MAC KIRK

John 14:15-21 "Three Words---Helper, Not Orphans, Manifest Myself" ( rough notes....but the essentials of the faith in Three Words for those who know Him as the Way, the Truth and the Life) A Helper to get through the trials and difficulties of life. Here Jesus talks about the Holy Spirit as the paraklete. John refers to Jesus Himself using the same Greek word in I John 2:1, " an advocate ( paraklete) with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous..." In the KJV, Comforter in John 14:16. from " Bible Hub.com" HELPS Word-studies " paráklētos (from /pará, "from close-beside" and 2564 /kaléō, "make a call") – properly, a legal advocate who makes the right judgment-call because close enough to the situation. 3875 /paráklētos ("advocate, advisor-helper") is the regular term in NT times of an attorney (lawyer) – i.e. someone giving evidence that stands up in court. " Jesus prays that the Helper, Advocate will remain

Good Shepherd Sunday John 10 Duties, privileges , responsibilities and joys of the offices in the Church Priests- This is the Gospel for Ordination John 10 " ...how great importance this Office is, whereunto ye are called...to be Messengers, Watchmen, and Stewards of the Lord; to teach, and to premonish ( to warn beforehand), to feed and provide for the Lord's family; to seek for Christ's sheep that are dispersed abroad...never cease your labour, your care and diligence, until ye have done all that lieth in you, according to your bounden duty to bring all...unto that agreement in the faith and knowledge of God...no place either for error in religion or for viciousness of life.... Consider how studious ye ought to be in readiness and learning the Scriptures...Will you reverently obey your Bishop, and other chief Ministers....following with a glad mind and will their godly admonishments and judgments... The Prayer before the ordination of a Bishop ," Most merc

3rd S. of Easter Luke 24: 36.... “A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.” ― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity The message title is " A Risen Christ, A Real Christ, A Real Life" The reason that I start with the quote above is that it seems Jesus had to keep showing Himself to get the disciples to truly understand what had happened. I am not blaming them, but it does seem as though they were quite dull of heart. They did not think He was real. Was He a spirit? vs. 37 . They kept reasoning that it could not be real. They were troubled . He had told the disciples on the road to Emmaus in vs 25 that they were dull of heart not to believe what the prophets had already said. I like what the Celtic Prayers for Growing Spiritually by David Adam prays, " Risen Lord, come stand among us, Awaken us to your presence, Open to us

Thomas---the Twin? John 20---Today we talk about Thomas in John 20--- A little background first about Thomas--"-It's likely that Thomas was a nickname rather than his given name. Parents of twins would not name one of them "Twin". Yet by translating "Thomas" to "Didymus" three times, the Gospel of John makes it clear that as an adult Thomas was known—even among Greek speakers—as "the twin". We don't know exactly where or why he got this nickname, or what his given name was. The apocryphal Acts of Thomas, written in the early third century, identifies him as "Judas Thomas", and fourth century historian Eusebius refers to him once as "Judas, who was also called Thomas". " Pope Benedict, in a reflection on Thomas in 2006, mentioned the etymology of the name but added, "The reason for this nickname is unclear." One recent speculation is that Thomas' name was not actually derived from the