The Prayer of Christ

John 17

Mohandas Gandhi, the nonviolent liberator of India, and a great admirer of Jesus once said, “If it were not for the behavior of Christians, I believe I would have become one of them.” You would not believe the number of times in my life as a minister someone has said to me, “I can not believe the way so and so acts. And they are an elder in our church.” Of course to be fair I am certain that some of you have already thought to yourself, “I wish Louie acted more like a preacher!” Living up to the standard of what others think we as a Christian, or an elder, or a preacher should be is really tough. But then I might suggest the standard of the world, or our neighbor, is no where near as tough as the standard set by Christ. The good news is Christ knows the bar is set high. In the 17th chapter of John, Christ prayed for all disciples, present and future, that they might understand the call to discipleship and trust God to lead them in the way everlasting.

The 17th chapter of John is known as the high priestly prayer of Jesus. I encourage you to read it in its entirety when you get home. The first thing that impresses me about this prayer is that “eternal life” is not a future hope but a present reality. If we believe in Christ, we know God. If we know God we have no other option but to live life as an obedient response to God’s power and love. Jesus said to his disciples, and to us, “When you hear and respond to my word, you are a part of my kingdom.” Jesus said to his disciples, and to us, “When you know me, you are invited to live my life, a life filled with both joys and dangers.” Jesus said to his disciples, and to us, “When you know me, you will find the answer to the universal hunger of the human heart. God’s reality will become your reality. God’s vision will become your vision. God’s desire for life will become your desire.”

I am not sure we are ready for that. Seeing life through my own eyes is tough enough. Can we even begin to imagine what God must see, let alone think, when God looks upon us? I can guarantee that God does not overlook all that we ignore. I feel for certain that God must feel incredible disappointment at all that God witnesses. Responding to the world as seen through God’s eyes could make our lives somewhat precarious. The good news is, Jesus anticipated this. He prayed that those who know him be protected and sanctified.

Jesus never said following him was going to be easy. As he prayed for his disciples he was anticipating his own death. As he prayed for his disciples, he was well aware that much hardship and in some cases a horrible death awaited them. He knew that there would always be folks begging his disciples to take an easier road. He knew that they would always have folks sweet talking them or threatening them. I find it interesting that Jesus doesn’t pray that the disciples be protected from bodily harm. He prayed that they would be protected from being entrapped by the snares of those who would deter their way. He prayed that their unity might be preserved and their joy be complete in the realization that in the end they would be one with God. Keep that in mind the next time you feel you are being unfairly judged because of your faith.

Second, Jesus prayed that his disciples might be sanctified. That is a word we don’t hear very often. In common language it means “to make them holy” or to “set them apart.” Jesus knew that setting his disciples loose on the world would be difficult. He prayed that they be set apart from the rest of the world. He prayed that they be held to a different standard, a different truth. Thoreau would say that the disciples were called to listen to the beat of a different drummer.

The good news, or perhaps the disturbing news of the gospel this morning is that this prayer is also for us. Jesus prays that as we live the truth of the gospel we will be protected from sirens speaking a different word. Jesus prays that we will be sanctified, set apart, and given a holy vision.

Third, Jesus prays that our faith, our task of serving God, will be performed joyfully. Have you ever worked with someone who hated their job? They spend the whole day watching the clock. They complain, they gripe, they talk more about their next job than the one in front to them. In other words their whole life is about “them”. Jesus prayed not only that God would give us joy, but that in all that we do we would give God joy. That makes perfectly good sense. The Psalms continue to declare that we are to glorify God. Sometimes we forget that the way we live should be a response to God’s gift of grace.

Fourth, Jesus prayed that while we live in this world but are called to live differently than the standard the world has set. Jesus said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” It is not hard to be contaminated by the world’s darkness. It is not hard to be consumed by the negative thoughts that surround us. It would be so much easier if we could just encircle ourselves with a moat, come here, do our own thing and forget about everyone else. But that is not the way of Christ. We are called to plunge into the waters. We are called to share our message of joy, reconciliation and hope to a world confused by too many images of hate and fear.

All of that sounds really good. If we lived in a vacuum maybe it would be possible. But life is hard. We get turned sideways. Sometimes we turn on each other. Bottom line is we are not Christ and God knows we can’t live like Christ. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t called to try.

In the last section of the prayer Jesus asked God to help the disciples live a life worthy of their calling. He asked God to supply them with four essential ingredients for being the church.

He begins with PRAYER. What if we considered ourselves not so much an institution but rather a community for whom Christ prays and a community that prays for each other. Every Sunday morning, in the middle of our worship, we lift up our joys and concerns. We listen to what is on the hearts of another. And then we pray together for that person. We pray for our sick, our homebound. We pray for folks traveling. We pray for folks we might not even know. I pray out loud and you pray silently. We are doing the holy business of the Church. We are praying for each other, for our community, for God’s world. We are praying because we believe that when we pray, healing begins.

Second, Jesus prays that we will love each other as God has always loved us. The love of God is the centerpiece of the gospel of John. As children we learned the words, “For God so loved the world, he gave his only Son.” We talk about love all the time but how does the church reflect that love. Allow me to suggest that in order for an individual or a church to love as Christ would have us love, that love must be sacrificial. I love the song, Have thine on way Lord. Have thine on way. Thou art the potter I am the clay. Mold me and make me after they will, while I am waiting, yielded and still.” Have often has our song been, “Have my own way Lord, Have my own way. Mold them and make them after my will.” Sacrificial love moves beyond our demands, our desires, and our comfort zone. Sacrificial love listens to the voice of one who confronts our egos, challenges our history, and suggests occasionally giving in does not mean giving up. It means rising to a new level of understanding.

Third, Jesus prays that we will be mission minded. If we know Christ, how can we keep the gospel to ourselves? Truth is, being the Church is not about us. Being the church is about telling the story of God’s love to people who are living in a world of darkness. Being the church is about tearing down the walls that divide us. Being the church is about declaring to everyone we meet, “God love’s you, and so do I.” If all the church does is just taking care of its own, how does that make the church any different from a garden club, a country club, or any other club that we might care to join? God so loved the world! Where is the exclusivity in that statement? God so loved the world! Who is left out of that beloved proclamation? God so loved the world! Who has been given the task of getting that word out? You guessed it, those of us who are bold enough to call ourselves children of God.

And of course that brings us the final request by Jesus. He prays for unity. How will the world believe our message if it cannot see the love of God in the messenger? Jesus prays that “we might all be one.” Instead of me proving to you that I am right, or vise versa, wouldn’t it be refreshing to look at each other and think, “How do I see Christ in that person?” Now I know this may sound crazy, but if I think folks are judging me solely on how I reflect Christ, how is that going to change my attitude, my body language, even the way I speak to you should our paths cross.

God calls us to live “in Christ” in a world that does not always act Christ-like. John 17 gives us God’s formula for success. Pray the faith, love the faith, proclaim the faith, live the faith.

May the love of God be seen in each of us. Amen