Jesus Prayer (John 17: 20-26) Church of Holy Communion May 8, 2016 Since Easter Sunday, a short six weeks ago, John s Gospel has taken us back and

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1 Jesus Prayer (John 17: 20-26) Church of Holy Communion May 8, 2016 Since Easter Sunday, a short six weeks ago, John s Gospel has taken us back and forth between the three appearances of Jesus after his Resurrection and the Thursday night with his disciples prior to his Crucifixion. Following the foot washing scene and his new commandment to them, that they love one another, Jesus gave them some parting instructions: he would continue to be with them through the Holy Spirit, the lesson we read last week. Having demonstrated his love and humility to them, and instructing them how they should live their lives in his absence, in today s lesson, Jesus prays for them. It is no ordinary prayer; it has been called the high priestly prayer, presumably because Jesus prays directly to God on their behalf. Not only does he pray for his disciples and his faithful followers, he also prays for all who may believe in him and follow him in ages to come: I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they all may be one. That prayer includes us, my friends, and in it he calls us to be united, to be of one mind, one heart, and one community not divided, as our world so often seems to be. Jesus prayer is tender and loving, a prayer for all the sheep of his flock who know his voice. He speaks of his own glory as well as that of God. It is a prayer in which love is the primary theme; he prays that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. It is a prayer that reflects the kind of love a mother might have for her child, that little human nourished in her womb for nine months and then lovingly brought into this world. A mother s love is sincere, powerful,

2 enduring, and unconditional, and it is a symbol of the love God has for all his children. Mitch Albom, who wrote the very popular book, Tuesdays with Morrie, had this to say about a mother s love: When you look into your mother s eyes, you know that is the purist love you can find on this earth. To all the mothers and grandmothers here today, I wish you God s blessings and a very Happy Mother s Day, and may you feel the joy of all who love you. Do we need Jesus priestly prayer calling for love and unity in May 2016? You better believe it. We need Jesus prayer for our fair city, where homicides are nearly double the rate for this time one year ago, and where nearly 30% of our residents live at or below the poverty level, and where thousands of the homeless sleep on park benches or under viaducts at night and hold up cardboard signs at traffic intersections during the day, begging for food or some simple assistance. We need Jesus prayer for our nation, where news media continually show us political campaign rhetoric that is toxic and inflammatory, and seems to thrive upon hostility and insults; where lobbyists convince lawmakers that we are fearful as a nation and need to defend ourselves by allowing citizens to carry weapons into public parks and onto college campuses even into churches! Ours is a nation that sees Corporate CEO S making salaries that are 2500 times that of the average worker, and a nation quibbling over the justification of raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour! It is a nation where states pass laws that continue to foster division and ways to exclude others. Send us your priestly prayer, Jesus! Ok, I m coming down from my soap box to talk about prayer again. Those of us wearing black shirts and white collars are accustomed to praying for, and with, people in need in their homes, in their hospital

3 rooms, in nursing homes, or wherever they are. Our words are addressed to God, to whom we ask for comfort, relief, forgiveness, and guidance for his children. After praying for those in need of care, it is not uncommon to see tears of gratitude streaming down their faces, and we walk away feeling as if we too had received a prayer. I have personally found that to be on the other side of prayer, and having someone pray for me, is very special. Initially, one may feel slightly uncomfortable and vulnerable, but at the same time also feel comforted, grateful, honored, and appreciative that another person would care enough to pray for us. Three years ago, almost to the day, Linda Kay and I temporarily moved to Houston, where I received medical treatment for 8 weeks. On the Sunday before we left, I knelt at the rail in the chapel and received a prayer from one of our talented healing Ministers. She laid her hands upon my head and prayed some of the most tender and caring words I had ever heard. I felt so loved and so at peace; I could feel a tear or two streaming down my face, and was not ashamed of it. It was as if God himself or herself was holding my head and giving me his blessing personally. I walked away knowing that God would be on this journey with me, and that everything was going to be just fine. I m sure I didn t thank that healing minister enough; if she is here, she may remember the incident, and I want you to know I love you for that prayer. About the same time, Sandy had accepted the job as priest-in-charge, and we had stayed in touch. Knowing we were going to Houston, he called his former mentor, Barkley Thompson, who was then Dean of the Cathedral in Houston, to let him know Linda Kay and I would be there to worship. On our first Sunday there, I again knelt at the altar rail, and Barkley recognized me. After serving me the wafer, he put a hand on my shoulder and prayed

4 for the success of my treatment and for God to give me peace and comfort. Again, tears welled up in my eyes, and again I felt as if God had wrapped his loving arms around me. My treatments not only were successful, but they were without any adverse effects whatsoever, and we had a wonderful time in the city of Houston. My message to all of you is this: be ready and willing to pray, especially if someone asks you to pray for them. You may feel inadequate, or that your words are not well said, but pray anyway. You need not be eloquent; a simple statement asking for God to comfort that person will be fine: Dear God, please let Momma get well, or Dear Lord, please give so-and-so the strength and courage to weather this storm in his or her life. I promise you, your words will have a profound effect on the person for whom you are praying. They will know that you care enough to say a prayer, so the contents are not that important. Prayer can also be in the form of an arm around a shoulder, or a hug, or holding their hand while they cry or even crying with them. Do these things and you will be a messenger of God. Our prayers don t always have to be at the bedside of those suffering. Pray when you re happy; pray when all the traffic lights are green. Pray when the grocery lines are short. Pray when you see a little child look up at you and smile. Pray when you know you have just experienced a God Moment, a time when you know that God s benevolence has just touched you in a significant way. Pray when you see someone for whom you know God s blessing is needed, those ragged people at traffic intersections, for if you look closely at them you may see the image of Christ. And, when someone has lovingly prayed for you, as they did for me in 2013, pray for them too, that they may receive the same kind of comfort and love that they administered to you.

5 I d like to close with a verse from Psalm 85, read in Morning Prayer this week, and containing words that I think may sum up the effects of prayer: Mercy and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Amen.