What a lawyer we have in Jesus

Homily for The Sixth Sunday of Easter, May 29, 2011

How would like to have Jesus as your lawyer? That may sound slightly irreverent.

But there is truth in this statement, and today’s Gospel passage from John teaches us an aspect of Jesus which is sometimes overlooked.

Jesus tells his disciples that after He is no longer on earth, God will send them an advocate, the spirit of truth, which the world will not understand, only those who have faith.

The Greek word for advocate is paraclete, which literally means an attorney for the defense and a comforter in suffering.

Indeed the whole of the Gospel of John is an exercise in signs, wonders witnesses, testimony and confession. The story of Jesus being arrested, tried and condemned to death has all the elements of a courtroom drama.

If we think of Jesus as a lawyer, an advocate for us, it is surely an empowering thought. After all Jesus stares down all those who challenge him in the Gospel narratives with great wit, wisdom and intellect.
He is the consummate advocate, the one who turns the tables, the one who we would like to represent us if we were on trial.

And that’s the whole point. Other faiths have remote and unapproachable deities, while Jesus is present with us, standing alongside us.

Many Christians have testified to that experience of the Holy Spirit working among us. It isn’t something that ended when the period of the early church came to an end, and the Christian faith became institutionalized.

Jesus is with us, as a comforter, as an advocate, during good times and bad.

Those Athenians Paul was preaching to worshipped an unknown God. Jesus is a known God, and we believe he is part of the Trinity, the triune God, one in three and three in one.

It may seem to some to be a theological construct, which is difficult to understand.

Throughout the ages the idea of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has helped us to grasp the infinite power and wisdom of the almighty, who can be both the creator the universe, and yet stands alongside us in our journey of faith.

I’m happy with the thought that I have Jesus as an advocate, a lawyer. And while lawyer’s fees have gone beyond the ability of the average person to afford, Jesus asks only that we have faith and follow two great commandments—love God and love our neighbour. That’s a pretty good offer.

Now I’d like to shift gears and turn over the rest of this sermon time to Wendy Heasman to report on our Diocesan Synod held May 15-17. It has been the tradition of our parish to have synod delegates report back. I am always available for any questions about the life and work of the Diocese and our Deanery. I plan to write something about the synod for our newsletter as well as the Huron Church News.