First Reading Acts 1:12-26
12Then {the apostles whom Jesus had chosen} returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. 15In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, 16“Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” 18(Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. 19And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20“For it is written in the Book of Psalms, ‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and ‘Let another take his office.’” 21So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us — one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” 23And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. 24And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen 25to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Psalm Psalm 133
1Oh, how good and pleasant it is, when brethren live together in unity! 2It is like fine oil upon the head that runs down upon the beard,3Upon the beard of Aaron, and runs down upon the collar of his robe. 4It is like the dew of Hermon that falls upon the hills of Zion. 5For there the Lord has ordained the blessing: life forevermore.
Second Reading Revelation 22:1- 20
1Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. 6And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.” 7“And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” 8I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, 9but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” 10And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.” 12“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” 14Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. 16“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” 17The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. 18I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. 20He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
Gospel John 17:20-26
20{Jesus said,} “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
NEXT MAN UP
Back in 2001, journalist Giles Brandeth interviewed South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu. As you know, Desmond Tutu has dedicated his life to bringing justice, and equality to the people of South Africa. There were a million questions Brandeth wanted to ask, but Bishop Tutu had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and Brandeth realized that this interview could be the last one Desmond Tutu would ever give. So, instead of directing the conversation, he instead asked the Archbishop to choose the topic of conversation.
Brandeth wondered, what topic or topics would Dr. Tutu choose to talk about? Archbishop Tutu had played a leading role in transforming his country’s politics. He had worked with the most powerful leaders around the world. He had spent time as a professor at Union Seminary in New York. In 1984 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Would the good Dr. Tutu be reflective? Would he spill the beans on the folks he’d met? Would he set the record straight? Would he complete unfinished business or simply talk about life in general? Surprisingly, none of these were the topics Desmond Tutu’s had on his mind.
Archbishop Tutu said, “If this is going to be my last interview, I’m glad we’re not going to talk about politics. Let’s talk about prayer and adoration, about faith, hope and forgiveness.” This world acclaimed global leader wanted his final message to be about his faith in God. Sounds a lot like Paul’s message in Acts chapter 20. Paul told the Ephesian leaders, “I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God (v. 24). Interesting, Dr. Tutu could have talked about anything, instead he chose to talk about prayer and adoration, faith, hope and forgiveness. Question: If we could somehow know that the words we say and the prayers we offered up today would be our last, what would each of us talk about and pray for?
Our natural reaction, I’m thinking, would be to focus on our truest priorities and most heartfelt desires? We’d pray for families, our fellow believers, for the mission of the church. Hopefully we’d take a moment of two to pray for the leadership of this country as well as for the leaders of this world. And the good news is, this would be the proper thing to do. I say this because in our gospel lesson for this morning, in part, this is what Jesus did. In St. John’s gospel we hear part of the last major prayer Jesus prayed before His arrest and crucifixion.
Jesus had just spent three years in intense ministry and teaching His disciples. Thousands of people had heard His message and seen or experienced His miracles. Through His coming death, He would save humanity from the power of sin and open the gates of eternal life. Jesus had a lot on His mind and on His plate, yet He stopped and took the time to pray. What’s more He took the time to pray for us. Listen again as He begins this final prayer: “My prayer is not for [the disciples] alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message . . .” Jesus took the time to pray not only for those He had called in the first century, He also prayed “for those who will believe in [Him] through their message . . .” Thankfully, that’s us! Jesus’ final prayer before His passion was for the apostles and for us.
Jesus prayed for us because Jesus knew the work of the kingdom would continue beyond that of the original 12. Jesus prayed for those believers to come because He knew there was more work to do to satisfy God’s agenda, and you and I are an integral part of God’s continuing plan. Jesus plainly told His disciple that He didn’t know when He would return, only that He would return; in the meantime, the work Jesus began must continue, so Jesus prayed.
Bill Crowder tells of his best friend from Bible college, Macauley Rivera. Macauley had two great dreams in life: to marry his college sweetheart, Sharon, and to start a church in inner-city Washington, DC, in his old neighborhood. Everyone who knew Macauley knew of his great passion to spread the message of Jesus Christ in the inner-city. Sadly, just before graduation, Macauley and Sharon were killed in an automobile accident.
At Macauley’s memorial service, the pastor exclaimed, “Mac is gone.” Then, quite dramatically he asked, “Who will serve in his place?” What happened next was not only a surprise, but a moment of great joy. Over 200 students stood up and committed to spreading God’s word in inner-city DC in Macauley Rivera’s place. 200 students!
