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Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
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Comforted and Exalted |
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John
15:26-16:4 Sunday
after Ascension May
16, 2010 The
disciples did not know what to think about the words of Christ in our
Gospel reading for today. They
could not really grasp the fact that Christ would be killed or that after
rising from the grave He would leave them without accomplishing their hope
of a global Israelite state free of Romans and Gentiles forever.
What horror and fear must have gripped their hearts as Christ told
them not only about His own death, but also that they would be banned from
the synagogues, persecuted, and even killed by their own countrymen.
They would have two questions in their minds.
First, how can this be? This
is not what the Messiah does. The
Messiah is supposed to conquer the earth and sit them on golden thrones to
live in magnificent luxury and ease.
Second, if His words are true, how will they bear up?
How will they endure such treatment?
How will they make it? They
did not understand the nature and work of the Messiah.
They did not realise that He came to establish a Kingdom of the
Spirit that would be open to all people, not just the Jews.
They did not realise He came to give His life as the payment for
the sins of all who would believe in Him.
Had they understood these things their response might have been
different. They might have
responded as the Collect for the Sunday after Ascension prays, for God to
give them "comfort" in the face of their trials, and to
"exalt" them to Heaven when their trials are over.
Many cannot see the connection between today's Collect and the
Scripture readings. But
looking at the words of Christ from our perspective of knowing the Gospel
of salvation, and the hardships that often accompany faith, we might also
fall to our knees and pray, "O
God, the King of glory, who hast exalted thine only Son Jesus Christ with
great triumph unto thy kingdom in heaven; We beseech thee, leave us not
comfortless; but send unto us thine Holy Ghost to comfort us, and exalt us
unto the same place whither our Saviour Christ is gone before, who liveth
and reigneth with thee and the same holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen." Our
Lord's words lead us to seek His Comfort.
Like the Apostles, we wonder how we can face the trials He speaks
of in this passage? How can
we endure the hatred of the world, the loss of possessions and friends,
and even death itself, unless God Himself gives us some source of comfort?
"Leave us not comfortless."
Comfort
in this passage refers not to a soft bed or a nice house.
It refers to a sense of well being in the soul that comes from
knowing God is with you. This
comfort fears no evil even though we live in the shadow of death.
This comfort comes from knowing that even in the presence of our
enemies, God prepares a table, for us.
Comfort, then, is the confidence that you can face the world
because your life and soul are in the hands of God.
This
is an important concept when trying to understand the Holy Spirit.
He is the Comforter, and His being with and in us enables us to
stand and persevere. The Holy
Spirit enables us to remain in Christ no matter what happens to us in this
world. That would be the
comfort needed by the disciples in Christ's day. It is still the comfort we need today. This
kind of comfort comes only from the knowledge of God's truth, by which I
mean to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
The Comforter is the Spirit of Truth.
He testifies of Christ. He
convinces us of the Truth. He
enables us to believe it. He
teaches us about the life and ministry of Christ, about the meaning of the
crucifixion and resurrection, about the forgiveness of sin and life
everlasting. This is the
comfort brought to us by the Comforter.
This alone can comfort the soul facing trial in this life and
judgment in the next. This is
why the Apostle Paul, speaking of these very truths, told us to comfort
one another with these words. Our
Lord's words lead us to trust that He will raise us to be with Him when
this world has done its worst and our bodies give up the ghost, and death
claims this mortal flesh. We
trust that death is rest from our labours and the entrance into joys we
see only dimly now, but then will know as we are known, forever.
His words teach us to hope that as He is exalted to the Kingdom in
Heaven, we who follow Him in this life will also be exalted to it.
He told us He has gone to prepare a place for us, and that He will
come again and receive us unto Himself, that where He is there we may be
also, in His Father's House of Mansions.
How
could we face the trials of life if we had not this faith?
How could we believe in God if we did not also believe the troubles
of this life are not worthy to be compared to the glory we shall enjoy in
Heaven? How could we ever
face the cross if we did not also believe there is a crown?
"O
God, the King of glory, who hast exalted thine only Son Jesus Christ with
great triumph unto thy kingdom in heaven; We beseech thee, leave us not
comfortles; but send unto us thine Holy Ghost to comfort us, and exalt us
unto the same place whither our Saviour Christ is gone before, who liveth
and reigneth with thee and the same holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen."
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