5-21-23 Sermon Notes “Problems, Prayers and Final Episodes”

When I say, “The Lord’s Prayer,” your mind probably goes to these familiar words: “Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name…” Right? But our gospel passage for this Sunday could also rightly be called, “The Lord’s Prayer.” It was not that Jesus was teaching his disciples to pray this specific prayer - it was Jesus’ prayer…a glimpse into his heart’s cry to the Father. What did Jesus pray? For whom did he pray? Let’s take a look:

After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. (John 17: 1-11 NRSV)

Join us this Sunday as we look at “Problems, Prayers, and Final Episodes.”

See you Sunday,

Pastor Sam