Football coaches have a saying: “Next man up.” While phrased differently, the same term is used in the military as well. It means if one of your fellow service members go down, someone else is to step up and take their place. In football, it means that every player should be ready and willing to step up in order to get the collective job done–which often allows teams to continue to win even after major setbacks like injuries to star athletes. During Desert Storm, those back at home base were told that if a certain person were to be killed or seriously injured, they would be sent forward immediately to take that person’s place. The point to both of these examples is, no matter what, important work must go on. Of greatest importance is Christ’s work, the bringing of the Kingdom of God upon earth; this work must continue to the last day and the success of this vital mission depends, in part, on our willingness and readiness to do our part.
Another individual tells the story of his friend, Kevin, and his desire to minister to a non-believing co-worker. While Kevin was praying one day, he had a vision that God was calling him to pray with this co-worker. Kevin was really hesitant to believe that this vision came from God. He worked in a small, open-concept office, and he imagined it would be awkward if everyone in his office was listening in on his prayers for this person in his office. But Kevin couldn’t shake the conviction that this vision was indeed from God. So, he prayed for an opportunity to pray with this co-worker.
A few days later, Kevin heard through the grapevine that his unbelieving co-worker’s marriage was falling apart. The next day, all of Kevin’s co-workers got called away for various business responsibilities at the same time—all except this co-worker. Here was his opportunity. Once everyone left the office, Kevin’s co-worker broke down in tears. She declared, “Kevin, my life is over.” That was the opportunity Kevin needed. He was able to pray with his co-worker and counsel her in her anxiety.
Jesus shared the love and message of God with thousands of people while He walked this earth. But He left plenty of work for you and me to do. Our prayers and our availability will decide how much impact we will have for the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ last prayer before His arrest was important. He prayed for His disciples and for us, because He knew the work of the kingdom had to continue until the last day. Jesus knew there was more work to be done and that you and I would be an integral part of that undertaking. The good news is there’s something explicitly implied here in this prayer.
Since you and I have been entrusted with the God’s work, God will give us what we need to succeed in His service. You and I–we have been entrusted to carry on the work of the Messiah which means, God Himself will provide whatever we need to succeed in that work. Pat Dirken was a young man who loved to surf. However, one day, when he was surfing, he was hit by a particularly large wave, which injured his spine and left him a quadriplegic.
Pat spent months in physical therapy and traded his surfboard for a wheelchair. Throughout his ordeal, Pat never lost his faith in God, but after the accident he had trouble understanding why God would allow him to endure the loss of his arms and legs. Pat’s church had joined a ministry that provides lunch and a listening ear to injured service members at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Pat discovered that his disability allowed him to earn the trust of the injured soldiers. They saw that he understood their suffering and their scars, and they listened to him when he told them about how God has given him strength. Pat Dirken looks at this ministry as a place God has put him in. He says, “It’s a God thing. I feel called.” What a wonderful attitude to have in the face of a disability. It’s important to understand here, God didn’t cause Pat’s injury. However, God allowed him to use his disability to God’s glory and in service of others.
Many people have asked me, I know I’m called to the work of God’s kingdom, but I don’t know any calling I’m qualified for. This is something each of us needs to understand: God does not call the qualified; He qualifies the called. One of the works of the Holy Spirit is to equip those who respond to God’s call for the work of the kingdom. In Jesus’ final prayer, He says, in effect, to His Father, “If the believers will stay in relationship with me like I stay in relationship with You, You will equip them to do my work.” Yes, we will have work to do to prepare; yes, we must be willing to put forth the effort needed to learn, but we don’t need to rely only on our own talents, strength or intellect to do God’s will. God through the Holy Spirit will work in us, and through that work we will have an impact on the world.
Bob Goff , founder of “Love Does,” an international humanitarian organization, likes to say, “God asks what is it He’s made us to love, what is it that captures our attention, what feeds that deep indescribable need of our souls to experience the richness of the world He’s made. And then, leaning over us, God whispers, ‘Let’s go do that together.’” There’s something else important we need to note here. God wants us to do His work with joy. The Lord knows we yearn for a greater purpose and calling than just taking care of our own needs.
We were created to work and tend His creation and part of that work has eternal implications and impact. And because God has called us to work in His vineyard, He is ready to equip us for that work. God leans over each of us and says, “Let’s go do that together.” Jesus prayed and still intercedes for us because there’s still plenty of work to be done, and because He wants to enable us to do our part. And there’s one more thing we need to understand: Jesus’ final prayer is a reminder that we’re called to work together to complete the mission to which we’ve been called.
