Easter 7 C: For Us!

Dear Partner in Preaching,

The first verse in this week’s passage is one of my favorites in John’s Gospel, and maybe even in all of the Scriptures.

I know, I know, there are so many other great verses from John’s remarkable story: “In the beginning was the Word….”, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” “For God so loved the world…,” “In my house are many mansions…,” and more. Why, then, do I love this verse? Simply because in it we hear Jesus praying for us. Yes. Jesus…nearly two thousand years ago…is praying…for us – incredible!

Let’s set the scene. It’s Thursday evening, the night on which Jesus will be betrayed, handed over to his enemies, deserted by his friends, tried, convicted, and ultimately crucified. And knowing all that is to come, he gathers his closest friends, offers them parting words of encouragement and hope, and then prays for them. He prays that they may endure the challenges that come their way. He prays that they may discover strength in their unity. He prays that they will be drawn together as one as Jesus and the heavenly Father are one. And then he prays not only for them, but for all for who will believe in Jesus because of their testimony.

And that’s where we come in, Dear Partner. Because we are now in church because someone told us about Jesus. Whether it was a parent, friend, grandparent, pastor or whomever, someone told us about the good news that in Jesus we see that God loves us all, and inspired by this promise and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we came to believe.

But here’s the thing: someone told the person who told us. And someone else told that person. And someone told that person as well…and so on and so on, all the way back to the testimony of these disciples who, despite their fear – both this evening and on Easter morning – nevertheless moved out of the closed room in the promise of resurrection and began to share the good news of Jesus with others.

And so when Jesus prays not only for these disciples but for those who believe because of them, he’s praying for John’s original audience and for all Christians ever since, all the way up to you and me and the people to whom we will preach this Sunday.

All too often, I think, Scripture can seem like a story told about people living such a long time ago that we may wonder what it has to say to us today. But in a few passages – especially in John’s Gospel – there are what I think of as little doors that open up to invite us into the story itself to be active participants in the ongoing drama of God’s love for all the world. We got one of those doors a few weeks ago when Jesus, in his encounter with Thomas, blessed all those who believed in Jesus even though they/we hadn’t seen him. And that included John’s community and us. And now we get another, as we hear Jesus on this significant night take time from everything else he was doing and had to say to take time to pray for us.

What difference might that make this week to our people, Dear Partner, as they struggle with challenges at work, home or school; as they deal with set backs in their profession or personal lives; as they deal with stress and illness; or as they face an uncertain future? Our opportunity this week, I think, is to let them know that whatever they may face, they do not face it alone, because Jesus was praying for them back then and promises to accompany them through the Holy Spirit even now, all these years later.

Tell them that this week, Dear Partner. That on the eve of his crucifixion, Jesus prayed for them. That Jesus continues to walk with them. That Jesus will accompany them through all that may come, holding onto them through the highs and lows of this life, even through death to new life. This is the promise of resurrection, one we so desperately need to hear. Thank you for offering this simple but profound word of promise and grace, Dear Partner. What you do and say matters, now more than ever.

Yours in Christ,
David