Completely One

Response to May 20th sermon.

John 17:20-26
Jesus prayed for his disciples, and then he said. "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. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

"Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."

Where can I even begin? I listened to the gospel today beneath the heavy weight of the cross in my hands. It is light as goose down compared to the load others carry. In the midst of hurt and pain and division comes this prayer. Prayed for a group of men thousands of years ago. Prayed also for those of us who today stood beneath the carved wooden trusses of a gothic roof.

We need such a prayer. S spoke of Love today, that awesome four letter word. And she spoke of hate. Two words, simple sounds both. But opposites of one another. Love is creative, it builds and gathers and unites. Hate is destructive, divisive, it scatters and shatters and breaks down.

Hate divides, it separates us from one another and from the God who is Love.

S commented to me as we were lining up to process that her sermon would be a little different at the second service today. I'm sorry I missed the first one, but I certainly felt the thrust of the late service sermon. And the cut of it.

The dream of God is for a united family. That we might all be one, and that as one we might love God, and one another, as fully as he loves us. But we reject the dream; we turn our backs on that awesome promise. Instead of unity we sow discord. Instead of love we meet one another with anger, fear, even hate. It takes courage to stand before a people at war with themselves and plead for love. It takes courage to give divine food and drink to enemy and friend alike.

I was ashamed today, of humanity, of my congregation, and myself. I was ashamed of our hubris. Ashamed of what we do to one another in our mad desire for our own way; our own piece of power and position; our own comfort; to prove that we are right and another wrong. We sow destruction. We wound one another, and we turn away from God's desire for us.

There is little else to say. We are called to unity. We are called to love. We have failed, always. And yet, perhaps, we struggle on. My prayers this week will be for comfort and for strength for all those harmed by our human divisions. For those I love, those I find hard to love, and those I have yet to meet.

Christ pray for us now.
Where there is anger, bring peace.
Where there is hatred, sow love.
Where there is hurt, bring healing.
Where we are broken, unite us.
Where we are lost, lead us.
Forgive us, Lord God. Amen.