Sermon – A Prayer for Unity Rev. Sandy Lacey June 01, 2025
What is it about farewell speeches that make us sit up and listen a little more intently? Is that when the really important stuff is said? Do we think that somehow the person giving the speech will provide some profound truth that has only been hinted at before? Are we hoping this nugget of wisdom will make such an impact on us that it will alter the course of our lives? People give transition or farewell speeches in varieties of circumstance – I think of the wedding toast, the letter to a graduate, a retirement speech, a eulogy, and maybe final words before what is thought to be certain death. Tell me how you think the following people did with their farewell speeches. (I will just do excerpts from them.) “Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans. Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn’t consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I’m lucky. When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift – that’s something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies – that’s something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter – that’s something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body – it’s a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed – that’s the finest I know. So, I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for.” Many of you know this farewell speech by Lou Gehrig as he addressed his many fans, friends, and family. Baseball fans everywhere sat up and listened when he gave that speech many years ago and they still sit up and listen today. Does it meet the criteria for a good farewell speech? Does it inspire you to live your life differently or to recognize the blessings you have in your life? And what about these words from a man who perhaps did not know this would be his final speech: “Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land! And so I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man! Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!!”As we look back on it now, do these words from Martin Luther King, Jr. make us listen more intently, feel more deeply, and inspire us to live more purposefully? Do these words meet the criteria for a good farewell speech? And what about this speech, said by Jesus to his followers in the form of a prayer? Listen to this brief part of Jesus’ farewell speech in the Gospel of John. Read John 17:20-26.The grass withers and the flower fades but the Word of our Lord stands forever. Thanks be to God! How do you prepare a group of people for the hardest experience they will ever encounter? In the first two examples, you express gratitude and you provide hope for the future. You make sure your listeners understand that there is always something larger at work, a bigger picture, even in difficult and troubling circumstances. In our last example, you spend a couple of chapters talking to your listeners, repeating the same themes over and over, and you pray for them. And in this particular excerpt, you remind your friends that even though you are leaving, you will be present in and through them as they come together as one. Earlier you’ve provided comforting words to them, such as, “I will not leave you orphaned” and you have given reminders of who you are and who they are. You’ve reminded them that their identity is found with God and with each other as they do what is commanded: to love God and love one another. It is in keeping this commandment that the community enables Jesus to remain close and to be at home in them. What else does Jesus say to help prepare his friends for his death and departure? Earlier in chapter 14, He promises to send someone, an advocate – someone who will continue to teach them and remind them of everything he has told them. Jesus told them over and over again that even though he is leaving, they will not be alone. Jesus was concerned about their fear, anxiety, and potential for fracture. He knows this will be a fearful and anxious time for them as he is put on trial, tortured, and sentenced to death. He knows that this will not be a peace-filled time. Jesus gives a different kind of peace though. It is not an absence of conflict, absence of trouble, kind of peace. It is a peace that says “all is well” even when the world is falling apart around you. It is a peace that does not deny conflict or oppression and yet somehow provides courage and comfort through it. It is a peace that rests in the calm assurance that there is nothing in life or in death that can ever separate us from the love of God found in Jesus. And it is a peace that is strengthened by community – by unity with each other. In chapter 17, Jesus prays that his followers can be as one, unified in their love for each other and in their love for others. That is the only way Jesus’ peace can be spread to others, through the unity of his followers. Notice that it does not say uniformity; they do not all have to be alike or the same . . . but unified in their love for each other and their love for the world; unified in their mission to bring Good News to the world. As Jesus’ disciples, some 2000 years later, when we read these words, we may not suddenly sit up and take notice. We know this is not the last word. We have the benefit of knowing that Jesus did die, was resurrected, and did, in fact, send the Spirit to be with them and with us. We celebrate Easter and Pentecost every week of our lives. We have the benefit of many stories and many witnesses. We have the benefit of a community of faith that seeks to love God and love each other. Even so, I do think we struggle with the peace and unity that Jesus gives. We, probably like the early disciples, feel peace has more to do with absence of difficulty, absence of conflict, absence of struggle, with the uniformity of believers. We think that when everything is going well, when we have enough money to pay our bills and save, when our family members are getting along together, when everything seems to be in harmony, when we all agree on issues – then we are at peace and can easily be one with one another. But life is rarely devoid of conflict, challenge, and trial. Illnesses are diagnosed; family members fight; churches lose membership and funds and can no longer afford to keep their doors open; the culture surrounds you with voices of hatred and violence; politicians are corrupt and children around the world starve. It goes on and on. And yet, Jesus’ voice reminds us, “my peace I give to you. Be one in mission and ministry.” It is not a peace that our culture teaches. It is a peace that reminds us who we are and to whom we belong. Our identity is in Jesus and he is at home in us as we love God and love each other. It is a peace that recognizes struggle, adversity, illness, conflict while at the same time claiming they are never the final words. Jesus’ peace is a peace that welcomes an impulsive disciple, claims that disciple as his own, teaches that disciple, praises that disciple, calls that disciple Satan, warns that disciple, hears that disciple deny him three times, forgives that disciple, and sends an advocate for that disciple. If you know Scripture, you know that disciple is named Peter. If you know Scripture, you know that disciple is also named Charles, Bill, Janie, Susan, Beverly, Sandy, and Rockledge Presbyterian Church. That disciple is you. God’s peace is one that is centered upon the unity we have with one another and with Jesus. So, sit up and take notice. It is Jesus’ farewell speech/prayer for you and me, and it’s important. AMEN.
