The Holy Spirit at Work
“I will not leave you orphaned,” declares Jesus in our gospel lesson today from John. “I will ask,” says Jesus, “and the Father will send you “another Advocate” to be with you forever. This Advocate, Jesus goes on to say, is “the spirit of truth” that will be revealed to those who love Jesus, who is and has been the first Advocate on our behalf.
Yes! On this sixth Sunday of Easter, we are invited to remember that God’s resurrection work through Christ has adopted us into new life, resurrected life that pulls us again and again from the chains of brokenness and of sin as individuals and as communities and world so that we can love Jesus and in so doing better learn to love our God-beloved-selves, as well as others and this world around us. And that this resurrection story is not the end of the journey for us, but the beginning of a new chapter. Yes! For on the sixth Sunday of Easter, we are invited into action and reflection and then more action, supported by the Holy Spirit, the Advocate.
What is the Holy Spirit? Christian communities have long held that the Holy Spirit is that third person, third aspect of the Trinity that inspires new ideas, and makes it possible to live out our traditions with inspired, courageous new approaches. The Holy Spirit helps us individually and collectively listen to and for God and God’s leading in our lives.