6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.We tied this in to the journey of our three graduates: Miranda Carter and Tyler Renton from high school, Jeff Chilson from college. In doing so we looked at some of the verbs which Jesus employed in this prayer. He petitioned God to take the same actions that he had taken during his ministry and that he now wanted his disciples to take on their path forward. Some of these are slightly different in the NRSV translation we used in church, but you'll get the idea.
13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
Give, for this will be the measure by which the goodness of your life will be judged. It's not about what you get, but about what you can do for others.
Know, learning not just from school or what you've studied in the past, but from the future that God will unfold before you. Your experience in class doesn't teach you specific facts, closing you down. It teaches you how to learn, opening you up to a lifetime of discovery.
Receive, for God will send you people to guide you along the way, supporting and sustaining you.
Believe, and never let go of that trust in God, that he will bring you goodness.
Ask in order to find out what you need to make good decisions. Never assume you know somebody or everything about a given situation. Be curious.
Glorify, not forgetting that the purpose of this life is to discover the meaning of words like "love" and "beauty". Lift up goodness before the Lord and your neighbors, finding ten things to celebrate for every single thing you complain about.
Protect those whom the world puts at a disadvantage. Sacrifice your own comfort that someone else might know goodness. Do not stand idle when God's beloved children are hurting.
Come to God and do not neglect his Word or the prayers that sustain you.
Speak for the right things and be bold in doing so. God gave you a unique voice. Use it!
(En)joy and have fun!
Sanctify...which is really God's work in us rather than our own. Nobody's going to be perfect but God blesses the work of our hands, turning even our imperfections to his good purposes. Your life is holy. Your works will be made holy in him. Understand that your words and actions are a living testament to God even as Jesus' were and thank him for making you that important and beloved!
Blessings to Miranda, Tyler, Jeff, and all of this year's graduates!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
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