Devotional: John 17:20-23

How did Jesus pray and what did Jesus pray about? The longest prayer of Jesus recorded, John 17, provides some clues. One part of the prayer that stands out as I pray for Uptown is from the following verses:

[20] “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, [21] that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. [22] The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, [23] I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.   (John 17:20-23 ESV)

Jesus prays not only for the unity of the believers, but that they share the same unity that the Father has with the Son! At Uptown, there are a lot of exciting things that God is doing in various groups (e.g., among the students, families, children, individual Life Groups, officers, etc.). In the midst of all of these pockets, it's easy to forget the importance of unity. Somewhat surprisingly, Jesus points to this unity as the evidence that the world needs to know that Jesus has been sent by God (John 17.21, 23). So this unity is not only important for the health of the church, but also for the world. Let us pray like Jesus, that Uptown will have this kind of unity and that this unity can be a witness to the North York region!