Eastertide
May 17, 2015

Scripture Reading: John 17:6-19

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…. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. –John 9-10, 13

Jesus speaks a special word about those who stayed with him in spite of their doubts and limited understanding about who he really was. I get the sense they knew he was exceptional. Some openly testified to his identity as Messiah, but I am not sure what that really meant was fully apprehended. I seriously doubt, if I could have grasp it fully had I been one of the first disciples.

This was a special moment because I also sense that Jesus’ deep concern was on behalf of the world. He was a person of broad vision. A seer who clearly took in reality but knew totally the possibilities of the world into which he was thrusting his disciples with the challenge of turning those possibilities into reality.

The world, the people in it, and their interactions functioning within the parameters of God’s kingdom of love was apparently Jesus’ greatest source of joy and he wanted that for all his disciples, too. Still does.

Prayer:
Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!* Amen.

*First verse of Joyful, Joyful, we adore Thee, words by Henry van Dyke see at http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/j/o/joyful.htm

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.