All praise be to the Great Triune God, the creator of all that is. Blessed be God's name forever. Amen.

Prayerfully I call your attention to the latter part of the 11th verse of the 17th chapter of the Gospel of John. John is at prayer. Just before his arrest and crucifixion, Jesus prays intensely for himself and his mission, the disciples and their mission, and all believers and their mission. It is essentially a prayer for unity among all of those who seek to be faithful to the God who created us and calls us to be servants in whatever time and place we live.

And so in the prayer Jesus prays "that they may be one as he and God are one." Jesus knows that without unity, the disciples that are presently with him, and all those who will succeed them will not be successful unless they learn to work together in the things they are to do.

At least four times in this prayer Jesus uses these same words "that they may be one as he and God are one." It is a model for ministry that is essential for all times. God the Father and Jesus the Son are committed and connected to each other as the redemptive work in the world is being done. What an example of unity the Godhead gives us. Jesus prays that those of us who look at Him and God may do as they are doing.

They are committed and connected to each other so that there would be no doubt as to whether they are on the same path. If we jump just a bit beyond the text for today we can discover the reason this plan is a part of the prayer of Jesus. When the world sees that God and the Son are working together it will give cause for all to see that this is the way God wants the rest of us to be. "May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." The unity of God and Jesus is the means to help the world know that this is the only way to do what God has called us to do. We must be committed and connected to one another in order to accomplish the great ends. Shortly after, however, the bickering started. The prejudices came affront. The deep divisions became apparent. The disconnectedness found its way into the life of those called by God to be a part of God's redemptive work. What started out with so much promise was as threatened time and time again by disunity and strife.

Yet the Church always survived. It always found a way to serve. And now we know why! Jesus' prayer was and is still in effect. This prayer is eternal. Its effects are unstoppable. It cannot be cut off. No matter how much discord existed in the Church the prayer of Jesus "that they may be one" still controlled the ultimate outcome of the work the early Church was to do.

Today we see evidence of the same disconnectedness that was in the early Church. The infighting that goes on in many Church circles today is a scandal to the gospel of Christ. In the name of Jesus prejudices still exist in the Church and among the believers. In the name of Jesus today people who are different are not welcome in certain churches. In the name of Jesus racial, cultural and class difference sometime dominate the life of the Church. How pathetic, how pitiful this is. Eleven O'clock Sunday morning is still the most segregated hour in the world.

Yet again the prayer of Jesus is still working to bring together today all the disconnected parts of the modern world into a harmonious whole. It may not happen today or tomorrow but it is going to happen because the God we serve is going to cause it to happen.

As pastor of the Matthews Murkland Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, one of the churches victimized by the rash of Church burnings in the last several years, we experienced the effects of the prayer of Jesus in a very special way.

The night of June 6, 1996, the historic sanctuary of the Matthews Murkland Church was burned to the ground. The only thing left close to being in tact was the bell of the church. It was an emotional time. Tension was rising. The country was being reminded of a time when Church burning and violence was rampart in the land. We did not know for sure whether this was a racially motivated crime or not. By the grace of God we decided to wait until the authorities did their work. We gathered that night and sang prayed and encouraged one another.

Then Sunday came and the outpouring of support and encouragement was overwhelming. People from all walks of life came together. Church officials from almost all major religious groups were there. Pastors left their pulpits. Rabbis came from their Temples. Young and old, Republicans and Democrats, city, county, state and national people were there. At this moment, at this time, we experienced true unity. We felt the effects of Jesus' prayer, "that they may be one as we are one."

The thought came to my mind in a profound way -- why can't it be like this all the time! And the answer came. It can. It will because it's in the plan of God. It can and it will because it is in the prayer of Jesus. They are one. The Church is one, not because of the knowledge or intelligence of human beings, not because of the strategies and schemes of Church bureaucracy, not because of the pronouncements and prayers of high Church officers, but because the Triune God has created it to be that way.

Jesus' prayer for unity among the disciples then and now is confirmation that unity is to be regardless of what else is going on. The Church is marching triumphantly towards the day when all of God's children will be joined together in a band of love and peace. This prayer of Jesus is not words etched in the history of time, but truth embedded in the creation of a divine endeavor that has no rival equal to its force and power. There will be bumps in the road, curves and sharp turns to maneuver. There will even be rivers and oceans to cross, mountains to climb and valleys to exalt, but by God's divine grace the Church will be one.

The text leads us to believe this to be true first because since Jesus prayed for unity among the believers it means that it is important to the mission of the Church. Jesus' prayer affirms our oneness. Jesus' life is punctuated and penetrated with prayer throughout. All along the course of his life prayer is an integral part of who he is and what he does. Prayer for Jesus was not just ritual but reality; not just regimentation, but regeneration. When Jesus prayed it was tantamount to it coming to pass.

