Easter's Fullness

John 17:1-11
Easter 7
Sunday, 4 May 2008

I don't spend a lot of time trying to figure out the significance of biblical numbers. But even without such esoteric knowledge, I am aware that the number seven (7) signifies completion or fullness. And it is the awareness of today as the seventh week of Easter, the last week before the change of seasons represented by the feast of Pentecost, that is the object of my reflections this week. What does it mean to experience Easter's fullness?

John 17 almost seems out of place as a text for the last week of the Easter season, since the scene recounted in it occurred before Jesus' crucifixion. The other text, Acts 1, seems far more appropriate to this time of year. Yet I submit to you that the Lord's prayer in John 17 actually teaches us much that we need to know about the purpose of the resurrection and the work of the Holy Spirit whose power we will consider in next week's reading. In John 17, Jesus' themes are glory and unity. He asks his Father to restore the fullness of the glory which he shared with God from the beginning. Jesus also intercedes for the disciples, praying for unity. How powerful it is to observe that as Jesus prepares himself to endure suffering and condemnation, his prayer is not for his own strength but for his disciples' oneness. Jesus knows that his death has a purpose that can only be fulfilled when and as his disciples unite.

As we prepare to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, we would do well to remember that the goal is never for us to one-up each other in Christian community. We are not called to compete with one another to show who sings, preaches, or prays "the best." Rather, our goal and calling come to fullness as we unite and grow closer. God knows that this is not possible apart from the Holy Spirit. Therefore, God pours out the Spirit which acts as the seal of our salvation and the cord that binds us in love. Celebrating the Spirit and the bond seems a fitting and full conclusion to the Easter season.

Sing, "Sweet, Sweet Spirit" or "Somebody Prayed for Me" (remember that Jesus prayed)

Let us pray:
Thank you, Lord, for the blessings of this Easter season and for the freshness with which we have received it. Thank you for lifting us up in prayer before your Passion and for the Spirit which constantly makes intercession for us. Grant us, we pray, the unity of the faith so that we your church may aptly fulfill all that you desire. May we show our faith in the resurrected Christ by living together in a spirit of unity, in Jesus' name. Amen