Year A
Easter
Seventh Sunday of Easter
John 17:1-11

Contextual Background:

On the eve of his passion, Jesus prays for his disciples: that they may be one, protected in God’s name, and share in his joy and glory.

Within the Jewish Tradition:

High priestly prayers interceded for the people. Unity was a sign of covenant faithfulness.

The Challenge Then:

The challenge was to remain united and faithful in a hostile world.

The Challenge Now:

Our society glorifies division and contempt. Jesus prays that the church embody God’s unity — not uniformity, but covenant belonging. As of this writing, there are over 40,000 Christian groups in the United States.

Groups that gain group identity by excluding others, doing exclusive in-grouping, often begin to other one another by ever constricting purity tests. The Abrahamic tradition was meant to both strive for faithfulness and to avoid the idolatry of thinking we have God in a box.

Implications for Leaders & Communities:

• Leaders: cultivate unity rooted in God’s love, not rigid ideology of an exclusive in-group.
• Communities: practice reconciliation across differences as witness to the world.

What I Am Learning:

Unity is God’s gift, sustained by prayer and lived in love.