Easter 6

Today the Easter Jesus is preparing his disciples for his imminent departure. He is also promising to send them the Holy Spirit who will be with them forever. So He is saying a farewell.  What He says and the way He says it, are important for us on at least two levels.

First, His ascension and the ensuing Pentecost are articles of our faith. Its what we believe. It is part of our story and part of who we are.

But Jesus farewell discourse has a salutary lesson for us.
All of us in our life time, will say many  ‘Goodbyes’.

Some are long lasting and seem permanent. Some are fleeting and only temporary.

For example…’I’m just ducking down the shops for a bottle of red ned and a bag of salt and vinegar chips.

Our Lord always chose His words carefully and that must be true of us also. The words we use to say our farewells and the way we say them matters. It matters to us and it matters very much to the listener.

So how does the Master do it?

He begins by leaving behind some pretty clear instructions.

“If you love me, keep my commandments”.

By saying this Jesus shifts the focus from himself and his departure, to the disciples and the future. He gives them plenty to go on with and plenty to think about.

“And my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”

Here is the reassurance of The Master that the sense of intimacy, closeness and friendship that they have enjoyed will not be diminished, but will in fact be enhanced and even more potent into the future. Dread and fear are transformed into anticipation and hope. The loving will take on a whole new dimension and joy. What has gone before is the flyleaf to the book to come. Because of the unsinkable relationships that have been forged in the adventures of bread and wine and healing and denial and dispute and life, death and resurrection and parties; the  chapters that are about to unfold, what is to follow, can only be more exhilarating, exciting and loving than what has gone before.

The relationship does not end with Good Friday or the ascension. The love is amplified exponentially because The Fathers love is also poured out upon them. The Father and Jesus will make their home in each and every one of those funny old disciples just as surely as he makes his home in each and every one of us.

Now, the choice of the word ‘home’ is quite deliberate. Home in this sense is the permanent place of dwelling and enjoyment. It is not a physical, postal address or even a post code. It is that place deep within us that not even death can destroy. It is where joy, peace, reconciliation, and forgiveness live together in perfect harmony and love. This is our true home and it is His home as well.

Something else to think about.

That unique, precious something that is forged between true friends and true lovers can never be demolished. The adventures and hijinks might cease and the relationship enter a new wobbly undulating terrain, but the even the dark river of bitter death if navigated correctly and patiently, can enhance, sweeten and strengthen everything that was and is and will be.

But there is more that Jesus says in his Farewell.

 ‘I have said these things to you while I am still with you. ²⁶ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.

It is not until Jesus has completed this Easter stage of his ministry and ascended, that the Holy Spirit can be sent to the apostles and begin His work. So far from being orphaned and abandoned,  the disciples have a superfluity of divinity. It will be more than they can cope with, more than they can ever need, desire or hope for.

So the art of saying a healthy Farewell is not just about looking back and being so very grateful. It is not just about giving those left behind something to get on with. Some work to do. It is also about looking forward into the future and reassuring those left behind that the loving presence that they have been enjoying will blossom into something far more mysterious and compelling and enjoyable than they can ever imagine.

And the new chapter that the Master encourages his disciples to embrace, is exactly the same one that he asks us to sign up for every day and every moment of our lives.

But…how do you conclude your Farewell? How do you sum it all up, sign it off and leave it tidy.

Perhaps this will help.

⁸ You heard me say to you, “I am going away, and I am coming to you.” If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I.
Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.