And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them

 

 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

 

- John 17:20–26 

 

In our current reading, the lectionary is giving us what is known as Christ's High Priestly Prayer.   The setting is the Last Supper, just after Christ's Farewell Discourse to the disciples (John 14 - 16), and just prior to His arrest.  The first part of this prayer is found in Thursday's reading.  Yesterday we read the second part, and today we're given the third and final part of the prayer.  In yesterday's reading, we read that Jesus prayed, "I pray for them.  I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.  And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.  Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You.  Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name.  Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.  But now I come to You and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.  I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth.  As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."

 

  "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."  My study Bible comments here regarding those who will believe.   It notes that the Church in every generation participates in the life and glory of the Trinity.  It remarks that Christians enjoy two kinds of unity:  with God and with one another, the latter being rooted in the former.  See Matthew 22:36-40.

"Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."  My study Bible notes here that the ultimate goal of Christ's High Priestly Prayer, and indeed of life itself for all of us, is for the love of the Father to dwell in each person.  

Perhaps the most important statement we will read in all the Bible is just this one by Jesus, "that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."  As He puts it here, this is a declaration of the intent of all of His ministry, His purpose, why He has "declared to them Your name, and will declare it."  It's intriguing that on the very eve of His arrest, which is imminent here, Jesus speaks of the future, that He will declare it [the Name of God the Father].  Perhaps the greatest declaration of the Name of the Father is Christ's glorification on the Cross, and His Resurrection.  But perhaps also this passage speaks to the ongoing activity of the Trinity in our world and in our midst (Luke 17:21).  Perhaps both are true, that Christ's witness to the Father will fully manifest in His sacrificial love for us and His Resurrection; but also at the same time, He will live in us, continually declaring the Name of God so that it dwells in us and through us in the world.  If we look closely at this last statement, it sums up Christ's whole prayer by couching everything in love.  Christ repeatedly speaks of unity between the Trinity and believers; in this we can assume the whole cosmos is a part of this mission.  But His final statement truly teaches us what He means:  "The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."   The declaration of God's name is a pronouncement of love, of love going out and resting within the hearts that will receive it, and will reciprocate. Jesus speaks, then, of an entire created order couched, held, received, and permeated by love.  And in this love is our communion with Creator and one another -- even the great love of the Father for the Son is that in which we all may share.  May your life be blessed with the knowing of this love and its ever-flowing expression through us as well.  For so we also glorify God.

 

 

O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them

 

 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

 

- John 17:20-26 

 

Beginning with Thursday's reading, the lectionary has given us what is known as Christ's High Priestly Prayer, His prayer to the Father before His seizure by authorities.  Yesterday, we read that Jesus prayed, "I pray for them.  I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.  And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.  Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You.  Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name.  Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.  But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.  I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth.  As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."

 

  "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me."  My study Bible comments that here Jesus prays for those who will believe.  It says that the Church in every generation participates in the life and glory of the Trinity.  Christians enjoy two kinds of unity:  with God and with one another, the latter being rooted in the former.  

"And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."   Jesus' profound statements lead us to understand John's Gospel as the Gospel of love.  My study Bible comments that the ultimate goal of Christ's prayer, and indeed of life itself, is for the love of the Father to dwell in each person. 

