Unity!

John 17:20-23

When we hear the word unity, most of us instinctively think it sounds like a good thing. We can picture it - a team playing well together. A choir where different voices somehow make one sound. A family gathering where everybody gets along.

There is something really attractive about unity, because when it is there, life seems to work as it should. People don’t have to be identical, but they belong together. Different personalities, different gifts, different stories - and yet somehow moving in the same direction.

And maybe that is why division hurts so much. Because we see so much of it. In the world, in communities, in families, and sometimes, sadly, in the church as well. It feels like we live in a time when it can feel easier to argue than to listen, easier to divide than to come together.

And into that kind of world comes this prayer of Jesus. And what makes it especially moving is when He prays it. This is the night before the cross. Jesus knows what is coming. He knows suffering is near. And at that moment, He prays for His disciples.

But not only for them. He says, "I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message."

That means He is praying not just for the first disciples, but for everyone who would come after them. Which means, incredibly, that He is praying for us.

Before He went to the cross, Jesus thought of us, He prayed for us… 

And what does He pray for? "That they may all be one." Out of all the things He might have prayed for, that is what He chooses. He prays for unity. So, unity clearly matters deeply to Jesus.

And we need to be clear what sort of unity this is. He is not talking about everyone being the same. Christian unity is not about all having the same personality, the same opinions, the same tastes, or the same way of doing things. God clearly loves variety. The church has always been full of different sorts of people.

Some love quiet reflection. Others are full of energy. Some love things to be well planned and familiar. Others are always ready for something new. Some people wake up cheerful and ready for the day. Others need a cup of tea or coffee before they can speak to anyone. That is not a threat to unity. That is simply being human.

The unity Jesus prays for is much deeper than being the same. He says, "as you, Father, are in me, and I in you." In other words, the unity of the church begins in the life of God. It begins in the love between the Father and the Son.

And that means unity is not just something we try to create by effort. It is first something we receive.

And that matters, because we often get this the wrong way round. We can start to think that unity depends entirely on us - on our tact, our patience, our ability to keep everybody happy. Of course, those things matter. But Jesus points us to something deeper than that.

Real unity flows from being close to Him… The closer we come to Jesus, the closer we come to one another…

And that is because Jesus does not simply tell us to love. He loves us first. He draws us to Himself. He brings us into the love He shares with the Father. He takes people who might otherwise have little in common and makes them one.

So, the church is not held together by shared preferences. It is held together by Jesus.

And that gives Christian unity a warmth to it. It is not just good organisation. It is not just keeping the peace. It is not just avoiding rows. It is sharing in the love of Jesus.

That is important for all of us, and perhaps especially for anyone who feels a bit unsure about faith. Because sometimes people imagine Christianity is about having it all sorted out, or being the right kind of person, or fitting neatly into a certain mould. But the centre of this passage is not our strength. It is Jesus. It is His love. We are not welcomed because we are impressive. We are welcomed because He is gracious.

Jesus prays for those who will believe in Him. His love reaches outwards. His invitation is open… And for many people, that is where faith begins. Not by winning an argument. Not by having every question answered. But by discovering, sometimes slowly, that Jesus is full of mercy, and that His love is real.

So, if unity is the theme, then the love of Jesus is the heart of it.

And once we see that, we begin to see how unity grows. It grows as we come back, again and again, to God. Because when we know ourselves loved by Him, it changes the way we see each other.

It becomes harder to write people off when we remember that Jesus loves them.

It becomes harder to cling to resentment when we know how much mercy we ourselves have received.

It becomes harder to treat church as a gathering of personal preferences when we remember that it is a family gathered by grace.

Now, of course, that doesn’t mean churches become perfect. We know they don’t. The New Testament itself is very honest about that. Even in the earliest churches there were misunderstandings, disagreements, hurt feelings and tensions. Christians are still ordinary human beings, and ordinary human beings do not always find each other easy.

But Christian unity does not depend on pretending everything is fine. It depends on staying rooted in Jesus when things are not fine. It means learning forgiveness, patience, gentleness and grace, because those are the very things we keep receiving from Him.

And when that happens, the church becomes a place where the love of Jesus is not only talked about but is actually seen.

And people notice that. They notice whether there is welcome. They notice whether there is kindness. They notice whether there is room for the lonely, the uncertain, the newcomer, the person who is not quite sure whether they belong.

Jesus says that the world will know something through the unity of His people. In other words, unity is part of our witness. Not because a united church looks polished or impressive, but because love speaks powerfully.

Many people will never read a theology book. Some may never join a study group. But they will notice whether Christians love one another. And they notice whether that love reaches beyond the church door.

Because the love of Jesus is never meant to stop with us. If we are drawn into His love, then that love begins to flow outwards - into the way we treat neighbours, friends, strangers, and people in need.

And usually that begins in very ordinary ways. A visit to someone who is lonely. A patient conversation with someone who is struggling. A practical act of help. A word of encouragement. A warm welcome. A prayer offered quietly and sincerely. Often the most Christlike things are not dramatic at all. They are simple, steady, and full of compassion.

And those things matter. A listening ear matters. A kind word matters. A visit matters. A meal matters. An invitation matters. A prayer matters.

They matter because people matter. And people, all people, matter because they are loved by God.

And this is where unity becomes something much more than just getting along. A church rooted in the love of Jesus begins to reflect Him to the world around it. It becomes, however imperfectly, a sign of the welcome of God.

And that is something our communities need very much.

So many people carry burdens quietly. Loneliness, anxiety, grief, financial strain, disappointment, uncertainty. A great deal can be hidden behind an ordinary smile. We can’t solve every problem. We don’t have all the answers. But we do know the love of Jesus, and we can share something of that love in ways that are real and practical.

And sometimes that is how faith begins. Slowly. Gently. Through being welcomed, listened to, cared for, prayed for - and through discovering that behind the love of God's people is an even better, more perfect love, the love of Jesus Himself.

So, when Jesus prays for unity, He is praying that His people may be drawn into the very life of God, shaped by His love, and made into a community through which others may come to believe.

That is still His prayer for the church.

So perhaps the question for us is not only, "How can we be more united?" …Important as that is, perhaps the deeper question is, "How can we stay close to Jesus?"

Because if we stay close to Him - if we learn to receive His love more deeply, if we remember that we are people prayed for, people welcomed, people held by grace - then unity has a living source.

And when that happens, other things begin to grow as well. We become more patient with one another. More ready to forgive. More willing to serve. More open-hearted. More able to carry hope into the life of the community around us.

Unity is the theme, yes. And the source of that unity is the love of Jesus.

So let us hear again the comfort in this passage. On the night before the cross, Jesus looked beyond His first disciples and prayed for all who would one day believe in Him. He prayed for His church. He prayed for us.

He prayed that we might live in the love of God.

He prayed that we might belong to one another.

He prayed that the world might see something of Him through us.

So, if we want unity, let’s stay close to Jesus.

If we want the church to be shaped by love, let’s stay close to Jesus.

If we want our lives to help others see the goodness and love of God, let’s stay close to Jesus.

Because when the people of God live in the love of God, the world catches a glimpse of the heart of God. Amen.