James may have hit the nail on the head when he said, "The effectual heartfelt prayer of a righteous person availeth much." (James 5:16) The righteousness of Jesus gives him the authority to pray and command that the prayer come to pass. His connection to God is the sealing point that prevents anything from distorting God's purpose and plan. It is in God's plan for believers to be one with each other as God and Jesus are one. It is not a suggestion but a mandate. It is not a good idea but divine decree. If we are to do God's will and win the world for Jesus, it is oneness or noneness.

Of course this does not mean that we all are to look alike and think exactly alike or worship in the same order or even be governed the same way. There can be differences without destroying unity. The tent of God's Church is big enough and broad enough and wide enough to hold a whole lot of us without any of us feeling left out. "Let the same mind that was in Christ Jesus be also in you." Paul tells us it is important for us to work together in our mission for Christ. Barriers need to be broken down. Walls need to be taken away. Prejudice and bigotry need to be abandoned. We are one as a Church or we are none. Jesus prayed that we might be one as He and God were one because the work before us cannot be done without it. Jesus' prayer affirms our oneness. It establishes it as part of creation. We are one because Jesus' prayer seals the deal.

The prayer of Jesus also means that Jesus empowers the Church to be one. Let's be honest for a moment. It's not easy generally to relate to people of different race, color or even creed. It sometimes makes us uncomfortable. It threatens us sometimes. It causes us to go into a shell, just not be bothered.

That's the easy way to face the differences in people. It's the easy way but it is not the Christ way. It does not reflect the power of Christ in our lives. The power of Christ empowers us to overcome any differences we may have with another person who loves Christ as we do. When Jesus prayed for our unity it was also the empowering agent to bring the oneness about.

Prayer is empowerment. Elijah prayed for rain and it rained. Elijah prayed for it not to rain and it did not rain. Paul and Silas prayed until the chains fell from their hands and feet. Peter, James and John prayed for a lame man to walk and he got up, not just walking but also leaping and praising God. Jesus prayed for the bitter cup to be taken away from him. It wasn't, but he was given power to overcome it, and he did. Good Friday came. But so did Easter. Prayer makes all things possible because it empowers us in the strength of the Lord.

And when we pray together it increases our capacity to do the work God has called us to do. "Where two or three are gathered in my name there I am in the midst of them." When we pray for one another, when we pray with one another there is a power so strong Jesus declared, "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Jesus prayed for our unity and that means it is going to happen some day.

Finally because Jesus prayed for our oneness means that we are to make this our aim in life as Jesus did. A disciple is one who follows. We follow Jesus. Since unity was a part of the plan of Jesus then to follow him means it's also in our plans. We can always find a reason not to work for unity. However, the rubber meets the road when we intentionally set out to work for oneness. When we pray for it, plan for it and persevere for it, then it is likely to come about.

One writer has put it this way. "The problem with Christianity is not that it doesn't work. The problem is we haven't tried it." Some of us have given up on the hope of unity. We see it as a lost cause. We consider the breach to be so deep until it can't be overcome. So each of us go our own little way diluting the strength of our witness because we are convinced that things will never change.

Well, I refuse to believe that Jesus' prayer was of no avail. I refuse to believe that the power of Jesus' prayer has diminished over the years. I refuse to dishonor my Lord by not wanting what he wanted, by not working for what he worked for, by not going all out for what he gave his life for. "Each man is my brother. Each woman is my sister." Each one is my friend.

The disciples Jesus prayed for were also his friends. They betrayed him. They doubted him. They denied him. They ran when he needed them. They slept when he needed their attention. They hurt him when he needed their help. Yet he still prayed for them. He prayed for them to stick together. He prayed for them to be one with each other.

Should not that be our prayer and our work today? "We are one in the spirit, we are one in the Lord." When we live that, then others who are not part of us will be led to become part of us. Our witness is to show the world that we can live together, work together, pray together and stay together until we go to be together with the Lord. Jesus prayed that we may be one as he and God are one, and I'm crazy enough to believe that it will one day come to pass.

Jesus' prayer affirms our oneness, empowers our oneness and inspires us to work together for oneness.

A little girl got lost in the grain fields of a mid western state. A search party was formed. The people looked everywhere. They could not find her. In frustration the people began to yell and scream at one another. Each blamed the other for letting this happen. An older woman from the group spoke up and quieted everyone down. Now instead of going back and forward at each other, she suggested that every body join hands and move inward so that every possible area could be covered. They did. After a while the girl was found in a shallow shaft that was hard to find single-handedly. However, the girl was already dead. Sorrow fell over everyone. They weeped and they wailed for good reason. But out of this tragedy came the voice of delayed wisdom that spoke a profound truth. "If we had only joined hands sooner, we may have saved the girl's life."

The stark reality of that statement faces us today. How many more lives and souls are going to be lost or destroyed because we won't join hands now? Jesus prayed for us to be one. Isn't it time for us to be the answer to our Savior's prayer, "that we may be one as he and God are one."

Let us pray. Dear Lord forgive our disunity and diverseness. Destroy the evil that keeps us apart. Restore unity and peace among us so that the whole world can see its Savior and serve him as Lord. In the name of our God and the Son Jesus we pray. Amen.