[Jesus prayed] “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” (John 17:20-23 ESV).
It’s been about five months since Mary and I have “felt” the restrictions of Covid-19. I must be honest and say that for the first six weeks following the announcement of a global pandemic, we were not nearly as affected by the shelter-in-place mandates as others. Mary had just been released from eight days in ICU recovering from her unexpected, emergency surgery. We were told then it would be a long and slow recovery, so staying at home wasn’t much of a chore for us. However, things turned decidedly more chaotic quickly. Rightful protests in Minneapolis quickly turned violent, then looting started, then gun shots. Protests quickly moved across the United States and around the globe like a grass fire. Events went from demanding justice for the horrific murder of George Floyd to violence around the world in days. It was as if there was a national and global strategy to accomplish all of this. Well, there was; it is called “chaos.” And, that is the work of our enemy, the Devil.
The Apostle Paul speaks directly to this truth: "…the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient" (cf. Ephesians 2:2). Our day is not so different from the world in which Jesus walked the earth nearly two millennia ago. As He came to the end of his work of grace through the cross, He knew precisely what to do. He prayed. That is the context of our reading today.
I am certainly not suggesting that we should sit in our “closets” and mouth words of intercession without involvement or action to seek righteousness and good for all people. However, I would say that for every angry, divisive act that we “innocently” experience we must think, behave, and pray in the opposite spirit. When you observe chaos, pray for order; when someone responds to you with self-righteous anger, respond in love; and, when you witness violence, pray for tenderness. This will be the beginning of unity and order. It is the fostering of genuine community where the unique perspectives of each person is embraced with compassion, not just tolerated. Differences among us should not cause fear or prejudice but add life, beauty, color, and fun to the whole. Each cares for the others so much, each values the others so much, each wants to serve the others so much that in a sense they are not many but one. We call that community “God”—mysteriously one God in three persons. Jesus prayed that we, his people, may be one as he and the Father are one. As we begin this little series, my prayer for you is that before you press “post” or “send” you will think about the community Jesus died to give us, and simply pray. Then, act as Jesus acted.
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