This week I am preaching on the last part of the High Priestly Prayer in John 17; the part in which Jesus prays for you and me. I am always amazed that on the night that He would be betrayed, beaten, and abandoned by those closest to Him, Jesus prayed for me. As Jesus closes His prayer for everyone throughout the ages who will come to know Him as Lord, He prays that we will walk in the unity of His love. As David said in Psalm 133:1 “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!” As I was reflecting this week on what a blessing it is to walk in unity with other believers, I was reminded of a very special occasion. Last fall when Marta and I visited Italy, we saw a lot of beautiful and historical sites. We saw paintings, sculptures, tapestries, and beautiful chapels which glorified the Lord. It was overwhelming in many ways.

And as beautiful as everything was, my favorite memory was a visit to Saint Mark’s Basilica in Venice. What made that experience the most memorable was not the golden décor and exquisite paintings. The most special moment in the whole trip for me was one I spent in front of a simple wooden table adorned with prayer candles. Although I don’t light candles when I pray, I stopped at that table to pray. Several others also stopped. People from different countries, people who spoke other languages, and people from backgrounds totally different than mine stood alongside of me, and we lifted up our petitions, supplications, and prayers to our Father in heaven. The presence of the Lord was heavy in that place. As we stood there and prayed our separate prayers, I experienced a unity of Spirit that was strong and right and good. I still get a lump in my throat and goose bumps on my arms just reminiscing about it. As I prepare for my sermon this week, I pray that the church will honor the prayer of Christ that we find in John chapter 17. I pray that we would preserve the unity of the Spirit as we walk in His love, in His truth, and in His grace.