There was a young person having a conversation with God one day. We’ll call him Jamie.

Jamie – God, how long is a million years?

God – it is but a second, Jamie

Jamie – God how much is a million dollars to you?

God – it is but a penny to me.

Jamie – God can I have a penny?

God – just a second.

All this is to say that God’s ways are not our ways. God’s thoughts are far above our thoughts. Humans have a linear way of thinking. That is to say in a straight line and one dimensional.

In our gospel reading this morning we are allowed to eavesdrop. Jesus is speaking directly and intimately to God, his father. Jesus is in prayer and we get to listen.

Jesus begins his prayer “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word…”

As we listen in on Jesus’ prayer today we are encouraged to notice three things –

1. The intimacy of the relationship between Jesus and God the Father. Jesus is the gift from the heart of God to us.

2. Jesus prays for the faith community, the Church. You’ll notice that it is not a list of rules and regulations put forth – last minute instructions for the Church before Jesus leaves this earth. Not at all! Jesus entrusts the Church to God, not to us. Jesus prays for those disciples God has given him.

Here, I think, is where our linear thinking takes over. It is easy to see that Jesus is referring to the early church and very easy to read the gospel today and see only the 12 apostles and perhaps the believers of the early church identified in Jesus prayer.

I challenge us to let go of that one dimensional thinking and see God’s reality of a moment as a million years – a wrinkle in time as it were. God, who is the Creator of all that is, is not bound by the limits of time and space. You and I were in the mind and heart of Jesus in that prayer. He knows us by name and has known us before the foundation of the world.

When we grasp that reality we can know that the results, the outcome of what we do as a faith community, as church rest in God’s hands. The outcome is God’s job. Our job, and we do have one as we acknowledge in the post Communion prayer each Sunday when we ask God to give us strength to go out and do the work he has given us to do, our job is to love one another as God in Christ loves us. That is Jesus’ prayer in the Gospel this morning. The challenge of living faithfully is not only to work toward personal growth and goodness but it is also a call to let the life we live be an invitation to others to follow Jesus.

The main focus of Jesus’ prayer is love which brings forth unity – the love that is the bond within the Godhead; the love that is divine gift to disciples; the love by which God seeks to attract the world that is the love we have for one another as Christians; self giving love that is resurrected into new life.

Love is a choice. Sometimes it is based on feelings. Many times it is a choice to do the right and loving thing in spite of our feelings.

That's a tough job. How do we do that?

And how do we live each day? Life is hard. Some seasons are a bitter winter. Are you burdened with financial worries in this economy? Do you struggle with illness – your own or the illness of a loved one? Are you consumed with worry about a child who is on the wrong path? Is there need for reconciliation – between you and a friend or family member: Between you and God? Is you life out of control because of addiction of some kind – that state of never being able to get enough of that which does not and cannot satisfy?

Or is life ok right now – a season now of sun but still ---there is an emptiness that lingers?

Jesus is returning to His Father – to the glory he knew from all eternity. If Jesus is the revelation of God to us - what do we do now??

We as Church and as individuals are told he will not leave us orphaned. He will not leave us to our own devices and to our own strength. He will send an advocate, the Holy Spirit.

We are to leave all the anxiety, restlessness, and fear of outcome and fear of change in God’s hands. Do the work you are called to do but leave the outcome in God’s hands. That’s where Jesus put us in his prayer – in God’s hands and in unity with God in Christ and unity with one another.

Each of us in our daily life – in our struggles and joys leave it all in God’s hands. Do the work we are given to do – and that work is to live fully into our identity and unity with Christ - then leave it all in God’s hands trusting in God’s help and guidance and strength.

And pray - “Cast all your care upon him for he cares for you” – pray in the words that are comfortable and familiar to you – pray in spontaneous words, maybe in a single simple word like, HELP - pray in no words at all as time and words fall away leaving you in silence in God’s presence.

Resist the snare of getting so caught up in our worries, cares, and concerns that we forget to pray.

Prayer opens us and prepares us for the power of the Spirit. Jesus all through his earthly ministry set himself apart and prayed. Today’s gospel invites us into the same intimate prayer relationship with God the Father that Jesus had.

Jesus prays today for the union of Father, Son and Believers. He prays for us to understand, to really know what is He has done - to know the mystery of the life he lived in love for us. He prays for us to live into our unity and love with God in Christ and one another.

In closing I extend to you an invitation to a Birthday Party - the celebration of the Birthday of the Church. When? Next Sunday, Pentecost Sunday. Where? Right here. Time? 8 and 10 o’clock. Please bring only the gift of yourself. But do come prepared to receive anew and afresh the gift of the Holy Spirit. AMEN