In this Sunday's reading from John's gospel (John 17:6-19), you and I get to eavesdrop as Jesus prays on the night before his death on the cross. No matter how many times I read this passage, it always blows me away to realize that in his final earthly moments Jesus chooses to pray for his disciples--for US! That in itself is pretty cool. However, when you stop and think about what Jesus says, it's quite sobering because his prayer has implications for us. Jesus prays that we may be one, as he and the Father are one. He prays for our unity, and I think we all know that unity requires a lot of intentional hard work.
I think it's important to realize that when Jesus speaks about unity, he doesn't mean that we have to agree on everything--as if we could! Jesus is talking about being one in the Spirit of our loving, living Creator, who first breathed life into us and who continues to breathe life into us every moment of every day. Jesus prays that you and I and all his disciples will come to see that we belong to God and that we're part of something much bigger and more wonderful than we could ever imagine. May we each respond to our Lord's prayer for us by saying, "Amen, Lord Jesus Christ! May it be so! Help us learn to live and move and have our being in you!" (cf. Acts 17:28)
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Michelle Manicke
PS--Don't forget our Quarterly Congregational Meeting this Sunday, immediately following worship on Zoom (ca. 11:45 am). We'll get to hear updates on Zoar's mission and ministry and stewardship, and we'll have an opportunity to share our thoughts and feelings about the possibility of returning to worship in person in the near future. I hope to see you there!
Sunday Worship and Quarterly Congregational Meeting
May 16, 2021 is the Seventh Sunday of Easter.
The link and passcode to join our online worship service on Sundays at 10:30 am are below. (Note: This is the same link we've had on previous Sundays, and it will stay the same on future Sundays.)
