John 17:1-11 (NRSV)
Read John 17:1-11 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 17After 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, Verse 2since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. Verse 3And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. Verse 4I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. Verse 5So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.
Verse 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. Verse 7Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; Verse 8for 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. Verse 9I 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. Verse 10All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.
Verse 11And 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.
Devotion
Today is the 50th anniversary of my marriage to Mary Quam, my best friend. What a weekend that was, getting married on Saturday, May 30, and then graduating from Luther Seminary on Sunday, May 31!
The gospel reading for this week comes at the end of Jesus' farewell speeches to his Apostles in the Gospel of John. Luke's gospel tells us that, in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Yet, not my will but yours be done" (Luke 22:42).
How do we discern the will of God in making life's decisions, whether that be about the spouse we will marry or about what vocation we will choose? God works through the ordinary events of our lives. Discerning God's will is often a matter of open and closed doors. The Apostle Paul experienced that when he attempted to go to Bithynia on his missionary journeys (see Acts 16:6-10). The Holy Spirit again closed one door but opened another when Paul got to Troas. There in a vision Paul heard the call to "come over to Macedonia and help us." That open door led to the gospel being brought to the European continent, and eventually to us here in the United States.
Prayer
Thank you, Jesus, for the ways in which you lead us in the discerning of your will, for the privilege of serving you in a variety of vocations, and for the support of a loving spouse and family in whatever direction we have been led. Amen.