Christ the King Epiphany Church, Wilbraham

The Rev. Martha S. Sipe

May 10, 2026 / Sixth Sunday after Easter

John 14:15-21

A lawyer died and went to Heaven.  After a lifetime of court appearances, he was well-prepared to argue his case at the Pearly Gates.  “Your Saintliness,“ said the lawyer to St. Peter when he met him at the door.  “There must be some mistake.  I’m too young to die.  I’m only 55.” 

“Fifty-five?” said Saint Peter, looking at his clipboard.  “No, I’m afraid not.  According to our calculations, you’re 82.” 

“No, look,” replied the lawyer, fishing his driver’s license out of his wallet.  “I was born in 1972.  2026 minus 1972 is 55, not 82.”

St. Peter replied, “Oh, we don’t use RMV records to determine age.”

“Well, then how did you get 82?” inquired the lawyer.

St. Peter looked over the top of his glasses at the flustered lawyer and replied:  “Simple.  We added up your time sheets.”

Lawyers are widely considered the profession most frequently targeted by jokes, often depicted in popular culture as dishonest, greedy, or ambulance chasers.  That’s too bad.  There are obviously good and honest lawyers, who do their best to help their clients.  And of course, we ought never to stereotype any person or profession.  But human nature being what it is, even though we know it’s unkind, sinful even, to hurt people with our words, there are still lots of jokes about lawyers.

Which is why it’s a bit challenging, I think, to hear Jesus’ words in John 14 with an open heart.  Jesus says, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.”  An advocate.  A lawyer.  Or more broadly, one who speaks up in defense of a cause.  But the Greek word behind the word advocate is more literally translated as paraclete – but that’s not a word most people would know.  It means “one who is called alongside.”  The Paraclete, the Advocate, of whom Jesus is speaking is the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit is the one whom Jesus promised would be with his disciples after his departure.  And that same Spirit has been standing with and walking alongside of us ever since.  That’s why Jesus says we’ll never be orphaned.  We’ll never be left on our own without the help of God.

Still, whether you think of and Advocate or a Paraclete, it’s hard, I think, to get a good visual of what the Spirit does.  So I’m going to give you another image to ponder.  It’s a wild one, but hear me out:  I’m inviting you to think of the Holy Spirit as a tugboat.  You know what tugboats are, right?   They’re those powerful little boats that come alongside other vessels, helping to move and guide those that either cannot or should not move by themselves.  Sometimes they guide large ships through narrow channels, helping to steer them.  At other times they move vessels that have no power of their own, like barges or disabled ships.  Sometimes tugboats push vessels from the rear and sometimes they pull them from the front.  Sometimes they even attach to the stern of the vessel and act as brakes to slow it down.  And all those things I’ve just mentioned:  they are all the very things the Holy Spirit does when it comes alongside of us.  Sometimes we know the Holy Spirit as our tugboat guide, that force that steers us away from dangerous choices and toward the channels that God intends for us to navigate.  At other times we know the Holy Spirit as the tugboat that pushes us, propels us, tows us, pulls us, sometimes drags us even, toward things we cannot make ourselves do on our own:  like choosing to share our resources when we’d rather save all our money for ourselves or forgiving someone who has hurt us, or having the courage to stand up for what is right – things that God wants us to do, but that we find very difficult, if not impossible, to do by our own power.  And at still other times, we know the Holy Spirit as our tugboat-God applying the brakes:  holding us back when we are tempted to take advantage of another, preventing us from saying the unkind word, closing our mouths when we are aching to share the latest juicy bit of gossip.  The Holy Spirit is our tugboat – coming alongside us to move us according to God’s desires.

All that sounds like very hard work – for the Spirit, yes, but also for us – because we’re not always eager to have the Spirit come alongside us.  After all, God’s Spirit might just push us in some directions we’d rather not go and keep us away from some places we’d like to be!  But listen to this:  as I read a little bit about tugboats this week, I discovered that these small vessels often serve other functions, as well.  They’re actually very versatile little watercraft.  At times they serve as icebreakers – just like the Holy Spirit can break the ice for us, giving us courage to break through the barriers that separate us from one another.  Sometimes tugboats are used to fight fires – like the Spirit, working in us, can quench the flames of anger within us.  And always, tugboats lead their vessels to safety . . . as will the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is our tugboat.  Do you like the image?  I do!  The Spirit comes alongside us to encourage, to rescue, and to help us find our port in the storm.

Jesus knew that his disciples would struggle in his absence.  And he knows that we struggle still to do the right thing, to choose the right path, to live faithfully in response to God’s grace.  And that is exactly why Jesus promised that that we will never be orphaned, never be abandoned, never be left alone with the Holy Spirit as our Advocate, and also as our tugboat –God with us to push us when we need a nudge, to pull us along when we need strength, to comfort us when the going gets rough, and always, always, ALWAYS to guide us safely home.