Everybody Needs an Advocate

Dear friends in Christ, grace to you and peace, from God our Father, and his Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Bill Butters was a standout athlete at White Bear Lake High School at about the same time I was a mediocre athlete in Roseville. We played hockey against each other for three years and sort of got to know one another in the process. Bill is the guy who once told me “Steve, goalies aren’t even really players, did you know that?” I asked him what he meant by that comment and he said “You could look it up in the rule book; it says ‘Each team shall consist of 18 players and two goalies.’”

Bill’s hockey career transcended mine. He played for the University of Minnesota and then went on to the National Hockey League, playing for the Minnesota North Stars. Billy was a little guy; 5’10” is all, but he had a body like a fire hydrant and a spirit like a pit bull. In the NHL, players would back down from fighting with Bill; some of the toughest instigators would back down, and I don’t think Bill ever understood why. The reason why is because his closest friend on the North Stars was a player named Jack Carlson, a big, mean, nasty defensemen, who would stand right behind Bill Butters, and every time someone was tempted to pick a fight with Bill, they would see Jack Carlson over his shoulder, shaking his head and warning them that if they fought Bill, they fought him, and they would always quietly skate away.

It occurs to me that many of us have Jack Carlson’s in our lives; advocates who are always at our side, ready and willing to protect us from potential harm. Children have their moms, who are something like pit bulls themselves, or as Sarah Palin once said “Pit bulls with lipstick!” Moms will protect their children at all risk, and on this Mother’s Day it would be a great time to say “Thanks, Mom, for being my advocate.”

As we grow up, we find friends that are our advocates; people who stick with us through thick and thin. They don’t always agree with us, and if they are truly our friends, they will get in our face and tell us when we’re wrong, but they are always there for us. Husbands can be advocates for their wives, and wives can be that for their husbands. Good bosses will run interference for their employees, and employees know that it’s a two-way street. Everyone needs an advocate, and whether yours is a 20th century version that you call “colleague” or “coach” or “comforter” or a 21st century version you call “your homie” or “your wingman” or your “BFF” or someone who’s got your back, these people make our lives more secure. If I asked you today “Who has been an advocate in your life?” you would each be able to name a name, and tell a story of loyalty and protection and love.

So it ought to come to us as no surprise that, when Jesus is speaking to his disciples in today’s gospel lesson, he tells them that he has to go on a journey, but in his absence, he will send to them a “advocate.” The Greek word used in John’s gospel is paidagagos. It evoked for the disciples, an image of a servant that was hired to care for small children whenever their parents were unavailable. This advocate – this paidagagos – would escort the children to school, and watch over the children as they played in the yard. Like a nanny, the helper would teach them their lessons, affirm the values of their parents, and ensure their absolute safety. And so Jesus says “While I’m away, I will send an advocate so that you may be at peace.”

I can only imagine that, when Jesus told this to his disciples, they assumed that the advocate would only be on duty for a day or two; a week at most. But then they watched Jesus die on the cross and perhaps they assumed that the promise of the advocate was no longer viable. After all, they were now orphans; their leader wasn’t just “away.” Their leader was dead and he wasn’t coming back. But he did come back! On Easter, he rose from the grave and walked among them for six weeks. After 40 days, he ascended into heaven, but he reminds them again of the Advocate; “Wait in Jerusalem because the paidagagos is coming” Jesus says. And then on Pentecost Day, the advocate comes; the Holy Spirit finally arrives to watch over the children of God. And the Spirit has never left; the spirit continues to watch over the children until Jesus comes again.

That means that the Advocate is still on duty yet today. This Spirit dwells among us, and though we cannot see the Spirit, and we cannot touch it, the Spirit touches us and gently guides us, and reminds us of the lessons that Jesus taught his disciples on earth.

Whenever our thoughts are drawn to Jesus Christ and his love for us; that’s the work of the Spirit.
Whenever the weight of our sin and shame brings us to our knees in prayer; that’s the work of the Holy Spirit.
Whenever we sing a hymn, or hear a stirring sermon, or are compelled out of the blue to say a prayer, and our hearts are; all of this is the work of the Advocate sent by God.

In fact, maybe it was the Advocate who got you here to church this morning. You weren’t going to come, were you? You were tired, or busy, or stressed, or had other plans, but here you are! The Spirit drew you here so that you might understand that God’s Spirit is watching over you…never lets you out of his sight…and promises to guard your heart, and guide you safely to the Kingdom.

I think that thought is particularly important for you today if you are one who has strayed from the church at some time in your life, but somehow found your way back home. Or for you who are parents and are anxious about your children who seem to have strayed from their faith. The Holy Spirit has not abandoned them! Like that paidagagos in the time of Jesus, this Advocate is relentless in watching over those whom the Savior loves…those whom the Savior has saved! No one is ever too far gone to be forgiven; no one is ever so badly lost that they cannot be found by the God of Second Chances. And that even includes you today. Could it be that the Spirit brought you here so that he could remind you of God’s grace, and then welcome you home again? I think so. I think so. And that same Spirit, that same advocate will go with you when you leave this place today; into the joyful places, into the scary places, into the uncertain places that are our lives. That’s what the promise of Jesus means. The Spirit never sleeps.

But I need to finish telling you my story of Billy Butters and Jack Carlson. For years, they were teammates and roommates in professional hockey; best friends on and off the ice. And then Bill came to faith in Jesus Christ, and it changed his life. He stopped his drinking and womanizing. He saved his marriage and God’s love saved him. But it ended the friendship between Butters and Carlson. Jack simply wasn’t willing to adopt a similar lifestyle that included faithfulness and sobriety.

A few years after he retired from hockey, Jack Carlson’s wife told him their marriage was through. With their 9 month old daughter in her arms, she told Jack, in no uncertain terms, to get out; she’d had enough. He checked into a hotel and, in a drunken stupor, was contemplating suicide, as he flipped through channels on the TV set. But he stopped on a channel that was airing a Billy Graham Crusade because there was a familiar face at the podium; it was Billy Butters. Listening to Bill tell his story of redemption and change brought big, tough, nasty Jack Carlson to tears. He didn’t know it, but it was taped months earlier, so when he called Billy’s cell phone to leave a message, Bill answered. Now it was Butters’ turn to be the helper and to guide Jack Carlson Carlson. The ultimate result is that Jack Carlson came to faith in Jesus Christ, and his life and his marriage have survived.

So, what about you today? Are you in a place where you need the Spirit to redirect your life? Are you in a place where you need to stop running, or to stop hiding, or to stop hurting, and be at peace? Is that why you’ve come? Then, welcome home!

“Peace I leave with you” Jesus said. “Not the world’s peace; my peace.” My friends, everyone needs an advocate; maybe yours has just found you.