May 29th - Reflection

Sixth Sunday of Easter
John 14:15-21 (NRSV)
Christ our advocate
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.

"I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them."

Reflection
Faith and love connect and lead to obedience.

When we have faith in Jesus we see and understand the love God has shown us through Jesus life, ministry, suffering, death and resurrection. We grow in this love and understand the richness of the depth of the love God has shown to us through Jesus.

So as our faith takes root, love connects and we are joyful and on fire to be obedient to the will of God. We desire with a fierce passion to act out in the love God has shown and taught us in Jesus Christ. We hunger to serve all those in need, especially the poor, the ill, and the downtrodden.

We desire this not because we are looking for credit from God, but we desire this because we know the love God has shown us personally through Jesus and want to emulate that love to all the world. As we emulate Jesus' love we declare Jesus our God and Savior with joy and thanksgiving.

Jesus is with us in ways that we can't see and ways that we can see. Through the counsel of the Holy Spirit to the truth of Jesus we have God within us and around us constantly. We are in God and God is in us.

Faith and love connect and lead to obedience. Jesus is revealed to you and through you. Thanks be to God!

Prayer
Father, I give you thanks that you are constantly in my presence. I give you thanks that you have revealed yourself to me through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. As I grow in faith and connect to you in love send your Spirit of Truth into my life that I may be obedient to your will and your way...today...tomorrow...and forever. --- Amen