Sermon: June 1, 2025
Reading: John 17:20-26
Today’s gospel reading comes from near the end of the discourse and is known as the High Priestly Prayer, also referred to as the Farewell Prayer. In part of Jesus’ prayer, there is a beautifully poetic description of the intimate relationship between Jesus and the Father. It describes how they are so deeply connected that they move in perfect unison as one; yet remain separate.
Jesus prayed on behalf of those disciples who were present and “also on behalf of those who will believe in him through their word.” Jesus is praying for us, to join as one with God in a relationship of love; He prayed for us; how humbling is that?
But Jesus isn’t just praying for you and me; He’s praying for all of humanity. God’s desire is for his creation, his children, to be in an intimate relationship with him, a relationship where our movements and actions are not only in unison with God’s love but in unison with one another.
Maybe the first step for implementing measures to solve the horrific violence and divisiveness that seems to have captivated our world is to recognize that Jesus has invited every human being to be part of God’s divine dance of love.
Maybe if we began by seeing one another through the eyes of God’s love, we would see one another with a different understanding and find common ground in God’s peace. Maybe that’s our starting place to make policy changes for the betterment of all, leaving none behind. What better place to begin than by recognizing that every human being is a child of God united in his love?
Through Jesus Christ, humanity is united as one in the tapestry of God’s love as He prays to our heavenly Father, “May they become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
Jesus invites all of humanity to join in a relationship with God and become willing participants in the perichoresis, the relational flow of love that exists between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As God’s love flows and seeps into our being, our hearts become as light as a feather, and we can soar and glide, dancing gracefully and rhythmically, inviting the world to join in unison to the symphony of God’s divine dance of love.
