This past year, we have had to say our final farewells to several members of this church, including four who served in the armed forces during World War II.

Harold Curtis was a Lieutenant Machine Gunner and Combat Infantryman in the Army.  Bud McMann served in Army Corp of Engineers.  Bill Gray also served in the Army, and Bill Smith was in the U.S. Naval Reserves.

 

On this Memorial Day weekend, we prayerfully and intentionally honor these men and all who – through the generations -- have served our country, especially those who have lost their lives in the name of freedom.

At virtually all the funerals I conduct, including the services for these four men, I include Jesus’ familiar and comforting words from this morning’s Gospel lesson:  “Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” 

On the last night of his life, Jesus speaks these words of solace, encouragement and hope to his disciples, who can’t imagine carrying on without their leader and teacher.  And their hearts ask fear-filled questions.  How will they survive in the world without Jesus’ physical presence?  What will the world do to them when he's gone?  How will they be able to carry on his ministry of healing, teaching, and preaching the Kingdom of God?

 

Responding to their anxiety and uncertainty, Jesus assures them that he will not leave them abandoned but will send a “Paraclete” to take his place.  In Greek, the word paraclete literally means “one who is called to the side of another,” and in the different translations of this passage from the Gospel of John, the word appears as Comforter, Counselor, Advocate, Encourager, Friend, Strengthener, Helper, and Intercessor.  In other words, Jesus promises his disciples someone who will comfort them in times of sorrow, counsel them in times of discernment, strengthen and empower them in times of trial, encourage them in times of despair, advocate for them when they are in need of help, and who will always walk alongside them as their friend and helper.

 

After Jesus speaks his words of consolation and promise to his disciples, they go out from that upper room, and Jesus is arrested, convicted, and crucified.  And the dreams of his small band of followers seem to die with him.

 

Even after the miracle of Easter, and several appearances of the Risen Christ, Jesus’ followers remain discouraged and defeated; what they had been able to do when Jesus was with them, they have been unable to do without him.  They have no message to preach, no power to heal, no will to go on without their leader.

 

In this morning’s lesson from Acts, we find this fragile community of followers in Jerusalem, where they have gathered for the annual harvest festival.  While celebrations take place out in the street, they huddle together in a room, lonely, lost and bewildered. 

 

But on the last night of his life, Jesus had made that promise to them.  “I will ask the Father, and he will give another Counselor, to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth” [John 14:16-17a]; “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit…will teach you everything, and remind you all that I have said to you” [John 14:26].

 

And as the disciples hunch together, spiritless, in that Jerusalem room, something happens.  Something begins to move, to stir, like an unseen breeze that touches their cheeks and brushes back their hair.  The breeze becomes a gust, and we can imagine the disciples looking around at each other as they feel the hair prickling on the backs of their necks.  What appear to be tongues of fire rest on each of them, and that gust of wind grows into a powerful gale, filling the room and their hearts, and blowing away their despair, their uncertainty, their fears.  They are transformed into new people, filled with purpose and confidence. 

 

And so, energized and empowered, Jesus’ followers move beyond those walls, rushing out into the streets of Jerusalem, telling everyone what they have just experienced, hoping that others will feel it, too.  Out on those streets, they find people from many different countries, speaking many different languages.  But amazingly, everyone is able to hear and understand what the disciples are preaching, each in their own language. 

 

It’s the work of the One whom Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit – their Advocate, their Comforter, God within their hearts.  The Spirit helps them put it all together, helps them to remember Jesus’ words more clearly and to discern more accurately what he has been talking about and doing.  They no longer feel alone because they can sense Jesus’ presence with them.  And the Holy Spirit helps them make the transition from being followers, his disciples, learning from Jesus, to being his apostles, going out to preach, teach, heal and minister in His name.

 

On that day of Pentecost, three thousand come to faith and are baptized.  New life is breathed into that fragile community of followers, and the Christian Church is born.  And that is why we celebrate Pentecost as the birthday of the church.

 

“Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”  Jesus says these words to his disciples, and also to us.  What troubles your heart today?  What questions do you, like the disciples, ask?

Certainly, on this Memorial Day, we particularly remember and support all the brave men and women fighting a seemingly endless war in Iraq, and we also remember the ones who have lost their lives over there.  May is on track to be among the bloodiest months for the U.S. military since the war began over four years ago, and the total of U.S. soldiers killed stands at more than 3,400.  And so, on this Memorial Day weekend, we ask – when will the war end?  Will my loved one be sent over there?  And will he or she come home alive? 

 

Perhaps your worries focus on the state of our nation, and we wonder: Can partisan politics be put aside so all can work for the good of the country and its citizens?  Are there solutions to the issues that are tearing us apart, such as immigration, abortion, and gay rights?

 

Or perhaps your fear-filled questions are more personal in nature.  Will the test results be positive?  Will the treatments work?  Can I hold onto my job?  Will the bills get paid?  Will the marriage survive?  Will the relationship be healed?

 

Whatever troubles our hearts today, whatever questions fill us with fear, Jesus has made us a promise.  We have a comforter who will always be at our side, counseling, encouraging, guiding and strengthening us. 

 

The message of Pentecost is that God’s powerful life-giving Spirit is in us.  God’s Spirit can console our hearts when we grieve.  God’s Spirit can offer wisdom when we’re forced to make difficult choices.  And God’s Spirit can encourage us when we are down and disheartened. 

 

Jesus, our Comforter, is always with us; that is his promise, and he whispers in our ears and in our hearts: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you…  Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid."  Amen.

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