Embodied

Read: John 17:20-26

• Why is it important that Jesus prays for his followers to be united? [display/embody love; embody mutuality and self-sacrifice to the world; be a model community that embodies peace and a saving relationship with Jesus.]
• This passage is part of a prayer from the Son to the Father that the disciples overhear. How does it make you feel that Jesus prayed for those who believe because of the disciples’ testimony (v. 20)?
• Most translations use the phrase “so that” in both verses 21 and 22. What is the result (the “so that”) of Jesus’ prayer in verses 20-22? [belief in the Father’s having sent the Son – “that the world will believe you sent me” (v. 21); unity or mutuality – “they can be one just as we are one (v. 22).]
• Christianity is split among thousands of denominations. What, then, are we to make of Jesus’ prayer that we would be “one” (v. 21)? What might this mean for how we understand “unity”? What might this mean for how we work/serve with other Christians? How will nonbelievers recognize our unity?
• In this passage, and through the Gospel of John, we get a glimpse into the intimate and unified relationship of the Father and the Son. How does the Trinity (Father having begotten the Son, the Son glorifying the Father through obedience, The Holy Spirit glorifying and witnessing to the love of the Father and the Son) give a model for our relationships? [other-centered, self-sacrificial, doing acts for other’s benefits, etc.]

Prayer (10 minutes). Share prayer requests and respond appropriately.

Sending Forth (2 minutes). End by praying the following or similar prayer:

Triune God, who out of your abundant love sent the Son for the world and who sends the Holy Spirit to bring us comfort, guidance and conviction, despite our shortcomings and hesitancies, you call us to a life of adventure, abundance, service, and witness. Give us courage to be people who have been called to follow and share God’s love. Amen.