While Jesus’ prayer is most often called the High Priestly prayer, it’s also called the Unity Prayer. In our Psalm for today, unity is also the subject. In this psalm, the writer says, “how good and pleasant it is when brethren live together in unity (v.1). And after describing the affect that unity has, he concludes with, “For the Lord has ordained the blessing: life forevermore” (v.5). Unity according to our psalmist is good, pleasant and the blessing of everlasting life. This is also something the disciples understood, because in our first lesson we read that the disciples were gathered in the upper room in unity of purpose, devoting themselves to prayer (Acts 1:14). Jesus wants us to work together in unity and to be in prayer.
Jesus knows and wants us to remember that a unified effort multiplies our individual labors far beyond what we could accomplish on our own. In the last decade, the company Google, now officially known as Alphabet, has spent millions of dollars on Project Aristotle, a project whose aim is to create the perfect team. Google’s goal was to figure out what mix of personal character traits or habits, leads to the most productive, most unified team. Project Aristotle involved measuring nearly every aspect of Google’s employees’ lives. The company’s executives interviewed hundreds of employees over several years and analyzed all sorts of data on the productivity and innovation of almost every team in the company. All this in-depth research yielded one result.
Now for anyone in business or education or sports or any endeavor that requires teamwork, this research, by one of America’s largest companies is interesting. What they discovered was, the best teams are ones that have members who are sensitive to one another’s needs and who listen to one another. That was the conclusion of this major years-long study. Education, skill sets, charisma–none of those are what matter most in creating successful teams. What matters most, according to this Google task force, is creating an atmosphere of “psychological safety” where members are respected and listened to and able to contribute their best work.
This is important for the church today. Jesus has the power to heal the sick, cast out demons, calm storms and multiply food to feed thousands. After His resurrection, He bestowed these powers and authority on His followers. And yet, the greatest power Jesus desired for His followers to have is unity. The reason Jesus has this desire for us to be in unity is, that our unity is proof to the world that Jesus is who He says He is. We all know what division does to groups; we see the results not only in our churches, but in our country as well. That’s why it’s important for us to pray, not only today, for our country’s leadership but pray for them every day. Division destroys, unity builds up, supports, succeeds.
Consider again what Jesus says in verses 22 and 23 of this passage: “I have given them the glory you gave me–the glorious unity of being one, as we are–I in them and you in me, all being perfected into one–so that the world will know you sent me and will understand that you love them as much as you love me.” The glory of God isn’t seen in our preaching, our programs or our ability to build breath-taking cathedrals—none of these are as important as our unity in Christ. Our unity will prove to the whole world that Jesus is the Son of God, and that God loves us.
Composer Giacomo Puccini wrote a number of famous operas. In 1922, while working on his last opera, Turandot, Puccini contracted cancer. He told his students, “If I don’t live to finish Turandot, I want you to finish it for me.” Can you imagine hearing those words from your master? “If I can’t finish my most important work, then I want you to finish it for me.” Shortly afterwards, Puccini died. His students studied his opera carefully and soon completed it.
In 1926, Arturo Toscanini, a student of Puccini, directed the world premiere of Turandot in Milan, Italy. When Toscanini reached the part of the opera where Puccini had to stop, he began to weep. He lay down his baton and announced to the silent auditorium, “Thus far the Master wrote, but he died.” Then he picked up the baton, smiled through his tears and said, “But his disciples finished his work.” When Turandot ended, the audience broke into thunderous applause.
There’s a lot more work to do to spread the message of Jesus in our community and around the world. Thus far the Master wrote, but he died–or in our case, He ascended to the Father and His disciples finished His work.” We, His followers, are integral to God’s plan for the world just as Jesus’ first disciples were. Our unity can and will multiply our efforts far beyond what we could accomplish on our own.
What is it that He’s made us to love, what is it that captures our attention, what feeds that deep indescribable need of our souls to experience the richness of the world He’s made? What is God calling each of us to do for the sake of spreading His message and the work of the kingdom? But more importantly, how can we join together with other believers around the world to accomplish God’s work? This is the task that awaits the twenty-first century church. The question God is asking today is, are you ready to be the next man or next woman or next young person up? The important work of God’s kingdom must continue. You and I have been called to accomplish this vital work.
Amen
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