Lancaster First United Methodist Church
May 9, 2010
John 14:23-29
Rev. Robert McDowell

“Trying to Put a Faith to a Name”

Is it just me or are you also getting tired of trying to remember your twenty-five different passwords and pin numbers? I’m lucky if I can remember my mother’s maiden name!

I was at the car dealer waiting while they were changing my oil. I had my laptop with me and they offered wireless internet, so to pass time, I thought I’d check my e-mail So I go up to the desk and ask them for the password and username so that I could access the internet.

The lady behind the counter pulls out a sheet that has this information and asks me if I could bring this sheet back to her when I was done since she only had one copy. And I said, “Oh, I won’t need to take that with me because that’s easy enough to remember.”

I go back to my seat, silently repeating this information over and over so I won’t forget. There’s a TV news update that distracts me. I enter the password – no problem. But for the life of me, I can’t remember the username. Now, I have a choice to make. Do I go back to the lady and tell her that I am incapable of remembering two tiny pieces of information in a matter of three minutes? Or do I forget the whole thing and read a book?

I decide to swallow my pride and go back to the desk. Picking up on my forgetfulness, she says to me, “Don’t worry. I can’t remember worth a darn either.”

Our Gospel reading this morning is part of what Bible scholars call, “the farewell discourse of Jesus.” The scripture passage we just heard read for us comes at the beginning of this three chapter long farewell speech in which Jesus is preparing his disciples for the time when he would be leaving them.

Of course, all of this is confusing to them because they’re not getting why he will be leaving them in the first place. And secondly, like a lot of our learning experiences, it only begins to make sense once we are put into real life circumstances.

Before I went off to college, one of the last things my mom reminded me was to not wash my white color clothes with any of my bright color clothing. I never understood why this was such a big deal until the first time I did my own wash and ended up with pink underwear.

“Oh, that’s why she always does two loads of wash.”

In some ways, Jesus’ disciples had it easier than we do because they had three years to travel with him, talk with him, eat meals with him, and go through all kinds of life’s experiences with him. But for us today, our relationship is of a different kind; similar, but also very different.

Jesus, knowing that the disciples are about to face a huge transition in their relationship with him, offers this farewell discourse and specifically in our scripture passage today says to them, “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 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.”

Yes, the disciples’ relationship is about to change in a very real way, but Jesus is already anticipating that change, and assures them that they will have the benefit of the Holy Spirit who will remind them every step of the way of what Jesus has already taught them.

The Holy Spirit will help them to be able to put their faith to a name. Even though Jesus will be leaving them, his name will continue to guide and direct them thanks to the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is like a deteriorating memory equalizer, helping us to not forget what Jesus has taught us and what it means to live as his disciples.

Today, several seventh graders are professing their faith and becoming full members of First United Methodist Church. They have been meeting over a nine month period, studying the scriptures, learning about their faith, and preparing for this special day.

And to our confirmands who are joining the church today, and on behalf of our congregation, I want to congratulate each of you for spending these past nine months focusing on your faith and what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. This is a special day for you and I hope you remember your experiences in confirmation for a long time to come.

I also want to thank Sam and our adult leaders for coming alongside our confirmands and sharing their faith with them and offering their prayers and words of encouragement along the way. I can’t think of a better way to spend your time than by offering your presence for our young people.

Perhaps these words from Jesus’ farewell discourse are timely words as our confirmands prepare for a new chapter in their faith journey. From here, they will take what they have learned and experienced, and continue to be Jesus’ followers.

Will they remember everything they have learned during these past nine months? Probably not. Will they remember the two thousand years of church history I taught them one Sunday morning way back in September? Probably not. But, Jesus says that “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.”

To this day, I can still remember my year of confirmation when I was in the sixth grade; I remember that it was on every Thursday after school that our class would meet with Rev. Lippert at the church. I will always remember the field trip that our confirmation class took to Lovely Lane Chapel in Baltimore, Maryland, where Methodism became an official denomination here in America. And I still have the black leather bound bible that I was given on confirmation Sunday, the day I joined the Stewartstown United Methodist Church.

It’s amazing how much of our faith can stick with us as we go through life, even for those of us who can’t remember our passwords and PIN numbers even if our life depended on it.

