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Shhh, just look around for a moment. Let this sanctuary embrace you.
Look at the white plaster walls ascending to the vaulted and beamed
ceiling. Can you see the praying hands in the way the arches come
together at the top? Can you see them hovering over the open Bible?
What about the windows – have you noticed the six rectangular windows
on the east side of the sanctuary and the six rectangular windows on
the west side? At first glance they all look the same with their
shimmering grays, yet each one is unique with its own story to tell.
These are stories we begin to tell today. Of course, the first thing
many people notice in this sanctuary is the Rose Window.
The window was given by Eva
Easterwood in memory of her brother, Lieutenant Jesse Lawrence
Easterwood. You may recognize the name from the airport that is about
three miles southwest of here. Jesse Easterwood was a graduate of
Texas A&M (he played second base for the Aggies in 1907-1909) and a
World War I pilot (completing 16 missions deep behind enemy lines).
Shortly after the war he died in a plane crash while testing a
seaplane with engine problems. I’ll bet there are hundreds of stories
that could be told about this hero, but I want to take you beyond
those stories to the story told in this Rose Window.
The
first thing I notice is the face of Jesus in the center. When I have
my glasses on I can see that it was on the night that he transformed
the Passover Meal into the Last Supper that is being depicted. I
remember that on that night, according to John, he prayed a beautiful
prayer to the Father. Much of that prayer was for his followers and
for those who would follow him because of them. Listen to part of
that prayer as Rachel Tindall/Los Warden comes to read John 17:13-21.
As she reads I invite you to gaze at the Rose Window whose light
radiates this room. Hear now the word of the Lord:
13I am on my way to you.
But I say these things while I am still in the world, so that my
followers will have the same complete joy that I do.
14I have told them your message. But the people of
this world hate them, because they don't belong to this world, just as
I don't. 15Father, I don't ask you
to take my followers out of the world, but keep them safe from the
evil one. 16They don't belong to
this world, and neither do I. 17Your
word is the truth. So let this truth make them completely yours.
18I am sending them into the
world, just as you sent me. 19I
have given myself completely for their sake, so that they may belong
completely to the truth. 20I am
not praying just for these followers. I am also praying for everyone
else who will have faith because of what my followers will say about
me. 21I want all of them to be one
with each other, just as I am one with you and you are one with me. I
also want them to be one with us. Then the people of this world will
believe that you sent me.
This is
the word of God for the people of God. In this passage John revealed
to his readers that Jesus prayed for the Father to care for his
followers. Let us pray.
When
the disciples wanted to learn how to really pray they said to Jesus,
“Lord, teach us to pray.” In this passage we discover that the expert
on prayer prayed for his followers, all of his followers. I want to
invite you to once again look at the Rose Window. Do you see the face
of Jesus in the middle? Every time you look at this window,
remember that Jesus prayed for you.
Jesus prayed for you to
experience Real Joy.
We
picked up the prayer in the middle of it. The first thing we hear is
Jesus praying out loud for the sake of his disciples. He said, “so
that my followers will have the same complete joy that I do.” The
same complete joy. He prayed this the night before he was crucified.
How was it that he could claim complete joy? He could do this because
he was doing exactly what he was meant to do. In verse 19 he said, “I
have given myself completely for their sake.” This was why the
Word became flesh, to give himself completely for us. It was his
mission. The disciples also had a mission. Leon Morris pointed out,
“Their lives were not to be aimless – they are to accomplish their
task as Jesus did.” As they do this they will discover real joy,
complete and full joy. Doing what we are designed to do produces in
us real joy.
As I
read this prayer of Jesus I was reminded of the folktale “Tale of
Three Trees”. Many of you know the story where, “Once upon a
moutaintop, three trees stood and dreamed of what they wanted to
become when they grew up.” The first tree wanted to hold treasure, to
become a treasure chest. The second tree wanted to carry royalty on
the high seas, to become a mighty ship. The third tree wanted to stay
on the mountaintop, to become the tallest tree ever and point to God.
In time three woodcutters came and cut the trees down. The first tree
was made into a manger where barn animals would be fed. The second
tree was made into a little boat that was put into a tiny lake. The
third tree was left on a woodpile. They were all certain that their
dreams were wasted on their actual destinies. Then one day the manger
found itself cradling a baby that some called “Immanuel, God with
us”. The tree knew that it was holding an extraordinary treasure.
Years later the second tree found itself in a terrible storm on that
tiny lake and the passenger stood up and said, “Peace,” and the winds
and waves calmed down. The second tree then knew that it was carrying
the King of kings. As for the third tree, one day it was placed on a
hill and a man of love and compassion was crucified on it. The tree
was ashamed to play a role in this terrible act of cruelty. But on
Sunday when the man rose from the dead, the third tree knew that it
would indeed always point people toward God. Each tree found complete
joy in doing what God had for it to do.