 Jesus speaks of a union of love.  That union of love is clear within His own relationship to the Father, but what Jesus prays for is not only that the world knows of this love, but that we who are His followers are also drawn into this love as thoroughly and completely as He is:  "O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."   In the pagan systems of belief and practice, a god was appeased through sacrifice of some kind.  Meals were eaten with the god also as part of sacrifice and even communion.  But Christ stood this system upside down, as the sacrifice we commemorate is our God's sacrifice for us, and the communion and meal in which we engage is also provided by God's sacrifice for us, a sacrifice most deeply made out of love for us.  And this is the power of Christ.  For this is a God who always loves us and yearns for us to return to that love and to that communion.  Our faith is not magic but depends on this communion of love, our participation in the life of Christ, and indeed, as He prays here, in the union of Father, Son, and Spirit.  In the ancient world, the pagan gods were capricious and could be quite cruel; gods were appeased so that they would "do something" for those who made the sacrifice.  But there is no manipulation in Jesus, there is only love, and this prayer exemplifies for us and outlines the love of God the Father that begins it all, that defines and leads Christ the Son, that reaches out to us to include us in this communion.  And that is what we must remember.  We live in a world that so often still seems to abide by the laws of the harsh gods:  capricious, manipulative, coercive, cruel, duplicitous, where might makes right and trust is hard to find anywhere.  And when we look at "the world" and observe these things, let us consider the singular importance, the paramount contribution to our lives of Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father which He teaches us.  For love is in short supply when we are left to our own devices and outcomes.  Therefore, our participation in God's love becomes even more essential when we face warring outcomes in a world where there are no perfect solutions, and violence reigns.  Let us understand how deeply we need God's love at all times, but especially in times of stress when there is so much temptation to fall into patterns of hatred and rash behavior.  For it is God's love that stabilizes a life in which needs for love aren't being met, security and stability are imperfect, and fear knocks at the heart.  Without this love, we are lost to so much cruelty; but with God's love we have hope to live and dwell in a Kingdom where our love is shared and known.  Christ prays to the Father, "I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."   Through grace, that Name is being declared over and over in us, for us, even through us, that the love with which the Father loves the Son may be in us, and Christ in us, for this is the true gospel of the Kingdom.

 

 

 

 

 

O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them

 

 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

 

- John 17:20–26 

 

In our current readings, Jesus has just finished delivering His Farewell Discourse to the disciples (starting with this reading), and has begun praying what is commonly called the High Priestly Prayer (begun in this reading).  In yesterday's reading, Jesus prayed:  ""While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name.  Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.  But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.  I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth.  As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth." 

 

 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."   My study bible comments that those who will believe describes the Church in every generation, participating in the life and glory of the Trinity.  It says that Christians enjoy two kinds of unity:  with God and with one another, the latter being rooted in the former.   Ultimately, it says, the goal of Christ's prayer, and of life itself, is for the love of the Father to dwell in each person. 

 

