Ordinary Time – John 14:15-23

Following the victory of Jesus’ resurrection, the natural impulse would be to think ‘practicing resurrection’ is to move from mountain top to mountain top; from spectacle to spectacle. However, anyone who has followed Jesus for a significant amount of time knows that most of our life is lived between mountain tops, in the mundane and ordinary. Jesus’ invitation is to become aware of His presence in every moment of life.

Ordinary time is what we call the months that are not included in the major seasons of feasting or fasting in the church calendar, such as Advent, Lent, and Easter.

“[an] intentional, deliberate decision to believe and participate in resurrection life, a life out of death, a life that trumps death, a life that is the last word, Jesus-life.” – Eugene Peterson

Most of our life with Jesus is lived in the ordinary time.

John 14-17 is known as the farewell discourse.

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. –John 14:15-17

Jesus promises that if his followers seek to obey him, they will experience a Familiar Presence in every moment of life.

“God’s Empowering Presence.” – Gordon Fee

This passage emphasizes two major themes; (1) the guidance of the Spirit, and (2) the Presence of the Spirit.

The Spirit guides us.

V. 15 – “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

V.21 – Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.

V. 23– If anyone loves me, he will keep my word,

The good news is that he sends the Spirit to help us.

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” –John 16:13–14

“the Spirit, above all else, carries on Jesus’ mission and mediates his presence… The personal functions of the Spirit are also the functions of Jesus in the rest of the book, and the sensitive reader cannot miss the connection.” – Craig Keener

Action aimed at the love of God and Neighbor is the unmistakable mark of the Spirit of Jesus.

18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. – John 14:18-21

The Spirit is not a substitute for our Lord but is the real thing.

The manifest presence of God is made available to all the people of God.

The scriptures time and time again reveal God’s desire to be with his people– to dwell in our midst.

Jesus’ invitation is to wake up to his presence in every moment of life.

“Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.” – John 14:22–23.

The God of the cosmos has decided to take up residence in each of his followers.

“The most effective way Brother Lawrence had for communicating with God was to simply do his ordinary work. He did this obediently, out of a pure love of God, purifying it as much as was humanly possible. He believed it was a serious mistake to think of our prayer time as being different from any other. Our actions should unite us with God when we are involved in our daily activities, just as our prayers unite us with him in our quiet devotions.” – Brother Lawrence

“Love turns work into rest.” ― Teresa of Avila

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” –Matthew 11:28–30 (The Message)

Spiritual Practice: Pay Attention.

“If you are home alone with small children whose needs give you little uninterrupted time, then you don’t need an hour of private prayer daily. Raising small children, if it is done with love and generosity, will do for you exactly what private prayer does.”– Ronald Rolheiser

A life lived in love and awareness to God is prayer.

“In order to know God, we must often think of Him; and when we come to love Him, we shall then also think of Him often, for our heart will be with our treasure.” ― Brother Lawrence

The simple takeaway is that to come to know his presence, we must think of him often.

Pray the simple and ancient prayer– “Come Holy Spirit”.