, role and function…

Jesus, self-identified as the way, the truth and the life,

names the paraclete as the Spirit of Truth

he will give you another paraclete, to be with you for ever. 

¹⁷ This is the Spirit of truth…

Jesus clearly associates his life with the gifted paraclete,

his resurrection life bringing life to the disciples…

¹⁹ In a little while the world will no longer see me,

but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 

The paraclete will open the way to follow Jesus to the disciples,

²⁵ ‘I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 

²⁶ But the paraclete, the Holy Spirit,

whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything,

and remind you of all that I have said to you.

The promised paraclete clearly fills the gap within the disciples’ life

because of Jesus’ pending ascension…

¹⁸ ‘I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. 

though the nature of the interaction between Jesus and paraclete

remains shrouded in mystery…

The mystery expands because of the close association

between Jesus and the Father…

²⁰ On that day you will know that I am in my Father,

and you in me, and I in you. 

Here we have the association of Father, Son and Spirit

reflecting the community of Father, Son and Spirit…

what we in theological shorthand call the trinity…

The mind-blowing truth is the use of ‘abide’

You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be inyou.

The paraclete takes up residency within us

by virtue of our commitment to Jesus!

Here is an echo of

 ² In my Father’s house there are many abiding-places (residencies).

Those who have not made this commitment, i.e. the world, 

cannot recognise the multi-faceted roles and work of the paraclete,

whom the world cannot receive,

because it neither sees him nor knows him.

The reason we will be able to recognize the indwelling paraclete,

who points to Jesus

is because we keep the commandments of Christ

¹⁵ ‘If you love me, you will keepmy commandments

²¹ They who have my commandments and keep them

are those who love me;

and those who love me will be loved by my Father,

and I will love them and reveal myself to them.

When we read of keeping Jesus’ commandments

we always return to the commandment 

that you love one another as I have loved you.

Jesus repeats: I am giving you these commands

so that you may love one another.

(John 13:34;15:12,17)

Paul puts it this way:

“God’s love has been poured into our hearts

through the Holy Spirit

that has been given to us” (1 Cor. 12:4, 12:31; Rom. 5:5).

Love that is somehow, in its own way,

infinite, unrestricted, without limits or conditions,

capable of bearing, hoping, enduring, believing all things, inextinguishable by death or life, height or depth,

angels or principalities (1 Cor. 13:7, Rom. 8:38).

Love that is also deeply relational…

and therefore comprising many aspects, (e.g. 1Cor.13!)

Mark Ralls  a United Methodist minister, in the USA

suggests cherish may be a useful focus; he comments thus:

• “I am in my Father, Jesus assures his disciples

in this week’s reading from John, “and you in me, and I in you” (14:20). Maybe this saying points to some esoteric, mystical indwelling.

But I wonder if Jesus has something more familiar in mind,

something more easily recognizable.

I wonder if he is referring

to a depth of loyalty and commitment—a love—

that is typically reserved for the closest members of one’s own family.

This particular kind of love is expressed

during moments of great challenge,

moments when we say something even stronger

than the colloquial “I am behind you” or “I am standing with you.”

We say, “You are in my heart and mind.”

It is a kind of cherishing.

Compared to various other attributes we assign to God,

cherishing has received relatively little theological attention.

Maybe this is because it is so easily absorbed

into the broader category of love.

Yet cherishing represents a specific kind of love or,

better, a specific way of loving—

one that inspires deep commitment and stubborn loyalty.

It is about a merging of heart, mind, and will.

Mark Ralls concludes with:

All this may be difficult to put into words,

but it is immediately recognizable

to those who have experienced it”. +

A child knows when he or she is cherished,

the certain knowledge that welcome and warmth await at home,

wife and husband know when cherishing

is the dominant atmosphere within the marriage,

that sense of wellbeing between each other

which nothing from outside can disturb…

This cherishing God extends to us,

invites us to enjoy and relax in

as we contemplate on the indwelling paraclete,

who is resident with us forever,

as we recognise the Christ who abides in us and in the Father,

therefore we share in the Father as well…

Imagine receiving this sort of divine cherishing…

In George Bernard Shaw’s play, Saint Joan,

Captain Robert is interrogating the young Joan of Arc. 

He is particularly disdainful of the voices from God

she claims to hear from God which are telling her what to do.  

Captain Robert dismiss the possibility

that these voices come from God –

on the contrary, he insists,

“they come from your imagination.” 

Joan replies, “Of course.

That is how the messages of God come to us.”  

WE RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD

We Sing: TIS 569 GUIDE ME O THOU GREAT REDEEMER

We Bring Our offering to God

setting aside our gifts to support the local and wider work of the church

and bless our gifts in an act of praise…

Reflect on, join in with,

the following rendition of the Doxology,

which incorporates some thoughtful additional sung reflection…

(takes about 5 minutes)…

We Share Our Community Life 

Have you updated your copy of the prayer diary yet?

Prayers of the People

God of mercy and grace,

Peter reminds us of suffering for our faith;

Through your gifted Spirit,

guide our thought and prayers towards those of your people

who because of their steadfast loyalty to Jesus

suffer hardships unknown to us here:

we think of our brothers and sisters in Christ in far-away places,

where being a minority makes them vulnerable to attack

on their businesses, housing and person,

such as in Iraq, Syria, parts of Indonesia, India…

where being disdained by government,

they suffer similar losses and grief,

such as in certain provinces of China and states in India…

where surrounded by aggressive militants of other faiths

they are kidnapped or killed, places of worship destroyed,

such as in several African nations, including areas of Nigeria…

Grant them the assurance of your care

and an awareness of your presence

which echoes the Psalmist’s experience of you:

Blessed be God,
    because he has not rejected my prayer
    or removed his steadfast love from me.

Show us ways in which we may act on our love for them

which will bring a change to their situation…

Lord hear us LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER

We pray for those folk dear to us

who suffer in different ways,

with ill health and debilitating afflictions of body and mind…

• name these aloud or within our minds… –

may they also experience such support from you

that they can echo the Psalmist, and exclaim:

Bless our God, O peoples,
    let the sound of his praise be heard,
who has kept us among the living,
    and has not let our feet slip.

Lord hear us, LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER

in the name of Jesus, who suffered beyond our imaginings,  

AMEN

WE GO OUT TO SERVE GOD

We Sing  TIS 596 FILL THOU MY LIFE, O LORD

Sending Out (1 Peter 3:15,16 and John 14:15,16,21)

We go as a people of God,

we go not merely in our own strength,

but as a people endowed with the paraclete,

therefore:

do not be intimidated, 

honour the Christ as Lord in your hearts.

Because you love him, love others;

through your love of others, love him…

Always be ready to make your defence to anyone

who demands from you an account of the hope that is in you, 

yet do it with gentleness and reverence.

Blessing

The blessings of the paraclete who accompanies us

as ‘helper’, ‘comforter’, ‘advocate’

‘counsellor’, ‘friend’, ‘companion’,

and more…

nurture and sustain us,

keep us safe

and with a clear conscience,

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ

to the glory of God the Father… Amen

The Lord is risen HE IS RISEN INDEED

# from PRAYERS FOR ALL SEASONS (2016) edited by Ellen Turnbull p.115

+ Mark Ralls  CHRISTIAN CENTURY May 13, 2014

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^[1] Wansbrough, H. (Ed.). (1990). The New Jerusalem Bible (p. 1777). New York; London; Toronto; Sydney; Auckland: Doubleday.