 In these final verses of Christ's High Priestly Prayer,  Christ prays not only for the disciples before Him, but for all those who are to come to faith, "those who will believe in Me through their word" (that is, the word of the apostles).  His prayer is first for unity ("that they also may be one in Us"), and that this unity will convey that faith to the world ("that the world may believe that You sent Me").    The great theologians of the Church, such as St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. John Chrysostom, and others connect this unity to the gift of the Holy Spirit; that is, to grace.  But when we look closely at Christ's prayer, there are other elements also connected to this unity, and they are also gifts, that were given to the Son from the Father, and in turn are given to us.  Christ next speaks of the glory given to Him by the Father, and this, also, is linked to the Holy Spirit and to grace:  for, like unity, it is a gift from Father to Son, but also shared with the faithful.  Jesus links this glory with perfection in one, and so we understand it as redemption -- that is, a life lived according to grace.  But finally Christ speaks of love, the love of the Father shared with the Son before the foundation of the world, before all ages, before time.  Unity, perfection, glory, and love are inseparable.  They all exist within this bond of Father and Son, and Christ prays to extend them to all who have faith, who know the Father, and understand and perceive that Christ is from the Father.  Just as He prayed about many mansions, and going to prepare a place for His followers (John 14:2-3) so they may be together, here He prays that they may not only be with Him, but also to behold His glory given by the Father, from the Father's great love for the Son.  Jesus calls the Father righteous, giving us a hint about what constitutes true glory, but declares that "the world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me," once again separating a world of darkness -- unknowing -- from those who come to know and love God, and share in this unity.  Finally, there is the declaration of the Father's name, which is also linked back to love, a love of the Father for the Son, and which is shared fully with Christ's followers, those who will come in faith and through grace.   These words imply a unity between Creator and creature, made possible through the love of the Father, the Father's gifts to the Son, and those gifts shared with the faithful -- made possible with the gift of the Spirit and hence of grace.  They are mystical words which need a mystical perception to begin to understand, but they call us into a unity in which we may participate and share glory, redemption, the Father's name, and most especially the love that exists between the Persons of the Trinity.  While the prayer speaks of a unity that exists outside of time; that is, it may convey both a desire of Christ, and an outcome which will only find its fullness in the culmination of ages of this world -- it is also a prayer that is at work within and through time.  And we might catch glimpses of each of these things within our own faith lives, our deeper growing trust, an understanding of love and righteousness, and even glory or true value, and what it is to be a part of "the name" of the Father and the Father's house or "many mansions."  What is perhaps most remarkable is simply the concept present here in love, because this shared love is meant to be shared within a family, a home, "a name" -- meaning the house of God.   As creatures, and subject to time, we cannot comprehend how exactly all of this happens.  But we are capable of participating in it and experiencing it, however short such glimpses and perceptions are, however nuanced.  We can feel our deep loyalty to this name, this "house" or home of God the Father, Son, and Spirit, and we can feel our belonging.  When we call on God for help, we sense a deep love and trust, the same way a child senses love and trusts.  All these things are shared in the fullness of participation, and they are found in the fullness of this prayer by Christ.  It is a prayer for all the ages and beyond the ages; it may find the fullness of its answer when ages cease and even beyond time, but for now it is at work through time, and all of these things:  glory, worth, righteousness, love, and the unity found in these things can be experienced through the grace that works in us, the gift of the Spirit.  This is what our services and prayers are for, and Christ's prayer must be the most potent of all.  It is important that we understand the ancient concept of "perfect" which Christ prays here.  Note that He doesn't pray we "are" perfect, but that we may be made perfect in one.   This word for "made perfect" in the Greek is τελειόω, related to τέλος/telos, or "end."  Essentially it means literally brought to an end, completed.  It implies a work through time, a fullness of something, brought to its most complete point.  And this is what we are to understand in Christ's prayer; it is a fullness on the way to being most fully manifest, and through the fullness of time to its end point, known only to God.  This is what is at work in us, and how it is working, and so we must understand ourselves and our faith as works in progress, and works in love.  Christ's prayer is always working, no matter what things may temporarily look like from our perspective, and we can count on its potency and love. 

And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them

 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

- John 17:20-26

In our current readings, Jesus is at the Last Supper.  He has given His Farewell Discourse to the disciples, and now He is praying what is known as the High Priestly Prayer, His prayer to God the Father before He goes to His Crucifixion.  Yesterday we read that Jesus prayed, "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name.  Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.  But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.  I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth.  As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."

"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world."  Jesus prays for those who will believe; that is, the faithful of the future.  My study bible declares that the Church in every generation participates in the life and glory of the Trinity.  It states that Christians enjoy two kinds of unity:  with God and with one another -- with the latter rooted in the former.   Let us make firm note of the love that is the cause of all of this, and all that Christ's declares.  He magnifies that love with His final statement here:  that is desire, moreover, is that those whom the Father has given to Him may be where He is -- so that they may behold the glory given to Him by God the Father who loved Christ before the foundation of the world.  This is the desire to share with us an eternal future and reality beyond what we can know in the world, a completeness of love.

"O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."  My study bible tells us that the ultimate goal of Christ's prayer, and even of life itself, is for the love of the Father to dwell in each person.

