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Let\u2019s get some Holy Spirit up in here! For the 6th Sunday in Easter, Lindsey and Adam read John 14:15-21. \u201cAnd I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another <\/i>Advocate.<\/p>\n
Jesus himself is the first Advocate, the defender of victims and the accused. He has shown the disciples that advocacy is solidarity; that is, the way to show concern for the poor and marginalized is to become marginalized and live among the poor. He has fed, healed, and comforted those against whom society had turned their backs. He has eaten with \u201csinners and tax collectors.\u201d He has redefined \u201csin\u201d as exclusion itself (rather than a valid reason to exclude), and he has redefined \u201crighteousness\u201d as mercy.<\/p>\n
Now he will model the ultimate solidarity with the \u201cleast\u201d according to the world\u2019s standards, being executed as a criminal and a blasphemer, in order expose the upside-down order of a world that operates on violence and sacrifice. God is not the author of sacrifice. God is the victim of sacrifice, the Advocate for all sacrificial victims, and the Love that unravels sacrifice and brings life out of death.<\/p>\n
The world will see him as another crucified criminal. But the disciples will see through the lens of mercy, which will shine ever brighter after God reveals the limitlessness of God\u2019s mercy on the cross. They will see through this lens that Jesus lives. And because he lives, hope and love and mercy will spread through those who follow in Jesus\u2019s footsteps and \u201ckeep [his] commandments.\u201d<\/p>\n
These verses may appear exclusive, as if only a select few can truly know \u201cthe Spirit of Truth\u201d while the rest of the world remains clueless and condemned. But the only condemnation the world receives is the condemnation it generates. God does not condemn but forgives the world.\u00a0 At first, those who know this, those called to be Christ\u2019s body and do his work of forgiveness, will be few.\u00a0 But the Spirit of Truth cannot be contained; she blows where she will and sets hearts aflame with compassion, and her holy fire will burn through the lie of sacrificial violence until only Love remains.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_section el_class=”post-quote”][\/vc_section][vc_section][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1566393555121{background-color: #f6ebdf !important;}” el_class=”optin”][vc_column][vc_column_text css_animation=”none”][\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section][vc_row el_class=”olive-branch-bg-l”][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]Join\u00a0Adam and Lindsey and friends\u00a0<\/span>every Wednesday, live, at 11 am CT\/ 9 am PT on the Raven Foundation Facebook page<\/a>.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jesus, our first Advocate, defender of victims and the accused sends to the world the Spirit of Truth state Adam and Lindsey. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":21402,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4469,4355,14],"tags":[4580,3031,4313,231,245,4581,2569],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Easter 6A: The Spirit of Truth - The Raven Foundation<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n