Seventh Sunday of Easter – Pastor Ellen Mills

I am offering you two ways to receive this. In print, you will need to read the scriptures for yourself, and then the prayer and reflection that follow in this post. If you click on the audio link below (below), you can hear all of it, including the scriptures.

Seventh Sunday of Easter

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Let us pray,

O God of glory, your Son Jesus Christ suffered for us and ascended to your right hand.  Unite us with Christ and each other in suffering and joy, that all the world may be drawn into your bountiful presence, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Acts 1:6-14

Psalm 68:1-10, 32-25

1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11

John 17:1-11

     Jesus is coming to the end of his farewell discourse in John, just as we are coming to the end of the Easter season.  In John, Jesus prays for his disciples just before he is arrested.  As we come to the end of Easter and prepare for Pentecost, Jesus is trying to prepare his disciples for life after his physical presence with them.  He has talked about the coming of the Holy Spirit, and how they will be in God as he will be in them.  Jesus tells them they have eternal life, and eternal life is knowing God through Jesus.  And he prays for God to protect them.  Then there is one of my favorite expressions: “so that.”  Why does Jesus want God to protect them?  So that “they may be one, as we are one.” Jesus wants their unity to continue; he wants nothing to keep them from being one together.

     Jesus prays for God’s protection for them. What does “protect” mean to you?  We are in a time of pandemic with large uncertainties and rapid changes.  We are having to face our own vulnerability.  Maybe some of what we fear is new to us.  Maybe some has always been but now we realize how fragile life is.  What do you desire protection from?  And I might add that these disciples that Jesus was praying for did not go on to live quiet and uneventful lives.  It is believed that all but John were put to death for being followers of Jesus.  These followers would become a small and persecuted minority in the midst of the Roman Empire.  Jesus prayed for their protection.  He wanted them to be protected from anything that could keep them from being one.  This prayer will not seem to be immediately realized.  When Jesus is arrested, they will flee, they will hide. Peter will even deny having anything to do with Jesus.   Is this the fragmentation that Jesus fears?  Or is what he fears something deeper?  They will be drawn together by the Spirit at Pentecost, and then they will spread out to carry the gospel message to the ends of the earth.  They will be spread apart – how can they still be one? Paul tells us in Ephesians, as he declares that “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” (4:4-6)

     These are the signs of being one.  Unity is not meant to be uniformity.  We are given different gifts, and these gifts are to be used for one purpose – to share the gospel and love of God with all others.  To love others just as Jesus has loved us.  To value others who are loved by God, and to reach out to those in need.  One body and one Spirit, knitted together by God.  In this time, how can we focus on and experience being one in the Spirit?  We must keep our gaze on the One who died for us.  Are we focused on God, seeking to know how to move forward in a new time?  Are we reaching out to others, especially those who may be alone?  Are we dreaming and imagining how to be the people of God in a new day?  Are we willing to open ourselves to new ideas, listen to new voices, seek to know what can hold us together as we move into the future?

     We are not the only ones who have had to figure out what God is up to when what is familiar is no longer available.   In the book of Acts, I love the question Jesus is asked just before he ascends.  Throughout the gospel accounts, he has been trying to open the eyes of the disciples to a different view of this Messiah they have been eagerly awaiting.  Jesus has talked of eternal life and the coming of the Spirit. Jesus has just been crucified and raised.   And what do they ask?  “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”  Huh?  The kingdom that is coming near is the kingdom of God, not a political kingdom in one time and place.  It is to be the flourishing of all of God’s creation, but especially those who have been cast aside, derided and beaten down, just as Jesus was.  Jesus wants us to be one, not just one with each other, but all together one in God.  It is only in God that we can be truly one, loved by the One who made us, and focused outwardly to love others.  It is that for which Jesus came, and that for which we have been sent out.  Amen.

Uplifted by the promised hope of healing and resurrection, we join the people of God in all times and places in praying for the church, the world, and all who are in need.

O God, call your people to be one, as you are one.  Unite your church in the truth of your gospel, the love of our neighbor, and the call to proclaim your reign to all people.  Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Come to the aid of your children.  We pray for those engulfed in grief, those without supportive families, and for all who are isolated, powerless, or afraid, that all may rest their anxieties in your care.  Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Give courage to all who embark on new ventures.  We especially remember this day those who risked their lives to serve in our armed forces. Grant safety to those serving at home or abroad, and assure them of your never-failing strength.  Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Raise all your saints to eternal life.  Until that day, we give you thanks for the faithful examples of those who have listened to your voice and now rest in you.  Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

With bold confidence in your love, almighty God, we place all for whom we pray into your eternal care; through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord’s face shine upon you with grace and mercy.

The Lord look upon you with favor, and give you peace.

Amen.