Welcome, sisters and brothers, and peace be with you. May the words on my lips and the meditations in our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord our strength and our redeemer. Amen. In today's gospel, John chapter seventeen verses one to eleven we overhear Jesus praying, not preaching, not teaching to the crowds, not debating opponents. He prays. What makes this prayer remarkable is that it comes just before his arrest, his suffering and his crucifixion. In the shadow of the cross, Jesus does not panic. In the shadow of the cross, Jesus turns to and connects with his Father. Connection changes everything. Jesus is approaching betrayal, suffering, humiliation and death. Yet he is not overwhelmed by fear because he remains completely connected to the Father. Through this prayer, I believe Jesus shows us two truths that can change our lives. First, eternal life is about connection, relationship, not merely religion. Jesus says And this is eternal life that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. Notice what Jesus does not say He does not say eternal life is about obeying rules. It's not that simple. He does not say eternal life is merely about going to heaven after death. Jesus says eternal life is knowing God. And in the Bible knowing means far more than intellectual knowledge. It means connection, relationship, closeness, trust, intimacy. Many people today I fear know about God the way they know about a celebrity or public figure. They recognize the name. They know some facts. However, they do not truly connect with him. Jesus came not simply to give information about God, but to bring us into connection, into relationship, into communion with God. Connection changes everything. This reminds me that our faith is not primarily about performing religious duties, is about living in connection with God through the living Christ. A person can attend a church for years and still keep God at a distance. A person can say prayers without ever opening their heart. A person can know scripture verses and still never trust God. Jesus invites us into something much, much more. Jesus invites us to connect with and to know the Father personally. Once that connection, through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit within us becomes real, faith stops being a burden and becomes a source of new life. Secondly, Jesus prays for his people, and that means you and it means me. And this may be one of the most comforting parts of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus says, I am asking on their behalf. Think about that. On the night before his suffering, Jesus prays for his disciples. He knows their weaknesses. He knows that Peter will deny him, he knows the others will run away in fear, and still He prays for them. Oh what a joy and comfort it is to know that Jesus does not love perfect people, and I for one am far from perfect. Jesus loves struggling people, fearful people, confused people, broken people. And yes, he still prays for us today. Sometimes we imagine prayer as something we do to reach God. But today's gospel reminds us that Jesus is already reaching towards us. When we feel weak Christ prays for us. When we feel lost Christ prays for us. When our faith feels fragile, Christ prays for us. As I said last week, we are not orphaned, we are not abandoned. That matters, because many people today feel spiritually exhausted, the pressures of life, uncertainty about the world, which is full of bullying and bluster, conflict in families, financial strain, illness, loneliness, all of these things that can wear us down. But hear the good news. Jesus knows. Jesus sees, Jesus prays. The disciples in today's gospel did not fully understand what was about to happen. Soon their world would collapse around them. Yet because of their connection to him, Jesus entrusted them to the Father's care. He does the same for us today. Because of our connection to Christ, we are entrusted to the Father's care too. Connection changes everything. Because Jesus tells us that our connection to Him means that we belong to God. We are not forgotten, and that Christ Himself prays for us. Because of that connection we can face any difficult days with hope. And because Jesus remains connected to the Father, we can remain connected to and connection changes everything.
