Most people like to get gifts. In today’s Gospel Jesus says that he’ll ask the Father and the Father will give us a gift, something called a paraclete. You are now the proud owner of a paraclete. However, sometimes you get a gift from a friend and you’re not sure of what it is, even after you open it, one might rightly wonder (what this paraclete is).
Breaking the word down into its parts helps. “Paraclete” is a Greek word and the “clete” part of it means to call out or yell. The “para” means vigorously. So “paraclete” means to call out vigorously. Now in some Bibles the word paraclete is translated into advocate or consoler. Those words are good, but somewhat churchy and really not earthy, the way that paraclete is in the original language. I think the closest English word we have for paraclete is “cheerleader.”
If you’ve ever played on a basketball or football team, you know that there’s such a thing as home field or court advantage – when you are on your home turf and when the stands are full of your fans cheering and screaming for you, you’re much more likely to play your best game and give it your best shot.
Today’s Gospel presents a stunning and delicious picture of God – God the cheerleader. Your biggest fan, according to scripture, is God. God shouting for you; God standing up and cheering when you do something well; God going into agony when you fall into the mud or get beaten; God calling and pushing onward; God telling you – you can do it – God the cheerleader.
There’s an important difference between God the cheerleader and human cheerleaders. When you and I are cheering for people form the stands, we might get so caught up in the excitement of the game we wish we could go right down there on the field and do something concrete to help. When I’m at a 49’er game and the 49’ers are behind I sometimes get carried away and would love a chance to stand next to whatever quarterback they have (Alex Smith) and help him throw the football. Well, you and I can’t do that, but God can. God does not remain an impassive observer in the stands while you and I make our way through the game of life. God gets so carried away that in a fit of enthusiasm he leaves the stands and becomes a member of the team. That’s the mystery of Jesus – Jesus our brother, Jesus a member of the human race, Jesus walking with us toward eternal life.
And as if that weren’t enough, Jesus says that he’s going to ask the Father and we’ll be given still another paraclete, still another cheerleader –the Holy Spirit, a little energy, something inside us that urges us on. Imagine it! Three cheerleaders totally full of love and concern for you, cheering you onward—God the Creator, cheering you from the distance, calling you forward; God the Son, cheering you as your brother; walking next to you; and God the Holy Spirit, cheering you from inside, kicking you in the rear when you need it, pulling you, pushing you, tugging you, congratulating you, forgiving you, telling you to keep on going and you can do it.
And if we believe in this cheerleading God, there’s only one thing for us to do – and that is to become cheerleaders ourselves. The vision of Jesus is for husbands to cheer wives and wives to cheer husbands; for old people to cheer young people and young people to cheer old people; for single people to cheer their friends and friends to cheer single people; for parishioners to sometimes cheer their Pastor, for all of us to cheer each other and forgive each other and lift each other up into new life.
I close. Today the scripture invites you to consider the delicious picture of God the cheerleader, God who is your best fan, God who is the one urging you onward. There are already enough boo s in this world – that’s the voice of the world telling you, you can’t be any better, you’re just you. You’re stuck in that rut and that’s it. The world telling you to lie down and die. But stronger than the voice of the world, strong enough to bounce from one side of the galaxy to the other, is the strong and silent word of God coming to you from the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The voice of the cheerleader that says “You’re Terrific. I know you can do it. Get up – you’ll make it. HALLELUJHA!!”
Archive for May, 2011
God the Cheerleader 5-29-2011
Sunday, May 29th, 2011Resurrection First Communion 5-15-2011
Sunday, May 15th, 2011The girl asked the family’s dinner guest, “Do you like dolls?”
The guest said, “Of course, sweetheart, I love dolls.”
“Would you like to see mine?”
“That would be wonderful.”
The little girl leads her guest to her room where she brought out all her dolls.
The guest asked, “Which doll is your favorite?”
The little girl hesitated a moment, and then picked up a well-worn, tattered rag doll. It was missing a button eye, its seams had obviously been sewn up many times, and its dress was faded and frayed. She hugged the doll close and showed it to the guest.
“This is Annie. I love her most of all.”
The guest was surprised that, out of all the beautiful dolls she had, the little girl would pick up this old, tattered rag doll.
“Why do you love this one so much?”
The little girl said, “Well, if I didn’t love her, no one else would.”
When we have lost faith in ourselves, when we are feeling especially unlovable, when we are feeling swamped by all the demands placed on us and our inability to make everyone happy, the Gospel of the Good Shepherd should restore us to hope and confidence. In Christ the good Shepherd, God’s limitless, unconditional love takes on a human face, becomes a reality in human history. In God’s eyes, love is never absent; in God’s heart, forgiveness is never impossible; in God’s embrace, no one is ever alone or forgotten.
God Is There 5-8-11
Sunday, May 8th, 2011Six-year-old Andrew Bateson came down with bacterial meningitis, an aggressive disease that almost cost the little boy his life. In order to save Andrew, doctors had to amputate his legs where the disease had destroyed his circulatory system. Andrew was devastated when he discovered what had happened to him; Andrew couldn’t understand why he couldn’t have his “old legs back”.
His mother, Rebecca, wasn’t doing much better. She tried to keep up a positive disposition for her son—but she wondered how Andrew would handle the next chapter.
And she felt betrayed—betrayed by God.
After months of agonizing rehabilitation with his new prosthetic legs, Andrew finally went home.
Then one night at supper, out of nowhere, Andrew said, “ I saw God, Mommy. I was sleeping at the hospital. He put his arms out, and I thought he was going to give me a hug. But instead he just touched me on the shoulder”.
His mother steeled herself. “Did God say anything?”
“No, he was just….there”.
A chill ran down his mother’s spine. Rebecca writes: “[God] was just there. What did that mean? I looked at Andrew, wolfing down his dinner. For months I had seen a handicapped child, a damaged child, fighting as hard as he could, failing more often than succeeding in his rehab. Falling down, unable to master his new legs. Yet, unlike me, never turning bitter, never giving up. “I’m going to walk, I’m going to ride my bike”, he’d insist, “You just watch”.
And Rebecca realized: “Andrew came through this better that I have. He was moving on. I was stuck in my bitterness and sense of betrayal…Had God been there all along for me too, and I was just too angry to see? Was he there for me now? Lord, thank you for being with Andrew. Be with me now, too”.
In closing, remember this: The Risen Christ is here, in our midst, in the love of family and friends, in the care of doctors and nurses, in the support of pastors and ministers, in the wisdom of teachers and counselors. The disciples on the road to Emmaus finally realize his presence in the breaking of bread; Rebecca finally grasps God’s presence in the unshakable, determined faith of her little boy. Every one of us has traveled the road the two disciples walked on Easter night; many of us have made the journey that Andrew and him mom and dad traveled. It is the road of deep disappointment, sadness, despair, anger. But God assures us, in his Easter promise, that along those roads he will make himself known to us. If our eyes are open, we will meet him in his Christ: in the compassion and generosity of others, in the breaking of bread and the healing touch of the sacraments, in the grace and wisdom of his Spirit in our midst. May our hearts and consciences always be open to behold the presence of Christ, our guest and companion along the many roads we walk to our own Emmauses.
His mother asked, “Did God say anything?” Andrew answered, “No….He was just there”!
