Speaking of Glory

Well, if you have your Bible with you, you can open it up to the Gospel of John, chapter 17.

John 17 · chapter mention

We're still here on the night of Jesus' betrayal.

It's after the Last Supper.

Judas has gone out to enact his betrayal, and Jesus has been teaching and warning and comforting the disciples.

As I suggested in an earlier message, Jesus and his disciples have likely left that upper room where they had the meal,

and they have not yet crossed the Kidron Valley and entered the Garden of Gethsemane.

We don't know exactly where they are right now, but perhaps they found a vineyard along the way somewhere to stop at.

And immediately following all this teaching and warning and comfort that Jesus has been giving,

Jesus breaks into a prayer.

And it's quite a lengthy prayer.

You may have heard of these words of Jesus referred to as his high priestly prayer.

It makes up the entirety of chapter 17, after which Jesus and his disciples will enter the Garden of Gethsemane.

And we'll see the betrayal that happens there.

So let's come now to John 17, verses 1 to 5.

John 17:1–5

We'll read the first few verses together.

And we'll see what we can hear and understand from these words of Jesus.

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed,

Father, the hour has come.

Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.

For you granted him authority over all people, that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.

Now this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.

And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

These are very special words to have recorded for us in our Bibles.

It's as though the cover's being pulled back and we're getting a glimpse of something so rare.

Jesus, the Son of God, is now pouring out his heart to the Father.

And we've had glimpses of this special relationship between Jesus and his Father.

But this here's an entire chapter of us being able to hear and see

just how it is that Jesus relates with God, his Father.

We hear how he prays.

So this is very special.

I think of this chapter as almost just like a diamond mine within the Bible.

There's so much in here, so rich, so beautiful, the things that we see here.

Already after these first five verses, we have heard some strange things.

As we've seen all along, there's something wonderful and mysterious to this relationship

that Jesus has with his Father.

It's not like anything that we know.

And so we hear Jesus praying things that we would never pray to God.

We may never in this life get to the bottom of what these things mean

because they reflect a relationship that is truly beyond our comprehension.

And so we'll be content this morning just to understand something, anything,

about this mysterious and wonderful relationship between Jesus and his Father.

So you're going to hear me say a lot in this chapter and in some of the messages ahead here.

I'm not sure.

I don't know.

It seems.

We guess.

Because these are deep waters.

So let's begin with what Jesus says here in verse 1.

Jesus looks toward heaven and he prays,

Father, the hour has come.

Glorify your Son that your Son may glorify you.

So here it is at last.

The hour has come.

If we've been listening carefully throughout the Gospel of John,

there has been for Jesus this hour, this time that is getting closer and closer.

We heard something of this back in John chapter 7 verse 6

John 7:6

where Jesus said,

My time is not yet here.

And back then, the Festival of Tabernacles was about to happen in Jerusalem

and Jesus' brothers were urging him to go down to Judea

and do a miracle tour leading up to the festival.

They wanted him to go more public,

to stop doing things so much in secret,

to show himself to the world.

And then Jesus, of course, he didn't follow their advice,

but he did end up going down to the festival in Jerusalem.

And while he was there teaching in the temple court,

something he said made some of the Jews there angry with him.

And we read this.

They tried to seize Jesus.

This in John 7 verse 30.

John 7:30

But no one laid a hand on him.

Why?

Because his hour had not yet come.

So way back in chapter 7,

we've had this sense that an hour is coming for Jesus

when he will be seized.

When they will get their hands on him.

And then, as the story continued on,

Jesus made his last trip to Jerusalem.

In John chapter 12,

John 12 · chapter mention

just after he made his triumphal entry,

you'll recall that there were some Greeks who wanted to see Jesus.

And Jesus, in response to them wanting to see him,

made this curious statement on hearing the news.

He said,

The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

Very truly, I tell you,

unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies,

it remains only a single seed.

But if it dies,

it produces many seeds.

So this hour,

Jesus talks about it as the hour when he will be glorified,

and also hints at it as the hour of his death.

Or at least that's a part of what this hour includes.

So this hour has been looming.

It's been getting closer.

It's the hour in which Jesus will show himself most fully to the world.

It's the hour in which he will be seized and arrested by his opponents.

It's the hour in which he will die.

And in Jesus' words,

it's the hour in which he will be glorified.

