John 17:22-23 “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity…”

Jesus’ glory is the source and cause of our unity. This glory is more than a bright, shining light. It is more than praise and popularity. It is what brings God praise and makes him distinct. God’s many mighty powers are included, but most religions conceive of their gods as powerful. Nothing so distinguishes the God who came to save us in the person of Jesus Christ as the love that led him to so humble himself, and join our human family, and live as servant of servants, and carry our sin, and finally sacrifice his life in our place.

Jesus gave us this glory first by doing it, by loving us this way. Then he gives us this glory by creating it, this same kind of love, in each one of us. As Christ-like love works through us, God’s own glory is at work in us. Then we are living as one with God and with each other.

So Jesus prays that we may be brought to complete unity. The word “complete” is related to the word “finished” he cried out from the cross just before his death. It says there is nothing left to do. The goal has been reached. Everything is perfect, just the way it is supposed to be. If we are so united to God by faith that he is always in us, and we are always in him, and the glory of his love always holds our hearts, and that love has taken over the way we live and treat others, then our unity is complete.

If you have kept up with me this far, you may be thinking that this makes your head spin a bit. It all seems so theological and theoretical. Let’s talk about what it means for you and me. Jesus’ concern is not so much a call to put an end to denominations and merge all the Christian churches, though it may have something to say about what it would take for that to happen. It is more about how we relate to the Christians we know. To put it another way, it is less about unifying the visible churches, more about being the One Holy Christian Church, the invisible Church of faith.

Do I have to point out that any time we take it upon ourselves to contradict God and his word, to adopt our own beliefs, to live against his commands, to withhold our love, we are essentially opposing Jesus’ prayer and whittling away at the unity we share? Some of the things Jesus teaches may not make sense to me. There is a scene toward the end of the movie Risen, in which this Roman soldier has been pursuing the disciples after Easter trying to find out what happened to Jesus’ body. He has finally come to believe Jesus is the Savior and did rise from the dead. He asks Peter a question about something that doesn’t make sense to him about Jesus, a hard question. And Peter has a great answer. “I don’t know. We are just followers.”

We may find it hard to make sense of some of the things he asks us to believe. That does not give us the right to chuck what he says, as though we know better than him, and adopt something that seems more reasonable. Then how are we one with him and his Father, and with the others who are one with him by faith? We are followers, and breaking with Jesus on some issue spoils our unity.

Sometimes Jesus asks us to do things, to live a certain way, that isn’t appealing. “Love your neighbor” sounds great until you actually have to do it. Then you find out this includes your unwashed, undeserving family members who are always taking advantage of you, and the busybodies who gossiped about you at church, and the committee member who essentially told you your idea was stupid, and the adulterous elder who has apparently destroyed his marriage.

And that’s just the people at church. Christian love, of course, extends far beyond other believers. But if we can’t love the people who share our faith, the same people Jesus loves, imperfect though they may be, we are tearing at the unity ourselves and further fraying our oneness in Christ. Jesus prays for the unity of all believers, that their unity may be complete.

Then let’s not forget the amazing privilege and grace that we have been included in this unity at all. We are one with Jesus, and with his Father, and with our faith family not because we are so good and perfect. Jesus incorporated us by forgiving our sins, and he keeps us plugged in by continuing to forgive us day by day. We have been loved into this unity with God and each other. It is here, in the unity of faith, that he intends to keep feeding us his love.