An eighteen-year-old unwrapped his father’s gift and found a Bible instead of the car keys he had dreamed of, and he never opened it. That story opens a reflection on the high priestly prayer of Jesus in John 17, where the Son asks the Father not for our earthly comfort but for our holiness, our unity and our eternity. The sermon shows that while we pray for daily bread, Jesus prays for what we ourselves forget to ask for. Listen and find out what Jesus is asking on your behalf today.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In John 17:3 Jesus says eternal life is knowing the Father and the one He sent. How do you understand this "knowing," and why does the sermon say eternal life begins already here on earth?
- Jesus does not ask the Father to take the disciples out of the world, but to protect them from the evil one and sanctify them in the truth. What does this request reveal about the disciples' situation as Jesus was about to leave them?
- The sermon describes sanctification as a process of turning away from idols, including false ideas about God. Which ideas about God or which things most easily take His place in your life?
- Jesus chose very different people: fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot, and He prays that they would be one. What does it mean for you to differ from someone and still not be divided?
- The story of the coworker whose God a man prayed to after his accident shows a quiet, persistent witness. Who around you might come to know God through your everyday attitude, and what shapes that attitude?
- The sermon says our prayers for earthly needs and Jesus' prayer for our eternity complement each other. Which of the things Jesus prays for do you want to pray for this week, for yourself and for others?
