Acts 17:22-31 1 Peter 3:13-22 John 14:15-21 Psalm 66:7-18

Jesus said, “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.”

I would guess that almost all of us have had the experience of breaking away, even if only for a short period of time, from someone who is dependent upon our care; all the while leaving that person with the assurance of the care of another trusted soul.  Yet, whether for the long term or just a couple of hours, it is often difficult.  These charges might be our students, or our children, or a loved one suffering from dementia, or our pets.

Whoever they may be, very seldom are we able to convey a sense of calm in the assurance that all will be well, that we would never leave them without proper comfort, that we will return, and things will return to normal; assurance that we are not abandoning them.

In years past I’ve done quite a bit of substitute teaching.  I always regretted it when the teacher would leave me the responsibility of issuing a test; it always seemed that no matter what efforts I made to calm the students, the anxiety level remained, making it difficult for the students to do their best without that familiar presence of their regular teacher.

Our pets even have a keen sense of the changing dynamic.  Sallie Beagle becomes intolerably neurotic at the first sign of suitcases being readied for loading in the car.  Roland and I have to plan ahead and sneak around as if on a clandestine mission; otherwise the maddening howls will completely unnerve us, and the most important items will be left behind.  And, we would never abandon Sallie!

But, truly the most emotionally draining situation is that of having to tear ourselves from the arms of a frantic loved one with mind clouded by dementia who only can understand that we are leaving.  Regardless of our efforts to console, our loved one is not able to conceive that there will be ample comfort and care in the interim, and that we will return as promised.

Truly, we never forget the wrench in our hearts when those who depend on us simply cannot grasp our promise of ongoing care and comfort.  How frustrating not to be able to convey comfort and assurance, to be perceived as leaving a loved one orphaned.  And, particularly at this time of social isolation, our hearts break for those who feel so abandoned – orphaned.

Jesus said, “I will not leave you orphaned.”  As we become frustrated with those unable to be comforted by our promise of abiding care, our Lord, surely, becomes frustrated with us when we cannot trust in his promise that we would not be left orphaned – or, as other versions translate, comfortless.  Jesus does not leave us comfortless.  What greater source of comfort could there be?  Jesus assures us that the Father will give us an Advocate to be with us forever.  This Advocate is the Spirit (capital S) of truth, Spirit not known by the world, Spirit that will abide with us and in us forever.

The Apostle Stephen was not among the twelve original disciples, but Stephen has the distinction of being the first of the followers of Christ to be martyred for his faith, which scholars believe occurred in the year following the Crucifixion.  We read last week from the book of the Acts of the Apostles that Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit, that he had a vision of the “heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” [Acts 7:56] Filled with the ever-abiding Holy Spirit, Stephen preached fearlessly even among those charged with the task of snuffing out the mission and message of Jesus Christ.

Our lesson last week detailed Stephen’s death by stoning.  We learned that as he died, he prayed for the Lord to receive his spirit; he knelt down and prayed that his murderers would be forgiven; and then he died.

A line from that scripture text from Acts that is too easily overlooked is that that describes the witnesses of the stoning of Stephen laying their coats at the feet of a man named Saul.  Life has changed a great deal for this man named Saul since we first met him last week.  In the 10 chapters between last week and this week, Saul has become the Paul we know as Apostle to the Gentiles.  Saul was no doubt affected by his witness of the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit that Stephen experienced even as he was being brutally murdered.

That Saul, too, would hear and see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.  The conversion of the Apostle Paul would lead to his broad-reaching missionary journeys and prolific writings that would make up the majority of our New Testament.  After years of persecuting the followers of Jesus Christ, Paul had come to experience the ever-abiding presence of the Advocate as Jesus had promised.  Enduring persecution, abandonment, and martyrdom, Paul, from that time forward, lived and died in the assurance that the Spirit of truth was with him and in him, just as he had witnessed that assurance in Stephen.

In today’s lesson from the book of Acts, Paul has arrived in Athens proclaiming the one God – the God of creation, the Lord of heaven and earth – not the god of Grecian epicurean tradition or a god crafted by mortals from gold, or silver, or stone.  Paul is making his proclamations in the famous very public ancient meeting place in Athens.  The God that Paul proclaims has confirmed his abiding presence by raising Jesus Christ from the dead; God commands repentance from misguided earthly adorations and misdirected human arrogance.

Paul preached fearlessly in the face of danger, as Stephen had preached just as fearlessly while stones beat the life out of his body.  Neither doubted Jesus’ words that he had spoken on the eve of his earthly death:  The Father will give you an Advocate, to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth, abiding with you and in you.  “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.”

What a blessing it would be to be able to convince our dependent children and stricken loved ones and, even, our pets that we are not leaving them without trusted care and comfort.  What a blessing it is during this time of fear and uncertainty when we are able to recognize and comprehend and find true comfort in the words of our Lord, “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.”  The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, abides with you and in you forever.