John 17:1-11 (NRSV)
Read John 17:1-11 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 17After 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, Verse 2since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. Verse 3And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. Verse 4I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. Verse 5So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.
Verse 6"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. Verse 7Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; Verse 8for 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. Verse 9I 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. Verse 10All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.
Verse 11And 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.
Devotion
The year 2005 delivered the first blessed silver lining from a tough three years "out of our element" in Alabama. Having made a good impression on enough of the "right" people, this time I was asked, "Where would you like to go next?" A "career-first" guy would have said, "D.C., or one of the Big bases around the country," since that would have been the next, logical step up the ladder. But for me, it had never been "full speed ahead and career first!" Not years before—while practicing law in Rice Lake, Wis.—and certainly not now. With my wife Paula's prayer echoing in my ears ("Thank you, Jesus, that we don't have to say, 'D.C., please'!!”), I replied, "We would really like to go to Malmstrom AFB in Great Falls, Montana." And since there wasn't a long line of volunteers for Malmstrom, off we went to big sky country.
Prayer
Good and gracious God, wherever we may roam—wherever we may wander—keep us secure in the knowledge that this same Jesus whom you glorified and gave authority over all people, this same Jesus who gives eternal life, this same Jesus who prayed for his first disciples as only the true high priest could pray—even this day Jesus prays for each one of us, "Holy Father, protect them, so that together with all disciples they may be one, even as we are one." Amen.