Gospeling your life ~ Jesus' prayer for you?

 

Read John 17-18 ~ In chapter 17, Jesus prays for his disciples.  What do you think Jesus’ prayer is for you today?  Is Jesus’ prayer tangled, inseparable, from your own prayers for yourself?  Or does Jesus pray, move, nudge you in ways you may not want to go?  I find verse 26 in chapter 17 a powerful verse to memorize (or write down on a post it note where I can see it or cross stitch into a pillow) ~ “I (Jesus) made known God’s name/presence, so that the love with which You have loved me may be in them and I in them”.  We abide in God and God abides in us.  It is a circle without ending or beginning.  We abide in God (or pray constantly as Paul would say) to the One who goes before, beside, and behind us every moment today. 

 

Now, turn to the page to chapter 18 and read about Jesus’ betrayal and arrest.  Jesus has just been pouring out his heart about love and abiding in God.  Then, the bottom drops out.  Being grounded and guided by love isn’t living life in Willie Wonka’s Chocolate factory (I know, two references to that fictional place twice in one week, who saw that coming??).  Jesus is preaching about love.  Jesus lives/embodies/expresses God’s love.  Jesus seeks to saturate and soak your life with love.  And, the world doesn’t get it.  The world is still caught up in swords and violence and might makes right and how many likes you got on your latest Instagram post.  The world still cares more about culture than Christ.  So many of us grew up in a world where Christianity was the norm.  In fact, in the 1950s, being a part of Christianity was expected.  You went to church, more than likely because it was the only thing to do on Sunday mornings.  The world has changed.  There are more options now for you on Sunday mornings than you could possibly do.  The church is now part of the consumer culture.  We talk about church shopping as if selecting a community of faith is like picking out toothpaste.  Hold this.  There is no easy resolution.  We live this messiness together.  Hold together God love, that isn’t a shield but a shelter.  God’s love isn’t a guarantee of the good life, we will be betrayed and denied and deserted.  We will have wounds and scars, and God is still there in the midst of it all.  How has this been true for you?  Pro tip, it is often easier for me to see God’s love in hindsight than in the moment.  I often see God’s love clearer in the rearview mirror than I do in the windshield as I am going through the storm.  Feel God’s love abiding with you.  Hold the heartbreaks and soul aches.  Then, I want you to wrap your arms around yourself in a hug, that is God’s presence, not magically taking everything away, but giving you strength for today.  May God’s abiding love be with you.  Amen.