25 “I have spoken these things to you while I am with you. 26 The Companion, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I told you.
Reflection
I thought that Pastor Joe gave a wonderful message last week on Pentecost Sunday sharing the description from Acts 2 of what that first Pentecost celebration might have looked like. As a Minister of Christian Education for 30 years, I created my fair share of Pentecost celebrations
and Children’s Moments. They were always fun and memorable.
But John 14 gives us a different image. It serves as a foundational promise for Pentecost celebrations forever as Jesus prepares his disciples for his departure. He and his disciples are celebrating Passover, as is their tradition, including a traditional supper preceded by a foot washing ritual. However, Jesus declares in John 14:23 that things are about to change. Jesus is anticipating his death. Both Jesus and the Holy Spirit will make their home with those who love God and keep God’s word. This anticipates the intimate indwelling of the Holy Spirit that is celebrated at this Pentecost celebration. In John 14:26, Jesus explains that even after death, the Spirit will teach the disciples everything they need to know and remind them of all
that Jesus taught. This is an important time for Jesus and the disciples to understand things will be changing.
The original Greek uses the word “Paraclete” to describe the special relationship we can each have with Jesus after he dies. Paraclete actually means “one called alongside to help.” Other translations use the name Companion, Advocate, Helper, Comforter or Counselor.
As I reflect on today’s scripture I am struck by the various names we each can use to define our relationship with God. John 14:25 in our translation today uses “Companion” for the translation of the original Greek “Paraclete.” Paraclete” is translated as Advocate, Companion, Comforter, Counselor, or Helper and is derived from a Greek word which literally means “one called alongside to help”. Paraclete is primarily used in Christian theology to refer to the Holy
Spirit. I love that image! Don’t you? “One called alongside to help.”
Picture your favorite teacher or friend or a family member; imagine a child, a youth, or a grandparent, walking alongside you as you listen to waves breaking on the beach or as you hear the evening sounds of birds and frogs settling down for the night. Now imagine reflecting with this person how you spent the day together helping people at a food bank or in a hospital or in a school, or in countless other ways.
As the vision continues, imagine hearing the sound of singing “We are One in the Spirit” (aka “They’ll Know We are Christians By Our Love”) Peter Scholtes wrote the hymn “They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love” while he was a parish priest at St. Brendan’s on the South Side of Chicago in the 1960s. At the time, he was leading a youth choir out of the church basement and was looking for an appropriate song for a series of ecumenical, interracial events. When he couldn’t find such a song, he wrote the now-famous hymn in a single day.
by Kathleen Stolz
For Pondering and Prayer
Like Peter Scholtes our names probably have changed as we have grown in age and understanding. How has your name changed with your place or your status in the world?
The name(s) you use for the members of the Trinity probably have changed as you have grown in age and understanding. What name or names have you used for God? What name do you currently use for the Spirit?
This Pentecost think about how your image of the Holy Spirit has altered as
you have aged. Are you surprised at what you see?
Prayer: God of Many Names, I give thanks for your presence in my life and in the world. As we celebrate Pentecost this year, I recognize that I have matured in my understanding of who you are, and who I am. Thank you for all the people, past, present and future, who have come into my life and helped to show me who you are. Amen and Amen.
