A synopsis of the sermon delivered by the Rev. David L. Hicks at St. Paul’s Reformed Episcopal Church on Sunday, June 1, 2003, Sunday after Ascension Day. Please read St. John 15:26-16:4.

When my children have to get a vaccination at the doctor’s office, the doctor will often say something like, “This will feel like a pinch,” or “This may hurt a little bit.” We know why he does this. It is easier to take pain when we know that it is coming and that there is a purpose to it. In the Gospel reading for today, Jesus is doing something very similar to this, as he makes his disciples aware of the pain they will face after he ascends to the Father and gives the Holy Spirit to them. The pain will come in the form of persecution for being witnesses to Jesus Christ.

The coming of the Holy Spirit, which we celebrate on the day of Pentecost, has both positive and negative aspects. The Holy Spirit is described as one who strengthens, helps or advocates for the followers of Christ. He gives power to the disciples, connecting them to the life of Christ, and He enables them to bear witness of all that Jesus Christ and has said and done. The church is truly blessed to have the great benefit of the Spirit’s work in the hearts of her people. However, there is a price to be paid in this world when one is so closely tied to Jesus. As St. John writes in his first letter, “As he is, so are we in this world.” If the world rejected Jesus, can his disciples expect anything different? Jesus says, “They will put you out of the synagogues, yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he does God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father or me” (16:2-3). Jesus tells them these things so that they will be prepared when the time comes. “These things have I spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble…But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them” (16:4).

We are not in the same historical situation as the disciples to whom Jesus first spoke, but there is an analogy to be made. We serve the same Christ, we have received the same Holy Spirit, and we are witness to the same gospel. Hence, we can expect the world to react to us in a similar manner as it did to Jesus and his disciples in the first century. When we face difficulties and trials for having faith in our Lord, we do well to remember these words. He has told us ahead of time, so that when the time comes we will not stumble or falter in our purpose to serve our Savior. 
Amen.