John 17:20-26
TEXT:
John 17:20-26 (The Message)
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
20-23
I'm praying not only for them
But also for those who will believe in me
Because of them and their witness about me.
The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind -
Just as you, Father are in me and I in you,
So they might be one in heart and mind with us.
Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.
The same glory you have me, I gave them,
So they'll be as unified and together as we are -
I in them and you in me.
Then they'll be mature in this oneness,
And give the world evidence
That you've sent me and love them
In the same way you've loved me.
24-26
Father, I want those you gave me
To be with me, right where I am,
So they can see my glory, the splendor you gave me,
Having loved me long before there ever was a world.
Righteous Father, the world has never known you
But I have known you, and these disciples know
That you sent me on this mission.
I have made your very being known to them -
Who you are and what you do -
And continue to make it known,
So that your love for me
Might be in them
Exactly as I am in them.
REFLECTIONS:
If Jesus' inaugural address was all about good news for the poor and freedom for the oppressed, this - his "farewell prayer," reveals what all that hard work is for.
Oneness.
Mutuality.
Kinship.
All Jesus wants for his followers (and all of humanity) is that we would see ourselves in communion with God and Others. We go to the margins and serve those we find there not to score points in the name of charity, but to discover the fullness of our own humanity. We follow and replicate the ways of Jesus not to pacify a judgmental God, but to discover and attune ourselves to the heartbeat of the Cosmos.
We are already one with All. There is no rivalry. Sometimes, we just have to believe it to see it.
PRACTICE:
Outward Mindset Application Ask three co-workers for advice about something.
Pathways Toward Centeredness What's the best smelling meal you know how to make? Make it. And savor those scents!
Questions for Consideration When do you feel most connected to the world around you? What helps you remember you place and your value? Who is someone with whom you're experiencing dis-unity? What would it mean for you to move one inch closer in their direction?