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Transcript

Not Alone ! · Exploring The Holy Scriptures with Rev Dr David Wright

0:34
SPEAKER_00: Welcome, sisters and brothers, and peace be with you.
0:40
SPEAKER_00: May the words on my lips and the meditations in our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.
0:50
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
0:55
SPEAKER_00: Last week a young lady posted a simple message online.
1:03
SPEAKER_00: I have hundreds of followers, but tonight I have never felt more alone.
1:13
SPEAKER_00: Within hours thousands of people responded.
1:18
SPEAKER_00: Many admitted that they felt exactly the same way, surrounded by technology, connected constantly, yet inwardly isolated.
1:33
SPEAKER_00: We live in a world full of communication, yet many people still ache with loneliness.
1:45
SPEAKER_00: And perhaps that is why the words of Jesus in today's gospel are so powerful.
1:55
SPEAKER_00: Jesus says to his disciples, I will not leave you orphaned.
2:03
SPEAKER_00: I will come to you.
2:07
SPEAKER_00: These words were spoken at a moment of deep anxiety.
2:13
SPEAKER_00: The disciples sensed that something was changing.
2:18
SPEAKER_00: Jesus had been speaking about his departure, his suffering, his death, and their world was beginning to shake beneath them.
2:32
SPEAKER_00: Jesus knows their fear.
2:35
SPEAKER_00: He knows why that they are so worried.
2:42
SPEAKER_00: They are worried about what life will look like without his visible presence.
2:50
SPEAKER_00: He knows they are wondering whether they will be abandoned, and so he gives them a promise not a promise that life will become easy, not a promise that suffering will disappear, but a promise that they will never be alone.
3:16
SPEAKER_00: I will ask the Father, Jesus says, and he will give you another advocate to be with you forever.
3:29
SPEAKER_00: The word advocate can also mean helper, comforter, companion, counsellor, and Jesus is speaking about the Holy Spirit, the living presence of God within his people.
3:48
SPEAKER_00: In other words, Jesus is saying You may not see me with your eyes any more, but my presence will remain with you.
4:02
SPEAKER_00: And that changes everything.
4:06
SPEAKER_00: I say this because Christianity is not merely a set of beliefs.
4:13
SPEAKER_00: It's not merely moral instructions.
4:17
SPEAKER_00: It is not simply a religion.
4:20
SPEAKER_00: Christianity is life with the living Christ.
4:30
SPEAKER_00: The disciples would discover this sooner than any of them had expected.
4:38
SPEAKER_00: After the crucifixion, they were frightened, confused, and hiding behind locked doors.
4:45
SPEAKER_00: However, after Pentecost filled with the Holy Spirit, these same fearful people became courageous warriors and witnesses.
4:58
SPEAKER_00: What changed?
5:02
SPEAKER_00: They discovered they were no longer alone.
5:05
SPEAKER_00: The Spirit of Christ was within them.
5:09
SPEAKER_00: And the same is true for us today.
5:15
SPEAKER_00: There are moments in life when we feel abandoned.
5:21
SPEAKER_00: Perhaps it is grief at losing someone that we love.
5:26
SPEAKER_00: Perhaps it is the collapse of a relationship.
5:31
SPEAKER_00: Perhaps it is illness, anxiety, depression, or uncertainty about the future.
5:38
SPEAKER_00: Perhaps it is simply the quiet loneliness that can creep into us even when our life is incredibly busy.
5:52
SPEAKER_00: And yes, these are the moments when God can seem distant.
6:02
SPEAKER_00: And yet Jesus says I will not leave you orphaned.
6:09
SPEAKER_00: Notice that word orphaned and I believe that Jesus chose that word very carefully.
6:22
SPEAKER_00: An orphan is someone left without protection, without guidance, without belonging.
6:30
SPEAKER_00: And Jesus is saying to us this is not who you are.
6:37
SPEAKER_00: In Christ we are not abandoned children.
6:42
SPEAKER_00: We are beloved sons and daughters of God, and the Holy Spirit within us continually reminds us of this truth.
6:58
SPEAKER_00: The Spirit is not always obvious to outward eyes, but we learn to recognise the Spirit's work over time.
7:09
SPEAKER_00: It's just like the wind, invisible, yet unmistakably real.
7:17
SPEAKER_00: You cannot see the wind itself, but you can see trees bending, leaves moving, clouds shifting.
7:30
SPEAKER_00: And you may not see physically the Holy Spirit, but you can see lives transformed.
7:42
SPEAKER_00: You can see bitterness replaced by mercy, hatred replaced by compassion and fear replaced by hope.
7:57
SPEAKER_00: That is the work of the Holy Spirit.
8:04
SPEAKER_00: In an often lonely, divided and confusing world, we as Christians are called to become signs of God's presence via the Holy Spirit that is within us.
8:23
SPEAKER_00: We have a listening ear.
8:26
SPEAKER_00: We speak a compassionate word.
8:30
SPEAKER_00: We share a meal with someone who is struggling.
8:35
SPEAKER_00: We visit someone who's been forgotten.
8:41
SPEAKER_00: We refuse to give up on other people.
8:47
SPEAKER_00: The Holy Spirit in us works through ordinary acts of love.
8:59
SPEAKER_00: This is part of our calling as Christians to become visible reminders of the invisible presence of God, to be people through whom others encounter kindness, mercy, encouragement, and hope.
9:21
SPEAKER_00: Christ is alive.
9:25
SPEAKER_00: The Holy Spirit is present.
9:30
SPEAKER_00: Despair never has the final word.
9:37
SPEAKER_00: No matter how dark the night may seem, we are not abandoned.
9:47
SPEAKER_00: No matter how uncertain the future appears, we are not orphaned.
9:55
SPEAKER_00: The risen Christ still comes to his people.
10:03
SPEAKER_00: And perhaps today, someone hearing this needs to hear exactly that.
10:15
SPEAKER_00: You are not forgotten.
10:19
SPEAKER_00: You are not alone.
10:22
SPEAKER_00: God has not abandoned you.
10:27
SPEAKER_00: The Holy Spirit is nearer than you realize.
10:34
SPEAKER_00: Christ walks with you even now.
10:42
SPEAKER_00: And because Christ lives, you, each and every one of you, also shall live.