Another Advocate

“You Athenians worship an unknown God.”  This is how Paul chides the people of Athens.   In many respects, I understand.  If you think about God the father, all knowing, all powerful, however could we know that God. God the father is immeasurable, ethereal, unknowable. 

There’s a great song by a contemporary Christian singer,  Danny Gokey, “More than you think I am”.  The first verse begins, “You always think I’m somewhere on a mountain top”.  We do that to God, don’t we?  God’s on the mountain top, in the vast views, or when you see the stars and moon, and ocean.  That vision of God inspires, draws awe. But that God is hard to know.  As Paul says to the people of Athens, an unknowable God. 

Paul goes on to tell the people that “God has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged”. It is true, that God will judge us – each one of us.  And I don’t know about you, but whenever I am judged, I don’t really like it.  Whether it’s peers, or family, judgment instills a little bit of fear.  It’s only natural.

Maybe judgment is inevitable. And it’s not pleasant. Recently, I was dealing with a court proceeding that was pretty contentious and unnerving. It was always possible that my efforts to have the behavior stopped through the legal system would backfire. Just appearing before a judge was unnerving.  Facing that judgment,  it was so much better because I had friends and family in attendance, advocating and supporting me. I had family and friends who couldn’t be there, but were praying and wishing me well.  Those who could join, frequently could not even come in the court room. But I knew they were there. That made all the difference.  Their presence provided advocacy, more than their words or actions. Presence matters.  

I’ve recently had the opportunity to serve as that advocating presence.  A few weeks ago, a few of us went to the Eugene Mosque and sat on the patio.  It seemed like we were just sitting there, doing nothing. The busy do-er in me was anxious, sipping tea.  But our presence was useful. I didn’t have any idea how much until the faithful left their worship space and thanked us, really thanked us for being there.  It meant a lot to them. We cared enough to be present.

So it is with God.  We stand before God, the unknowable, judging God and tremble.  This is why today’s reading is such Good News.  Today, we hear Jesus offering his parting speech, right before the guards take him away to be crucified.  We hear that God will send another advocate. This sending we will celebrate in a few weeks at the feast of Pentecost on June 4. We all like Pentecost, an opportunity to bust out our festive red clothes and celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit like fire. 

Before we get swept away with thoughts of the Holy Spirit, let’s look back at what Jesus said.  He said he was going to send another advocate. Jesus himself is the first advocate.  Jesus, fully human and fully divine is our advocate.  He sat with us before all judgement -  at a court date, and a hospital stay, and all our trials. Not only is Jesus present, which is wonderful advocacy in itself, Jesus is also able to advocate for us because Jesus was fully human.  He understands our weakness, our temptations. He’s been the recipient of human cruelty, petty rivalries, jealousy, betrayal. 

Yes, times were different, and because of that it’s easy to assume Jesus couldn’t understand.  Jesus didn’t have bills, and overfilled schedules, divorce, and cancer.  But if you take it to its core, to the components that make us sad or fearful or anxious now, I’d argue Jesus did experience all of those first hand. He saw betrayal. He saw conflicting demands on his time, jealousy, illness, death.  Jesus was fully human and experienced all of the human things we still experience. Different circumstances, but the same root humanity. Jesus is our advocate because Jesus was fully human and knows fully our human struggles.

Jesus knows our struggles because he’s in us, present, advocating for us.  And if Jesus is in me, and I believe Jesus is in you, it’s no wonder our baptismal covenant says we are to seek and serve Christ in all people. Christ is in all people. We can see the face of God in a newborn’s gaze.  We can see Christ in orphans across the world, and if don’t look away, we can see the face of Christ in the immigrant, the criminal, the homeless.  

The other night, my husband went out to dinner with his parents. As they were leaving with their to-go boxes, John came across a homeless guy sitting on the sidewalk.  John introduced himself and asked the man his name. After a brief conversation, John offered Brendan half of  his sandwich and shook his hand to leave. Brendan had his head down. He wouldn’t look up. He held tightly to John’s hand.  When he finally did, Brendan had tears in his eyes and he gripped tightly to John’s hand. Holy time passed. Finally, Brendan thanked John by name, and said no one had ever done that nice.  It wasn’t the food, although that helped. It was the Holy in John seeing and serving the Holy in Brendan. We can see the holy, see Christ, in our neighbors if we look

The first verse of that Danny Gokey song continues “You always think I’m on a mountain top, but never think behind bars”.  We do put God on the mountain top,  but it’s Christ’s face, Christ’s presence and advocacy in humanity that allows us to see God in our neighbors. When we stop and see Christ in our neighbors, we are pulled to help.  We see God’s children suffering and if we look for it, don’t avert our eyes, it is hard to not feel something. 

Of this presence in all things, Richard Rohr says, “Either we see the divine image in all created things, or we don’t see it at all. Once we see it, we’re trapped.”.  It’s because Christ is in all humanity that Christ is our advocate. We can see Christ in all people, or at least we’re supposed to seek and serve it. That’s a great advocate.

And not only is Christ our advocate, he sent another – the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit will descend like a dove and alight us like tongues of fire. Each of us have this second advocate, and we will know the advocate because as Jesus says, the spirit will abide with you and be in you.  Today’s lesson is the setup for Pentecost, and we’re given a few weeks to think about this gift of the Holy Spirit, before we don our red shoes for Pentecost. 

Seeing the face of Christ in my suffering neighbors – orphans, poor, widowed, homeless – pulls me towards them. Our common humanity and common holiness compels me towards them and towards serving and loving them. Who hasn’t been affected by the heart-felt commercials showing abject poverty across the world, or of an orphan you can sponsor.  It’s our common humanity that compels.  It’s Christ in us, present in us. 

And while it’s our common humanity, our common Christ that pulls me towards the needs of others, it often feels like it’s that second advocate - the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that pushes me to act. With the Holy Spirit inside, I am propelled to act. I am gently pushed to respond.

I believe that when we seek Christ in our brothers and sisters, when we don’t avert our eyes to their suffering we are pulled towards them.  But we need to be looking.  And when we listen to the Holy Spirit in us, we are pushed or propelled to act, to respond, to love.  But we need to be listening.

God the Father is hard to know, hard to fathom.  It’s those other two persons of the Trinity  we have – seeing Christ in each other, and being moved by the Holy Spirit. It’s those advocates that help us know God, see God, and respond to God. 

Amen.