Scripture/Sermon of the Day

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate (Companion, Helper, Comforter), to be with you forever. 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.”

I. Our reading today happens during The Last Supper. Jesus is gathered with the disciples for a last meal before he is arrested. In the Gospel of John, this dinner lasts THROUGH FIVE CHAPTERS — 13-17. (Compared to Mark, where the supper is only in one chapter, and even then, it’s just 14 verses in Luke and Matthew, just 13 verses). The Last Supper is a major portion of John’s gospel with some of Jesus’ most important teachings.

This is where Jesus tells them the new love commandment. “Love one another as I have loved you,” he commanded. He tells them that now they know what God is like — because to see him is to see God. Then he shows what God does by getting on his knees and washing their feet.

He says, “If you love me you will keep my commandments.” Wait — I thought Jesus just had ONE commandment — “Love one another as I have loved you.” He did say there were two in the Old Testament that were like it: “Love God, and love your neighbor as yourself.” We could reduce all of Jesus’ teachings to the one word: “Love.” But who can do that? Paul told us in his last letter, the one called “Romans,” that will power is useless for doing God’s will. Will power is driven by our egos, and love is from God. We can’t will it into being. So how can we do Jesus one and only command to love? That’s why —

— in the passage today, he promises to give the Holy Spirit as a constant helper, comforter, advocate and companion. We can’t love without God’s help — it’s a basic teaching of our religion.

II. We are two Sundays from Pentecost where the Holy Spirit kind of exploded onto the scene. People from different parts of the world — when the spirit entered them — stopped feeling different from one another. They became one with each other and with God.

III. A number of years ago, there was a popular movement where people asked — as a personal guide to decisions — “What would Jesus do?” WWJD for short. You could buy rubber bracelets with WWJD on them. What would Jesus do?

I don’t hear too much about that now. Maybe because people realized it’s not a helpful question. For two reasons. First, when we read the Gospels, nobody could figure out what Jesus would do. Usually when he acted, it didn’t make sense to people, or he got into trouble. Look at the woman at the well. She was puzzled that Jesus, a Jewish man would stop and talk to her. The Pharisees couldn’t understand why Jesus associated with “undesirables” and why he didn’t follow the Bible. Respectable people were confused how a man who was supposed to be “holy” was eating with gangsters and prostitutes. The disciples tried to push people away from Jesus who were wanted to be with him — like the children, like the crowds of thousands whom Jesus eventually fed.

The second problem with WWJD — even if we figure out what Jesus would do — is -- who wants to do it? Who would want to. He says if somebody steals your car — find out who the thief is, track him down — so you can give him your credit card too so he can fill up the tank! Tell him to just keep the card for heaven’s sake! And while he’s at it — treat him to a new television and computer! And Jesus says give to everyone who wants to borrow and don’t ask for it back.

IV. And yet — deep down we know that he’s the way and the truth and the life. Even if we can’t — even if we don’t want to — follow him with our will power.

V. And here’s how it works. The Holy Spirit helped me just yesterday. I went into the kitchen and it was a mess — really awful. That’s because the dishwasher was loaded with clean dishes — it hadn’t been emptied yet. And Annie and her boyfriend Cam had earlier made themselves sandwiches and various things for a picnic lunch they’d planned to have at a beach in West Haven — and left a huge mess — the sink was filled with cutting boards and dishes and utensils, knives, measuring cups. Avocado and balsamic were smeared over the countertop.

I looked at this and started thinking. I thought how impressive it would be if Annie had some device working inside her that actually made her want to clean up after herself. Or at least, if she didn’t, she’d have a boyfriend who had that, who’d say to her, “Before we go we have to clean up in here.”

I caught myself smiling with this thought. That’s when something started happening to me! The Holy Spirit came — this energy started moving my feet and my legs and I thought, “Oh my God, what’s happening? I’m moving!….” My moving feet and legs moved me right to the dishwasher and I started unloading it myself. And when it was empty, my hands started washing dishes in the sink, and cutting boards, until it was all lovely. And all of this without the slightest gripe or grumble. I even felt happy while everything became beautiful.

VI. I read something a Buddhist monk said once. He said, “Before I was enlightened, I washed dishes and did my laundry. And after I was enlightened, I washed dishes and did my laundry.” The only difference — which is huge — after enlightenment — after the Holy Spirit takes over — there’s no anger, no resentment, no martyrdom — everything’s good. It's all good.