Sermon: May 17, 2026

Reading: John 17:1–11

Last week, after worship, I sat with someone whose heart was deeply troubled by many of the tragedies unfolding in our world. We talked about how exhausting it can feel to watch leaders who seem more concerned with protecting their own power than caring for the most vulnerable. We talked about how truth can be manipulated, how fear is often used to create distrust and division, and how it can feel like we are constantly being pulled from one crisis to another. That kind of instability can create deep emotional fatigue.

At one point, one of us said, “It feels like history keeps repeating itself.”

That conversation stayed with me as I reflected on Jesus’ prayer in this week’s gospel passage.

Jesus knew exactly what kind of world his disciples were living in—a world shaped by fear, violence, uncertainty, and systems resistant to the love of God. And yet, before the cross, Jesus prayed for them.

He didn’t pray that they would escape the world. He didn’t pray that they would gain enough power to control it. He prayed that they would remain faithful within it.

And perhaps that is what many of us need to hear right now.

When the world feels unstable…

When we are emotionally exhausted…

When we begin to wonder whether things will ever truly change…

Christ still meets us there.

He calls us to live differently—to reflect mercy in a world that often chooses cruelty, to protect the vulnerable, and to remind people that their dignity is rooted in being created in the image of God.

And even now, Christ still prays for his people.

And that is where hope begins: trusting that no matter how loud fear becomes, God’s love is still stronger. And always will be.