May we have unity

John 17:1-11

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
 "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.  For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.  Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.  I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.  And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.  "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.  Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you.  For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.  I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.  All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.  I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name---the name you gave me---so that they may be one as we are one.

Xxxxx

What more amazing prayer is there?
What a humbling experience it is to read Jesus' prayer to his father.

It is a conversation between a father and a son.  A request by Jesus to be brought back into the glory of God that before his earthly life he had lived.  

I have completed my task.
I have done my job.
Please accept me back.
Let me sit beside you again.
Bring me back into your glory.
"Father, glorify me in your presence."

He had lived as a man, worked as a man, followed his call, made disciples, healed the sick, taught the many, shown God through himself, given himself to suffering and death, been resurrected and now just wanted to go home.  What a human plea.  What a very real request.


However that was only the start.  Jesus then prays for his disciples.  Prays for their safety and protection.  Jesus knows the risks they will take, the danger they will face.  He loves these men, he knows these men, now he just wants to know they will be safe.  Jesus' last request is to keep his disciples, his friends protected.


Then we come to the last ten words: "so that they may be one as we are one".

Jesus prays for unity.  
He prays for togetherness.  
He prays for the church. 

Jesus knows that the disciples will travel far and wide; that they will be geographically distant from each other.  He knows that this separation could cause differences and variations.  So Jesus prays that as God and Jesus are one in communication and love, so may be the disciples in the establishment of the church.

Unity within the church.
What a dream that would be.
How far from that is the church now?

We have denominational differences and theological differences and human differences.  We are all Christians, yet I don't think we could even pretend we are "one".  In Earley alone there are at least seven very different churches.  At times we come together and are united, halleluia!  But not often; mostly we keep ourselves to ourselves.

As Jesus ascended into heaven, to be again with the father, forever; his prayer was for unity in the church.  And so today may we pray for unity.  Within local churches, within communities, within denominations, between denominations, throughout the world.  Unity.  

Amen.