In Christ's High Priestly Prayer we have an extraordinary testament to love.  In His words we hear the voice of a Son devoted to His loving Father, who wants to share that love with the world -- and wants the world to see that love for themselves.  He declares, "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world."   These are the words of a Son who deeply loves and reveres His Father, and wants His friends to see all that His Father is going to do for Him, so they will appreciate how loving and great His Father truly is.  We are given not only a picture of unity, and not only a picture of grace, but a view on the tremendous grandeur of God's love, its immense quality, its extraordinary character.  It is the inverse of an uncaring world bent on its own selfishness and isolation and hostility.  Christ not only offers us this tremendous picture of His generous and loving Father, but He wishes for us to share in that love, and He is the link to it.  This is our great gift, one in which we take our own understanding of His love, a love inseparable from who we are through faith.  It is in this love that we take our identity as adopted children and heirs, because we not only may share in it, we may also become more like Him.  This is a love that magnifies its gifts, that adds even more onto whatever it is we are willing and able to accept.  It is a love that rejoices in all circumstances, because there is joy in it at all times -- and it is not a fickle kind of love, nor tinged with selfish and hostile motivations.  It simply is.  More than that, Jesus gives us the ground of our being and of the whole universe.  The hostility and selfishness of the world is aberrant in this picture; it is not "natural" at all that we live in a fallen world.  It is the love of God that is our true natural state, for it is our origin and destination.  It is in that generosity and beauty that we take our joy, and in which we are given our peace which cannot be taken away.  We know we are loved, and we will grow in the experience of that love.

I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them

 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one; I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

- John 17:20-26

In our current readings, we are reading what is known as the High Priestly Prayer, whcih Jesus prayed at the end of the Last Supper.  See the first part of the prayer in Thursday's reading, "Father, the hour has come."  Yesterday we read that Jesus prayed, "I pray for them.  I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.  And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.  Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You.  Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name.  Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.  But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.  I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth.  As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."

"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one; I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."  My study bible notes here that the Church in every generation participates in the life and glory of the Trinity.  Christians enjoy two kinds of unity, it says:  with God and with one another, the latter being rooted in the former.  Jesus is the glue here that seals us all together:  The Father is in Him and He in the Father, and He prays that believers may also be one in Them.  Note that Jesus prays also of this shared unity in glory, perfection, and love.

"Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."  The key to all of Christ's ministry is love:  the ultimate goal of Christ's prayer, and of life itself, my study bible says, is for the love of the Father to dwell in each person. 

We have all heard the phrase "God is love" at one time or another (see 1 John 4:7-8).  But Christ's words here in the High Priestly Prayer really exemplify and elaborate for us the truth of this statement.   Love begins with the Source of all things, God the Father.  But Jesus' prayer sums up true communion in Him:  the love of God the Father, present in Christ whom the Father has sent, also dwelling in each believer, makes unity of the whole.  This is a love that is in itself perfection, and leads us to perfection and true glory.  It is that which glues and holds all together, against which even the gates of hell cannot prevail.  St. Paul writes, in Romans 8, "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  This is the experience of one converted, who has found the truth of Christ's words in the prayer for himself, and preaches that love to all who may come to know it for themselves.  We may not completely understand the impact of such love on those who lived two thousand years ago, but each person in every generation needs to experience it for themselves.  Christianity is an experiential faith, a communion that is not simply an intellectual concept or a utopian dream.  It is a living faith made of persons and in the Persons of the Trinity, Father, Son, and Spirit.  Above all, it is a reality of love that is present for each one.  As human beings, we all strive toward the true fullness of love, but that fullness is present for us to dwell within us, to teach us, to grow in us, so that we may share in the true glory of God and also shine that light into the world.  This is His truth and His word that may dwell within us and among us.  In chapter 16, Jesus tells His disciples at the Last Supper, "Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me."  John's Gospel (and also the Epistles that bear his name) gives us the fullness of God who is love,  in whose love we are invited to participate and welcomed in communion.  Like Christ, to experience this love is to know that we are never alone.  That communion remains the balm for a world always in need of what it brings to each one, and to all of us.  To deny the presence of that which seeks to tear us away from love is futile; we can see the "worldly" all around us.  His sacrifice, the greatest love of all, is made for each.  Of this we can always be assured, in the darkest of times when we need it most.

