The Gospel of John 17:1-11 Jesus 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.”
Let us Pray: Holy Father, In Your Son’s prayer we glimpse the depth of Your love and the glory revealed in His self-giving. Open our hearts to know You more deeply, that eternal life may take root in us today. Protect us in Your name, unite us in Your truth, and strengthen us for the work You entrust to us. As Jesus glorified You through obedience and love, may our lives reflect His light and bear witness to the hope He brings. Keep us close to Your heart, now and always. Amen.
Today we see Jesus completing His earthly mission, glorifying the Father through obedience, entrusting His disciples to divine protection, and revealing that eternal life is not merely future reward but present relationship with God. It is a prayer of offering, intimacy, and commissioning. As he lifts His eyes to the Father, He reveals the deepest currents of His mission: glory, unity, protection, and the handing‑on of His work to the disciples. It is holy ground: we overhear the Son praying not about God but to God, and in doing so, He unveils the inner life of divine love.
This Sunday our current priest will pass the leadership to the lay leaders in the congregation, very similar to Jesus passing on his work to the disciples. The laity in our church now are the disciples, it becomes their responsibility to ensure the continuation of spiritual guidance our priest provided. As we look at the story of the accession, there are so many similarities to today’s world. Jesus asks the Father to glorify Him so that He may glorify the Father. This is mutual, self-emptying love—divine reciprocity. For us: God’s glory is revealed in love that pours itself out. Love looks to the underprivileged, helps provide for them, Love that pours out for others, not a selfish self-centered love. We see Jesus’s love in the prayer to His Father. “Holy Father, protect them” A Prayer of Guardianship. Jesus knows the disciples will face hostility, confusion, and fear. So, He prays for protection, for unity, for perseverance and for joy.
He asks that they stay faithful in the world and in their teachings. For us this is the Church’s identity, not escape, but mission. Not isolation, but unity. Not fear, but joy. As the disciples were to continue the teachings of Jesus with Joy. We as the laity must continue the teachings of Jesus as did the disciples until we call a new spiritual leader.
Today Jesus glorifies all of us as having been sent by God. By His glorification we have gained eternal life if we believe and have faith in Him. Today our world needs that glorification, that feeling we are being guided. That we are part of the mission of Jesus and even though he finished his work with the disciples He has not finished his work with each of us. There is a plan for each of us, we may not always like the plan, but it is God’s plan. These words of Jesus: “As you have sent me into the world so I have sent them into the world”: are part of the plan of God that we should go into the world and make disciples of all the world’s people. Jesus continually prays for us, those who gather in His name are His Church. Remember that Jesus asked His Father to send an Advocate to them, that Spirit will be with us as we make this journey.
Let us Pray: Gracious God, we thank you for calling this priest and this community together in shared ministry. As they now enter a season of transition, shelter them from all anxiety, grant them courage to meet the days ahead, and grace to let go into new life; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
Reflections by Bob 