"Help Is on the Way! "
May 22, 2017
John 14:15-17 - Jesus said to him, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you."
To all those who put their faith in Jesus, help is always on the way. In fact, help is always with you: the very Holy Spirit of God, Jesus' Gift to you for your comfort, for your encouragement, for you strength and fortitude in times of trouble. The Holy Spirit's job is to bring the things of Christ to you, to make them yours, to be the Giver of His life in your life. In fact, if you trust in Jesus today, if you believe in Him, that too is the power of the Spirit in your life.
And another thing, the Holy Spirit doesn't want you to make a fuss about Him. If you want to make a fuss about something, make a fuss about Jesus. If you want to know more about the Spirit's comfort and power, get to know Jesus by the power of His Spirit through God's Word and Sacraments. The Spirit's job is to take the things of Jesus and make them known to you.
It kind of reminds me of the attitude of Tenzing Norgay. Do you know who that was? He was one of the first two men to reach the summit of Mount Everest. You might know the name of Edmund Hillary, the New Zealander who made the climb, too. But Norgay not only made the climb, he saved Hillary's life on that climb as well.
It was 1953, Edmund Hillary, a New Zealand beekeeper/explorer, and his Sherpa guide from Nepal, Tenzing Norgay, reached the summit together, attaining instant international fame.
On the way down from the 29,000-foot peak, Hillary slipped and started to fall. As he was cascading to certain death, I'm sure he hoped that help would be on the way. But help was already there! Tenzing Norgay immediately dug in his ice axe and braced the rope linking them together, saving Hillary's life.
At the bottom the international press made a huge fuss over the Sherpa guide's heroic action. Through it all Tenzing Norgay remained calm, very professional, very uncarried away by it all. To all the shouted questions he had one answer: "Mountain climbers always help each other."
No fuss, but here's an even bolder truth today -- greater than a sidekick like Tenzing Norgay -- is the Holy Spirit for those who trust in Jesus. The Holy Spirit is not just help on the way; He is help for all who trust in the Way, the Truth, and the Life: Jesus Christ. He comforts, helps, empowers, and strengthens Christ's people in faith towards God, and fervent love towards neighbor. Come Holy Spirit, bring me that confidence in Jesus!
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for sending me the comfort that comes by the power of the Holy Spirit through the blessing of Your Word. Amen.
