Psalm 37:19-42
Hab. 3:1-18
Phil. 3:12-21
John 17:1-8

Unlike what most of us were taught as the Lord's Prayer ("Our Father which art in heaven") is the true Lord's Prayer in John 17. This "holiest of prayers" teaches us the values of simplicity and directness, not to mention brevity, in our own prayers to God. The prayer makes clear the meaning of eternal life and it is not a mystical vision of a heavenly Kingdom full of blue clouds with virgins galloping about in herbaceous borders. It is a call to come to know God and Jesus personally. To do that, as in any personal human relationship, one must work at it. This is what an enriched life means. It is all part of a long searching process that never ends and is in constant need of communion with God and with human beings, animals, natural forces and anything else on this earth one feels capable of having a spiritual and loving relationship with.

All of this is to glorify God and to understand the character of God. Not easy tasks. But the passages allow one the comfort of knowing God is more than aware of evil forces at work and will, in the end, protect the man and woman of peace and modesty and grace. This prayer of Jesus represents the icon of Christianity: we came from God and we eventually go to God. What is in between? Ah, there's the rub!