Jesus says,

That hour is here.

The time is now.

Right after this prayer,

he will lead his disciples into the Garden of Gethsemane.

And it's there that Jesus' opponents will finally get their hands on him.

And all of it will begin.

But notice what comes to mind for Jesus

as he thinks about his imminent arrest and suffering.

We might expect Jesus to pray something different.

Perhaps the hour has come.

Father, help me endure this suffering.

But no.

He prays instead,

Glorify your Son.

That your Son may glorify you.

Already Jesus is saying something that sounds pretty strange to us.

What is this hour all about?

It's about glory.

It's about glory coming to Jesus.

It's about glory coming to the Father.

And it's not coincidence that this will happen.

This is personal.

This is intentional.

Where does Jesus get this glory from?

He asks for it from the Father.

It's the Father who will glorify the Son.

Where will the Father receive glory in this hour?

Jesus says he will bring it to the Father.

They will in this hour glorify one another.

Now we have to stop and talk about this word glorify

because it's kind of a weird word for us.

It's a biblical term

and it's not one that we just use ordinarily in our language today.

What does it mean?

To glorify means to exalt.

It means to lift up.

It means to honor.

It means to praise.

It means to draw people's attention to something that is worthy.

To put the spotlight on someone or something.

And so Jesus asks his Father to do that for him.

To exalt him.

To magnify his name.

His worth.

To bring attention and praise and honor to him.

It's worth looking back here

and remembering what Jesus said earlier

in John chapter 8 verse 54.

John 8:54

Earlier Jesus said,

If I glorify myself,

my glory means nothing.

My Father, whom you claim as your God,

is the one who glorifies me.

So Jesus has not been seeking glory from people.

He's not been living just to draw the attention and praise of the crowds.

Rather, his attitude, his prayer,

all through this has been this.

Father, glorify your name.

He's been seeking for his Father's glory.

The glory of his name.

He's been living so as to make much of his Father.

To get others' attention on to the Father.

To get others to repent and turn back to the Father.

All the teachings.

It's been,

What is the Father like?

Talking about his grace and his love and his compassion.

His generosity.

His eagerness to answer prayer.

All through Jesus' ministry,

he's been seeking praise and honor and glory

for his Father's name.

Yet Jesus, the Son,

is worthy of praise and honor and glory as well.

We heard this back in John chapter 5 verse 22.

John 5:22

There Jesus said,

The Father has entrusted all judgment to the Son

that all may honor the Son

just as they honor the Father.

So God the Father desires all to honor his Son,

to worship his Son,

to give glory to his Son

just as they worship and honor and praise and give glory to him.

And the Son is worthy of this,

but he doesn't seek it from human beings.

He seeks the glory that he is due from God,

only from God.

And that's what we hear Jesus praying here.

Glorify your Son.

Basically,

Father,

bring glory to my name.

This is a prayer that is only fitting for Jesus to pray

because of who he is.

Bring glory to me,

says Jesus.

But notice what follows.

So that I may bring glory to you.

There's a mysterious relationship here.

In the same breath as Jesus asks for glory,

he prays for it with a reason.

So that I may glorify you.

How can I say this?

At the root,

at the base of Jesus' desire for his own glory,

at the bottom of this request,

it's not self-seeking.

It's this desire

to bring glory

to his Father's name,

to highlight the worthiness of the Father.

There's a mysterious relationship here

between Father and Son.

Again, we see it.

There's a flow of love

from one to the other.

There's also this desire to exalt,

to lift up,

to magnify

one to the other.

We barely understand what's going on here

between Jesus and the Father.

And already,

Jesus is moving on

to say something else.

Verse 2.

Glorify your Son

that your Son may glorify you.

For you granted him authority

over all people

that he might give eternal life

to all those you have given him.

Have you ever found yourself

just listening in

on someone else's conversation

and feeling like

they know a lot

about what they're talking about,

but you have no idea

what they're talking about?

That's kind of how I feel

when I first hear these words.

It's like I'm on the outside here.

There is this concern,

this plan,

this purpose

that Father and Son know about,

that they're talking to each other about.

And what is it?

It seems like Jesus

just brings it up again,

like this is an ongoing conversation

they've been having.

And somehow,

this statement's all related

to Jesus' request.

glorify your Son

that your Son may glorify you

for just as you gave to him authority.

