A Prayer for You
Posted on May 08, 2016 by David Whetter
Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the
Holy Spirit, who abides in each of us.
For the past six weeks, we have been celebrating Easter. Each time we have gathered, we have proclaimed the Risen Christ. Our scripture texts have focused not only on how Jesus engaged his followers immediately after his Resurrection, but for the past several weeks our Gospel texts have also focused on what Jesus taught his disciples on that final night they were together. We have been reminded this season of Easter that we can always listen for Jesus’ voice in our lives, we have been commanded to love as Jesus loved, and we have been reminded that our actions of love are how we show the world that we are Christians. Last week, we were reminded that although our work in this world will be difficult we need not fear, because our Father in heaven has sent us an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to walk with us on this journey. All of this is what Jesus reminded his disciples of on that night before he was crucified, and as that evening came to an end Jesus’ focus changed.
So allow me set the scene just one more time. It’s Thursday evening, the night on which Jesus will be betrayed, handed over to his enemies, deserted by his friends, tried, convicted, and finally, crucified. And knowing all that is to come, he gathered his closest friends, offered them parting words of encouragement and hope, and then took time to pray. He prayed for himself, and then, as we hear today, he prayed for his followers. He prayed that they would be able to endure the challenges that would come their way. He prayed that they would discover strength in their unity. He prayed that they would be drawn together as one, as Jesus and the heavenly Father are one. And then he prayed not only for close friends, but for all for who would come to believe in Jesus because of their testimony. This last part is really, really important for you and me because when Jesus prayed for those that were still to come he was praying for you and me. On his last night on this earth, Jesus prayed for you and me. Did you hear that? Jesus prayed for you! If that isn’t a humbling thought, I don’t know what is.
In his prayer, Jesus prayed as any mother or father prays for his/her children today. He began by saying, “They were yours, and you gave them to me…” (17:6). That is just how we receive our children. Our children don’t belong to us, they actually belong to God, and God gives them to us to nurture, to raise, and to prepare them for a life in Christ, and then we are called to let them go. This isn’t an easy task. I know, I have had to let three children go, and it is hard. But, it is how God intends life to be. Parents are to raise their children so that they might continue in God’s work.
You know, when I was much younger, prayer was not part of my daily routine, but as I have gotten older I have learned much about prayer, specifically from Jill over the past four decades that we have been together. She is the first person I knew who shared with me that she prayed for people she did not know. Before we had children, she prayed for them as if they were already here. She didn’t know anything about them, but she would pray for them. Then after we had our children, she not only continued to pray for them, but she prayed for those who someday would be in their lives. She prayed for their future spouses and children. She still does this, and it is a prayer practice that I find powerful.
Many of us came here yesterday, sat in this very worship space in the quiet, and prayed. I can’t speak for everyone, but I know Jill and I offered prayers of thanks, prayers of adoration and prayers filled with hope for our future. We prayed for a future we do not yet know. We prayed like Jesus prayed. But I have to be honest, before we came, we had second thoughts. We had had a very busy day. It was getting late, and we just wanted to be at home, but we came as we had promised. And, as Jill said when we left, that was the best part of our whole day. It really was a powerful time for us to sit and pray, knowing we were in the presence of God and that God was listening.
Jesus prayed knowing he was in God’s presence and knowing God listened. He prayed for those he knew would follow someday, but who did not yet know the story. That’s you and me. Jesus knew that if his story was going to be known that his followers would need the strength and courage to go tell his story, and so he prayed for them. You and I have come to believe because of those first followers who shared the story, then others came to believe, and they told the story, until finally you and I heard the story. Jesus prayed for us, and now we are those who are called to tell the story. We are called to continue on and pray for those who are yet to come. We are those who must, and can, find a way to keep the story alive right here so that others might come to believe.
In his prayer, Jesus prayed something very specific, too, for us. He prayed that, because we have come to believe, we would become one, and that we would become one with God. Our theology boldly proclaims this today, doesn’t it? We proclaim that the Trinity is one, and we believers are one, too. We say it in our creeds, “We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church…” But this isn’t true, is it? We aren’t one church, are we? The Christian community is fractured into many parts. It seems like there is a different denomination on every corner. Heck, right here on this very lot there are two different faith communities, and within three blocks are two more different faith communities. We aren’t one!
Well, if you go by our political or cultural systems' view of being one, then you are right, we are not one. Today, to be part of a party, you’re not supposed to interpret things different. You aren’t supposed to have a different opinion. You aren’t allowed to disagree with the leaders, and if you do, then you aren’t considered a true supporter. But that isn’t the oneness Jesus prayed for. No, Jesus prayed that we would be one with God. He prayed that we all might have the faith that he is our Lord and Savior and that we would live out our faith as he commanded. Peter didn’t understand completely what Jesus was saying and teaching. At one point, Jesus referred to Peter as Satan; yet, Jesus proclaimed he and Peter were one. Thomas would not believe Jesus had risen; yet, Jesus proclaimed he and Thomas were one. Yes, the church has differing expressions of the faith, but at our core, if we can let go of those things we disagree on, we are one in Christ. We do proclaim Christ crucified and risen. All we need to be unified is to be willing and able to express and live our faith in Christ. We can have differing practices, but we do not have a different God.
Even in our own faith community we have differing views of how we ought to live out our faith, and as we look to our future, those differences will be raised. Our challenge is to remember that we are one in Christ. We are called to ensure that this faith community continues to tell the story so that others might come to believe. That is our mission. May we never forget that Jesus prays for us and that the story we tell today will cause others to believe tomorrow. Amen.