Jesus prayed for his disciples.
I find that statement profound.
That may sound like a strange thing to say, but it really
strikes me as profound. While it shouldn’t
surprise me at all that Jesus prayed for the disciples, I guess I really hadn’t
given it much thought.
Jesus prayed for his disciples.
When I think about it more, I realize that most people who
pray will pray for the people closest to us.
I think about people like my parents, who are really good at praying for
those they love and are never afraid to say they are praying for folks. Jesus was closest to his disciples. Of course he prayed for them.
And, many people are not afraid to ask others to pray for
their friends in need or for national or international conflict or strife or
for natural disasters, like the massive, destructive wildfire in Canada or the
smaller one in central Minnesota, and many respond with prayer.
On Tuesday, when people were coming to vote in the Primary,
some found our prayer requests book and placed their requests for others and
for themselves on the list. They trusted
St. Alban’s with their prayers. Even
strangers ask strangers for prayers.
We are a praying people.
We count on prayer to get us through it all.
Today we are reminded that Jesus prayed for his disciples. His prayers were for their safety as they
went forth into the world, spreading the Good News. His prayers were to let them experience the
joy of God’s love. His prayers were to
encourage them to be in relationship with God and with one another in such a
way that others would follow them, as they had followed Jesus. These were
prayers that expressed Jesus love for them.
Jesus prayed for his disciples, so today’s Gospel begins.
Now, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Those five words are not actually in the
Bible.
Those five words are there to remind us that something
happened before today’s lesson.
Something that is important, something that sets us up for today’s
message, but they are not today’s main message.
Today’s message is about what came next.
Today’s message?
Jesus prayed for us.
Did you miss it? It
wouldn’t surprise me. I nearly missed
it. Here it is again:
"I ask not only on behalf of these, but
also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they
may all be one.”
… “but also on behalf of those who
will believe in me through their word…”
That’s US
Jesus is talking about.
Now that
is enough to take my breath away. How
about you?
Jesus was praying for the generations of future
believers.
Jesus was praying for our intimate
relationships with God.
Jesus was praying that we would continue his ministry
forever.
He was praying for us.
Jesus was praying for us. He was praying that the testimony the
disciples would give, the life they would lead, would make a community of Jesus
followers. Of God lovers.
And here we are!
I suspect that most of us are here because
someone influenced us in some way to explore and inwardly digest the depth of
God’s love for us. And, in all
likelihood, we have also influenced someone.
Kind of reminds me of that 1980’s Faberge shampoo commercial where “she
told two friends and they told two friends and so on and so on.”
For two thousand or so years people have been
telling the story of Jesus. For generation
after generation the main message that Jesus lived, died, rose and will come again
because Jesus loves us, because God loves us, has been repeated enough to bring
us to today and will continue into eternity.
I believe that, because I believe that the words of this prayer convict
believers to do as the disciples did and tell the story.
This is what Jesus was praying about when he
petitioned His Father: "I
ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe
in me through their word, that they may all be one.” His prayer
was for the one-ness of our loving relationship with our Creator, that intimate
relationship that was modeled by Jesus through his experience walking as a
divine human on earth.
There is
one-ness in the spreading of the Good News.
The gist of the one-ness is in the conviction that God loves us so much
that God gave us the Word, the Son, Jesus to live and die and to rise so that
we would more fully know and love God.
That is the message that has spread like, well, wildfire, over the
course of thousands of years. It is what
Jesus prayed for shortly before entering the Garden of Gethsemane.
Jesus
prayed for us.
He prayed
for our ministry.
He prayed
for our relationship with God.
There is
intimacy in this prayer, even in its broadness.
This whisper of a prayer brushes my cheek as it enters my ear and
burrows into the depth of my soul.
Knowing that Jesus prayed for you and for me is astounding. His confidence in the disciples to go forth
and spread the Good News, to teach others how to be a part of the Jesus
Movement, to keep telling the story, and to still hear that prayer, thousands
of years later is comforting. His trust
that we will keep the movement alive
is empowering. His love is all
encompassing.
Jesus prayed for us.
It still makes my heart leap and my breath
catch when I think about it.
Let us pray.
Jesus, you prayed for me. You prayed for us. You hoped for the future and you led us to this place, this place where we can learn about you, about God and about your incredible love for us. Continue to be with us as we live our roles as your followers. Guide us as we invite others to embrace your love for us. Help us to continue to tell your remarkable story. Amen.
Jesus, you prayed for me. You prayed for us. You hoped for the future and you led us to this place, this place where we can learn about you, about God and about your incredible love for us. Continue to be with us as we live our roles as your followers. Guide us as we invite others to embrace your love for us. Help us to continue to tell your remarkable story. Amen.