John 17,1-11, 2026
God of Wisdom, send your Holy Spirit to give us fresh understanding of
your Word in Scripture. Inspire us to respond with renewed commitment to
follow Christ Jesus, your Living Word. Amen
This week at presbytery Will Henbest, the minister in Belfast, led worship
and he shared with us from what the Apostle Peter had to say in the book
of Acts
Peter preached well in Acts
He was true to what Jesus had taught
He was brave to preach publicly
Will also reminded us that this was also the same Peter who had denied
Jesus on the night when Jesus was betrayed
A mistake did not put Peter beyond the grace of God
Will reminded us that our faith is lived out day by day, not just on Sunday
This is one point that I took away from what I heard on Tuesday evening
Our faith is our faith is found in the midst of all that is happening
In the midst of whatever life brings to us
Whether those circumstances are times of joy and celebration, or times of
sadness and worry
Life has a way of bringing that truth home to us
It is one thing to say to another person “God will stay with you and help
you”, it is another thing to live that out yourself
As Will shared with us on Tuesday, I could hear in his voice that truth of
what he was saying
He spoke of being at bedsides to share words of comfort
And then of having life bring him opportunity to live out the truth of what he
was saying
2
That’s the way life goes for us
Being a believer does not keep us from sadness
It doesn’t keep us from making mistakes
It means that we have eternal life, which means that we know the only true
God, and Jesus Christ whom God has sent, as we read in out gospel
lesson this morning
Knowing God means we are never alone
Jesus knew that his disciples, both the original ones that he chose, and the
others who would live through the centuries to come, would need help
And knowing that his followers would need help, he prayed for the original
twelve and for us
He prayed that God the father would protect us
In John’s gospel Jesus prays this prayer, called the high priestly prayer, in
the hearing of the disciples
In the synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke Jesus goes off to the
garden to pray
But in John this prayer is said in the midst of the gathering of followers
Now, when I read this passage in John, I tend to think of the picture that we
have probably all seen of Jesus praying
It is a drawing of Jesus kneeling before a large rock praying alone
But this image does not go with the prayer in John’s gospel
Jesus is praying for his disciples in their hearing
This can be a very powerful and helpful thing
To her someone praying for you
3
What might have been going through the disciples’ hearts as they heard
Jesus pray?
They would have heard Jesus say that they, the disciples, had been given
to Jesus by God
They would have heard that the words Jesus taught had come from God
They would hear that Jesus considered the disciples to be his, that there
was a real and personal connection to Jesus
That somehow Jesus has been glorified in the disciples
And Jesus is praying that the disciples may be one as God and Jesus are
one
That’s a lot to take in
How might the disciples have felt to know that Jesus thought this of them?
To know that he was concerned for them?
To hear that he cared so much that he was praying for God to protect
them?
It would get them right where they live
I believe that this kind of love and compassion we hear from Jesus in this
prayer are more than the average disciples would experience from a rabbi
This is the kind of compassion that we hope to feel from a cherished family
member, not what we would look to receive from a teacher
I feel that the disciples would have been filled with joy and love to hear
such compassion in Jesus’ prayer
No matter what they might face in the future, they would always have this
time to hold in their hearts, and to refer to it when they needed courage
What would it be like if we heard these words from Jesus?
4
After Jesus had spoken these words, 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.
‘I have made your name known to those in the Brookfield Pastoral Charge
whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to
me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you
have given me is from you; 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. I am asking on their behalf; I
am asking that you give them confidence to use the abilities you have given
them. Help them to remember that you love them and have given them a
ministry for those who are powerless and afraid. I pray for those who are
full of years and those who need guidance, I pray for those who are
flourishing in their careers and those who are looking for any work, I pray
for children that they may learn to love you and for adults that they may
learn to live in love. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have
been glorified in them. 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.
One of the amazing truths about this passage that we read today is that it is
as true for us as it was for the original disciples
5
How does that impact you?
Knowing that Jesus prayed for you and prays for you?
That we have been given God’s truth?
That Jesus is glorified in us?
That Jesus prays for our protection?
That Jesus prays that we may be one as he and the Father are one?
These are our truths as much as they are the truths for the original twelve
disciples
On a Sunday morning in a worship service these are the words we expect
to hear
What about when we are living our day to day lives
Does this truth get us right where we live?
For just a minute I am going to take you back to that sermon I heard on
Tuesday night
One of the things that Will shared in that sermon was that the truth given by
God is just what the world needs now
We hear stories of despair
The news tells us of shortages and wars
In fact, the news shows seem to relish stories of shortages and wars
In the face of that, Jesus promises eternal life, which is to know God
What do those of us who know God have to bring to our lives?
