John 17: 6-19 Easter 7B
5-17-15
The Reverend Roger Hungerford
I come to you in the name of our loving, life giving, liberating God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen.
This gospel morning's reading is an amazing prayer Jesus says for his disciples. He prays for them
even though he knows one of his closest confidants will betray him. He prays for them after he tells
them he knows that when he is arrested they will scatter. He prays for them even though he knows
that they will deny him, they will not testify in his behalf when brought before the Sanhedrin, they
will hide in fear during his torture and crucifixion, and they will need proof of his resurrection
before they will believe.
He prays that not only will the disciples be protected by God from the corruption of weak people in
powerful positions, but that they will be protected from the evil one who prowls around like a
roaring lion seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 8, NRSV). He prays that God will sanctify them,
make them special, make them holy and one with God just like he is one with God.
And he prays that they will be strong as he sends them out into the world.
Then Jesus doesn't abandon his disciples even when he is alone on the cross with none of the
named disciples in sight. He doesn't take back all he prayed. He doesn't say forget them, let them
suffer in their self-inflicted problems.
Quite the contrary, he prays for them again as he forgives them while he is forgiving his tormentors
and executioners.
That is Jesus living out his own commandment when he says, "love one another as I have loved
you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends."
He is our example. He is calling us to love exactly like that.
Here is where I struggle, and I am sure I am not alone in my struggles.
How do we walk into the midst of hate and anger and yelling and be loving? How can Jesus, or
anyone, ask us with a straight face to forgive someone who raped, or murdered, or maimed, or stole
from us. How can we forgive people who line up prisoners and cut their throats?
I don't know about you, but I have a hard enough time forgiving someone who simply talked behind
my back or stepped on my future so they could get ahead, or took my parking space, much less
committed a violent crime. That kind of forgiveness is intense.
But Jesus calls us to intense. We pray for that kind of intense forgiveness every week when we say
"forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespasses against us."
Not only are we supposed to forgive all those who hurt us in all manner, but we are supposed to go
further. We are supposed to love them.
1
John 17: 6-19 Easter 7B
5-17-15
The Reverend Roger Hungerford
Jesus built on God's word given to the Israelites a thousand years before. In Leviticus, God says to
the Israelites "you shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall
love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord."
Jesus then says ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your
enemy.” But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may
be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and
sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteousness.
How do we live as children of God in our fallen world? How do we walk into the midst of hate and
anger and yelling and be loving? How can each of us live our lives like we are someone blessed by
God and have our everyday activities reveal Christ to the world? How can we be forgiving and
loving?
To do that takes a lot of strength, a special kind of strength. Strength most of us do not possess.
We should be so thankful that God, as promised by Jesus Christ, has sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in
us. The Holy Spirit is where we get the special strength we need to be forgiving. That strength is a
grace given gift, but we must claim it.
We must claim it, and we must use the strength of the Holy Spirit to forgive and to love. That is
how we can walk into the midst of hate and anger and yelling and be loving. Claiming and using the
strength of the Holy Spirit is how we will be sanctified and glorify God, and how we will help
sanctify our fallen world. Amen.
2