SERMON FOR 17.5.26
Sermon.
The Seventh Sunday of Easter (known as Easter 7) holds substantial theological significance, acting as a connection between the Ascension of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It is a time characterized by “waiting and prayer”, often featuring Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer” from John 17, today’s reading, where he intercedes for his disciples and the future Church, it’s his farewell teaching to the disciples, before his passion.
There is a lot going on in this oft-called “High Priestly Prayer” of Jesus in John 17. But on the Sunday between the Ascension and Pentecost when the Lectionary assigns this particular text, we are reminded that although Jesus has gone away physically and is now in session at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, the power of God the Father Almighty is right here with us by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus pours out His heart to God just hours before the cross. He’s not just praying for His disciples—He’s praying for you, me, and every believer who follows Him. This prayer is more than words; it’s a blueprint for how we should pray and live, with God’s mission to reach the world. Jesus lived with a clear priority: the mission first, others second, Himself last.
The entire chapter – all twenty-six verses – is Jesus’ prayer that his followers “may be one,” mirroring the unity between him and the Father. This unity is presented as essential for the church’s mission and witness to the world today.
The prayer comes in three parts: Jesus prays for his own mission in the light of his impending death on the cross, verses 1- 5, he prays for his immediate disciples who are with him in pray, verses 6 – 19, then he prays for the future church, those who will become his followers based on the witness of the disciples verses 20 – 26.
Today, we seek to understand the first eleven verses of chapter 17. In your devotions take time to examine the remaining verses.
From these eleven verses, we learn that the world is a tremendous battle ground where Saturn’s power and God’s authority are at war. Saturn is motivated by bitter hatred for Jesus Christ. Jesus prayed for his disciples, including those of us who follow him today. He prayed that God would keep his chosen believers safe from Saturn’s power, setting them apart and making them pure and holy uniting them through his truth.
Easter 7 occurs after Jesus has ascended to heaven but before the disciples receive the promised Holy Spirit. It captures the spirit of the early church waiting in the upper room, transitioning from relying on Jesus’ physical presence to relying on the Holy Spirit.
The reading focuses on the transition of Jesus’ work to his followers. Having ascended, Jesus leaves the task of proclaiming the Gospel to the Church, promising the power of the Holy Spirit to enable this mission.
There is one line in verse eleven that is worth exploring in depth, it’s a stand out phrase.
“I will remain in the world no longer, but they (the disciples) are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they maybe one as we are one”.
What name is this?
Jesus asks God the Father to protect his followers using the authority and power of the name that God had given to him. This name embodies divine power, authority, and the nature of God, serving as a shield of protection and a means of access to the Father. The ultimate goal of this protection was to ensure that his disciples remained unified, just as Jesus and the Father are one.
Jesus was asking that the disciples be united in harmony and love as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are united in the strongest of all unions. We achieve this harmony not through structures or organisations alone but through the work of God in and between us, unifying us and drawing our own wills into sync with his own. It is important to remember that though our unity is essential, we must never abandon or compromise truth simply to be unified. As we all grow closer to God together, we should find that our perspectives on the truth do the same
This prayer includes many of the key themes of John’s Gospel – glory, eternal life, faith, truth, Jesus’ origins and relationship with God. It looks to the future of the church as Jesus prays that his followers would be protected from evil, would be united in heart and purpose and would know the love and joy that comes from God they witness to Jesus.
Prayer is an essential part of our faith journey and plays a key role in our worship of God. Simply put, prayer is talking with and listening to God. For many Christians prayer is a source of guilt and anxiety. Are we praying enough, can we pray better, or pray more effectively. Some see it as a waste of time with no practical purpose in the world. However, prayer is a core element of Christian practice throughout the
world, being a source of blessing and encouragement that cultivates a personal relationship with God through adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication.
Intentionally pray at any time, in any place, whatever is comfortable for you. Listen for God whispering in your heart knowing that you are a precious child of God. Be prepared to be surprised where prayer may take you.
Prayer and patience act as a powerful combination to transform challenges into blessings by aligning one’s heart with divine timing and
strengthening faith. This approach fosters inner peace, resilience, and hope, helping to navigate life’s hardships while trusting in a positive outcome. Key aspects include trusting in God’s timing, maintaining hope, and staying persistent in prayer.
When we pray, our ultimate aim is to align our will with God’s. “The problem is, we often go about it by trying to bend His will to fit ours.” When that doesn’t happen, we question the effectiveness of prayer or accuse God of not caring for us.
However, if we stay faithful to Him and continue to pray, in time He will bend our will to fit His. He will work in and through us to change our hearts. He will open our eyes to His work. He will give us the wisdom to recognize the perfection of His plan. He will loosen our grip on our own expectations.
Even in His vulnerable state, Jesus’ first priority is to align His will with God’s. Our aim must be to follow His lead in our own prayers. After we pour our hearts out to God, it is essential that we pray, in effect, “No matter how urgent or important these things seem to me, they pale in comparison to the urgency and importance of God’s will.
Even if we don’t have the opportunity to or can’t kneel physically when we pray, our hearts should be bowed to God, seeking His purpose and not our own.
In Summary:-
Prayer brings us into God’s presence.
Prayer directs our focus on God.
Prayer helps us recognize our place, our purpose and in God’s time.
Prayer aligns our heart with God’s
Sources:-
Life Application Study Bible.