So often, music speaks to a place in me that words don't always reach. All music, it generally doesn't matter what kind, just as long as it matches my mood at the time. My husband always said that my brother and I were the only people he knew that could work a Ray Stevens song into any conversation. However, whether it is Ray Stevens or another artist or group, almost any conversation or situation brings a song to mind. As I read the text for this week, I kept hearing the Beatles song Help in my head. While there is much debate over the status of John Lennon's relationship with God, If you think about the lyrics of the song with our text from today in mind, if you are like me, you can't help but hear the lyrics as a cry out to God for help. Lennon said that he wrote the song when he was stressed by the success that the Beatles were experiencing. He didn't know what to do, but he knew he needed help. He didn't know who could help him, but he knew that not just anyone could. As Christians, we know where the help that we need comes from when we are stressed, or lonely, or - as Jesus knew the disciples were going to feel - orphaned. Jesus asked the Father to send us a Paraclete. Not just a helper or a comforter, but a friend that walks beside us giving us encouragement, being our counselor, and being our advocate with the Father Himself. This Helper comes to those who love Jesus and keep His commandments. He comes into the world just as Jesus came into the world and is the promised gift of the Father, sent at Jesus’ request. The difference is that Jesus was sent to the world, this Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, only comes to those who want to know Jesus.
Music Credits: You Raise Me Up, composed by Rolf Løvland Help composed and written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney