There are a lot of examples of unity in this world:

everything from "The Three Musketeers" movies to more sports

analogies than I could probably count. Worldly unity, though, is

fleeting and typically self-centered. That team that was united to

win the Super Bowl is now fragmented as many go into free agency to

move on and make more money. Their unity was about them and, true,

it was about a common goal. But, once they hit the goal, the unity

went away. In our lives, as Christians, our unity and purpose with

Christ is never-ending. Our unity and purpose with each other as

Christian brothers and sisters is also never-ending. We don't go on

one missions trip, claim success, and start looking for a new

church to attend because we are then more complete Christians. Last

week, Pastor Dave spoke about living a life that glorifies God in

the first section of John 17. This week, we will be looking at the

rest of the chapter and discussing biblical, God-centered unity. In

the next verses, we see some amazing themes about our union to

Christ and our mission in this world. At the end, though, the rest

of the passage ties us back to the very thing about which Pastor

Dave spoke - bringing glory to God in all aspects of our life.

Sincerely in Christ, Nick