Seventh Sunday of Easter
Acts 16: 16-34 John 17: 20-end
Many of us would recognise a pyramid. Also, many of us will have come across the concept of pyramid selling. The process starts with just one individual who encourages ten others to join in a selling method which relies on each of them recruiting ten others. At each level a modest amount of money is handed over with the promise of ever-increasing riches as more and more people are recruited. This was very popular during my school days as student after student would try to get on the ‘band wagon’.
I like maths, and I like playing with numbers. There is an inherent problem with pyramid selling as I have described. In just ten levels more than the entire population of the world will have been recruited, the figure being 8.2 billion people.
I doubt if Jesus had such sums going through his mind as he prayed to his Father. Jesus was in contact with his Father, possibly almost constantly. It is only natural that he should pray whilst he faced the prospect of the Cross, that terrible ordeal that was awaiting him as he entered Jerusalem.
Then we learn of how he prayed for his disciples. They had been with him during his ministry as he travelled from town and village teaching of God’s love, healing the sick, bringing more and more people to know God. He prayed that God would look over them and be with them in their ministry. He had confidence in his disciples and commended them to God and his love.
Now we see how the numbers begin to mount. Jesus also prays for people in distant lands, places far away. More so he includes those who are in far off ages, way into the future, as they hear of the Christian message and turn to God, who accept him into their lives. It is a great comfort to know that Jesus actually prayed for you and for me. This is a passage that is very dear to us.
Jesus prayed that we might be as one. This is a prayer for the Church as it begins to grow. The Church is now world-wide. It has many hats, many forms of worship, many rules, etc. Yet Jesus prayed that we might be one. It was for a unity of relationships. Administration, and all other things which we put in the way of a complete unity of Church was not the plan. Jesus was praying for a unity of heart, a unity of personal relationships.
If we love God with our whole heart and allow him into our life, we are sharing that same degree of love with the person sat by us in Church. They too, in their turn, are also sharing the similar love with the person just away from them. It is a truth that the love is shared with the person in a neighbouring village or town. Going back to my pyramid example the Christian love is spread far and wide and all based on a love of God. It is this love that was the basis of the prayer of Jesus.
Jesus had a relationship with God which was based on love and obedience. It is that relationship that Jesus prayed that we all should have, a unity in which we all love each other regardless of race or class. We all have a love based on God because we love him. It is a love which is based on a relationship between one heart with another heart. This is the base of the prayer which Jesus prayed, a prayer which includes us, you and me.
Collect for the Seventh Sunday of Easter
O God the King of glory,
you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ
with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven:
we beseech you, leave us not comfortless,
but send your Holy Spirit to strengthen us
and exalt us to the place where our Saviour Christ is gone before,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.