May They Be One In Us

Today's Gospel John 17:20 - 26

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:
‘I pray not only for these,
but for those also
who through their words will believe in me.
May they all be one.
Father, may they be one in us,
as you are in me and I am in you,
so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.
I have given them the glory you gave to me,
that they may be one as we are one.
With me in them and you in me,
may they be so completely one
that the world will realize that it was you who sent me
and that I have loved them as much as you loved me.
Father, I want those you have given me
to be with me where I am,
so that they may always see the glory you have given me
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Father, Righteous One,
the world has not known you,
but I have known you,
and these have known that you have sent me.
I have made your name known to them
and will continue to make it known,
so that the love with which you loved me may be in them,
and so that I may be in them.’

I've been thinking about the oneness of God's church. I heard on a radio talk show recently how people form black churches are "afraid" of Lutheran churches, calling them stuffy and formal and not spontaneous enough. My mind went to this and similar scriptures about being of the same mind and gathering together. It seems a pity to me there needs to be "ecumenical" services in order to get an Episcopal and an Assembly Of God church together, and that those are generally frowned upon.

So I guess today is a good day to pray with Jesus that we may "all be one" because by all appearances (and I've heard Muslim apologists use this) we are not.

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