Prayer Tip: "Being One"
Daily Scripture
John 17:1, 6, 10-11, 18-23, RSV
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify thee… 6 I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were, and thou gavest them to me, and they have kept thy word… 10 all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one…. 18 As thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth.” 20 “I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me.”
Prayer Tip
by Chris Holliday, Resurrection West Connection & Care Pastor and Adult Discipleship Director
I’ve been blessed to have many wonderful teachers in my life. Today, I’d like to share about two of them, both seminary professors.
One taught evangelism. He was very conservative theologically and politically. We looked at the Bible in fairly concrete ways and memorized many verses along the way. We learned how to share our faith with confidence and focused on leading others to Christ. The Gospel message was key and salvation was the goal.
The other professor taught Old Testament. She was very liberal theologically and politically. We examined the cultural and historical context behind the Scriptures. We looked at what the Biblical stories taught us about God’s character and the nature of our relationship with the Divine. Questioning everything was not only okay, it was encouraged.
Both of these professors were vital to my seminary education and my faith life. They were outstanding teachers and mentors. They listened and provided wise counsel and encouragement. They prayed with and for me and helped me through some of my most challenging times. And together, they taught me one of the most important lessons of all.
You see, these two professors with vastly different backgrounds and strong opposing views were good friends. Though they disagreed, sometimes passionately, they found common ground and embraced the thing Jesus said was most important–love. They cared deeply for their students, the seminary family and the wider community. They served alongside each other with grace and compassion. They showed me that being one isn’t about agreeing on everything. It’s about agreeing on what we can, loving one another through the process and living out our faith together.
As you pray today, I invite you to lift up those with whom you disagree. Pray for them and their families. Pray for opportunities to discover common ground and to work alongside each other for the good of all. Pray for love to reign; so that we might be just, kind and humble together as one. Amen.