So you’re at a church meeting and after several thoughts and ideas have been shared, the committee is still unsure of the direction they need to take. And just when everyone seems ready to throw in the towel, something reminds you to speak up and you say, “I think what we’re talking about is bigger than what any of us can handle. I’d like to offer a prayer and invite God to see us through this.”

That’s putting a faith to a name.

In the course of a conversation, someone begins to share with you about a family member who is throwing his life away because of a heroin addiction. You listen with compassion and concern as this person shares with you their heartache and feelings of helplessness.

The conversation could have easily ended with a few polite words of support, but something reminds you to go one step farther and invite this person to attend church with you so they can receive additional support and hope for their difficult journey ahead.

That’s putting a faith to a name.

Several years ago, I was serving as an Associate Pastor in a church and I was helping to lead worship one Sunday morning. A young girl who was about twelve or thirteen years old at the time, played a piano piece while the offering was being received. She was a very gifted pianist, especially for her young age.

When she got to the middle of her song, for some reason, probably just out of being so nervous because of so many people in worship that day, she missed a few notes, and then a few more. She barely was able to finish the song.

When she finally made it to the final note, the organist played the doxology and the ushers brought the offering plates forward. I went over to the ushers, received the offering plates, took them to the altar and said a prayer of blessing over the offering.

When I turned around to head to my seat, and as the organist began to play the closing hymn, there in the first pew of the church, was this little girl crying. But sitting next to her, with his arm around her and whispering words of comfort, was the Senior Pastor.

Immediately after she finished her song, he had noticed that she was upset and embarrassed, and he had discreetly left his seat by the pulpit in order to sit there with her so that she wouldn’t be alone.

That’s putting a faith to a name.

A couple of years ago, Sports Illustrated ran an article on Jermareo Davidson, who was a 6’ 10” University of Alabama forward. Just three nights before the start of his senior season and with hopes of eventually making the NBA, Jermareo’s brother was shot by an unknown assailant. Four days later, Jermareo and his girlfriend visited his brother at the hospital. That night, as they returned to Tuscaloosa, Jermareo and his girlfriend were involved in a car accident. His girlfriend had lost control of the car and as she swerved to avoid another car, their car flipped several times before landing on its roof.

Jermareo survived the accident, but his girlfriend ended up dying several hours later in the very same hospital where they had just visited Jermareo’s brother. Sadly, Jermareo’s brother also ended up dying about a month later.

On December 27th, the night before his brother’s funeral service, Jermareo stunned his mother by telling her that he wanted to be baptized in the United Methodist Church that he and his brother had attended as children.

The next day for the funeral service, Jermareo gave the eulogy for his brother and told the congregation that he wanted to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. And in front of a filled to capacity church, a grieving giant with tears streaming down his face, knelt down, asked for forgiveness, and gave his life to the Lord.

During those tragic events, the Holy Spirit reminded Jermareo of the faith that he and his brother shared together as children in that Atlanta United Methodist Church. A faith that Jermareo was now ready to reaffirm through baptism and profession of faith.

Jesus tells his disciples, “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.”

Three years ago, my mom was diagnosed with Dementia. This has been a challenge for our family especially since our mom continues to live in a two story farm house. We want her to be able to live in the house she grew up in as long as possible, but we also need to look out for her safety because of her memory loss problem.

Soon after we discovered that she had Dementia, our family got together to be with mom to let her know why we wanted her to not drive her car anymore and why we felt it would be good for her to have one of us begin to take care of her monthly bills.

Amazingly, there’s at least one area of her life that hasn’t been affected by Dementia: her faith in Jesus Christ.

Even though she can’t remember to take her pills in the morning or how to cook her famous chicken potpie, she still manages to put her faith to a name, the name of Jesus.

It’s the strangest thing. It’s as if someone is right there reminding her of every word.

Thoughts for the Week

1. List some ways that have been helpful to you in remembering Jesus’ teachings: Scripture memorization? Sunday School or Bible Study class? Worship? Daily Devotions? Other?

2. This week, be attentive to the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life and how you might respond to the everyday situations that come your way. Share your experiences with another person on a regular basis and help each other to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.

3. May 23rd is Pentecost Sunday, the day in which the church celebrates the giving of the Holy Spirit to the early church. Wear red clothing if possible on that Sunday to remind you of the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. Red symbolizes the tongues of fire that rested on each of the disciples when the Holy Spirit came.