September 12, 2015 - Church at Worship

Sermon: “One: A Prayer of Intimacy”  - by Randy Roberts

Pastoral Welcome: Miguel Mendez

Scripture Reading: John 17: 1–5, TNIV-Sharon Riesen

Children’s Feature: Shawna Campbell

Baptism: Kate Cruz by Randy Roberts, Kelton Graham Miller and Jonathan Miller by Miguel Mendez, and Justin and Kimberly Ragone by Siegfried Roeske

Sermon Notes: 

 We live in challenging times. Our country is polarized to a degree I have not seen in my lifetime. People are no longer willing to simply disagree—instead, they marginalize and demonize those with whom they differ. Strident voices dominate the conversation. Extreme agendas overshadow balanced dialogue. And the divide only seems to deepen with time.

What is particularly tragic about this is that I could remove the word country in the above paragraph and insert the word church and the paragraph would still be largely accurate. That reality ought to cause us significant concern—especially since the church grew out of that community of disciples to whom Jesus spoke when he said: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35, TNIV).

Jesus’ “closing prayer”—prayed the night before his crucifixion—offers us the kind of divine insight that, if heeded, could change the ecclesiastical landscape. His words reveal his heart—and his heart throbbed with the desire for his followers to be united.

I invite you to join Roy Ice and me for three Sabbaths as we study this most important of prayers. Our series is entitled, simply, One. Today, we begin with, A Prayer of Intimacy.

Randy Roberts

Senior Pastor