This chapter gives us the longest recorded prayer of Jesus. In it he prays for himself (and God’s glory),for his disciples and their security without him. He closes praying for the (then future) church and its ongoing unity.
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John takes us through a long sweep of history from before the creation of the world, through the incarnation and on to Jesus calling his first disciples before starting his public ministry.
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Heavenly Father,
We thank you for sending Jesus Christ your Son, the eternal and living Word of God, to reveal you to us. We also gladly trust in him as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. As those who believe, we thank you for giving us the right to become children of God.
We thank you for the new birth that comes to us by faith in Christ. We thank you for this new eternal life. We also see our need to be true disciples of Jesus and to be disciple-makers ourselves. Help us to be part of the movement to multiply committed followers of Christ, the Messiah.
We receive the life that you offer and we pray that you would allow us to see many others come to faith in you.
And we pray all of this through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen
Father in Heaven,
We thank you that Jesus did not come to call the righteous, but rather sinners in need of repentance. If you were looking for righteous people, you would never have chosen us.
We now ask you for your forgiveness, healing, cleansing and complete transformation. We want to know that we are new creatures in Christ.
And then, just like those earliest disciples, we want to be used by you to draw others into a relationship with Jesus. We ask that you would help us to “fish for people.” Like Levi’s friends, let us have the blessing of seeing our friends and family come to know you.
We know that we come to you as sinners, but that you have the ability to make us saints. Make us holy, please.
In Christ,
Amen.
Central Reflections 