We Share Christ

For all the stories about Jesus and teachings from Jesus we have in the gospels, we don’t have a record of a lot of prayers from Jesus. Sure, we have the two versions of what we now call the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew and Luke), and let’s not forget Jesus’ prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross. But if we tried to put together a book of all of Jesus’ prayers recorded in the gospels, we’d barely have a pamphlet! Perhaps that’s why Jesus’ prayer in John 17 is so meaningful. It’s like the curtain is pulled back, and we get to listen in on the things Jesus talks about with the other members of the Trinity. And while we engage with only a part of John 17 this week, these fourteen verses are rich with instructions about how we as Christ followers are to love one another and God.

Notably, the lectionary cuts off the reading before we get to one of the more well-known verses in this passage when Jesus prays, “…so that they may be one, as we are one” (John 17:22). That said, in the liturgical resources, you will find prayers that focus on Christian unity because the early portion of John 17 points us toward what it means to live together as Christ followers. And in a time such as this—not unlike when the gospel of John was written—we need to take time to pray for unity. We need the opportunity to submit ourselves as individuals and as a community to the work of living in peace with one another, working together toward the flourishing of all people.

This text also raises the question—again—of what it means to glorify God. Jesus says that he has been glorified in all that belongs to him—including you and me! Amazingly, though, it doesn’t seem that we have to do much of anything for Christ to be glorified through us except receive God’s message and believe. While that may still seem like a tall order, I wonder what it might mean to create space in worship to be and to believe together; to practice actively receiving the good news without jumping to explain what it means and how that means we should live; to bask in the glorious gift of Jesus coming to be with us just as we are in a particular time and place; to give God glory by opening ourselves to the vulnerable, humble, and profound strength of accepting God’s gift without jumping up immediately to get to work. How many times do we hide behind action to avoid being vulnerable before God and one another?

Yet do not forget Jesus’ request in these verses: protect them. Not protect them from being vulnerable but protect them so that they may be vulnerable. As you plan worship this week, consider how sharing Christ is about protecting one another and creating spaces and communities where everyone is safe enough to bravely live as their full selves before God and one another. Perhaps this comes through a prayer of confession about when the church hasn’t shown up for vulnerable members of the community. Maybe this is a time for testimony, a moment for congregants to share the impact that having a safe, protected space to be themselves has made on their lives. Whatever you do, find ways to receive this prayer that Christ prays for each of us, while also inviting the gathered body to be the answer to Jesus’ prayer in your neighborhood.