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John 16:12-15 Jesus traveled around the Holy Land teaching is disciple for 3 ½ years. I think it might have been closer to 4 years. During these years the disciples had been taught about following God. Jesus told them that the Kingdom of God was like a man who had two sons, like a Good Samaritan, like a mustard seed and so on. So right before he is about to leave them he gives them a closing address, a commencement speech if you will. Does he tell them that they have all the skills and knowledge they need? Does he tell them to stop studying and learning and growing? No, in fact he basically says, "I am sending you a tutor." Our lesson today is really a part of the extended speech by Jesus that started in the two chapters earlier with the passage we looked at last week. Do you remember last Sunday's sermon? Well, if you don't that is OK because Jesus says the Spirit will remind us of all He has said. So if you can't remember what your preacher said, that is OK because the Holy Spirit will help you remember what Jesus said. But basically Jesus is saying your education is not over. Jesus says, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now." The spirit will not only remind you of what is in your class notes. It will also teach you new things that you were not ready to learn. So what are some of the things that we need to learn after graduation? First, never stop learning. I know you have finished your degree and you think "What! I couldn't possibly learn another thing!" But there are many things that they can't teach you in school. I have a Bachelor's in religion and Masters in Divinity and a Masters in Theology. The last degree was earned in 1990. I started the first grade in 1970. So this year represents the point at which I have been out of school for as long as I was in it. I have learned more since I graduated than I ever learned in school. It may not have been formal learning, but it was learning all the same. And that's just the things of my profession, theology and the Bible. There were many life lessons on top of that. Never stop learning. Never think you have arrived. Keep asking questions and seeking answers. God still has a lot to teach you. The best is yet to come. An organism that is not growing is dying. A limb that is not used will atrophy. Don't let your brain atrophy; don't let your spirit atrophy. Let the Holy Spirit teach you things you were not ready to learn in school. Never stop learning but realize there are some things you will never learn. You see we all need to enroll in continuing education seminars on Divine Calculus 333. Today is Trinity Sunday. We celebrate the Christian belief that there is one God revealed in three persons. We have a lot of clever ways to symbolize this: a triangle, water which is a solid, a liquid and a gas, the shamrock which has three leaves in one plant. But basically we are saying that 1+1+1=1 It doesn't add up. In the church we call that a "Mystery." When what we believe doesn't add up, we have that word for it. It's a Mystery. We say that Jesus was fully human and fully divine. So 100% God + 100% human = 100% Jesus. How can the God of the universe who spoke worlds into existence become a helpless infant who has to learn to say "mama?" It doesn't add up. Ohhh, so the next time you try to balance you checkbook and you say you have money and the bank says you don't you can declare "It's a mystery!" But seriously, some of the most important things in life don't add up. And in those moment when things don't add up, whether the ledger is in your favor or against you, God can be the most present. In these moments when you experience unexpected and unexplainable love, or grace, or peace, or tragedy, God is present. So learn to accept the mystery of life. Never stop learning, embrace the mysteries of life, and expect the Spirit to teach you from the most unexpected places. The story goes that a great preacher and theologian was out fishing one day for recreation when he came upon an island that was not on the maps. He discovered that there were three fishermen living on the island in total isolation from the rest of the world. He asked them if they were Christians and they said yes, but as her spoke to them he discovered that they did not know the Lord's Prayer. He said if you don't know the Lord's Prayer how do you pray. They said we look to God in heaven and say, "We are three. We are three. Have mercy on us." Appalled at this he taught them the Lord's Prayer. Several weeks later he was out fishing again and it was near dusk and he was passing island and thing proudly how he had taught these uneducated fishermen how to pray. Then he noticed three lights coming to him on the water. At first he though the three fishermen were coming out in their boats to greet him. But then he noticed that they were walking on the water. When they got to boat they said, "Sir, we wanted to speak to you again because we forgot that marvelous prayer you taught us. It started "Our Father..." but we cannot remember the rest. The preacher looked down into the water as fish swam under their feet and he said, "That's OK you just keep praying the way you have been." I know that with all your leaning and wisdom you are ready to take the world by storm. And I certainly do not want to curb your enthusiasm. But don't be surprised when you learn from unexpected places. Look especially to learn from people. Today we celebrate Memorial Day and we remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. Learn from their love and devotion, don't live in the past but learn from it. So you have graduated. Well welcome to school. Whether you are going on to further your education or going to work, you are