When we hear news of poor health, or unwanted test results, or family
breakups, or strained finances?
How does eternal life impact day to day life?
It would be easy to give a pat answer to this question
6
To say that eternal life gives hope, or knowing God is with us is comforting
And these things are true
But how do these truths get lived out?
I looked to see what our current moderator of the Presbyterian Church has
to say about his faith walk
Rev Jeffery Murray is the former minister of St Andrews Church in
Sackville, NB
I had the privilege of knowing Jeff through the presbytery of New Brunswick
He has a love of learning which he shared with us by facilitating times of
discussion amongst presbyters
Where we would gather to talk about faith, doctrine and our faith lives
It was a time of fellowship and blessing
In the ministry of the presbytery he was reliable and bold to speak truth
when that was what was needed
In looking at the way he describes his growth in faith, you can see how God
has given him the opportunities for growth needed for the ministry he now
has
He describes growing up on a farm in Southeastern Ontario
His parents were Christian people who attended the local Presbyterian
Church where Jeff was baptized and attended Sunday school and worship
He says: “Home, farm life, and the church of my childhood formed the
foundation of who I am today. The routines of home, farm life, assisting my
father in beekeeping operations, and the routines of church were often
boring. Still, these were important and formative, like the repetitive
practices of a musician learning scales, … While I grumbled about such life
as a child, … I speculate the repetition experienced in my childhood formed
an appreciation for liturgy and the repetition that comes with ministry,
which, while sometimes can feel boring, can also be deeply grounding and
formative, and give time for improvement”
7
He credits the time he spent at a secular university with giving him a
deeper love of scripture. The first bible he was given was a King James
Bible “with delicate pages and stiff binding.” He was told to read the Bible
as though God was speaking directly to him, but as a boy reading in
archaic English, he found the process to be exhausting and he felt there
was no room for questioning and doubt. It was as a humanities student at
Carleton University that Jeff “developed an appreciation for the remarkable
way [the Bible] stories revealed the human condition and the breadth of
human expression.” This study helped the Bible to come alive for him as he
brought questions to the text and experienced conversation with the living
word.
His time studying at Knox College allowed for deepening of his love for
scripture as he experienced spiritual growth pains. He came to see that the
faith of his youth needed to be increased. He realized “that Jesus and the
gospels addressed this world’s social concerns. He also says “It was
helpful that during my theological education and preparation for ministry in
the church, I had an opportunity to work with the Boarding Homes Ministry
in Toronto, which helped me to understand the gospel in the context of
those living on the margins.”
How does eternal life affect day to day?
It allows us to know we can raise questions, that Jesus cares for all people
in all circumstances
There is nothing that is beyond the scope of God
That practising our faith over and over gives us disciple and the ability to
endure when those are needed
That Jesus is concerned for those on the margins and asks us to work with
them and for them
And also, Jesus who prayed for the disciples also prays for us and listens
to hear our prayers as well
8
As the loved hymn “What a Friend we Have in Jesus” says
It is a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer
Prayer
God of the generations in time and eternity,
we turn to you in these quiet moments
to offer you our thanks and our hopes for our lives.
Today we give you thanks for all those people
who have shown us your face and taught us to follow you
through the loving example of their living faith.
We are grateful for their wisdom and courage which continue to
inspire us.
Thank you for our life together in your church and the saints we have
known here.
May the light of Christ shine through our lives, too,
so that we offer light for the world you love as witnesses to your
purposes.
Christ of Compassion in action,
in you, we receive our call to live with purpose.
From you, we learn how to love those around us.
With you, we find strength to face each new day.
So today, we offer our prayers for those facing challenges,
and seek your guidance to respond to their cries.
9
We pray for those brought to mind by news headlines this week
for situations of violence, corruption and deprivation, danger and
devastation…
Keep a brief silence.
We pray for families going through difficult times,
for all who are sick or in sorrow, for all who are lonely or despairing …
Keep a brief silence.
We pray for those agonizing over important decisions and
responsibilities,
for those in leadership roles and for those who care for the most
vulnerable …
Keep a brief silence.
Creator, Christ and Spirit, move with us into the week ahead,
remind us each day to live according to your will and purposes in all
our relationships and to live lives of meaning so that we bear witness
to the love we meet in Jesus in whose name we pray. Amen
COMMISSION AND BENEDICTION
Go as witnesses to our Lord Jesus, risen and ascended, and bear his love
and mercy wherever you go. Trust that the Holy Spirit is your companion.
And may the God of our Lord Jesus Christ give you a spirit of wisdom and
fill you with the hope to which you are called as God’s beloved. Amen