Your
life is not to be aimless. What is it that God has for you to do?
Real joy will come from doing that. Every time you look at this
window, remember that Jesus prayed for you. Jesus prayed for
you to experience real joy.
Jesus prayed for you to experience Oneness with each other.
This
was a huge part of Jesus’ prayer. He wanted his followers to have the
same kind of oneness that he experienced with the Father. Look at
verse 21 where Jesus prayed, “I want all of them to be one with
each other, just as I am one with you and you are one with me. I also
want them to be one with us. Then the people of this world will
believe that you sent me.” There seems to be a peace about this,
but also a purpose. If the church is united, people will be drawn to
believe in Jesus. A. M. Hunter wrote, “Without oneness the mission
fails.”
Earlier
this week I received one of those emails that are funny at first, but
then it makes you wonder. It was an email about two churches, across
the street from each other, with their signs facing one another:
Church One sign read, “All dogs go to heaven.”
Church Two sign read, “Only humans go to heaven. Read the Bible.”
Church One sign read, “God loves all his creatures. Dogs included.”
Church Two sign read, “Dogs don’t have souls. This is not open for
debate”
Church One sign read, “Our dogs go to heaven. Their dogs can talk to
their pastor”
Church Two sign read, “Converting to their church does not magically
grant your dog a soul.”
Church One sign read, “Free dog souls with conversion.”
Church Two sign read, “Dogs are animals. There aren’t any rocks in
heaven either.”
Church One sign read, “All rocks go to heaven.”
A
little research revealed this to be a fictional war of signs.
However, it does make me wonder about the unity of the church. Are we
as much one as Christ desires? Leon Morris described this Oneness as,
“all wills bowing in the same direction…all aims directed toward the
same end.” This is what Jesus prayed for. Every time you look
at this window, remember that Jesus prayed for you. Jesus
prayed for you to experience real joy and oneness with each other.
Jesus prayed for you to experience Safety from the evil one.
Jesus
did not pray for the disciples to be beamed up from the world, but to
be effective in the world. He knew that it would be disastrous for
the world for the witnesses to be taken out of it. A. M. Hunter said,
“The world’s only hope is that it should cease to be the world.” The
evil one is the enemy of this mission. It is his goal to immobilize
the church with distractions, depression, and disagreements. The evil
one is as opposed to unity as God is committed to it. Jesus
recognized this in a more familiar prayer that we say every week,
“lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Jesus knew
that the church would be opposed to keep us from witnessing of God’s
love. So he prayed for our safety.
How
many times have I prayed simply for the safety of my children? More
than I would have ever guessed before I became a parent. These
children that we celebrate today are children whose safety we pray for
frequently. Last weekend was Homecoming weekend. This means three
things – a win on the football field, nice pictures, and a late
night. Tammy can’t sleep until Zac is in for the night. Even though
he was spending the night at a friend’s house she waited until she got
the call that he was in for the night. Parents of young children, do
you see what you have to look forward to?
Jesus
understands that heart of a parent as he prayed for our safety. Every
time you look at this window, remember that Jesus prayed for you.
He prayed for you to experience real joy, oneness, and safety.
Jesus prayed for you to experience Equipping for your role as
witness.
“Your word is the truth. So let this truth make them completely
yours.” Another word for “completely yours” is “sanctify”. It
means to set apart for special use. We would not think about playing
dodgeball in this place. This room has been sanctified, set apart for
special use. It is a sanctuary. Jesus’ prayer for us was that we
would be set apart for special use and equipped to do just that. He
knew that the Word would equip his followers with what they needed to
succeed.
Emma
Gay authored a booklet about the windows in 1979. She pointed out the
three circles of the Rose Window, with the Word, Jesus Christ in the
center. The six pointed star that makes up the next circle represents
the world that was created in six days. The twelve pedals that emerge
from the star represent the witnesses – the twelve apostles who were
sent out into the world with the Word two by two. Word, world,
witness – they are all represented in this window. Jesus prayed for
the witnesses to be equipped with the word and truth.
So we
come right back to the middle of the window. We see the face of one
who prayed for us and continues to intercede on our behalf.
Every time you look at this window, remember that Jesus prayed for
you.
Shhh,
just look around for a moment. Let this sanctuary embrace you. Look
at the walls, the arches, the Bible, the windows, the Rose Window –
and remember, Jesus prayed for you. He prayed for you to experience:
·
Real joy
·
Oneness
·
Safety
·
Equipping for your role as his witness
The
first letters of those words spell Rose. Every time you look at
this Rose Window, remember that Jesus prayed for you. Amen.
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