now enrolled in the school of life. You will encounter things and experiences you could not have imagined. You see God still has a lot to teach you. He could have told you about these things before, but you would not have been ready to learn them. So God will go with you to teach you as you go through life. So now that you have graduated, welcome to the school of life. Be ready to continue to learn and grow. Don't expect life to always add up. And look to learn unforeseen lessons from unexpected people and situations. Acts 2:1-21 The disciples had spent three and half years following Jesus. They had attended seminars and lectures on the kingdom of God. They had labs on healing the sick and casting out demons. They participated on field studies on spreading the good news. And in the end they were even tested. So what would they do now? Jesus had given them a final address where he told them to "Go Forth" and make disciples of all nations. But were they truly ready? They had taken the classes. They had put their learning into practice. They had even passed the test - well, they were graded on a curve and Judas really pulled that curve down. But apparently they weren't ready. They were trained but they were still lacking something. So Jesus gave the disciples the ultimate graduation gift. He gave them the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit gave them the strength and gifts they needed to proclaim the gospel. Are you ready for what's next? Some of you are going on for more education. You will be leaving home and living on your own for the first time in your lives. Mom and Dad won't be looking over your shoulder to see if you are doing your homework. Some of you will be entering the work force, paying your own way for the first time in your lives. Some of you will be getting married and setting up your own household. Are you ready? Did all the classes and seminars and labs and exams prepare you for what is next? Hopefully you can say to some degree "yes." I hope you learned something in school. But is that all you need for the rest of your life? Probably not. Even if you made strait A's I am sure there is some practical experience missing. And just knowing something doesn't give one the wisdom and ability to apply that knowledge. Then there are the realities of life that school can never prepare you for: the realities of the world that labs and internships could never anticipate. Like the disciples, you have the basic knowledge to get the job of living underway, but there is still a vast unknown ahead of you. That is where the Holy Spirit comes in. The disciples knew all the things that Jesus taught them, but they still lacked something. So before he ascended, Jesus told them to wait for the Holy Spirit. So they waited and then on the day of Pentecost God's holy presence came upon them. It gave them the courage they needed to go out into the streets and proclaim Jesus. It also gave them the skills they didn't yet have to make themselves understood. You may not feel ready for what is next. You may not even be sure what is next in your life. But that's OK. It's OK because God knows what is next. He has a plan for you and he knows what hardships and trials you will face. And he has given you His holy presence, the Spirit, to be with you. You might be going off to a school in another state far from any of your family and friends. But God's Spirit is with you. The Spirit can guide you and remind you of the things you have already learned but might have forgotten about. The Spirit can help prepare you for things in your future that you could never have anticipated. And the Spirit can give you the skills and gifts you need to succeed in life. Are you truly ready for what's next? Peter wasn't. He was Jesus' star pupil. He was the first to openly confess that Jesus was the Messiah! Yet when they took Jesus he denied him three times. He clearly was not ready. Peter, the man who said "You are the son of the living God," swore with an oath that he didn't even know Jesus, in order to save his skin. But look at him after the Spirit came. Peter is standing in front of the others who are speaking in different languages. And what is he doing? He is proclaiming Jesus out in the open for all to see. Three years of training had giving him the knowledge, but it took the rush of a mighty wind to finally move him? The Holy Spirit can give you the courage and the boldness to go forth and live your life to the fullest. The Holy Spirit can give you the gifts you need to be successful in life. The Holy Spirit can give you peace and patience in the midst of life's trials. The Holy Spirit can go with you and before you and remind you of the lessons you have learned. You noticed I said the Holy Spirit "can" do all those things. God is not going to do all those things for you against your will. You have to let it move in you. You have to open your hearts to the Spirit's presence. You have to dedicate yourself to serving Jesus. God gave us the Holy Spirit. But we have to look to it for guidance and help. When you are packing for college or whatever is next, don't forget to take the Holy Spirit. It is the ultimate dorm room accessory. It will be an indispensable addition to the décor of our apartment or house. It will be a necessary addition to your office. You might say, "Well fine preacher but what about the rest of us who are not graduating? This lesson applies for you too. Do you truly know what's coming next in your life? Are you ready for what's next: parenthood, career change, unemployment, over-employment, marriage, separation, retirement, death, �? God knows what's next and the Holy Spirit can prepare you and equip you for what's next.
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