“Living in Covenant Discipleship” - John 17: 1-11
May 8, 2005 (#6 of 7 on Covenant Discipleship)
Dr. Michael C. Yarbrough

          Shortly before our family moved here to Shawnee, the members of First Christian Church had a dinner to honor the ending of my ministry with them.  During the dinner, I was presented with a large, heavy, wooden box.  When I unwrapped it, the stained glass was inside.  I was overwhelmed!  It was the nicest going away present anybody has ever given to me.

          What about you?  Is there a “going away present” that you have given or received that was particularly meaningful to you?  If you were preparing to leave your family, or a circle of extremely close friends, what would be the most meaningful gift to give or receive?  Going away presents are not necessarily valuable because of their expense.  What truly gives them value is what they say about a relationship.  They are all about relationship and memory.

          Jesus was going away.  He knew it but his disciples did not.  His going-away-present to them was a prayer.  He prayed aloud – and in front of them – and for them.  He prayed not only for that small circle of followers, but he also prayed for all of those who would, someday, come to believe in him because of the disciples’ witness.

          The New Testament writers have preserved very few of Jesus’ prayers.  In fact, this morning’s text is a portion of the longest one recorded – the seventeenth chapter of John.

          In the prayer, Jesus’ authority – God-given – “over all people” (John 17:2) is recognized.  A gift he has brought, on God’s behalf, is eternal life. (17:3)  Jesus confirmed, in his prayer, that he made God’s name, nature, and will known to us as a legacy of his ministry. (17:6-8)

          The prayer reminds us that the Church has been called forth from the people of the world.  The only test of fellowship that Jesus mentioned was that we received the words God gave to him, and know in truth that he came from God. (17:8)  In the prayer, he testifies on our behalf, that we have kept God’s word. (17:6b)

          Another parting gift in the prayer is a request that God protect the Church.  Because Jesus would soon no longer be with them, the Church was given (really returned) to God’s safe keeping. (17:11-16)  And overriding all of it is a yearning for Christian unity: “Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one (17:11) … I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one (17:20-21a) … The glory that you have given me I have given them so that they may be one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (17:22-23)

          It is clear from this prayer that, in faithful covenant with Jesus, the human family, in all of its diversity, is invited into fellowship with the Church.  There is no restriction by gender, age, skin color, sexual orientation, or socio-economic class.  The only requirement that Jesus mentioned was: we receive the words that God gave to him, know in truth that he came from God, and keep God’s word.

          But in the openness of Jesus’ invitation lies the danger.  The more diverse we are, the harder it is to live and witness in unity!  When someone decides to be a Covenant Disciple of Christ’s body, in Bread of Life Christian Church, they promise to worship, serve, pray, study, give and grow – journeying with others – as we all attempt to live as student/servants of Jesus.  We do these things for one purpose only.  As it states on the covenant card: “All for the purpose of building up this community of faith and its witness to Jesus Christ in the world.”

          The covenant card acknowledges that we are all being challenged to stretch in new and sometimes difficult ways!  Another statement on the card reminds us of the challenge with the words: “If there should be times when I feel like I am being stretched in uncomfortable ways, I will trust the Holy Spirit to use them to nudge me toward a deeper spiritual maturity.”  Let none of us become an obstacle to exciting and powerful Christian witness because of our own uncertainties, politics, fears, prejudice, inexperience, or lack of knowledge!  Instead, let’s each become an unselfish servant-leader, a joyful encourager, an open-minded student, and a listener to the Holy Spirit (God’s gift of guiding wisdom)!  If we will be these things, an honest integrity and authentic unity will be a characteristic of our life together in Bread of Life Christian Church.

          I believe that the way a Christian lives is the most effective Christian witness to others that the Church can give.  Our scripture from John 17 overhearing Jesus state the obvious to God is a poignant reminder of our Lord’s expectations: “(God), they were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.” (17:6b)

          Jesus showed us the way to live a God-filled, God-honoring, loving, and joyful life.  When we decide to become a Covenant Disciple, the card we sign also says this: “In making this covenant, I am consciously pledging to love and serve the Lord, and to trust the Holy Spirit to lead me in all things to witness to my faith in word and action.”

          Most likely, Bread of Life Christian Church will not ever have an “Evangelism” or “Growth” Ministry.  I only say it for one reason.  It is this: to be a disciple of Jesus – to love Jesus and love the world the way he does – means that every one of us witnesses to the power of the good news of Jesus through our words and action.  Our lifestyle is our individual Christian witness.  And Christian witness is the responsibility of every one of us!

          Our congregational witness is the way we live in Christian fellowship with each other: our strong Outreach Ministry; our attempts to listen for the will of God in our decision-making; the enthusiastic welcoming of diversity among our congregational participants; our faithfulness to Spiritual Life Groups; our growing financial stewardship; our call to every participant to serve Christ in ministry; shared leadership in worship; our love for the children of the Church; the centrality of an open table in our worship together; and our commitment to trusting God to lead every one of us to new and uncomfortable places in the name of a deeper spiritual maturity.

          “Covenant Discipleship Sunday” is only two weeks away.  I hope that you are in a season of prayer as we approach this special day of commitment.  Jesus asks a great deal from us – probably more than any of us have ever given him.  I am praying that there is a hotly burning fire in your heart that reflects your growing love for Jesus.  Jesus is calling us – every one of us – to a deeper discipleship.  Will you accept my challenge – really, Jesus’ challenge – to live in Covenant Discipleship?  Will you answer his call?

          Let us pray:

          O Gracious God: as we have taken the words that Jesus gave us more seriously, we’ve already been stretched into some new and uncomfortable places.  Now, it sounds like his legacy to us is that about the time we finally get comfortable in one place in our faith, Jesus leads us into another uncomfortable place.  Be patient with us, O God.  We are coming just as fast as we can.  In his name we pray.

Amen.