St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church
3800 East Third Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47401
(812) 332-5252
Sermon for the Seventh Sunday of Easter (May 4, 2008)
Liturgical Color: White
Reverend Doctor Lyle E. McKee
Someone is Praying For You
Grace to you and peace from our loving God, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
This gospel reading from John continues the last two Sunday's readings from the chapters known as "Jesus' Farewell Discourse." This particular piece is from what has been called "Christ's Priestly Prayer," because in it, Jesus offers to God a final report of his ministries. He also intercedes for those who have been placed in his pastoral care.
"After Jesus had spoken these words to his disciples, he looked up to heaven and said..."
Jesus is praying—for his disciples and for us.
In the novel Roots, by Alex Haley, there is a dramatic moment near the end of the story. Haley is at his wits' end. He has done all his research and the work of tracing his family's ancestry. He has gone all the way back to Kunta Kinte, and he realizes that he has to go to Africa if he is to finish the story—but to what part of that huge continent?
With only a few words remembered from his family's oral traditions as a clue, he locates a scholar—an expert in the oral traditions of ancient peoples. That scholar listens, and then he simply unrolls a map of Africa and points to Gambia.
Haley wants desperately to make the journey, but doesn't have the funds to do so. He pleads with his publisher, who won't budge. Having come so far, the final steps of his journey seem to be blocked.
Then he remembers someone from his past—an old woman. He calls her and offers to pay her $100 if she'll pray for his need. Without concern for the offer, she immediately gets on her knees and begins to pray.
Not long afterwards, Haley receives a letter from "Reader's Digest" which has enclosed an advance payment that will cover the costs of the trip. From that moment on, things fall into place He makes the upriver journey to the tribe and the family. He meets his people. He finally arrives at his ancestral home—in part because someone prayed for him.
I remember vividly a letter I received during my early college years. It was from my aunt Mary Alice who had just arrived back in Omaha after a rare visit with my family—rare because she had fourteen children. The letter was written to me directly. Another letter of thanks had been sent to my parents.
I remember it to this day because in the letter she wrote a prayer for me. At the time I thought it was odd that she would put a prayer for me down on paper; and yet, it was appropriate. We had spent considerable time talking about our faith.
The prayer asked God to grant me the gifts of wisdom and understanding. I was touched deeply when I read it, and I have in many ways always striven to live up to the sentiment she expressed. It occurs to me now, as I think about the power of prayer.
My life has been changed because someone prayed for me. My life continues to be changed because you pray for me. The life and work of a pastor are not possible without the sustenance of prayer. I covet your prayers, and I pray for you.
Most prayers, like those of Alex Haley's friend or my aunt, are those of ordinary, struggling, and considerate human beings. In today's Gospel, it is not an ordinary human being, but Jesus Christ himself who prays for us.
Surely you too have experienced the power of prayer in your own life. Perhaps it was the prayer of a friend, a neighbor, a pastor, or a family member. Or it may have been the intercession on your behalf in a congregation. It might have been a time when you felt overwhelmed with problems, burdened by guilt, weakened by doubt, drained by sorrow, or twisted by pain to the point that you could not pray. But you knew that someone was praying for you, and that was all you needed.
Those experiences of the power of prayer ought to be a part of our daily lives. All that is required is our recognition that someone is always praying for us. Someone is constantly bringing to God the concerns that are most important for us. And that someone, of course, is Jesus.
The Revised Standard Version uses "pray" for the word "ask" in the New Revised Standard Version. I prefer it, and use it in the passages I now quote. After all, asking the Father is another way to say "pray":
John 17:9: "I am praying on their behalf; I am not praying on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours."
Verse 15: "I am not praying that you take them out of the world, but I pray that you protect them from the evil one."
Verse 17: "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth."
Verse 20: "I pray not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one."
Verse 24: "Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world."
All through this chapter of John, Jesus prays for us.
In Luke too, Jesus is depicted as praying for us:
"Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail;" (22:31)
Then there's the great crescendo of Paul in Romans 8. He builds truth on truth to give us the final and most important fact about Christ: Christ justifies, and Christ died...for us, Christ rose...for us. Christ reigns...for us. And Christ prays (intercedes)...for us.
Jesus prays for us. And nothing can separate us from the love of our Lord.
What perhaps is most incredible about Jesus' prayer for us in chapter 17 of John's gospel is that Jesus goes, immediately after having spoken these words, to face his trial and crucifixion. Jesus is facing the most terrible, frightening moment that could be imagined. He will be deserted, betrayed, and crucified. And yet, his thoughts are not for himself, but for his disciples.
"It never occurs to Jesus to beg to be spared from the coming horrors. For himself he makes only two petitions: first, that he may so meet and use the hour that God may be glorified through him; and second, that he may so bear himself through it that he may give eternal life 'to all whom Thou hast given him.' And that is all he asked for himself...he is thinking of and interceding for his friends." (John Gossip, The Interpreter's Bible)
Note too that Jesus says he has accomplished the work the Father has given him to do. He isn't shaken and shattered by the ruin around him, by apparent defeat. He praises God for success, for enabling him to achieve his mission. He reports in with confidence.
I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do...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. (vv. 4, 6)
Those are feelings we have trouble capturing for ourselves. When confronted by failures, or apparent failures, by guilt, doubt, and stress; we tend to give in. We may become depressed and discouraged.
Jesus is able to look beyond the circumstances of the moment and see what God is doing. He reports not failure, but that his work is going well. And when Jesus prays for us—when Jesus proclaims that he is succeeding in his mission in our lives—we can believe that what he says is true.
Jesus makes an even more startling statement in his prayer for us. He tells God that he is proud of us—grateful for us.
All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. (v. 10)
Where we see incompetence, ignorance, weakness, and ineptitude, Jesus sees the possibilities. Jesus is glorified in us! God takes delight in us. We give God pleasure and we contribute to the honoring of Christ's majesty.
It's inspiring to hear these words of prayer spoken directly to us as disciples of our Lord. He announces unqualified joy and satisfaction in those who have been given to him. He is happy with the results that the Word has effected in us. He is confident in us, knowing that we will glorify him in our lives.
It is, therefore, abundantly clear that Jesus expects that we will succeed in the mission God has given into our hands. He believes in us. He believes in the church. He believes in St. Thomas. Whatever the struggle, our Lord is willing to rest everything upon our faithfulness. There is no other plan but us-no other way of achieving God's mission in the world.
Jesus prays for us. Jesus has confidence in us. He seeks only the best for us. And we are already doing what our mission demands; we are already glorifying God by our lives of service. He says as much.
"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....I am praying on their behalf...I have been glorified in them."
Christ "has been" glorified in us. We are on the right path.
Jesus is praying for you. Jesus is glorified in you—in us. I hope you will keep that simple insight from today's text in your heart. For with these profound assurances, we are better able to face the challenges of each day with confidence, with assurance, and with an abiding peace. Amen.
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord unto eternal life. Amen.
