John 12:27-36 (NRSV)
Read John 12:27-36 on biblegateway.com
Verse 27"Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say-'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Verse 28Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." Verse 29The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Verse 30Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Verse 31Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. Verse 32And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." Verse 33He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. Verse 34The crowd answered him, "We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?" Verse 35Jesus said to them, "The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. Verse 36While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light." After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them.
Devotion
The greeting here appears odd. The circumstances make the greeting odder. Jesus accepts the way of the cross. His response consists of the declaration, “glorify your name.” The Gospel of John shares with us the struggle Jesus has with this decision. But we see in this declaration an embrace of that journey and surrender to God. Our vocations can make significant demands upon us that at times seem unfair. While many of us faithfully carry through with these demands, we do so grudgingly. To fully embrace the challenge of vocational living and do so joyfully requires deep faith and commitment. “Glorify your name” is not a throwaway line. This declaration in the midst of our deepest challenges of faith about our vocation reflects a confidence that God knows best. It reflects the struggle of faith that has come to accept God’s will. It knows that such surrender does not come easily and neither does God request it blindly.
Prayer
Let me be your servant, under your command. Let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you, let me be full, let me be empty. Amen. (Wesley Covenant Service)