And Jesus goes on

and says the whole thing.

How does this all fit together?

I'll be honest.

I don't know the connection here.

I don't understand the relationship here

between these two statements.

I could probably meditate on this

for a good long while,

years maybe.

Maybe after reading through my Bible

another three, four, five times,

some of it will come clearer.

But what can we understand here

in verse two?

Well, Jesus does make a statement.

He says to his Father,

you granted,

or literally you gave

him, the Son,

authority over all people

that he might give eternal life

to all those

you have given him.

We'll just stop there

with that first piece.

You granted,

you gave the Son authority

over all people,

literally over all flesh.

Why?

For a specific reason.

So that he, the Son,

might give eternal life

to them.

We'll talk about who them is

in a moment.

The purpose of the authority

that has been given to Jesus

is for him to use it

to give eternal life

to people.

And again,

we're kind of

swimming up to here,

aren't we?

We might have assumed,

well, Jesus is God.

He's the Word

who was with God

and was God

in the beginning,

before anything

has been made.

There he was.

We might assume that Jesus

always had authority

over all flesh.

Look back at what it says

in John 1, verse 3.

John 1:3

It says,

Through him,

the Word,

that's the one that became flesh,

it's Jesus,

through him,

all things were made.

Without him,

nothing was made

that has been made.

And so we might assume

that since Jesus

had his hand

in making everything

that was made,

including all flesh,

all people,

we might assume

that he has always

had authority

over all flesh,

over all people.

But now,

Jesus is telling us

that the authority

he now has

over all people

has been given to him

by his Father.

What happened?

Did he lose it

when he took on human flesh

and became one of us?

Or is it only

with regard to his humanity

that he must be granted,

given this authority,

since no human being

has ever had that authority?

If you're new

or visiting with us

this morning,

don't worry.

Not every sermon

is like this.

And if this sounds

rather confusing,

it's confusing

even for some of us

who have been Christians

for decades.

I'm going to bet

that the disciples

listening to this prayer

were wondering,

what are you talking

about, Jesus?

But we're pressing in

to understand

what we can

of the depths

of who Jesus is

and of this relationship

between Jesus

and his Father.

These two persons

who together

with the Spirit

make up one God.

It is mysterious.

It is confusing.

But let's not just

throw in the towel

and wait for heaven.

Let's learn everything

that we can about God

through the words

that Jesus has given us here.

This idea

that authority

is given to the Son

shows up in more places

than just this.

We heard about it

back in John 5,

John 5:25

verse 25.

Jesus said,

at that time,

very truly I tell you,

a time is coming

and has now come

when the dead

will hear the voice

of the Son of God

and those who hear

will live.

For as the Father

has life in himself,

so he has granted

the Son also

to have life

in himself.

And he has given him

authority

to judge

because he is

the Son of Man.

These words of Jesus

in John 5

blow my mind

every time I read them.

I scratch my head

over them.

Jesus just said

that it has been

granted to him.

It was given to him

to have life

in himself.

There's a mysterious

transaction going on here

between Father and Son.

And again,

we all just kind of assume,

don't we,

that Jesus,

because he's God,

he already has

life in himself.

That's what John

John 1:4

chapter 1 verse 4 says.

It says,

in him was life.

But somehow,

in some mysterious way,

it is granted

to the Son

to have life

in himself

before he then

turns to speak,

granting life

to the dead

who will hear

his voice.

And again here

in verse 27,

Jesus says

that the Father

has given him

authority

authority to judge.

Didn't he already

have that authority?

Well, apparently,

it seems that

in some sense,

he did not.

We hear this

in the Great Commission.

A verse we're all

familiar with.

Matthew 28,

Matthew 28:18

verse 18.

All authority

in heaven and on earth

has been given to me,

said Jesus.

Therefore,

go and make disciples.

Here again,

we see that Jesus

has all authority

in heaven and on earth,

but we notice

his words.

It was given

to him

by his Father.

So at some point,

if we're honest

with the words of Jesus,

we have to acknowledge

that there's some

sense

or some time

in which he did not

have

all authority

in heaven and on earth.

It was given.

There was some time

or some sense

in which he did not

have the authority

to judge.

There was some time

or some sense

in which he did not

have the authority

to give eternal life

to people.

