Wyndham Hobsons Bay Lutheran Church Service 17/05/2026

Devotional

Day 1: The High Priest’s First Petition

Jesus lifted His eyes to heaven as soldiers prepared to lift Him onto the cross. “Father, the hour has come,” He prayed, embracing the shame that would become His glory. He spoke of finished work—not a halted mission, but a completed rescue. The cross wasn’t a tragedy; it was His chosen throne. [28:50]

This prayer reveals Jesus’ authority even in surrender. He didn’t beg the Father for deliverance. He claimed victory through sacrifice, turning execution into exaltation. His “hour” became our eternal dawn.

When your own “hour” feels heavy—a diagnosis, a betrayal, a silent God—remember Jesus’ prayer wasn’t passive. He walked toward the pain to redeem it. Where is your struggle echoing His “It is finished”?

“After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: ‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.’”
(John 17:1, NIV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for choosing the cross. Ask Him to show His glory in one hard situation you face.

Challenge: Write “It is finished” on a sticky note. Place it where you’ll see it hourly today.

Day 2: Eleven Sticks Unbroken

The disciples huddled in an upper room—fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot. They’d fled, denied, doubted. Yet Jesus prayed for these fractured men as His unified church. Like bundled sticks, their shared purpose made them unbreakable. [20:28]

Unity isn’t uniformity. Peter’s impulsiveness and Thomas’ skepticism didn’t vanish. But their shared mission—“Go make disciples”—bound them. The Spirit welded their weaknesses into strength.

You’ll disagree with fellow believers. You’ll want to withdraw. But what if today’s annoyance is tomorrow’s ally in prayer? Who have you labeled “too different” to stand beside?

“They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”
(Acts 1:14, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one judgmental thought about a fellow Christian. Ask for love to see Christ in them.

Challenge: Text a church member you rarely talk to: “How can I pray for you today?”

Day 3: Knowing the Only True God

Eternal life isn’t a duration but a Person. “This is eternal life: that they know you,” Jesus prayed. Not know about like a fact, but know as a wife knows her husband’s heartbeat. [30:27]

John Newton’s dying words distilled this knowledge: “I am a great sinner; Christ is a great Savior.” To know God is to stand in this tension—fully exposed, fully loved.

You’ll never outgrow your need for this truth. When success inflates your ego or failure crushes your worth, come back here. What old sin still whispers you’re beyond redemption?

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
(John 17:3, NIV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to make His nearness as real to you as your own breath for 60 seconds.

Challenge: Tell one person today: “Christ’s grace still amazes me because…”

Day 4: Protected By the Name

Jesus prayed protection over eleven ordinary men—not from hardship, but from disintegration. Not a shield from storms, but an anchor in them. He entrusted them with His name, His mission, His ongoing prayer. [32:03]

You bear that same name in baptism. When you feel unqualified, remember: the disciples fell asleep mid-prayer and fled mid-crisis. Yet their legacy spans continents. Your faithfulness matters more than your flair.

What task have you avoided because you feel inadequate? The disciples changed history not by competence but by showing up. Where is Christ asking you to simply stand firm?

“Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.”
(John 17:11, NIV)

Prayer: Name one fear aloud. Say: “Christ’s name is stronger than this.”

Challenge: Do one thing you’ve avoided out of self-doubt, praying “I go in Your name” first.

Day 5: The Glue of Divine Love

The church’s unity isn’t forced harmony but shared hunger. Like sticks bound for a fire, we’re gathered not to admire each other but to feed Christ’s flame. Jesus’ prayer still fuels this fire: “May they be one as we are one.” [35:33]

Paul called love “the bond of perfection.” Not a sappy emotion, but the nails-and-wood commitment that holds God’s family together. When disunity tempts you, ask: Does this fracture Christ’s body or fortify it?

Your annoyance at a fellow believer is normal. Your choice to love them is supernatural. Who needs your stubborn love today—not warm feelings, but concrete kindness?

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
(Ephesians 4:3, NIV)

Prayer: Ask God to reveal one practical way to strengthen your church’s unity this week.

Challenge: Do one unasked act of service for a church member you find difficult.

Sermon Summary

We gather around John 17 and the psalm to hold fast to the truth that Jesus prays for us. We read that the hour has come and that Jesus asks the Father to glorify him so that we might know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he sent. We affirm that eternal life means knowing God in heart and action, not merely holding facts. We claim that the cross and resurrection carry glory because Jesus willingly completed the work the Father gave him, and that glory drives our mission to make the Father known to all nations.

We see Jesus pray specifically for those given to him, asking the Father to protect them in the name shared by Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We accept that ordinary, flawed people become carriers of the gospel by baptism and by the name that sends and sustains them. We recognize the high cost of discipleship, the reality of suffering, and the need for constant intercession so that we remain faithful in danger and doubt.

We learn the concrete shape of unity: unity in faith and love around the font, the altar, and the pulpit. We insist that unity does not mean uniformity of opinion but means mutual devotion to the one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. We hold that love functions as the vital glue that binds diverse people into one body, enabling witness across cultures. We commit to maintain the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace and to support the ministries God gives for building the body up until we reach full knowledge of the Son.

We practice our unity in word and sacrament. We gather as a people who break bread and drink the cup given for the forgiveness of sins, who lift our wounded hands in worship and in service, and who send one another into the world with courage. We remember that Christ protects and sends us by name, and we carry the prayer that he prayed as a sustaining promise: that we may remain one in faith and love until the day we rise to behold his glory fully.

