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Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
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The Holy Comforter |
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John
14:15-31 Whitsuntide May
23, 2010 In
the American South, the word "comforter" often refers to a thick
quilted blanket. We love to
curl up with a comforter on a cold winter's night. Let the snow fall and
the north wind blow, our comforter keeps us warm and safe. Our Lord tells
us of another Comforter. In our Gospel reading for today He says, "I
will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may
abide with you forever" (Jn. 14:16).
Who is this Comforter, and what is the comfort He brings? The
Comforter is the Holy Spirit. He
often goes by other names. Our
Lord Himself, after calling Him the Comforter, calls Him in the very next
verse, the "Spirit of truth."
In other places He is called the Spirit of God, the Spirit of
Christ, and the Holy Ghost. But all of these names refer to the same
Person, and this Person is none other than God Himself.
Just as the Father is God and the Son is God, the Holy Ghost is
also fully God, the third Person of the Holy Trinity.
It is impossible for us to understand how God can be one God, yet,
at the same time, three Persons. People,
trying to understand this, have adopted various "explanations"
of it, all of which raise more questions and problems than they answer.
Rather than trying to explain the Trinity, it is best to accept the
fact that God is beyond our ability to explain, and accept the statements
about Him He gives in the Scriptures.
These are well summarised for us in our Articles
of Religion beginning on page 603 of the Prayer Book.
Please turn to page 603 and let us read the first Article, titled
"Of Faith in the Holy Trinity" together. "There
is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body, parts, or
passions; of infinite power wisdom, and goodness; the Maker and Preserver
of all things both visible and invisible.
And in the unity of this Godhead there be three Persons, of one
substance, power, and eternity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Ghost." Now
let us read together Article V, "Of the Holy Ghost."
"The
Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of one substance,
majesty, and glory, with the Father and the Son, very and eternal
God." The
Holy Ghost is none other than God Himself.
He is God with us, and God in us.
He dwells in His Church, and you are the Temple of the Holy Spirit.
But why He is called the "Comforter?" What comfort does He bring to us?
How are we comforted by His work? The
Holy Spirit is our Comforter because He is our help in prayer. Real prayer
is a difficult thing. That's
why we tend to want to substitute emotions and feelings for it. As C.S. Lewis reminded us, we would rather feel like we are
praying than pray. We are
tempted to measure prayer by our feelings rather than by the Bible.
May I say, with all the Christian love and pastoral compassion I
have, that is sin. Fortunately
there is help. God has given
us a Helper. One of the
greatest passages on prayer in the entire Bible is Romans 8:26-27, "the
Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray
for as we ought; but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be
uttered. And He that
searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He
maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." The
Holy Spirit is our Comforter because He teaches us the deep things of God.
That's why today's Gospel reading calls Him the "Spirit of
Truth" (Jn. 14:17). We
have such difficulty understanding the things of God.
Our minds are small compared to Him, and there is a natural
tendency within us to imagine God as we want Him to be, rather than as He
really is. Thus, the
possibility for error is enormous. We would have no real understanding if
the Holy Spirit were not here to guide our minds and thoughts.
Oh, we would have the rudimentary knowledge the Bible tells us
about in the first two chapters of Romans.
We would know God exists, and we would know we have sinned against
Him, and thus, we would know we are without excuse.
But we would not know about Christ in saving faith.
We would not know He is God in flesh, who lived and died and rose
again to reconcile us to Himself. Such
knowledge is only given to us by the Holy Ghost (1 Cor. 2:10-13).
The Holy Ghost is our Comforter because He teaches us the things of
God. The
Holy Ghost is our Comforter because He is the presence of Christ.
In John 14:18 Jesus said, "I will not leave you comfortless: I
will come to you." We know Christ ascended into Heaven and is seated at the
right hand of the Father, so in what way does He come to us in this world?
He comes to us in the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit dwells in us and fills our being.
We are not alone. The
Holy Spirit is our comforter because He is God with us now. The
Holy Spirit is our Comforter because He guides us into the life of
holiness. Holiness is not
just good, it is also good for us. Holiness
leads our souls into green pastures and beside the still waters by leading
us away from the things that harm us and leading us into the things that
contribute to true happiness. Satan
tells us sin enhances our lives and is the way to true happiness, but a
closer examination reveals that his temptations are fishing lures.
They look inviting, but they bristle with hooks to capture and
kill. Read the Book of
Ecclesiastes. Read about the Fall in Genesis 3 and the Tower of Babel in
Genesis 11. These stories tell the truth about sin and its results. The Holy Spirit is our Comforter because He leads us into
good things. The
Holy Spirit is our Comforter because He gives us peace of mind. By
teaching us the things of God, leading us into the truth, and bringing us
to faith in Christ, the Spirit answers the great fears and questions of
life. We are not tossed and
carried about by every wind and fad of doctrine.
We're not deceived by the latest cult or pop theology.
Our souls have found a Star that guides our course in life.
Jesus said, "the truth shall make you free."
Part of that freedom is being released from the constant need to
ask, "Who am I, why am I here, what is the meaning of life, what is
truth, what is good, what is evil, what builds community, unity, and
peace, and what destroys it?" And
the great fears of life loose their power over us.
What if we are rejected by our friends?
We have God. What if
we become poor, or homeless, or hungry?
We have God. Why
should we fear any man? We
have God. We
live in a world filled with sin and evil, a world of devils that threaten
to undo us. Evil powers want
to destroy our world, our nation, our Church, our family, and our soul.
They would if they were not restrained by God.
But in this world of woe, we are wrapped in the love and protection
of God, through the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Like a warm comforter on a cold winter's night, we are insulated
from evil, and wrapped up in God. Let
us close by praying together the words of the Collect for Whitsuntide on
page 180 of the Prayer Book. "O
God, who as at this time didst teach the hearts of thy faithful people, by
sending to them the light of thy Holy Spirit; Grant us by the same Spirit
to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his
holy comfort; through the merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour, who liveth
and reigneth with thee in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, world
without end. Amen."
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