The love with which you have loved me may be in them

READINGS FOR EASTER 7 YEAR C

Acts 16:16-34

• Revelation 22:12-14,16-17,20-21

• John 17:20-26

• Psalm 97

This week's homily was given by our Lay Worship Leader, Alison Wale

I’m going to start this homily with a confession. The only thing I could think when I read the text of the Gospel reading was that it was a lesson in pronouns! There are yous, and Is, and wes, and theys all over the place which can make it really confusing or off putting. It is hard to understand who is being referenced with each pronoun, and quite honestly, it is easy to not really listen when it is being read, because it is so confusing.

But from the whole reading the words I kept returning to were those in verse 26:    “ 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."

Often this text is used to remind us of the need for unity between believers, taking the words of verse 21” that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you” and used to either browbeat us or encourage us, depending on the leanings of the preacher. And yes, this is an important message, but I kept coming back to that last verse.

So let’s break it down:

First “I made your name known to them”

The concept of “a name” is really important throughout the Hebrew scriptures. We see many examples of where names are changed to signify a change in character or status, or examples where the Divine name is concealed. This is because a “name” isn’t just thought of as an appellation, but rather that it represents the character, nature, and presence of a person.

Jesus is saying that He has revealed who God truly is. Jesus has taught us to call God “Abba, Father” revealing God’s essence, God’s character to be as a Father, a parent full of love, mercy, and truth. And this relationship of parent and child is one of deep intimacy and a personal relationship. It is not just about intellectual knowledge but experiential revelation—Jesus has shown God’s heart to the disciples – and to us - and we can only respond as a child to a loving parent: with trust, and with a reciprocal love

Next come the words “and I will make it known,”

In my work as an English teacher it has sometimes been difficult to convey the sense and meaning of the present continuous tense to my students. That is the tense that says, “I am doing something”.  It doesn’t seem to really exist in French, as the present simple is normally used. I often have to resort to explaining it as ”je suis en train de faire…” but that doesn’t really capture the sense of the continuous nature of the verb. In this translation, the words are in the future, “will”, but I feel that Jesus meant “I have made known your name and I am still making known your name” because this work of revealing God did not stop after His earthly ministry.

After His resurrection, and ascension and throughout history, Jesus continues to reveal God. But the responsibility of conveying this revelation has been passed to his followers, which includes us. This responsibility invites us into a deeper, more meaningful and intimate relationship with our God. And this relationship is not a static, one-time thing: it is something that grows and matures as we understand that through the ongoing nature of discipleship and spiritual growth we are continually brought deeper into knowing God.

Perhaps the most incredible part of this verse is the final part: “that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Jesus is asking that the same love the Father has for the Son—the infinite, eternal, perfect love within the Trinity—would dwell in believers. Not just that they know about this love, but that it would be in them—infused in their hearts, shaping their lives.

Earlier I mentioned pronouns and how sometimes a lot of hes and yous and thems can be confusing. So I’m going to change that last sentence to make it more personal: Jesus prayed not only that you and I know about this love, but that it would be in us—infused in our hearts, shaping our lives.

This is the climax of the prayer: a vision of deep union between God and humanity—rooted in love, realized in Christ. Jesus is not just praying for the unity of believers, those of different denominations, when there are a few slightly uneasy joint services during the week of prayer for Christian unity and then we all go back to our separate ways of worshipping. Rather he is praying for a deep union between God and humanity, God and the world, God and all creation.

Today’s Gospel reading invites us into unity that comes from being with God just as God is with us. This awareness of God in our lives and in all of creation, though understood in many ways by different cultures and religions, has one unifying product: shalom. As former Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori describes it, shalom has to do with the restoration of all creation to right relationship with God.

Lee’s sermon last week echoed this, with a powerful reminder of what “Shalom” is. He said: “Shalom is a remarkable word, rich with meaning that transcends simple translation. While often rendered as "peace," shalom encompasses much more. The Hebrew prophets envisioned shalom as the harmonious integration of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfilment, and delight. It signifies: Health, Wholeness, Completeness, Welfare, Safety, Tranquillity, Perfectness, Harmony, Rest

 A state of shalom is a state without fear. “

This is what recognising the love of God in our lives gives us. God’s unity comes from relating to one another inclusively, affirming each person’s expression of God in them and God with them.  And this is what is dreamt of in the reading from Revelation that we heard:

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.

“And let everyone who hears say, "Come." – we hear the word of God, and we extend the invitation.“And let everyone who is thirsty come” – we welcome those who come seeking God’s love

“Let ANYONE who wishes take the water of life as a gift” – we are not called to judge who is “worthy” or exclude those who are not like us. We are not called to be gatekeepers, but rather to be those people who open the floodgates of God’s unconditional love and mercy and rejoice with all those who come to drink at the fountain of living water.

The unity of the Gospel requires us to live into the diversity of God’s creation. It requires us to be reconciled with love and compassion to a higher purpose – and that purpose is a love that results in unity. Unity does not mean sameness. It means similarity of purpose, of intention, of allegiance and of behaviour towards one another. It means accepting. For those who believe, it means gathering under the canopy of creation and being part of a great singleness of purpose.

In the end, John 17:26 isn’t abstract—it’s an invitation to a life that is essentially deeply rooted in knowing who God truly is and growing in that relationship daily. It is centred in the fact that the same perfect infinite love that God has for Jesus is poured into you, and that this love, this state of Shalom, empowers you to live in a way that embodies true unity, accepting all and letting God’s love be the foundation of your identity.

Jesus, You have made the Father known. Keep showing me who God truly is.

Let me live in the love You share with the Father— not just know it, but receive it, let it live in me.

Be in me today.Walk with me. Think with me. Love through me.

Shape me by Your presence,and let that love overflow into every place I go. Amen.