Key Takeaways

1. Eternal life is knowing God To know God means to hold an intimate faith that acknowledges both our sin and Christ as Savior. This knowledge shapes how we live now and grounds our hope of resurrection. We must measure theology by the depth of our relationship with God, not by intellectual assent alone. [29:29]
2. We are strengthened together Gathering as the body converts vulnerability into resilience; unity turns many weak parts into one strong whole. Regular fellowship, mutual aid, and shared worship form practical defenses against temptation and isolation. We commit to meet, bear one another, and resist the devil through common life. [20:28]
3. Love binds the church together True unity rests on sacrificial love that prioritizes the common confession of Christ over petty differences. When love governs judgment and practice, the church preserves its witness across cultures and generations. We must choose love as an ongoing discipline, not a feeling that comes and goes. [35:18]
4. Christ protects and sends us The same name we receive in baptism secures us and authorizes our mission. Vulnerability does not disqualify us from being sent; dependence upon Christ empowers witness amid weakness. We go into the world sustained by the prayer that protects the disciples. [32:03]
5. Worship sustains our missionary courage Lifting wounded hands in worship renews our resolve to tell others of Christ despite suffering. Regular sacramental life replenishes faith and readies us for costly obedience in the world. Worship and mission form a single, sustaining rhythm for the church. [37:20]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[07:35] - Opening Prayer for Unity
[08:05] - Bible Readings Announced
[10:21] - Psalm of Praise
[14:57] - Gospel Reading John 17
[17:52] - Children Gather Illustration
[18:07] - Sticks Demonstration on Unity
[20:28] - Why Gathering Matters
[27:16] - Jesus Prays for Glory
[32:03] - Prayer for Disciples Protection
[34:20] - Unity of Faith and Love
[50:05] - Institution of the Lord's Supper
[66:59] - Communion Blessing and Sending

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
John 17:1-11 (ESV)
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.”

Observation Questions

In John 17:1-5, Jesus prays, “Glorify your Son.” What specific work had Jesus completed to bring glory to the Father?
How does Jesus define “eternal life” in verse 3, and how does this differ from simply knowing facts about God?
What does Jesus ask the Father to do for his disciples in verse 11, and why is this request significant?
The sermon used an illustration of sticks being unbreakable when bound together but easily broken alone. What does this teach about the church’s unity? [20:28]

Interpretation Questions

Why does Jesus emphasize that he is praying specifically for his disciples (v. 9) and not “the world”? How does this shape the church’s understanding of its mission?
Jesus says, “They have kept your word” (v. 6). How does this statement relate to the disciples’ later failures (e.g., fleeing at Jesus’ arrest) and our own struggles with faithfulness? [32:42]
The sermon states, “Unity does not mean uniformity of opinion but mutual devotion to the one Lord.” How does this distinction guard against false or shallow unity in the church? [34:20]
How does the cross, which seems like a symbol of weakness, become Jesus’ “glory” (v. 1, 5)? What does this reveal about God’s definition of power?

Application Questions

Eternal life is knowing God intimately, not just intellectually. What habits or practices help you grow in knowing God rather than merely knowing about Him? How could you deepen this relationship?
The sermon says, “Gathering as the body converts vulnerability into resilience.” When have you experienced strength through Christian community during a time of personal weakness? What step could you take to prioritize fellowship this week? [20:28]
“Love binds the church together” even amid differences. Is there a disagreement or tension in your life (family, church, workplace) where you need to prioritize love over being “right”? How might you act on this? [35:18]
Jesus prays for protection for his disciples as they are “sent” into the world. Where do you feel most vulnerable in living out your faith? How can you lean on Christ’s promise of protection in that area? [32:03]
The sermon connects worship and mission as a “sustaining rhythm.” How could your worship habits (e.g., prayer, sacraments, Scripture) better fuel your courage to share Christ with others? [37:20]

Sermon Clips

Love is the strongest glue of all, and we need this love, firstly from God and firstly for one another to keep us glued together as a church. Without it, we are nothing more than a noisy gong and a clanging cymbal, Paul says. But when we love totally, we will do everything that we can to keep that unity that we share in Jesus Christ. This is the glue that unifies people from other lands and cultures, which we see here this morning, and it's always wonderful for me to stand here and to see all the different people here and say, what is it that we have in common? We have the love of Christ that binds us together. What a joy that is. There may be so many other things that are different, but we have that, and that is enough. [00:35:18] (60 seconds) #ChristLoveUnites

And yet knowing all of this, he still prays, father, glorify me. And thank God he does because Jesus' glory is our salvation. Notice that the cross wasn't something that was done to Jesus. He prays to the father, I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. Jesus is no victim of a despotic father who punishes him against his will. The cross is his glory because he willingly laid down his life for the world. That's what that it is finished is all about, that he cried out from the cross. He came to complete the work that he that he was given to do by his father. [00:28:17] (53 seconds) #ItIsFinished

Now to know the father is not simply to know about him. It's not just to have a few facts and figures at your fingertips to say, yes, this is what God is like. To know God is to have an intimate faith and love of God. John Newton, the famous author of the song or the hymn Amazing Grace, was originally a slave trader, and he was astounded by the grace of God that saved a wretch like him. And towards the end of his life, he had what we might call today a type of dementia. But he said, although my memory is failing, I can remember two things very clearly, that I am a great sinner, and Christ is the great savior. [00:29:34] (52 seconds) #GreatSinnerGreatSavior

These were ordinary men, just like you and me. And yet Jesus sent them into the world to preach his gospel, to deliver the gifts of his death and resurrection, and make disciples of all nations, protected only by the name, by Christ's name, and by this prayer that he prayed. And so it is with all of us who are baptized into the name of God. We too have received that holy name, father, son, and holy spirit. As such, we too are sent out into the world with that same gospel and protected by that same prayer. Doesn't seem enough, does it? But obviously, it is. This is what Christ has given us. [00:33:19] (50 seconds) #BaptizedAndSent

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Wyndham Hobsons Bay Lutheran Church Service 17/05/2026 - 7th Sunday of Easter