4 “I glorified you on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father, glorify me alongside yourself. Give me the same glory I had with you before the world existed.
6 “I made your name known to the people you gave me out of the world. They were yours, 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 because the words you gave me I have given to them, and they have received them. They have really come to know that I came from you, and they have come to trust that you sent me.
9 “I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given to me, because they are yours. 10 Indeed, all I have is yours, and all you have is mine, and in them I have been glorified. 11 Now I am no longer in the world. They are in the world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, guard them by the power of your name, which you have given to me, so that they may be one, just as we are.
7th Week of EasterGive glory to your son. (John 17:1)
Have you ever seen someone grandstand? You know, trying to grab all the attention for themselves? Some athletes do it after a big game. Some political leaders do it by staging photo ops and giving lengthy speeches to highlight how connected they are with various interest groups. It’s funny, though: the more people seek the spotlight, the less credible—and interesting—they become!
What Jesus does in today’s Gospel reading is the complete opposite of grandstanding. When he prays, “Give glory to your son,” he is not asking for his own glory. In the very next line, he says, “So that your son may glorify you” (John 17:1). In everything he did, Jesus sought to be the perfect reflection of his Father’s glory. He wasn’t interested in celebrity. He wouldn’t have submitted to the cross if he were. And yet he is the most famous person who ever lived. All that humility, love, mercy, and selfless giving did not go unnoticed!
There is a lesson for us here. We can be so achievement oriented that we miss the grace that is present for us by simply welcoming the Lord into our everyday lives. If we accomplish something that is recognized as important, that’s when we feel important. If we don’t, we can end up feeling unappreciated or worth less than someone else. But our true glory is in God, just as it was for Jesus. It isn’t in what we accomplish or how much recognition we receive for our faithfulness. It’s in nothing less than the great privilege of knowing the Lord, being loved by him, and having him make his home in our hearts.
What will that look like for you today? You probably have some very routine tasks to perform—things that you’ve done countless times and have received little recognition for. Maybe it’s making breakfast for the kids or making sure the bills get paid on time. As you do these mundane, thankless jobs, ask Jesus to be with you. Let them become acts of love for your family and worship for him. Even if you seem invisible to the people around you, know that Jesus sees you. Know that you are glorifying him by your love and faithfulness.
“Lord, help me find your peace, your joy, and your love in all that I do. Let me bring glory to your name!” Amen!
Acts 20:17 But he did send from Miletus to Ephesus, summoning the elders of the Messianic community. 18 When they arrived, he said to them, “You yourselves know how, from the first day I set foot in the province of Asia, I was with you the whole time, 19 serving the Lord with much humility and with tears, in spite of the tests I had to undergo because of the plots of the unbelieving Jews. 20 You know that I held back nothing that could be helpful to you, and that I taught you both in public and from house to house, 21 declaring with utmost seriousness the same message to Jews and Greeks alike: turn from sin to God; and put your trust in our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah.
22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Yerushalayim. I don’t know what will happen to me there, 23 other than that in every city the Ruach HaKodesh keeps warning me that imprisonment and persecution await me. 24 But I consider my own life of no importance to me whatsoever, as long as I can finish the course ahead of me, the task I received from the Lord Yeshua — to declare in depth the Good News of God’s love and kindness.
25 “Now, listen! I know that none of you people among whom I have gone about proclaiming the Kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I testify on this day that I am innocent of the blood of all. 27 For I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the whole plan of God.
Psalm 68:10 (9) You rained down showers in plenty, God;
when your heritage was weary, you restored it.
11 (10) Your flock settled in it;
in your goodness, God, you provided for the poor.
20 (19) Blessed be Adonai!
Every day he bears our burden,
does God, our salvation. (Selah)
21 (20) Our God is a God who saves;
from Adonai Adonai comes escape from death.
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