Rick and I were married 33 years ago this November. If your
math is as good as mine, that makes it 1984. We met through YMCA camp, I was
the waterfront director and he was a camp counselor. But the point of this is
baseball. When Rick and I met and were dating, we went to the Metrodome for
Twins baseball. Now, in those days, I rolled my eyes at baseball, boring! And
actually fell asleep during baseball games. But I went, because he seemed to
enjoy it and I loved him. We got married, and had kids, and brought our kids to
the Metrodome for Twins baseball. As long as the kids could walk under the
turnstile, they were free, we packed our own hotdogs in our picnic basket, and
got to the dome early so we could sit way down in front, or on the third base
line to watch batting practice. Before the game began, we'd move up into the
nosebleed section into our own seats. I grew to love baseball, our kids love
Twins baseball, and we go whenever we can, even to Miller Park! These days, if
you see me checking my phone, it’s to get the score of the game. It's crazy
what we'll do for love.
In the fifteenth chapter of John, following what we hear
today is, "This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I
have loved you." And what we have from John this week is a follow up to
what we heard last week. John reminds us, you know how to do this, love is
hard, and you can do hard things. John reminds us that love is about a
relationship, love God, love yourself, love others. And in John, Jesus reminds
us that we will not be left alone, love is a hard thing after all, and so Jesus
gives the Advocate. Advocate is one way to translate the Greek word, Paraclete.
Paraclete can function relationally by designating one who brings help,
consolation, comfort, and encouragement. All of these meanings however, derive
from the most basic meaning of the word to “come along side another.” A
colleague was telling me that there was a time when a person who was standing
for trial literally stood in the box the entire time. A Paraclete is the one
who stands with, the one who holds up, and the Paraclete was the one to come
along side to help the person stand throughout the trial, and if needed, to
stand in for that person. This is the image that John evokes in this passage,
this is the truth of what Jesus does in this passage. Jesus shows us what God's
love for God's people looks like, we are not left alone, we are not left to our
own devices.
What is hard about love, is that our world has led us to
believe that love is about a feeling, that love is the same as romance, or
passion, or sex. Love comes and goes. You can fall into and out of love. But
that is not this love that God commands, that is not the love that this story
shows us. A real love story is a story that shows a relationship that endures,
a relationship in which the lovers treat each other well, respectfully,
compassionately, lovingly, even when they don't feel like it, even when they
don't want to. A real love story is a story in which a father pushes his son's
wheel chair for the whole race, so that the son will know what it is like to
run. A real love story is when one friend, who is blind, puts his friend who
has no legs, on his back and they go about living life together. A real love
story is when a couple watches baseball together, because they've grown to love
baseball together.
Love is holding another person up, when all we want to do is
fall down. Love is holding another person up when it seems impossible to stand
another moment. Love is standing there for another person, speaking on behalf
of the other, being the voice for the voiceless, love is showing up. And it is
hard, so Jesus leaves this Spirit, this Advocate, this Paraclete, with us, we
are not left alone.
Love is hard, and you can do hard things. Have you ever
known that Spirit, that Advocate, that Paraclete coming along side of you? This
Spirit, this Paraclete is hard to identify. But it lives somewhere in the wind
and the flame of compassion, of grace, courage, faith, peace, laughter, music,
strength, and joy.
Love is hard, and you can do hard things. When is a time
when you have wanted to just lie down and quit, or even die, but someone came
by your side and held you up? When have you been broken and spent, and someone
came by your side and gave you words of encouragement? When have you been ready
to throw in the towel, when have you been ready to call it quits, and someone
came by your side and said, that's why a baseball game is nine innings. When
have you stood by the side of one you love, when doing so may have seemed
doomed.
An understanding of Advocate is "to speak on behalf of
another." In John, this is a manifestation trinity that is different than
the more familiar Spirit, as in wind or fire. We’ll hear more about that
manifestation of the Spirit in the coming weeks, when we celebrate the feast of
Pentecost. But here, in this part of John, the Advocate will stick up for you,
and you will stick up for others. You will bear witness, you speak on behalf of
love, you will stand by the side of the other or the beloved, you will hold one
another up, because you can do hard things, because God loves you, and because
Love wins even if the Twins don't.
What amazing good news this is, especially as we face the
challenges of these times. The Advocate has our back and will never give up on
us. It feels empowering, like when someone is with you and for you, you can
take risks, you can try things you didn’t think you’d try, not because you
won’t ever fail, but because failure won’t destroy you when you’ve got this
kind of support. You can try, and try again, and try yet again because you have
an advocate.
And it’s hard to be generous, brave and compassionate when
it seems like so many are not; when we witness people in all aspects of our
civic lives, and even our personal lives, use language that is divisive and
hurtful. It’s hard to be generous, brave, and compassionate when you feel that
no one hears you, or even when you are afraid. Remember though, you can do hard
things, because the Advocate stands with you, and even stands for you. You can
do hard things, because God’s love wins, and God’s love welcomes all. We can do
hard things, because we stand with and for each other, because we are nourished
with bread and wine, body and blood. We can do hard things, because we are sent
into the world bearing God’s love. Amen.
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