Year C

John 17:20-26

The Very Rev. Denise Vaughn

Unity Through The Spirit

A woman goes to the post office to buy stamps for her Christmas cards. She says to the clerk, “May I have fifty Christmas stamps?” The clerk says, “What denomination?” The woman says, “God help us. Has it come to this? Give me six Catholic, twelve Episcopalians, ten Methodists, and twenty-two Baptists.” First, the joke is funny because the clerk is asking a monetary question, not a religious one. Second, it’s funny because it is true in many ways. We are quite set in our denominational divisions. But regardless of denomination or any other dividing label, God desires to be with all of us. The season of Easter which is almost over, next Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, reminds us that Christians of all denominations and fellowships are still on the same team.

Being one, as Jesus is one with the Father continues to be our mission, and our invitation to work alongside people of faith regardless of the context we find ourselves in. Each of the lessons today speaks to how we are all called to be one in Christ, no matter our denomination, congregation, location, times or life. Jesus prayed that his followers would be one at the Last Supper. These verses in the gospel of John today continue his long goodbye prayer as he tries to prepare his followers for a time when he would not be with them. He foresaw many threats to our being one in Christ. Jesus knew that the world’s powers did not know God and many still opt for the powers of darkness.

HIs words anticipate a tough dilemma. Will later generations of Christians, who were not part of those who first encountered Jesus, be able to experience the same kind of unity with God and with Christ? Read any church history book or yellow pages and you will definitely see that unity in the body of Christ has been and remains a real struggle. Yet, the task of those who believe is to overcome all divisive difference so that the world may see that God’s purposes challenge the ways of the world, so that “the world will believe that you sent me.” This is what Jesus prayed for. He prayed for those who have believed in him, for those who will believe because of the witness of the disciples, and for the world, that all might come to belief.

He prays for nothing less than oneness among those who believe and this oneness is what will lead the world to believe. Yet, the truth is the world does not believe in Jesus because the world sees divisions among the followers of Jesus. But Jesus’ prayer for unity will be answered by the gift of the Spirit, who will and does bring together followers of Jesus in deep love, mutual respect, and diversity. Love is the key here. Love is the bond within the Father, Son and Spirit. Love is the divine gift given to the disciples and love is the magnetic grace through which God seeks to attract the world. Love is what Jesus prays will be within us. It’s a struggle and this is why we won’t have unity without God’s Spirit helping us.

The Holy Spirit gives us what we need to overcome division. In so doing, the world will know who sent Christ. The church exists as the presence of Christ in the world so that people everywhere will have the right to “enter the city by the gates” of saving faith. In the verses today from Revelation, we are promised both a reward and a warning. Jesus is coming soon to reward his followers for their faithful labor on behalf of the gospel. This return of Jesus, poses a threat for those who persist in sin and in opposition to Jesus himself.  But for the church, for those who come to the root and descendant of David, the bright morning star, the words of Jesus form a call to perseverance, patience, hope and joy: “come”.

Everyone who hears, everyone who is thirsty, and anyone who wishes to take the water of life as a gift are invited by the Spirit and the bride to come to God. The appeal to “Amen, Come Lord Jesus” is a reminder that Christians of any era should not fear the second coming of Christ-whenever it occurs. By “coming” to the Alpha and Omega, to Jesus we fulfil his own prayer: that we may be one, with him where he is, to see his glory, given of the Father’s love. The main theme of John’s vision is love: God’s love for Jesus, and through Jesus, for all his people; the love of God’s people for one another, creating a unity which will indeed reveal to the world who sent it.

God intends that the world will see and know the unity of those who love Jesus. We know from the record of God’s mighty acts, the scriptures, that such seeing and knowing happens in personal encounters in the Spirit. We see this very thing happening in the Acts text today. How interesting it is that a fortune-telling slave girl who was as good as dead in her bondage and a Philippian jailer who was as good as dead for not adequately performing his security detail, both find new life in the words of Paul. What we see in these verses and throughout the entire book of Acts is: the power of the Spirit of God in the life of the church and we find Jesus’ prayer answered, as all found freedom in believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.

God is indeed reaching out to us in Christ the risen one, taking our lives into the gospel story of salvation and new life. Yet, there is much left for us to do to bring release to captives, justice for the oppressed, and peace for those devastated by conflict here and abroad. Jesus knew that unity would be the glue that will hold us all together to get the work done and he knows how tough it will be. Yet, he will, through the action of his Holy Spirit, encourage the church, love the church and bring the church to unity.

I would like to conclude today with a hymn the late Martin Franzmann wrote that reflects the cry for unity that comes from the hearts of Christians everywhere: “In Adam we have all been one, one huge rebellious man; we all have fled that evening voice that sought us as we ran. But thy strong love, it sought us still and sent thine only Son that we might hear his shepherd’s voice and, hearing him, be one. Send us thy Spirit, teach us truth; thou son, oh, set us free from fancied wisdom, self-sought ways, and make us one in thee. Amen, Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.