Sunday, June 16, 2019              

Today’s Scripture Reading  |  John 16:12–15
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (NRSV)

Reflection
I love that Jesus understood our limitations as humans and still saw the possibilities of our futures. Everything that he was and everything that he taught were more than the followers could understand when he walked the earth.

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible, because it tells me that God is still active in the world even now and that my learning is a lifelong journey. It’s OK that I don’t understand everything; it’s OK that Jesus no longer walks the earth—the resurrected Christ is still with me in the form of the Holy Spirit. God continues to reveal God’s self to us in different ways and different places. This revelation is not limited to the biblical text, because here Jesus has said that more truth will come later.

That Spirit of truth “will glorify me,” Jesus said, because the Spirit will bring the essence of Christ’s wisdom and love to us. The Spirit of truth can still guide us and draw us closer to God and God’s vision for the world. Part of our spiritual practices involve learning to see and learning to listen so that we can perceive these new and ongoing teachings from Christ through the Holy Spirit.

Prayer
Generous God of Wisdom, sharpen my perception and my understanding so that I may hear you speak through your creation. Strengthen me so I may bear the truth, and guide me so I may accept the truth. Amen.

Written by Nanette Sawyer, Associate Pastor for Discipleship and Small Group Ministry

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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