What is it about farewell speeches that make us sit up and listen a little more intently? Is that when the really important stuff is said? Do we think that somehow the person giving the speech will provide some profound truth that has only been hinted at before? Are we hoping this nugget of wisdom will make such an impact on us that it will alter the course of our lives? People give transition or farewell speeches in varieties of circumstance – I think of the wedding toast, the letter to a graduate, a retirement speech, a eulogy, and maybe final words before what is thought to be certain death. Tell me how you think the following people did with their farewell speeches. (I will just do excerpts from them.) “Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans. Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn’t consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I’m lucky. When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift – that’s something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies – that’s something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter – that’s something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body – it’s a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed – that’s the finest I know. So, I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for.” Many of you know this farewell speech by Lou Gehrig as he addressed his many fans, friends, and family. Baseball fans everywhere sat up and listened when he gave that speech many years ago and they still sit up and listen today. Does it meet the criteria for a good farewell speech? Does it inspire you to live your life differently or to recognize the blessings you have in your life? And what about these words from a man who perhaps did not know this would be his final speech: “Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land! And so I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man! Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!!”As we look back on it now, do these words from Martin Luther King, Jr. make us listen more intently, feel more deeply, and inspire us to live more purposefully? Do these words meet the criteria for a good farewell speech? And what about this speech, said by Jesus to his followers in the form of a prayer? Listen to this brief part of Jesus’ farewell speech in the Gospel of John. Read John 17:20-26.The grass withers and the flower fades but the Word of our Lord stands forever. Thanks be to God! How do you prepare a group of people for the hardest experience they will ever encounter? In the first two examples, you express gratitude and you provide hope for the future. You make sure your listeners understand that there is always something larger at work, a bigger picture, even in difficult and troubling circumstances. In our last example, you spend a couple of chapters talking to your listeners, repeating the same themes over and over, and you pray for them. And in this particular excerpt, you remind your friends that even though you are leaving, you will be present in and through them as they come together as one. Earlier you’ve provided comforting words to them, such as, “I will not leave you orphaned” and you have given reminders of who you are and who they are. You’ve reminded them that their identity is found with God and with each other as they do what is commanded: to love God and love one another. It is in keeping this commandment that the community enables Jesus to remain close and to be at home in them. What else does Jesus say to help prepare his friends for his death and departure? Earlier in chapter 14, He promises to send someone, an advocate – someone who will continue to teach them and remind them of everything he has told them. Jesus told them over and over again that even though he is leaving, they will not be alone. Jesus was concerned about their fear, anxiety, and potential for fracture. He knows this will be a fearful and anxious time for them as he is put on trial, tortured, and sentenced to death. He knows that this will not be a peace-filled time. Jesus gives a different kind of peace though. It is not an absence of conflict, absence of trouble, kind of peace. It is a peace that says “all is well” even when the world is falling apart around you. It is a peace that does not deny conflict or oppression and yet somehow provides courage and comfort through it. It is a peace that rests in the calm assurance that there is nothing in life or in death that can ever separate us from the love of God found in Jesus. And it is a peace that is strengthened by community – by unity with each other. In chapter 17, Jesus prays that his followers can be as one, unified in their love for each other and in their love for others. That is the only way Jesus’ peace can be spread to others, through the unity of his followers. Notice that it does not say uniformity; they do not all have to be alike or the same . . . but unified in their love for each other and their love for the world; unified in their mission to bring Good News to the world. As Jesus’ disciples, some 2000 years later, when we read these words, we may not suddenly sit up and take notice. We know this is not the last word. We have the benefit of knowing that Jesus did die, was resurrected, and did, in fact, send the Spirit to be with them and with us. We celebrate Easter and Pentecost every week of our lives. We have the benefit of many stories and many witnesses. We have the benefit of a community of faith that seeks to love God and love each other. Even so, I do think we struggle with the peace and unity that Jesus gives. We, probably like the early disciples, feel peace has more to do with absence of difficulty, absence of conflict, absence of struggle, with the uniformity of believers. We think that when everything is going well, when we have enough money to pay our bills and save, when our family members are getting along together, when everything seems to be in harmony, when we all agree on issues – then we are at peace and can easily be one with one another. But life is rarely devoid of conflict, challenge, and trial. Illnesses are diagnosed; family members fight; churches lose membership and funds and can no longer afford to keep their doors open; the culture surrounds you with voices of hatred and violence; politicians are corrupt and children around the world starve. It goes on and on. And yet, Jesus’ voice reminds us, “my peace I give to you. Be one in mission and ministry.” It is not a peace that our culture teaches. It is a peace that reminds us who we are and to whom we belong. Our identity is in Jesus and he is at home in us as we love God and love each other. It is a peace that recognizes struggle, adversity, illness, conflict while at the same time claiming they are never the final words. Jesus’ peace is a peace that welcomes an impulsive disciple, claims that disciple as his own, teaches that disciple, praises that disciple, calls that disciple Satan, warns that disciple, hears that disciple deny him three times, forgives that disciple, and sends an advocate for that disciple. If you know Scripture, you know that disciple is named Peter. If you know Scripture, you know that disciple is also named Charles, Bill, Janie, Susan, Beverly, Sandy, and Rockledge Presbyterian Church. That disciple is you. God’s peace is one that is centered upon the unity we have with one another and with Jesus. So, sit up and take notice. It is Jesus’ farewell speech/prayer for you and me, and it’s important. AMEN.