Easter 7C - 2025
Sermon for the Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year C
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
The Rev. Andrew McLarty
"The Prayer That Binds Us"
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
On this Seventh Sunday of Easter, we find ourselves in a sacred in-between time. Christ has ascended to the Father, yet the Holy Spirit has not yet descended at Pentecost. We wait, but we do not wait idly—we wait with purpose, with hope, and with the knowledge that we are held in Christ’s own prayer.
The High Priestly Prayer
In today’s Gospel reading from John, we overhear Jesus praying for his disciples—not just those with him at the time, but all who would come to believe through their witness. That includes us.
“I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one.” (John 17:20-21)
This is an intimate moment in Scripture. Jesus, knowing the cross awaits him, prays not for his own deliverance, but for our unity—our oneness with each other and with God.
What does this unity look like? It is not uniformity—we are not called to be identical in thought or practice. Rather, it is a unity of love, a bond forged by the Holy Spirit. Jesus says, “so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:26)
The Invitation of Revelation
Our reading from Revelation echoes this theme of unity and belonging. Christ, the Alpha and Omega, the Bright Morning Star, extends an open invitation:
“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let everyone who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.” (Revelation 22:17)
This is not a passive call—it is urgent, expansive, and inclusive. The Church—the bride of Christ—joins the Spirit in saying, “Come.” We are both the invited and the inviters.
- To the weary, we say, "Come and find rest."
- To the broken, "Come and be healed."
- To the shunned, "Come and be loved"
- To the lost, "Come and be found."
Living Into the Prayer
So how do we live into this prayer of Jesus?
We seek unity, not division. In a world fractured by politics, ideology, and fear, the Church must be a witness to and speaker for reconciliation. We don’t have to agree on everything, but the human family must love one another as Christ loves us.
We extend the invitation. Just as Jesus prayed for those who would believe through the disciples’ word, we are called to share the Good News—not just in words, but in radical hospitality and love.
We wait with hope. Like the early disciples in these ten days between Ascension and Pentecost, we live in anticipation. Christ will return. The Spirit will empower us. The prayer of Jesus will be fulfilled.
The Promise of the Morning Star
As we prepare to enter the season of Pentecost, we hold fast to the promise in Revelation: “I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
The morning star appears just before dawn, a sign that night is ending and day is near. Christ is our Morning Star—the one who assures us that darkness does not have the final word.
Amen.