That's what Jesus

is implying here

in this prayer

in John 17.

How could this be

that this Jesus,

who is God,

had to be given

authority

in order to give

eternal life?

Well, this is my best guess

as to how and why.

Let me say it

right up front,

clearly.

Jesus is no less divine

than we have believed.

He is truly

and fully God.

And at the same time,

Jesus is perhaps

much more human

than we imagined.

When it comes

to Jesus' humanness,

that part of him

had a beginning.

I'll say that again.

I'll give you some time

to run it through

the heresy checker.

The human part

of Jesus

had a beginning.

There was a time

when the word

had not yet

become flesh.

But something

awesome

and wonderful

happened

in that moment

when Jesus

was conceived

in his mother's womb

by the power

of God's Holy Spirit.

An eternal being

was mingled

with a new

human life.

So deeply,

so mysteriously

united

that we can barely

come to grips

with just who it is

staring back at us.

God,

yes.

And at the same time,

a new man,

a new human being,

and not an old one.

A new human being

was Jesus,

and with regard

to his humanity,

he had no special authority.

He wasn't born

into special privilege

or authority

of any kind.

With regard

to his humanity,

he had not life

in himself.

With regard

to his humanity,

he had no authority

to judge the world

or to call the dead

out of their graves,

giving them

eternal life.

And so this authority

had to be given

to Jesus

by his Father.

Now we might wonder

at what point

in the story

does Jesus receive it?

I don't know.

Seems for sure

that he had it

at the Great Commission.

even here,

he speaks of it

in the past tense.

You granted him

past tense,

authority.

Even in John chapter 5,

John 5 · chapter mention

it's in the past tense.

It seems he had it then.

We could speculate.

Was it at his baptism?

Was it at his birth?

Was it at conception?

We don't know.

Whenever it was,

Jesus knows

that at some point

or in some sense,

he received authority

from God

to do that

which according

to his human nature

he could not

otherwise do.

He received authority

from the Father

to give eternal life

to people.

How insane

this must sound

to an unbelieving world.

Here's a man

who prays

to an unseen God

in heaven

and acknowledges

in his prayer

that God

has given him

authority

over all flesh

to give eternal life

to people.

This is why people

have come to surmise

that Jesus

was either a liar

or a lunatic

or the Lord

that he claimed to be.

This is a wild

and lofty claim.

And amazingly,

Jesus doesn't even seem

to care about

who's listening.

It's as if he's

simply talking

with God the Father

the way he always does.

He seems to have

this absolute confidence

in just who he is

and this amazing

understanding

of the kind of authority

that he possesses

and where

and whom

he got it from.

He's claiming

to have authority

from God

to give eternal life

to people.

Think about that.

He's claiming

to be able

to give

life that lasts forever

to people

who ordinarily die.

Do you hear this?

But then

who are these people

that Jesus

gives eternal life to?

Let's finish off

the verse here.

Jesus says,

You granted him

authority over all people

that he might give

eternal life

to all those

you have given him.

That's interesting.

There's another dimension

to all this.

Another way

in which the Father

and the Son

are relating

to each other

in all this.

Jesus says,

It's the Father

who is giving people

to his Son.

Even though it's all flesh,

all people

that Jesus

has authority over,

it's for the purpose

of giving eternal life

to those

that the Father

has given

to him

that he has

this authority.

imagine for a moment

that you're one

of the disciples

just sitting there

listening to this

prayer of Jesus.

And now Jesus

is referring to you

as someone

who has been

given

to Jesus

by the Father.

I've said this before

in this series.

There's just something

much bigger,

much greater

going on here

than just some guys

that just all of a sudden

figured it out

for themselves

and discovered,

Oh, look,

this is the Messiah.

Here he is.

Actually,

according to Jesus,

there's an eternal God

who is both

Father and Son.

The Son is walking

around here

in human flesh

as one of us

and Jesus says

that these guys,

these followers

of his

are the gift

of his Father

to him.

It's like there's

a higher level story

going on here

and we're not

the main actors.

We're the present

being given

from one main actor

to the other.

And Jesus has said

things like this before.

John chapter 6,

John 6:37

verse 37,

All those

the Father gives me

will come to me.

Again,

in verse 39

of the same chapter,

And this is the will

of him who sent me

that I shall lose

none of all those

he has given me,

but raised them up

at the last day.

