Seventh Sunday of Easter May 17, 2026

Prayer of the Day
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 in joy, that all the world may be drawn into your bountiful presence, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Gospel: John 17:1-11 
1 After Jesus had spoken these words [to his disciples,] he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. 5 So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.
6 “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you, 8 for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I have been glorified in them. 11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”

SERMON
Years ago, the journal Spirituality and Health reported that just knowing someone is praying for you has physical and psychological benefits. Many of us have folk who pray for us every day. Just knowing that might make us feel more connected and cared for.

There is a downside—my brother tells me that when he visits corporate headquarters for the airline he works for-in the Southern U.S.- he hears folk say “I will pray for you”. In that region of the country, “I will pray for you” can convey condescension and ‘judginess’.

When I read about a public official offering thoughts and prayers in the aftermath of a school shooting or other incident of gun violence, I wonder if the gesture is performative. Folk from Minnesota often say, “sometimes those prayers need feet too”. So what about this lengthy prayer Jesus prays on our behalf? Considering it was written down nearly 100 years after Jesus lived on the planet, and that transcription services and voice-to-text apps weren’t available we might want a bit more perspective.

The prayer reads like a sermon. We don’t know where the disciples were in the garden when Jesus prayed. The words even seem to bend in on themselves (a trait of John’s Gospel writing style) and what we mistake for repetition is actually taking us to other layers of meaning. For now, let’s attend to one theme—-God with us in hard times.

Immediately before Jesus prays, he warns his followers that hard times are coming. So Jesus prays on behalf of his first followers and those who are part of the community that John’s Gospel is written for. Jesus also prays for us; especially the community of faith. We overhear that God has given Jesus as the Word made flesh…that Jesus has taught and given a life giving word and that the followers hang on to those words—they are entrusted to us.

The Gospel readings for the last two Sundays set the stage for the season of Pentecost; in which we anticipate the Spirit of God—The Spirit of the risen Christ. We attune our hearts to listen what the Spirit has to say to the community of faith. We keep going back to the words of Jesus and to Jesus himself as God’s Word enfleshed and among us…and how that Spirit of God comes along side us to continue teaching, comforting and calling us into God’s work of blessing and saving the world.

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