Psalm 97; Acts 16:16-34; Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21; John 17: 20-26

Today's Gospel is Jesus' high priestly prayer. When I read it I am a little embarrassed because I feel like I am eaves dropping. It's the intense time before his crucifixion and he is praying to Abba, his Father. 

This is an intimate conversation between Jesus and his Father in heaven that is happening following the Last Supper and Jesus' washing his disciple's feet. They have gone out to the Mount of Olives to pray and Jesus has asked the the disciples stay awake and pray with him. But they have fallen asleep and Jesus is praying by himself with his Father.

Note that Jesus is not giving us instructions about how we are to live. No, he is praying for what he wants to be true. He is praying for the disciples and for those who do not yet believe. That would be you and me. Jesus is praying for what he wants for us. Jesus is asking God for us to be one. The Father in Jesus and Jesus in the Father, and Jesus wants us to be also in them so that the world may believe that the Father sent Jesus and that the Father loves us. Jesus wants us to live in unity and love one another so that others will come to know and love God through our example. OK, Jesus wants us to live as one.

Let's go now to the reading of Revelation 22. Take a look at your bulletin at the reading noted for Revelation. What is peculiar about it?

There are verses missing. In the middle of the glorious revelation that was given us to be read this morning, some verses are obviously left out. Let's see what they are.

Rev. 22:12 "See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone's work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."

Rev. 22:14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

Rev. 22:16 "It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."

17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come."

And let everyone who hears say, "Come."

And let everyone who is thirsty come.

Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

Rev. 22:18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book; 19 if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away that person's share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

Rev. 22:20 The one who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon."

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

Rev. 22:21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

The difficult verses about sinfulness are left out. It is as if those that chose the reading this morning want us to deny our sinfulness and live only in the grace and glory and wonderment of God. Yes, I want to do that to, just as Jesus wants us to live as one with Jesus and the Father and one another. But, let's be honest. There is sin amongst us that can not be denied. Isn't this true of us here at New Salem? We believe that because we are in the church life should be glorious, perfect even. There should be no division or disagreements among us. We should have perfect harmony at all times.

Remember, Jesus was praying that we should all be one in Jesus and Jesus in the Father and so we in the Father so others will look to us and be drawn to God? Jesus is praying for us. To me that is like when I am praying for my children when they are having a difficult time, I am praying that all will be well because not all is well!

Jesus is praying for the church because Jesus knows that all will not be well and we need the prayer! We are all sinful people. It is innate in us, part of our very being to want to turn from God and turn inward to our selves. In a community such as ours our sinful nature can be acted out in seeing ourselves as being more important than the Body of Christ.

Jesus prays for us all to be one in Jesus as Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in us. This is abiding, living in Jesus in whom we live and move and have our being. Jesus is well aware that those who do not yet know of Jesus will look to Christian community and see how much we love one another. Unity and loving one another is not an easy thing to do. Our trademark of loving one another is not that we do not sin. Not that we do not harm one another, but the trademark of love is our commitment to love one another shown by how we handle when we sin against one another.

If you think you are going to come to a church and see a bunch of saints, sorry, your are believing in a fairy tale that just doesn't exist. What does exist are sinful people gathered around the Word of God and around the bounty of God's grace being held out to one another in a meal of unity that brings us back together. This great meal in which Jesus gives his body and blood for the FORGIVENESS OF SINS FOR YOU AND FOR ALL PEOPLE.

Our trademark is not our lack of sinfulness. Our love is evident in how we deal with one another when we sin against one another. We pray each Sunday together and finish every meeting with the Lord's Prayer. If we are faithful in this God will be faithful to us. We pray "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us."

This prayer assumes we will be sinful and sinning against one another. How we deal with our sinful nature is how those who do not yet know Jesus will know us by our love.

Luke 17:3 Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must call the offenders attention to the harm, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. 4 And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, 'I repent,' you must forgive."

We are told in Matt. 18:15 "If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. 16 But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

So this is our reality. We are sinful and we hurt one another. We think more highly of ourselves, we think the individual is more important than the community. This is sin. We must confess our sin. If someone harms us we are to go to that person directly and discuss the situation and listen to one another and forgive one another. Others will be drawn to Christ by our love. This love is expressed in how we deal with one another's sinfulness. Love is all about confession and forgiveness. This is what Jesus died for. Our sins, Jesus died for our sins so that we may be forgiven.

Let us live and move and have our being in dwelling in Jesus' love.

Amen, Come Lord Jesus come. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.