This is the higher reality.

We hear about Jesus,

we repent,

we believe in him,

but above all that

and beneath all that,

God is at work

to give people

to his Son.

And Jesus knows that.

That's what's in his mind

as these men

are right here with him

listening to his prayer.

Father,

Father,

you have given them

to me.

And I have authority

to give them

eternal life.

Let's move on

to verse 3.

This is one of my

favorite sayings

of Jesus

in the whole Bible.

Jesus says,

Now this is

eternal life,

that they know

you,

the only true God,

and Jesus Christ,

whom you have sent.

Another strange,

full,

wonderful saying

of Jesus.

It's as though

Jesus here

defines eternal life.

He has authority

to give eternal life

to all those

who have been given

to him,

but now it's like

he steps aside

for a moment

and says,

and this is what

it's all about,

this eternal life.

It's about them

knowing you,

the only true God.

It's about them

knowing me,

Jesus Christ.

It's about this

everlasting relationship

between them

and you

and them

and me.

Verse 4.

Jesus prays,

I have brought you

glory on earth

by finishing the work

you gave me to do.

This verse is loaded too.

I could preach a whole message

just on this one statement,

but I won't do it.

It's the son's desire,

as we saw in verse 2,

to bring glory

to the father

so that I might glorify you,

said Jesus.

That's what Jesus wants to do.

He wants to magnify

the worth

of his father,

to put the spotlight

on his glory.

And Jesus says,

I have been doing that

right up until now.

How?

By finishing the work

you have given me to do.

This has been the aim

of Jesus

all along

in everything he does,

in all the teaching,

in all the discipling,

in all the miracles.

But now Jesus

is so aware

that the pinnacle

of his work

is about to be accomplished.

The work that he must do

to save

those who have been

given to him.

This is the difficult work

of going to the cross

and dying for them.

It's as though

Jesus is saying,

I've finished

all the work

that you've given me

to do

up till this point,

bringing glory

to your name,

Father.

But now what is before me

is that final stretch,

this hour

in which I must suffer

and die

for the sins

of the world.

Let these words

be firmly fixed

in your mind

it's no coincidence

that this is

the gospel account

in which we hear

Jesus say

from the cross,

it is finished.

Mission accomplished.

It is finished

is not just

the cry of a man

who has suffered

a long while

to save sinners.

It's the cry of a man

who has been at work

for decades

to bring glory

to his Father

for years

up until this point

here

and finally

culminating

at the cross.

Verse 5.

Last one.

Jesus says,

And now, Father,

glorify me

in your presence

with the glory

I had with you

before the world

began.

I could preach

three sermons

on this verse.

I love this verse.

Jesus asked

the Father

to give him

the glory

that he had

with the Father

before the world

began.

Like,

do you hear this?

Who prays like this?

Who says things

like this?

This verse

highlights both

the humanity

and the deity

of Jesus.

Jesus.

Jesus has awareness

of being

with the Father

before the world

was.

He knows

about the glory

that he had

with the Father

before the world

existed.

This reveals

Jesus'

divine nature

that he is

truly God.

While his humanity

had a beginning,

his divinity,

his godness

did not.

He longs

out of that

divine nature

with those

eternal memories

to be lifted

up to the

glorious kind

of existence

that he enjoyed

with the Father

before the world

even began

because Jesus

is God.

Only God

could speak

this way.

humanity.

But now

this verse,

these words

of Jesus

also highlight

his humanity.

This is perhaps

one of the verses

we point to

most often

as we try

to understand

this mystery

that the word

became flesh

and lived

among us.

We wonder

what happened

when Jesus,

though he was

in very nature,

very form God,

what happened

when he emptied

himself or

made himself

nothing

by taking

the form

of a servant

and becoming

one of us,

a human being.

What changed

for him

when he came

down from

heaven to earth?

These words

of Jesus

give us

something of

an answer.

He lost

something

of his glory.

Not all of it.

As we see

in John 2,

John 2:11

verse 11,

after he did

his first miracle,

the disciples

said that it

was one of the

signs through

which he revealed

his glory.

So he still

possessed

some of his

glory,

but it's as

though much

of his glory

was veiled.

It was hidden

by his

humanity.

