{"id":53,"date":"2013-06-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-06-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/2013\/06\/05\/sunday-12th-may-2013-that-they-may-be-one\/"},"modified":"2013-06-05T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2013-06-05T00:00:00","slug":"sunday-12th-may-2013-that-they-may-be-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/2013\/06\/05\/sunday-12th-may-2013-that-they-may-be-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday 12th May 2013 &#8211; That they may be one&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><font size=\"4\"><b>  The Word This Week:<\/b><\/font><br \/><br style=\"\"><\/p>\n<ul style=\"\">\n<li style=\"\"><a style=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu\/texts.php?id=140#hebrew_reading\">Acts 16:16-34<\/a>\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li style=\"\"><a style=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu\/texts.php?id=140#psalm_reading\">Psalm 97<\/a>\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li style=\"\"><a style=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu\/texts.php?id=140#epistle_reading\">Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21<\/a>\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li style=\"\"><a style=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu\/texts.php?id=140#gospel_reading\">John 17:20-26<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"\"><\/span><font size=\"4\"><b><br \/><span>Thoughts on the Word:<\/span><\/b><\/font><\/p>\n<p><br style=\"\"><b>John 17:20-26 (NRSV)     <br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span><br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span>\u00a0\u2018I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that  the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you  have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me  where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved  me before the foundation of the world. <br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span><br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span>\u00a0\u2018Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the  love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.\u2019 <\/b><\/p>\n<p><span><\/span><span><\/span><br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span>    In today\u2019s Gospel reading we are looking at what is known as Jesus\u2019 high priestly prayer. It is a prayer of intercession, where Jesus calls for the unity of believers, unity with each other and unity with God.\u00a0 He prays for a unity of believers which will be a beacon to the world \u2013 to show the love of God, and draw the world into belief also.\u00a0 Today we will look at what this prayer means for us, as members of the church \u2013 a church that in many respects is far from united.<br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span><br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span>    Since I first became a Christian, around 11 years ago, I have continually puzzled over one thing.\u00a0 It is not any matter of doctrine or dogma, rather it is a behaviour.\u00a0 There is among many Christians a striking hypocrisy in how we behave.\u00a0 We as a group of believers preach tolerance, we preach love, and yet all too often we display high levels of intolerance \u2013 not just to those who are outside our faith, but to those within it who we have disagreements with over doctrinal or structural matters.\u00a0 <br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span><br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span>    Throughout the history of Christianity the church has often been its own worst enemy. There were splits and arguments raging in the church within 100 years of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, indeed even the apostles argued amongst themselves about who was greater,\u00a0 and this has been going on ever since.\u00a0 <br style=\"\" line-break> <br style=\"\"> <br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span><br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span>  Most of us will be familiar with the big moments of schism in the church \u2013 the great schism was the first large scale one, when the Eastern Orthodox Churches split away from Rome in the 11th Century, and then of course we had the reformation in the 16th century, which while started for noble and worthwhile reasons, has led to more and more splits, more and more infighting. So much so that we now have the Eucharist \u2013 the central form of Christian worship and fellowship since the beginning of the church 2000 years ago \u2013 being refused to, or not being accepted by,\u00a0 people who are a part of the same <em style=\"\">denomination. <\/em><br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span><br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span>    This is not the faith community that Jesus prayed for in our Gospel reading today.\u00a0 It is not a community that is one, that is united in its faith, ministry and love.\u00a0 So what are we to do then? Should we declare the church a failure? Should we walk away from our faith and hope in Jesus because of what the world sees as our failure as a corporate group to live according to Jesus\u2019 prayer? <br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span><br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span>    Or should we rather look ever closer at his words, and seek all the more to follow him? You see our inability to date to live as one, united undivided Christian community is not a reason to doubt our faith in Christ, rather it is a clear sign of the fallen and weak human nature.\u00a0 That fallen and weak human nature that leads us to rebel against our creator through sin, also leads us to rebel against each other.\u00a0 Our failure and our weakness is the <em style=\"\">reason<\/em> that Jesus came in the first place, and he gives us a model in his high priestly prayer, for how we can move ever closer to the unity of faith, hope and love that he so desires for all of us.<br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span><br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span>    Central to Jesus\u2019 prayer is the idea that we as the faithful will be one with God. \u00a0Jesus prays that we might be one \u2018As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us\u2019.\u00a0 These are striking words, what does Jesus mean that we should be <em style=\"\" normal>in<\/em> him? He means brothers and sisters that we are called to complete faith and obedience.\u00a0 We are called to become one with the Trinity \u2013 we are called into its glory, its majesty and its love.\u00a0 However to become one with the Trinity, we must lose ourselves.