Peace I Give to You
by Stuart Malkin 26 May 2022
Reading: John 14:15-21 - The Promise of the Holy Spirit.
“If you love me you will obey my commandments. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another helper, who will stay with you for ever. He is the Spirit who reveals the truth about God. The world cannot receive Him, because it cannot see Him or know Him. But you know Him, because He remains with you and is within you. When I go you will not be left alone: I will come back to you. In a little while the world will see me no more, but you will see me, and because I live you also will live. When that day comes you will know that I am in my Father and that you are in me, just as I am in you. Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. My Father will love those who love me, I too will love them and reveal myself to them”.
Over the last few months there have been times when most, if not all, have questioned what is going on. The working population suddenly find stoppages brought about not because of inefficient ways or, as Andy Cokayne spoke of in a previous post, by financial matters flying out of control. Then being at home, what to do about mortgages, food and much more that had been the normal family life. Children finding school suddenly stopped, many not understanding why their routines stopped, also not seeing their closest friends and relatives. The older members of society thinking, Oh, not war without the bombs, kept away from their nearest and dearest, especially those they wanted to hug.
Troubles all around, but nothing to be seen. All ages wondering and waiting for the next next batch of frightening statistics. Could anything lift us up? Trusting in man for the outcome seems not to be in sight, so what next?
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At the beginning of the reading we see these words ‘Promises of the Holy Spirit’. Jesus speaks to his disciples and also his disciples of the ages beyond and into the twenty first century asking the obvious and important question about our love of him and subsequent love of his Father. How important it is to know that when Jesus leaves the world in a physical way we have the Holy Spirit to be with us. There is a loving bond between God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit so when there are traumas in the world disciples can rely on the bond to overcome them and so words in the song “You Raise Me Up” can become real. How often do we call on the Holy Spirit to enter into the world we are placed in and actually expect a communication. As Christians we are placed together as his Church, is the Church wanting the Spirit to work in miraculous ways or just as we have known it for decades? Perhaps we need to look at his commandments, obey and in doing so love more, and expect more of the working of the Spirit in each of our lives.
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Prayer
O Father God, you sent your Son, Jesus, for each and every one of us and you have also left us with the security of your Holy Spirit. We praise you for all your gifts.
Amen
A “Peace ” rose
