The Prayer of Jesus and 100 Pianos

Jesus is leaving. He knows the end of his work on earth is done. The next scene is Gethsemane, but before he goes, he prays. What is on the heart of Jesus as he’s preparing to die? He prays for us.

John 17:20-23

20″My prayer is not for them alone (the 12 disciples). I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. “

If this idea of unity is important enough for Jesus that it’s the last thing on his mind before Gethsemane, then it’s important enough for us to consider.

When I was younger, I didn’t understand why there were so many churches.  We’re all Christians, right?  We all love Jesus, right? Why can’t we just have one huge worship service every Sunday morning? That would be so cool!

Unfortunately, as I age I understand. One group responds to the excesses and mistakes of another. A second group likes their tradition; a third loves their lack of tradition.

I’m not even saying it’s all bad. We have the responsibility to like up to what we know Christ has called us to. We’re all at different places in our journeys and come from different backgrounds and perspectives. I’ve been reading the book of Acts. It’s clear they had to work hard to find the unity God was calling them to- and some of them had seen the resurrected Christ! But as I said earlier, if it’s important to Jesus it had better be important to us.

Dream with me.

What if the churches of the Winchester area really took on the prayer of Christ in John 17 as a goal?  What if our goal was the unity Jesus asked for?  He doesn’t force us.  He invites.  He prays for us.  He gives us the strength to do it by the Holy Spirit.  But, be doesn’t do it for us.

I would estimate that there are about 20 churches actively involved in CrossLink. That’s pretty cool! We’re on our way.

CrossLink then isn’t just a worship night.  It isn’t just a website.  It isn’t just a party at the bowling alley. It’s a dream.  It’s the dream of the people on the leadership team…and, we believe, it’s the dream of God

Practically.  What can you do?

Pray. Pray for unity. Ask God to show you if this dream we have is His dream. Ask Him if you should be a part of it. Ask and trust Him to show us what the unity he prays for looks like in the Winchester area.

Volunteer to help us out with our mission. We meet every month to talk and pray about what we’re doing. If you think this is a great idea then get involved.

Website: Tell us what you young adult ministry is doing. We’d like book reviews, CD reviews. Do you write about what God is doing in your life? We might like to publish it. I envision the CrossLink site being the hub for what God is doing with young adults in the area.

Facebook. I see Facebook as being a key way to invite the young people that we have in mind. Join. Post on the wall. Add pictures.

More? I’m sure there’s more. What it looks like remains to be seen so, join us for the ride.

Closing thought.

Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshippers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become “unity” conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship. Social religion is perfected when private religion is purified.

A.W. Tozer