Sermon Recap

• Pastor Suzanne talked about the Holy Spirit as our comforter (paraklete). 
• In the passage Jesus is preparing his followers for the time when he will no longer be with them. He promises not to leave them as orphans (ones with deep grief), but to send them a comforter. 
• She talked about how, in the Greek, the word for comforter refers to one who responds to a call to help (like the short clip from Mrs. Doubtfire) and comes alongside us. 
• Mark Cooper shared his experience with both deep grief at the loss of his son and his experience of people coming alongside to help and comfort them after their loss. 
• Pastor Suzanne encouraged us to call out to God when we need comfort and to be attentive to how we might be called to be the paraklete that God used to comfort others.

Reflection Questions

• When was a time in your life that you experienced grief or loss? 
• How did you experience God as a comforter in that season? Are there particular people who came alongside you in that season?
• Have you ever imagined God at work sending those people to respond? Take a moment to reflect on how God might have been working through individuals to care for you. 
• Is there anyone in your life today that you know is grieving? Take a moment to pray and ask if God is inviting you to do anything particular to comfort them.

Pastor Suzanne used the image of first responders to talk about how the Holy Spirit responds to our call to help. Spend some time reflecting on this image and how God’s Spirit might be reflected in the care of this first responder.