That they may be one as we are one – I in them and you in me – so that they may be brought to complete unity (John 17:22b,23a)
The theme for General Synod next year is ‘The gift of God – It’s grace that unites us’. What a beautiful encapsulation of the ending of Jesus’ high priestly prayer in our John reading today. Jesus is the culmination of God’s grace through the redemption of all people by his blood. A better gift doesn’t exist. The climax of Jesus’ extensive prayer captured in John 17 is for the unity of all believers – that we may be one as Jesus and the Father are. If only we could achieve such a blessed unity in our earthly life already. But it seems this will only come to completion when Jesus returns.
Jesus, who is fervently praying for unity, is also the very one in whom we find true unity. Paul reminds us (Ephesians 4:3–6): ‘Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.’
The key is Jesus. The reason for unity is one hope: grace – the redemption through Jesus’ blood. The reason for unity is one baptism – new birth through water and the word. God the Father is over all, through all and in all. Jesus is the centre. The foundation. The focus. The reason. Unity in faith means all believers can follow, serve and proclaim Christ and this blessed hope – together. Unity in Christ means finding common ground in Jesus, which sustains us when we have theological, cultural and practical differences. The colour of our skin, the language we speak, our convictions on what music or liturgy we should have in worship, if women or men should be ordained, or whether we can pray in tongues – our starting point in any of our big and small issues is recalling our Christ-centred unity as baptised believers. This is an ongoing work in progress to which we are called in different ways throughout our lives. Let us take the words of Jesus’ prayer and make them our own.
Prayer Points
We give thanks that God fills us with his Spirit, enabling us to be united as one in Christ
We pray for the Australian Lutheran World Service and the work that they do to help those in need around the world
The Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS) has a positive impact on lives across the world, especially people living in developing nations. The work of ALWS embodies our school values of compassion, courage and service in the way they extend a helping hand to those in need.
The school recently had the pleasure of a visit from Celia Fielke from ALWS, who presented engaging sessions to all our classes. The content focused on what it really means to be poor and the types of injustice that many underprivileged people face daily. The students undertook several hands-on activities that helped them to come to a better understanding of the hardships faced and how we can make a difference.
The school organises yearly fundraisers to support ALWS in their amazing work which seeks to bring hope, healing, and justice to communities facing poverty, disasters, and injustice. We ask our community to keep ALWS in their prayers as we know that this is the most powerful way of supporting the organisation. If you would like to know more about the work of ALWS or would like to support their work financially, please go to https://www.alws.org.au/
