Scripture

John 17:6-19

“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.[a] 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them[b] in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself,[c] that they also may be sanctified[d] in truth.

Prayer

We can see ourselves through a glass dimly. The shadow of who we are appears to be more real. We gravitate toward the negative elements of our hearts when we in silence think about our lives. Or we see ourselves as innocent in the face of evil. We are pushed upon by forces that seek to do us harm. We are not broken but shattered by the actions of others. Or we see ourselves as glorious and lovely, we are the pinnacle of humanity. We are kind and thoughtful seeking the care of others above ourselves. Or we are thoughtless of ourselves. We have felt so invisible to those around us or overlooked that we believe that we are non-important. Our absence would go unrecognized. We have become non. Jesus, help us to see ourselves through your eyes. Help us to hear your prayer so that we can live in our truth identity. Amen

Meditation

Our house is filled with broken pieces of coloured glass. My wife is a glass artist. The glass rest in window sills and other places strategically placed for the sun to shine through the colour and paint the floors and walls with light. Broken pieces of glass that were salvaged in Indianapolis from our church. There had been a group of people repairing and replacing the stain glass in the building and when the project was completed the remains of glass were put in storage. Some years later as the storage was being cleared out for more important things to store or a classroom to fit in the storage room the glass was moving to the trash bin. My wife claimed it or saved it depending on your point of view. It came to our house and sat in our garage. Two large rubbermaid containers full of broken pieces of coloured glass. Trash or something that could create beauty. A few pieces made it into windows in Indy but when we moved to another house they were stored. As we began to pack for our around the world move, the move from one hemisphere to the other, I strongly suggested that the glass pieces did not need to make the move. Why would we put broken glass into a container that was being shipped. We have limited space and this does not need to be part of our stuff. I am happy to say that I was wrong. I was not happy when i loaded the majority of the glass up in boxes to travel but I am now. The glass paints colour across our walls each day reminding us of God’s beauty and the beauty of the community we have been a part of.

Broken pieces of glass. Jesus prays that He is glorified in us. That is hard to believe. Our view of ourselves can be deceptive. We can feel great about who we are, we can feel we are a lost cause, we can feel that we are most deserving or not deserving at all. We can feel used or an overcomer. Our perception of ourself can be defined internally and externally. The mirror tells us one thing and the mirror of society tells us another. But Jesus says that we glorify Him. No matter our view, His view is that in Him we bring Him glory. Broken pieces of glass that paint colour across the world. Worthy to be kept and worthy to be sent and worthy to be displayed. We bring Him glory.

Action

Take time to recognize, celebrate and practice the art of giving glory to Christ just they way you are. Just the way He has made you.