The Sixth Sunday of Easter – May 9, 2026

There is a quiet tenderness running through today’s Gospel. Jesus is preparing his friends for life without his physical presence. He knows they are anxious. He knows they feel unprepared. And into that uncertainty he speaks a promise:
“I will not leave you orphaned.”

It is one of the most comforting lines in Scripture. Jesus is saying, You will not be alone. You will not be abandoned. You will not be left without guidance, without love, without someone to help you grow.

And that promise is not only spiritual. It is also deeply human. Because God often fulfills that promise through people—through the mothers in our lives, and through all those who have filled those roles in healthy, life‑giving ways.

Think for a moment about the people who helped you become who you are.

Maybe it was a parent. Maybe a grandparent. Maybe a teacher, a coach, a neighbor, a mentor. Maybe someone who stepped in when life didn’t go the way you hoped. Maybe someone who saw something in you before you saw it in yourself.

These people are signs of the Spirit Jesus promises in John 14—the Advocate, the Helper, the One who comes alongside us. God’s love often arrives wearing very ordinary clothes.

And today, as we hear Jesus say, “I will not leave you orphaned,” we remember with gratitude the people who have made that promise real in our lives.

In Acts 17, Paul stands in the Areopagus, surrounded by philosophers, poets, and seekers. He doesn’t scold them. He doesn’t shame them. He begins with gratitude and respect: “I see how extremely spiritual you are.”

Paul meets them where they are. He honors their searching. He builds on what is already growing in them.

This is what the best mentors do. They don’t force growth. They nurture it. They notice what is already stirring and help it flourish.

And Paul reminds them—and us—that God is never far from any of us. “In him we live and move and have our being.” Growth happens because God is already at work in us, often through the people who walk beside us.

Psalm 66 is a song of thanksgiving. The psalmist remembers God’s faithfulness, God’s protection, God’s presence in times of trouble. Gratitude is not a polite gesture—it is a spiritual practice. And gratitude grows us.

When we give thanks, we become more aware of God’s presence. When we give thanks, we become more aware of the people who bless us. When we give thanks, we become more aware of how we might bless others.

Gratitude is one of the ways the Spirit shapes us into people of love.

In 1 Peter, the early Christians are encouraged to be ready to explain the hope that is in them—but to do it with gentleness and reverence. Growth in faith is not about winning arguments. It is about becoming people whose lives reflect Christ’s love.

And none of us grows alone.

We grow because others have been gentle with us. We grow because others have shown us hope. We grow because others have walked with us through seasons of doubt, fear, and change.

The Christian life is always communal. Always relational. Always shared.

In the Gospel, Jesus promises the Spirit—the Advocate, the Helper, the One who teaches, guides, comforts, and strengthens. The Spirit is God’s ongoing presence, helping us grow into the likeness of Christ.

But the Spirit also works through us.

Just as others have helped us grow, we are called to help others grow. Just as others have encouraged us, we are called to encourage others. Just as others have loved us into becoming ourselves, we are called to love others into becoming who God made them to be.

This is the heart of Christian community: receiving love and giving love, receiving guidance and offering guidance, receiving grace and extending grace.

Today, as part of our worship, we are invited into a simple but powerful act of gratitude. At both entrances to the church, you will find postcards that say, “Thank you for helping me grow.”

They are for you.

Take one. Think of the people who have shaped you, supported you, encouraged you, or believed in you. Think of the people who have helped you grow in faith, in courage, in compassion, in wisdom.

Write a note. Send it. Hand it to someone. Let them know that their love mattered.

And as you do, consider this: Who in your life right now needs encouragement? Who needs someone to walk beside them? Who needs to hear, “I see something growing in you”? Who needs to know they are not alone?

Because gratitude doesn’t end with saying thank you. Gratitude inspires us to become the kind of people others will one day thank.

Jesus promises, “I will not leave you orphaned.” And God keeps that promise—through the Spirit, through the church, through the people who love us into becoming ourselves.

Today we give thanks for mothers, and for all who have filled this role in healthy, life‑giving ways. We give thanks for mentors, teachers, friends, and companions on the journey. We give thanks for the Spirit who continues to help us grow.

And we commit ourselves to being people who help others grow—here in this parish, in our families, in our neighborhoods, and in our world.

May gratitude shape us. May love guide us. And may the Spirit make us people who help one another grow into the fullness of Christ. Amen.