The Collect
O ALMIGHTY God, who alone canst order the unruly wills and affections of sinful men; Grant unto thy people, that they may love the thing which thou commandest, and desire that which thou dost promise; that so, among the sundry and manifold changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed, where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
EVERY good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
The Gospel (St. John xvi. 5)
JESUS said unto his disciples, Now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
Easter IV - Message in a Minute
In today's readings Jesus teaches us that the Holy Ghost will lead the disciples into all truth, that is, he will teach them what they need to know that they do not know or cannot know right when he goes back to heaven. We see that promise working itself out in the history of the church as decisions get made about what the truth is -- what books should be in the Bible, how the church ought to be structured and governed, how the church should worship and so on. Those large consensus decisions are the work of the Holy Ghost.
We can look at the theological controversies of our time -- the disputes that have made the existence of this church necessary -- in the terms Jesus uses this morning. We believe the Holy Ghost speaks to us about God and teaches us in an authoritative way in the pages of the Bible. We live with the Bible, and we interpret and apply the Bible within the two-thousand year tradition of the church.
We can trust what God has said and promised us. He does not and will not change his mind. Understandings grow and deepen. Different historical situations bring different parts of the Bible into prominence. But God will not contradict himself. The test of whether something is of God is whether it squares with what we know for certain already. What we know for certain already is the Bible, where the Holy Ghost reveals, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever.
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