The June 1st sermon from John 17 invited us to see the living, breathing nature of Scripture and the Gospel’s ongoing call for radical love and unity. Through the intimate farewell prayer of Jesus, we are reminded that we, too, were on His heart—those who would believe because of the witness of others. Yet too often, we struggle to receive that divine love ourselves, let alone extend it to others.
Our words and postures can either affirm someone’s belonging or deepen their isolation. Echoing James’s warning about the power of the tongue, we are challenged to be a people whose speech and presence reflect the heart of God.
“We live in a world that promises that nothing matters… a world that looks one another up and down… we decide another’s worth before someone else has even had the chance to open their mouths.”
“This should not be. Because we, at Bethel, get to tell a different sort of story.”
Jesus’s plea for “one heart and mind” is not a call to sameness but to a unity that mirrors the divine relationship of Father, Son, and Spirit—a unity that makes space for difference, story, and sacred humanity.
A charge to the Church: become a community where every person hears “You belong here,” and carry that embodied love beyond the sanctuary walls so the world may know that such love is still possible.