Some would

say that he

laid aside

his glory

when he

became a man.

And yet even

here it's

difficult to

describe,

well what

exactly did

he lay

aside?

We could

speak of

position

and privilege

for sure.

We could

probably speak

of authority

as well as

we've just

heard since

Jesus acknowledged

he had to

be given

authority

from the

Father.

Again,

this is

mysterious.

This is

beyond what

we can

fathom.

But here's

Jesus who

knew glory,

who had

the glory

with the

Father in

his presence.

Here he is

now praying

to have it

back again,

longing for

it.

This is how

far down

Jesus has

come to

rescue us.

he has

stooped

down to

becoming

one of

his

creatures.

He

exchanged

the

heights

of

heaven

for the

lowly

dusty

streets

of

Israel.

And we

could go

on.

I love

this verse

but let's

draw this

to a

close.

Four

truths that

come out of

Jesus'

prayer,

these five

verses.

What do we

learn about

God from

this prayer?

Well,

first we

see that

Jesus desires

to glorify

his Father

by finishing

the work

that God

gave him

to do.

Next,

we see that

Jesus desires

to be

restored to

the glory

he had

with his

Father

before the

world began.

And both

of these,

in both of

these,

and through

both of

these,

we see

that Jesus

is truly

God and

that Jesus

is truly

human,

truly one

of us.

So let's

just draw

some quick

lines of

application

here.

If you're

not a

believer in

Jesus today,

do you hear

what Jesus

is saying?

He has

authority

to give

eternal

life to

people.

We all

know that

death is

coming for

each one

of us

at some

point.

Yet here's

the one

who claims

to be able

to undo

that,

to help

you beat

that and

live forever,

to raise

you up at

the last

day.

And this

is, he

says, is a

free gift.

It's a gift

of God's

grace for

all who

believe in

him.

Have you

put your

faith, have

you put your

trust in

Jesus?

For the

rest of

us, those

who already

believe, I

want to take

us down a

different line.

If Jesus

desires to

glorify his

father so

deeply and

has lived to

do so, so

fully, what

should we do?

If the

father's

desire is to

glorify his

son and

works to

do that, to

put the

spotlight on

him, what

should we

do?

How should

we live?

Let me put

it this way,

what's the

purpose of

life?

The

Westminster

Shorter

Catechism

says it

this way,

the chief

end of

man, the

highest purpose

of man is

to glorify

God and

to enjoy

him forever.

Jesus

isn't just

setting us

an example

here of

how we

should pray

on Sunday

mornings.

He's setting

us an

example here

of how we

should live

our entire

lives from

start to

finish.

What our

aim should

be.

Our worship

should be more

than just four

or five songs

that we sing

on Sunday

morning.

It should

be the

offering of

our entire

lives to

this great

and glorious

God and

his son,

Jesus Christ.

And so if

you're a believer,

I want to

encourage you to

ask yourself

this question.

Is that the

main focus of

my life?

To bring

glory to

this God

and to

his son,

Jesus?

To know

him.

Is that my

main priority?

the thing

for which

all other

things in

life must

make way

and submit

to.

Have I got

my priorities

straight?

The good

news of the

gospel is

that Jesus

had his

priorities

straight.

And he

was willing

to lay

down his

life in

order to

finish the

work that

God gave

him to

do.

He glorified

the Father

completely

with his

whole earthly

life and

in so doing

he saved

the rest

of us who

have failed

to do

so.

And amazingly

Jesus offers

us this

gift, this

eternal life

as a gift

freely of

God's grace.

And so let's

not shrink

back.

Let's offer

ourselves

completely to

him.

To bring

glory to

him.

Let's live

as Paul

says, as

living sacrifices

holy and

pleasing to

God.

God

for this

is our

true and

proper

worship.

Let's

pray.

Father in

heaven, thank

you so much

that you

have given

us a

glimpse of

that sweet

relationship you

have with

your son.

And I

pray that it

would change

us.

I pray that

it would

transform our

hearts.

That we

would realize

that this

story that

we're caught

up into is

so much

bigger than

just some

of the

things that

we often

get distracted

with in

our lives.

Speak to

our hearts

again about

eternity,

about your

glory.

Reveal

yourself to

us and

lead us, we

pray, in

bringing glory

to your name.

Thank you for

Jesus.

Amen.