Glory!

John 17:1–11 NRSV

1 After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. 5 So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. 6 “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8 for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.

Glory = doxa

Glory is an honor, a weight of influence and standing

Vs. 1

The hour has come, the time is here — Creator God, glorify Christ so that Christ might glorify you.

There is a mutuality to this request. Christ asks for the Creator’s glory, for a blessing and assurance of the weight of Christ’s task of making disciples and sharing the news of God’s liberation as Good News. Now Christ seeks that glory to be mirrored back at the one who gives it.

Vs. 2

Christ is given authority over all people — Christ, who is God in the flesh now is representative of all flesh, all humanity. Christ’s authority is in his participation with humanity, his becoming humanity. Can we have any authority or perspective or weight of words about something which we have not experienced? Can I say, I’m an authority on space travel, when I know nothing about how to even pilot an aircraft? Of course not, Christ’s authority comes from God and it is established because Christ is one with us, with humanity.

Think how often in our world we see people who claim authority and seek glory, but never see the realities of the people they seek to stand over. Think of celebrities or politicians who have no perspective of what daily life is like for the rest of us. Is that truly glory? Or is that empty power seeking?

Vs. 3

The pursuit of glory, the attempt to gain standing, is often about securing legacy and life beyond our numbered days. Do you want eternal life? Then make a name for yourself, right?

But Jesus has something different to offer us. God’s purpose is not for us to gain stature and legacy, though many things we do in God’s name as servants may establish something of this for us in the aftermath of our lives. Rather, though, God offers us eternal life. And here, it isn’t just about living on after death some how, but it is this: finding the glory of God around us, knowing Christ’s presence with us, hearing the Spirit’s call to us — this is life to its fullest. For the sake of our reflection today, let’s think less about eternal life in terms of a time frame and instead, think of it as life unbounded, life without end in terms of possibility and influence and good work to be done. Life expansive, life in wholeness, life to the ends of eternity.

Sounds like I’ve been watching too much science fiction, again, right? Well what this looks like practically is to know that in Christ, the limits and bounds of loving action and presence in the world are broken down. There are no limits to the life-giving, love-acting, grace-offering way that we are offered to live. This is eternal life — life to its fullest. Life that begins. Life before death. Glorious life in Christ’s way. Life knowing God, through Christ, here and now.

Vs. 4

And we, like Christ, glorify God in response. Again, there is a mirroring action in this text, the lines reflecting back to each other. We find eternal life as we see the glory of God around us. And as we find this life, we turn it right back to God, giving God glory and honor. Christ has done this in completing his work — his sharing the good news, healing the sick, standing for the oppressed, and dying and overcoming death for humanity’s sake. Christ’s work is done…and Christ’s work lives on in us.

Vs. 5

And now, Christ is turning to God and saying, it’s time, he knows it’s time, and from before the beginning of all things, this time has arrived for him to do what he is meant to do and return to glory with God.

Vs. 6

And here’s the turn. Now, Christ’s glory passes to us. We are the ones with the weight of this task, this eternal goodness of life that is marked with love, compassion, sacrifice, and care. It is our task.

These last few months, as I’ve finished school work and begun to consider who I am in this current season of life, I’ve been rolling around this idea and question: When will I know it’s my time? Put another, I’ve begun to realize, as I hit mid-life and finish some career goals, that now, it’s time to lead, to stand up, to actively receive this task of love, compassion, sacrifice, and care in what I do.

I don’t know how you experience this transition in yourself, but as I hit my 40s and consider where I’m at in life, I’m coming to realize that no longer can I look to others to carry the weight or lead the charge. This is now my work to do (actually, it’s always been my work to do, your work to do, I’m just realizing it a bit more). You and me, we are the ones we’re waiting for. There is no other. See the problems of our world? We are the ones who must work to solve them, no one else. Do you see a leadership challenge and expect someone else to tackle it? Well, sorry…this is yours to do, ours to do. We are the ones now that Christ is calling to act and move and bring this work to fruition. As Teresa of Avila poetically stated, “Christ has no body but yours.”

And we are the ones Christ has given this work to. And he seeks our glory, our blessing, our initiative and care.

Vs. 7

Does that feel a little daunting to you? It does to me. Even with experience and age and credentials and position, I am so often ready to deflect this responsibility. Oh, no, couldn’t be me. It’s not me you’re looking for. But Christ says it: we now are the ones who have been equipped and blessed to carry on this work.

And we have everything we need. Hear that again, we have everything we need. We are the people we need, the presence of Christ that we need.

In our Presbyterian, Reformed tradition, we believe that Christ forms our gathered body here as a church, a community. We are specifically called by God to be together, with all our uniqueness, our peculiarity, our quirk and spunk and drive and hope. You, you, you, you, you, you. Specifically, beautifully you.

Early in my ministry career, I struggled with this notion. I felt like, If only we had more folks who could do X or more gifted people in Y area. Then we’d really be able to do something. The grass is always greener, we always want what we don’t have. But I began to realize this was a futile pursuit. Instead, I needed to learn to see what God was putting right in front of me, right here, in our midst. We are the ones we are waiting for, the ones Christ has now asked the Creator to prepare and support in the carrying on of this work.

Vs. 8

We have Christ’s words, we have his actions, we have his modeling and his presence in our bodies, gathered and collectively oriented towards this common task. We know the truth, this truth, deep in our bones — we have been given what we need. We might question this, we might be reluctant to accept it, but All that We Have Been Given is all that we need!

Vs. 9 & 10

And Christ asks for this for us, Christ speaks up for us and says, give them what they need, equip them for the task. They are my people, Christ says, and Christ is glorified in us, God is glorified in us, when we follow through and live into this task together. We shine back the glory of God, the glory of Christ, as we live out and fulfill this loving, compassionate, sacrificing, merciful work in the world, here and now.

Vs. 11

Finally, Christ prays to return to the Creator, to come home. And he prays for our protection.

It can feel vulnerable, exposed, to stand before a community and say, “I will serve, I will follow.” It can be scary to put ourselves out there, to love with this eternal kind of love, to give from a trust in God’s abundance and providing care. And because of this, we can feel relief that Christ prays for our protection. This road is not easy, the path we have to walk will be met with challenges.

We say that Christ now lives in us, that we are the ones for this task. But there will always be others who want to resist this, who want to actively undermine this, and so we must pray for protection, for God’s providing hand upon us. It is not an easy road, but it is the road to life and life to its fullest.

I want to close this morning with a prayer from St. Teresa of Avila. Teresa lived in the 16th century and is known for her mystical writings and prayers that speak of this deep intimacy with God, this being known by God and given glory through this knowing. Hear this as a prayer and a blessing — that your life matters, your active work in the world matters, is blessed, consecrated, graced by God. This is what we are made for, Christ has no body on earth but ours, now. May we live under this glory with expedience, focus, and strength.

Teresa of Avila (1515–1582)

Christ Has No Body

Christ has no body but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks Compassion on this world, Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, Yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.