I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 

I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. (John 17:6-9) 

John 17:6-19

Yesterday, we reflected on the outline of Jesus' final prayer in John's Gospel. This week's reading focuses specifically on the second part of Jesus' prayer, where he prays for God's people in the world. 

Who are God's people? In this prayer, Jesus describes them as those who were given to him by God. Ultimately, they are God's people because God claimed them as God's beloved children. 

Before anyone decides what they believe and who they will be in this world, they are called God's beloved. This is our primary identity before we pick up any false identities from “the world.” Richard Rohr refers to these two identities as the true self and the false self (for more info, see True/False Self by Richard Rohr). 

In this prayer, Jesus identifies God's people as those who have accepted their true identity as God's beloved, who have accepted Jesus' words, and who live into their God-given call and purpose.  

God's people are the ones that the Father has given to Jesus and entrusted to his care; they have always belonged to God, and now that Jesus is departing, he is handing them back into God's safekeeping.

How great is it that God calls us beloved before we have done anything to deserve it? How can we learn to live into our true selves as God's beloved?
 

Reflections by Rev Joe Taylor

Loving God, 
Thank you for calling me your beloved child. I confess that, at times, I have found my identity in places other than my worth in your eyes. Help me to remember that I don't need to do anything to earn your love. 
Amen.

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