“We Are Never Alone” – John 14:15-27 – May 27, 2007

In the movie, Castaway, Tom Hanks plays the part of a man who is marooned on an island. He was the lone survivor from a plane that crashed into the ocean. He manages to find food and survives on the island for about four years. During that time he was alone, starved for interaction with other human beings, missing his fiancé and grieving over the fact that he was unable to live in society. One day a volleyball floated ashore and Tom Hanks named the volleyball Wilson. He put a face on him and he talked to him as if he were another human being. When Hanks left the island Wilson got separated from the raft and Hanks was unable to retrieve him. He was totally crushed, having lost his only friend in the world.

When we are lonely we will go to great lengths to compensate for our feelings of isolation and abandonment. Unfortunately we substitute human interaction with other things. Some use material things to replace their feelings of emptiness. Others stay busy, filling their agendas with extracurricular activities and things to do. Others cope with drugs or alcohol. We humans will do anything to make us feel better.

One exceptionally sad example of loneliness is a person who stays in an abusive relationship because they are dependent and afraid of venturing out on their own. We sometimes seek comfort and attention from people who take advantage of us or use us. Loneliness can be very painful. When we are alone there is a fear of being left out. Sadness and unhappiness occurs and that often leads to hopelessness and despair.

Here in John we find the disciples feeling abandoned since Jesus will be leaving them soon. Life will be different without their faithful companion and friend. How will they continue his ministry? How will they survive in a hostile world?

Jesus prepared them by saying, “I will not leave you orphaned.” He assured them that there would be a comforter, a counselor, an advocate who would be their friend and helper. Jesus would continue to “abide in them,” as the Holy Spirit and therefore they would continue to experience the presence and assurance of God. That same spirit is within us as well. And, that relationship depends on our willingness, as Jesus said, “to keep his commandments.” In other words, we will never be alone as long as we continue to “love one another and love God.”

The abiding presence of God is experienced in several ways. First, as friendship. In the Vietnam War, some stray artillery rounds landed in an orphanage, wounding several children. One was a nine-year-old girl who lost a lot of blood. Word quickly reached nearby American forces and they dispatched a Navy doctor and nurse to help the children. They went to work first on the young girl who was in shock and needed an immediate blood transfusion to save her life.

To get a donor, the doctor and nurse called together a group of the unharmed children, and in their stumbling Vietnamese and limited French they explained to the orphans that someone would have to give blood to help save the little girl's life. At first nothing but silence and stares came from the frightened youngsters. Then a small hand went up in jumpy hesitation, then down again, then up again, the hand of a little boy, age ten.

The nurse quickly asked his name. "Heng," he replied in a whisper. He was placed on a cot, his blood quickly drawn for a compatibility test, which it passed; then the transfusion started from him to the little girl. But Heng soon broke into crying that grew into deep sobs. "Is it hurting, Heng?" asked the nurse.” He shook his head no, but went into deeper sobs and began to shake. Soon he was into a flood of tears.

The medical team became nervous. Something was wrong. At that moment a Vietnamese nurse arrived on the scene. She quickly spoke to Heng in his own language, engaging him in rapid-fire dialogue. After answering several sobbing questions, she whispered softly to him. Then he became calm and his crying faded away.

Turning to the American medics, the nurse said in subdued tones: "He thought he was going to die. He had the impression that you needed all his blood, and that he would have to die to help save the little girl's life." The shocked doctor asked, "How could he possibly have the guts to do that?" The Vietnamese nurse turned and asked the little fellow. He answered simply, "Because she is my friend." (from Jeryy Fuller, OMI, Deacon Sil Galvan)

When we experience a friendship like the deep, abiding, friendship that Heng gave his friend, we can be assured that the God is indeed present.

Secondly, we are never alone when someone acts as an advocate or helper on our behalf. When people are willing to come to our aid freely and compassionately, once again the spirit of God is upon us.

For my Interviewing and Counseling Techniques class there is a video series that has a variety of counseling sessions. In one exchange there is an elderly woman whose only daughter has died. A counselor, by the name of Lourdes, makes visits to her home, trying to help Myra cope with her grief. Things are progressing slowly since Mrya is hesitant to express her feelings. Lourdes is not very successful and tries several approaches but none seem to work. One day she asks Mrya to tell her about the things that remind her about her daughter. She said that their favorite thing was to take walks together. Lourdes gets an idea and asks Myra if it would be okay if they took a walk together. They do, and Myra finally beings to open up. She realized that what she missed was the opportunity to talk to someone younger than herself.

Whenever someone befriends us in such a way it enables us to experience life again. We no longer feel the emptiness and void of being alone. Lourdes realized that she couldn’t replace Myra’s daughter and nor did she intend to. Her friendship however, enabled Myra to awaken from her sorrow and experience the love of interacting with another human being.

God is with us as friend, counselor and helper. As many times as I have read this passage I had always overlooked verse 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.” Until this sermon I had never thought of the Holy Spirit as “teacher.”

Jesus had taught the disciples many lessons. He filled their minds and hearts with stories and parables. Sometimes they just observed him as he interacted with people. By telling them that the Holy Spirit would “teach them everything” implies that those teachable moments would stay with them and when they would find themselves trying to get others to understand those lessons would come back to them.

The primary message in this passage of John is that we are never alone. God does not abandon us or leave us as orphans. I am reminded by one of the many lessons my grandfather told me. During the sixties there were those who were saying that God is dead. That really disturbed me and so I asked my grandfather if God was really dead as people were saying. Patiently and wisely he responded by saying, “If God is dead, then let see man make a seed.”

For me that ended my anxiety about a God who didn’t exist. And, there have been many occasions when I have shared that teachable moment with others. Every time I do I think of my grandfather, who died in over twenty years ago. But, who is still very much with me. “I will not leave you orphaned,” Jesus said. We are never alone.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio