May 20, 2007
Seventh Sunday of Easter

God's Unity

The prayer that Jesus prays in this week's Gospel is one of unity and witness to the love of God in the world: "Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and they know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them." This invitation in the Gospel reading calls us into unity coming from being with God just as God is with us. This unity comes out of the awareness of God in our lives and in all of creation, and this has to do with the restoration of all creation to the right relationship with God. God's unity comes from relating to one another and affirming the expression and presence of God in each person. It is God's call and prayer for us all to unite in mission and to release those imprisoned by the many adversities and challenges of life such as lack of adequate health care, lack of education, poverty, gender inequality, environmental injustices, and many other realities that people face in their lives that imprison them.

It is the love of God, that when given away freely, draws us into a community, uniting us as one. It the love of God that makes us a serving community united in one accord and mission. This love is what shines through each of us as God's children. Imagine how bright that love is when we all come together shining with love through our actions; one in mission!

Jesus prays for us in our Gospel today, he prays for our unity; God's Glory is revealed in this unity. As a parish we celebrate this unity in our diversity, the diversity of all God's creation.

Silito

Take a look at some of the previous messages from the Rector