And I will ask the Father and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with your forever – the Spirit of truth. 

John 14: 16-17  Jesus knew that the time was coming that he couldn’t be with his disciples in the flesh, and that they would be devastated by his absence. He asked God to give them a gift of a paraclete (in Greek) which meant someone like himself who would be present in his stead. For me, this Spirit is an advocate who speaks to me when despair tries pull me towards darkness; it is a helper who guides me away from disaster, and it is a comforter who is with me when the weight of the world crashed in around me.  Jesus promises that the Spirit of truth will be with humankind  forever.  He knew what it was like to be human, and that we would need someone every day to help us, or advocate for us, or comfort us. The path to the cross of Christ is the journey of life. It is hard and full of suffering, sadness, loss and letting go. I would not have the strength or courage to walk that path without the gift of the Holy Spirit.   

Prayer: God, who knows the arc of the cosmos and the ache of our lives, thank you for being with us along the way. We know that your promise is of resurrection and heavenly bliss, but here and now our hearts grow heavy and our legs get weak. On our own we would stop, but with your Holy Spirit to help us and hold us up, we can bear anything. Amen.
The Rev. Jeanne Hanson