\u00a0 <br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span><br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span>    The Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is not three separate Gods, but rather one God, made up of three persons, who share one substance.\u00a0 They are interdependent, the Trinity is one because it is always and at all times one in mind, in purpose and will.\u00a0 Jesus\u2019 prayer was that we too would enter into this relationship \u2013 that we too would become one in mind, purpose and will with God.\u00a0\u00a0 That, brothers and sisters is the first and only step to the church being united, we must each hand over our own desires, and be prepared to become one with the will of God.\u00a0\u00a0 <br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span><br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span>    We have seen this love, and submission to the will of God displayed in the church over the millennia, and we still see it displayed today.\u00a0 We see it in the church\u2019s unity with the poor, through our outreach bodies such as Anglicare, Vinnies, and the Salvos.\u00a0 We see it through those who strive for ecumenism, who seek a re-unified Christian faith.\u00a0\u00a0 We see it exemplified for us through the lives of saints and martyrs past and present.\u00a0 We inside the church see the good, we see the love, we know the gift to the world that the church is and can be.\u00a0 \u00a0However, our unity remains incomplete, we so often still focus on our own lives, and on our own egos. \u00a0What we must do is seek to build on that unity with the Trinity that we see in our welfare groups, we need to build on the unity and support we provide each other in our small groups, bible studies and pastoral care groups. <br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span><br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span>      It sounds simple enough, after all we all proclaim to have faith in Jesus as the living son of God, who was raised from the dead.\u00a0 Yet I fear, we fail to take this truly into our hearts.\u00a0 Jesus was scourged, he was beaten, he was spat on, and mocked.\u00a0 He had nails driven through his hands and feet, and was hung on a cross.\u00a0 At any time he could have called on a legion of Angels to rescue him from this painful humiliating death, and yet he did not.\u00a0 <br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span><br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span>    So great is his love for us that he endured it all; so great is his love that he died on that cross;\u00a0 So great is his love that he rose again, and conquered the grave for all of us.\u00a0 Through his death and resurrection we are set free, and are invited to receive eternal life.\u00a0 We are invited to become citizens of the kingdom of heaven, and \u00a0experience the love of God first hand by entering a relationship of unity with Jesus.\u00a0 <br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span><br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span>    Yet so often we continue to live as citizens of this world, we continue to focus on our own desires, rather than seeking to live in unity with the will of God.\u00a0 We are called by the will of God to live out the same love displayed by Jesus on that cross. \u00a0\u00a0A selfless, sacrificial love for each other.\u00a0 Through this oneness with Jesus\u2019 love we can display <strong style=\"\"><em style=\"\" normal>to the whole world<\/em><\/strong> God\u2019s love for them.\u00a0 We can be the ambassadors of the hope, love and peace of God to a world that is hurting.\u00a0 All we need to do is live as Jesus prayed we would.\u00a0 All we need to do is say to the father, Just as Jesus did that night in Gethsemane, \u2018not my will, but yours\u2019.\u00a0 <br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span><br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span>    All who place themselves at the will of God, and become united in this way with the trinity, also become united with each other.\u00a0 All who seek only to serve the creator, and not their own desires are one \u2013 and the world will see this also.\u00a0 When we are doing the will of God, there is no infighting, there is no bickering and bigotry.\u00a0 If we each turn to the will of God, we cease to be seen by the world as hypocrites that preach tolerance and love, but fight amongst ourselves, and we are seen instead as those who have a genuine love, for God, for each other and for the world.\u00a0 <br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span><br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span>    So brothers and sisters, we are faced with a decision.\u00a0 Do we as the church continue as we have for two thousand years, as a home of the love of God on earth, which is tarnished through the pursuit of our own desires? Do we continue to allow the world see us as hypocrites who are busy fighting amongst ourselves over trivialities? <br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span><br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span>    Or do we build on the unity of faith and love that Jesus calls us to? That unity and faith that we know exists in the Christian community, but which is hidden from the world when we place our own egos first.\u00a0 \u00a0All it takes to find the full unity that Jesus prays for in today\u2019s Gospel, is for each of us as individuals to make the decision to place ALL of our faith in Jesus.\u00a0 We can build a church of unity one person at a time, we can each make the decision to place our own self under the mind, will and purpose of God. <br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span><br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span>    For everyone who makes that choice the love and will of God will manifest all the stronger on this earth.\u00a0 For everyone who makes that choice the love of God will be displayed, and the World will come to know the love of God, displayed through us and our faith in the one he sent.\u00a0\u00a0 <br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span><br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span>    <em style=\"\">\u2018I in them and you in me, that they may become <strong style=\"\">completely<\/strong> one, so that the <strong style=\"\">world<\/strong> may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.\u2019<\/em><br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span><br style=\"\"><span style=\"\"><\/span>      <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Word This Week: Acts 16:16-34\u00a0 Psalm 97\u00a0 Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21\u00a0 John 17:20-26 Thoughts on the Word: John 17:20-26 (NRSV) \u00a0\u2018I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/2013\/06\/05\/sunday-12th-may-2013-that-they-may-be-one\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Sunday 12th May 2013 &#8211; That they may be one&#8230;&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}