One of the ways that we can recognize God's call for us is to listen to Him. Are you listening? Truly listening? Sometimes we seem to have "selective hearing" when it comes to God. Perhaps you keep getting this reoccurring thought that you should stop gawking at the two elderly people who sit in their garage all day long and go engage in conversation with them because they're probably lonely and would appreciate it greatly. Because you are "selectively hearing" what God says, you might find yourself ignoring the voice of God. Remember, any action you do in love will glorify our Lord. If you're feeling a call to do something that will show that love to someone else, do it! Even if you don't want to! Do you truly believe you know more about your life than the One who created you? In Jeremiah it is written: 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” It's overwhelming to think about the magnitude of our Lord and His knowledge and power. And it's even more overwhelming to know that He himself lives in us and speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. If we listen, we can hear Him calling us to action to live and act in love. Today's scripture reading talks about that mysterious Holy Spirit and how it dwells within us. A little background about the gospel of John from Mark Allen Powell, author of Introducing the New Testament: Martin Luther said of the gospel of John that it is "far to be preferred over the other three because it will show you Christ and teach you everything you need to know". The author of the gospel is anonymous and scholars are unsure of the actual author. Ancient tradition of the church points to John, Jesus's disciple, as being the author of at least the original copy, but it is believed that the gospel has been revised and edited into multiple versions throughout history. Nevertheless, many scholars do believe that the gospel of John was produced by one of Jesus's original disciples, and then was preserved and edited by leaders who had close ties. Because of this uncertainty of authorship, dating the gospel is hard. It is thought to have been started relatively soon after Christ's death, and was edited, revised, and finalized around the 90s (Christ was crucified in 30-33). The purpose of this gospel is to do what Jesus came to do (pg.177): give life in Jesus Christ to people. Now, for the passage: John 14:15-30 15 “If you love me, obey[d] my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,[e] who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.[f] 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.19 Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. 20 When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” 22 Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other disciple with that name) said to him, “Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?” 23 Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.24 Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. 25 I am telling you these things now while I am still with you.26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. 27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.28 Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am. 29 I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe. 30 “I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me, 31 but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going. Reflection:
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