Another Helper John 14:15–21

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God, our Father, and our Lord, Jesus Christ, who has promised us another Helper. 

John 14:16, Jesus said: I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever.

As we move along through the season of Easter, we’re getting close to the celebration of our Lord’s ascension, which will be next Sunday.

In the Upper Room, the night before His crucifixion, Jesus was already preparing His disciples for His ascension.

After that, He would still be with them, but not visibly. They’d no longer be able to talk to Him face to face, and be with Him to see His expressions, and gestures, and habits, like we all have.

Sometimes it’s comforting just to see the people we love, to see their face. 

Even though Jacquie can’t answer us and talk anymore, it’s still comforting for me and our girls just to be able to see her, and touch her hand and face.

When our loved ones depart this life for heavenly life, we miss not seeing and touching them. And we’ll be so happy to see them and their dear face in Heaven… and hug them again.

The disciples were going to miss that comfort and assurance in seeing their Lord and His face everyday. 

Jesus knew it would be a difficult transition for them, but He also knew that it would be for their benefit for Him to ascend.

Later that holy Thursday evening, He told them, Because I have said these things to you, (that He would be leaving them) sorrow has filled your heart.

 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you… Another Helper. 

In today’s Gospel Jesus told them who the Promised Helper is: Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you.

More than a helper beside you, a helper within you.

That’s as close as anyone or anything could be to us… to be within us, the Holy Spirit in our spirit.

No one, nothing, can be as close to you as God can be, and is… the Holy Spirit alive and at work in you through Baptism, by faith, and by the power of His Word.

And the real presence of our Lord, which we eat and receive in the bread and wine… His very body and blood, coursing through our veins… all His love and power and peace and grace and joy flowing through us in this extraordinary way... 

Our God is within us, as close to us as is possible, helping us in the most personal way possible… and in the most powerful way possible, the power of His Spirit in us… and for us.

Our God and Father, the Creator of our lives, and of our Universe, Maker of  all we see… and all we can’t see, Creator of Heaven and angels…

… our Almighty God so grand, so great above us, yet so personal, so near to us through His Son, who became one of us… to be with us and save us…

… and through His Spirit, who came to us in Baptism, to live and thrive in us, to transform us back into God’s holy image, which we lost through our sin…

What an amazing Helper we have in our Father who created us from the dust with His own divine hand, and in His own loving image.

What an amazing Helper we have in His dear Son, our dear Friend and Redeemer, who became like us, not to experience the joys and pleasures of a human body, but so that in body and soul, He could suffer for us, and die…

… and then to rise bodily so that He might raise us, and we might live with Him in His personal, glorious home, His Kingdom forever… 

And what an amazing Helper we have in His Spirit, the Helper Jesus promised in our text, 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever… even the Spirit of truth… God with us and in us, personally and eternally.

And so by faith in our Triune God, we’re never forsaken and alone… we’re never without the Helper we need… and we all need a Heavenly Helper.

Without Him, in the end, we’re utterly helpless. 

With Him, as Paul says in Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Him who gives me strength!

Speaking of helpers, on this Mother’s Day, we give thanks to God for godly mothers everywhere… those still on earth, and those who have received their crown of glory in Heaven…

… godly mothers who help their children in so many ways, especially in showing them the ways and the Word and the love of Christ… 

… godly mothers, not perfect but repentant and forgiven… and empowered by the Holy Spirit to love their dear children and their family…

… godly, forgiven mothers who’ve made more sacrifices for their children than we’ll ever know….   

There are those things that a godly mother… and a faithful father… do for their children that only they and God know about. 

They didn’t do them to be noticed, but to help and love and care for their dear children.

And so we give thanks to God for all they’ve done, more than we can know.

In the same way, even more so, our Heavenly Father does more for us each and every day than we can possibly know or imagine… yet He never tires of doing it… 

… just as His Son never tires of forgiving His children who sincerely repent and believe… 

… and His Spirit never tires of being our personal Helper and Comforter.

So let us, with His help, never tire of loving and praising and serving our God.

And, with Jesus, our Helper beside us… and the Holy Spirit, our Helper within us, let us not tire of helping and serving others.

That doesn’t mean we don’t have to know our limits and our boundaries as we help and serve and care for others… we do. 

While our God gives us the love and power to be able to help and serve, we’re not all-powerful like He is… and so there are limits as to how much we can do for others, including what we do even for our dear children and family… 

So we pray for wisdom from God’s Word… and we accept godly advice from others, so that we can find that right balance in caring for others while also taking care of ourselves… and in every way, physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually.

And we pray that we might have the wisdom to graciously and humbly accept help from others, in our times of need…. 

And as we’re helped and cared for, it strengthens and sustains us to better help and serve others.

Most of all, we need the care and help of our Heavenly Father… and His Son, our Savior… and His Spirit, our Helper.

That’s the help we need most… and that’s the help for us to share the most… the help that comes to us from God through the Gospel.

And finally, as we help and are helped, the peace of God, which passes our understanding, will guard our hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus, our Friend and Helper forever. Amen.