And I will ask the Father and he will give you another __________to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth (John 14:16-17).

What goes in the blank in the sentence above?  And what about all those “blank lines” in our own lives – what is it that we most need?

As we continue our current series on the Holy Spirit, we’ll listen this week as Jesus prepares his disciples for two massive transitions.  The first is his coming crucifixion, resurrection and ascension, his “leaving” them.

The second massive transition is that they will become something new and never before seen: the Christ community, the “church,” a community with a world-embracing, world-engaging commission.

And at the heart of these two massive transitions, transitions we today are still in the middle of, is what goes in that blank: I will ask the Father and he will give you another _____.

We’re listening to Jesus’s final words to his disciples, as reported in John 13-17.  It’s Thursday evening, the time of their final meal together, Judas’s betrayal, Gethsemane, and Jesus’s arrest.  John 14-17 is the longest continuous block of Jesus talking anywhere in the four Gospels.

Five times in these chapters, Jesus speaks with us about the Holy Spirit.  Each time, he uses a distinctive Greek word: paraclete.  That’s the word in the blank, and it is a challenge to translate – which is why you’ll come across different words “in the blank” as you read these passages.  Paraclete means “one called alongside”.  It can carry something of a legal connotation, “one called alongside to speak on behalf of, in defense of,” which is why some translations go with Counselor or Advocate.  It can also mean “one called alongside to help or support,” which is why other translations go with Comforter.  Other translations go with Companion, Intercessor, Friend and Strengthener.

All these words can “go in the blank.”

What about the “blank lines” in our own lives and souls?  Those places where we don’t need a friend, counselor or companion, but the God who is The Friend, The Counselor, The Comforter, The Advocate, and so on? Are there blank places in our lives of prayer and worship, in our relationships at home or work, in our growth as fully-formed followers of Jesus, in our work and witness in the world?

If so … we now know what (Who!) goes in those blanks!

Try making a list of (some of) the “blank lines” in your life – and invite God The Spirit-Paraclete-Advocate-Counselor-Friend-Companion-Strengthener-Comforter to “fill in the blanks” in you!