I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them

 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

"Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

- John 17:20-26

Starting from last Monday, we have been reading through Jesus' words and teachings to the disciples at the Last Supper.   This is His farewell discourse.  Chapter 17 constitutes what is called the High Priestly Prayer (begun in this Monday's reading).  Yesterday, we read that Jesus continued to pray, "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name.  Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.  But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.  I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth.  As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."

 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved."  Jesus prays not only for His immediate disciples (these alone), but also for those who will believe through the word of the first apostles.  My study bible says here that the Church in every generation participates in the life and the glory of the Trinity.  Christians have two kinds of unity:  with God and with one another.  The latter is rooted in the former -- thus the two greatest commandments.   And if we look closely, we observe that this conclusion to the High Priestly Prayer is all about the unity of Father, Son, and Spirit, and with those who will follow and believe.  Jesus also speaks here of glory and being made perfect in this union and participation.   But ultimately the real crux on which hangs everything about our faith is the love of the Father.

"Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."  Here is more about the quality of unity:  Jesus prays that those whom the Father has given Him may be with Him, that they may behold His glory given by the Father, because the Father loved Him before the foundation of the world.  To declare the Father's name -- the extension of His Person, is to declare, know, and dwell with the Father's love.  My study bible says that the ultimate goal of Christ's prayer, and even of life itself, is for the love of the Father to dwell in each person.  This is the real definition of faith, of what our faith teaches us to believe and know.

Jesus dwells mostly on the unity of Father, Son, and believers in this last part of the High Priestly Prayer.  It's a kind of unity that will always draw and intrigue us, because Christ speaks of a unity that is the configuration, if you will, of what it means to abide in Him.  Christ abides in the Father, and yet both Christ and the Father dwell in us.  Unity here is much more than what is usually signified by the word "unity."  This is an indwelling, and it is an indwelling on multiple levels and through multiple combinations:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (as attested to in the farewell discourse when He promises several times that He will send the Helper), and the faithful:  those apostles to whom He speaks, and all those faithful who are to come: "also for those who will believe in Me through their word."  This unity of faith and indwelling and abiding are hallmarked through several important concepts of which He has also spoken through this farewell discourse:  glory, the name of the Father, and love.  Glory, as we have discussed in an earlier reading, is a kind of weightedness, a sense of value and substance.  Glory is that value which is added unto, assigned, given by the Father, a substance which then is a part of whatever is glorified.  The Father's name is an extension of Himself, just as whatever would bear the initials or stamp of a ruler was treated as an extension of His property and empire.  The name, according to one definition, is a manifestation of character, that which distinguishes this one person from all others, the presence of that person.  A name, in Jewish tradition, was inseparable from the person, something of the person's essence, and thereby the name of the Father is most sacred.  And finally, all of this is contained in and contains within it the Father's love.  Everything that we know and believe in as followers of Christ, all the abiding and indwelling Christ teaches us, the glory God can give and the glorification of the Father of which we are capable, praying and acting in His name -- all of this is within the love of the Father.  If that love is not shared, if we do not know it and live in it, we do not have Christian faith.  Over and over again, Jesus has criticized the religious leadership of His time, because they follow elaborate rules and traditions built up around the Law, but they fail to have the love of the Father in them.  He tells them that if they loved God, they would know Him.  And this is the great key to our faith.  It is quite simply love.  There is love in the Father and in the unity of the Trinity, and love for us and in us -- and we return that love.  Without it, what do we have?  If we do not know that love, what is our faith?  Everything rests in it, and we rest in it, as God dwells in us.  This is the way, the truth, and the life.  This is what He has given us, and it is this love that saves the world.   No rule or abstract principle or custom we make can ever replace this active, known love.  We do not know God without it.  It grows in us and builds in us the kingdom of God, like a mustard seed grows into a sturdy tree where even the birds of the air may take refuge.  It is love that is alive and grows and gives meaning.