All through Scripture we see comparisons between two people that represent two different paths in life.  Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob, David and Saul—and Bible history culminates in Christ and Antichrist. Two men, two ways, two destinies. Our text this Sunday, Psalm 1, depicts this contrast in great detail, but with nameless personalities. In Scripture, when a nameless personality is used it means the morals of the writing are to be applied in the reader’s life. The Psalm concludes by naming these two paths: the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. The most important question for anyone to answer in life is, “Which way am I following?” Join me this Sunday as we consider the life of blessing that God provides for those who follow His way. 

Sunday we will conclude John 17, Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer. In the closing verses of this prayer Jesus prays for all who will ever believe in Him throughout the existence of the church: Jesus Prays for You! I hope you will approach this passage with a healthy sense of curiosity to see what in fact Jesus is praying for you. What Jesus prays is ultimately what we all need to be praying for ourselves as well as other believers.

Generally, the prayers we offer for ourselves revolve around things in this material world. First and foremost, would be our health, followed closely by our perceived needs from the material world for our comfort. Not that there’s anything wrong praying about those things, (I pray about them myself), but they are not the highest level of prayers Jesus would have us offer. I say that because those are not the things Jesus prays for us. Jesus prays that we as Christians would live together in complete unity. From our text we will see the necessity for Christians to commit to growing together, through the good and the bad, that will result in the unity of the church. It is no great revelation that the church throughout the last 2000 years has not done a very good job of staying unified. That however does not give us an excuse to stop striving for the unity Jesus is praying for. Have there been people in the church you have found hard to love? Hard to serve with? Difficult to share fellowship with? We all do. Have you ever thought that God has put those “difficult” people in your life to help you grow? As we learn how God wants us to have relationships, the end result is a unity the world can’t understand but finds irresistible and is drawn to. Join me this Sunday as we hear Jesus’ prayer for us.

I realize that the entire Bible is the Word of God and that one of Christ’s names is “The Word”, describing the fact that he is the embodiment of God’s full revelation. But sometimes don’t you just wonder what Jesus thinks of you and how he prays for you? I do. In John 17, Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer is the answer to those questions. This Sunday we will see what Jesus prays for the Church as a whole and then next Sunday we will conclude Chapter 17 be seeing what Jesus prays for us individually.

What does Jesus pray for the Church? This prayer is offered just hours before Jesus would be arrested and face an unjust trial, followed by being cruelly tortured, then crucified. Jesus knows His time on earth with the disciples is drawing to a quick close and He is concerned about how they will continue in the mission of the Father without Him. In verses 6-19, Jesus beautifully articulates what He thinks of you (and you’re going to feel so good from knowing what He thinks), and what He asks the Father to do through His Church (and you’re going to be so encouraged by what He is asking us to do.) I hope you will join me this Sunday as we look at what Jesus prays for the church.

While I love going to church every Sunday, I have to admit that I look forward to our One Church – One Service Sunday’s with a little more excitement. It is a blessing for me to see the entire congregation, together at the same service as we will this Sunday. This Sunday we will WORSHIP in song, we will PRAY, I will TEACH, we will celebrate COMMUNION and then after the service, stay for some FELLOWSHIP around light refreshments. These are the five activities of the early church in Acts 2, and we will practice all of them this Sunday . . . with our entire congregation.
Sunday I will preach from John 17:1-5 where Jesus begins His High Priestly Prayer by praying first for His relationship with the Father to be glorified. Think about that word “glory” for a minute or two. What do you think of when you think of something that has glory? The Olympics are an opportunity for athletes to reach for glory in their sport. In a month we will have an election where the winner will be given the glorious position of being President of the United States. If you have been to a wedding recently the bride is dressed in such a way to bring glory to her personhood and appearance. What is the glory of God? The beauty of creation reveals the glory of God. At the time of Jesus’ birth, the Angels spoke about the glory of the baby Jesus. As glorious as both of those are, they are not the ultimate glory of God. The ultimate glory of God comes through the events of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. From a human perspective there is nothing glorious about crucifixion, yet that is where the glory of God is its greatest. Why? There is glory in the cross because it is only through the redemptive sacrifice of Christ that mankind can be given eternal life and a relationship with a holy God. In this prayer Jesus points out that the Father has “sent” Him for this purpose: to glorify the father through the redemption of mankind. And that purpose is passed onto the church today. As a church that seeks to know and fulfill the purpose of God, we must be reminded that our purpose is to share that glorious message with the world around us – that life, and life eternal are only found in Jesus Christ.
We are One Church – One Purpose.