A few weekends ago, I had the joy of conducting my son's marriage to his lovely new wife. At one point during the service, I glimpsed at the other end of the church building in which we were gathered to one of my favourite works of art, the Trinity icon of Michael Rublev. It was as though God was saying, 'I am here with you all, I am present in this moment of bringing these lovers together in My own love.' 
The icon has a strange perspective from the viewpoint of the observer. Instead of converging to a vanishing point, the line of vision opens out into infinity, speaking of the unending nature of God's being. Yet it also has the effect of bringing the viewer of the painting into the picture, of including us in the intimate scene depicted from the Genesis 18 story of the three angels visiting Abraham, where God and man share at table.
John captures that same vision here through the words of Jesus in the last part of chapter 17 of his gospel, in His yearning for unity, in His longing for His people to experience the same oneness of heart which He experiences with His Father, and, by implication, with the Spirit who unites them.
Jesus' prayer is fully inclusive - He is thinking not only of the close network of His disciples around Him, but of all those who would place their trust in Him as a result of their carrying the good news across the Empire and beyond. Jesus' heart encompasses the whole of His church.
In my personal prayer space, I am very aware that I am not praying my own prayers, but that I am continually sharing in this ongoing intercession of Jesus for His church, joining in His constant remembrance of all His people, the one 'who ever lives to make intercession' (Heb.7.25) . I have those I regularly pray for and care for, whom I name as often as I can with Him to the Father. Yet I am aware that His heart and His wounds of love speak constantly for every one of His brothers and sisters, from every corner of the globe, from every tradition of His Body, and for all of history, start to finish.
As I join with Him, then - bringing to remembrance by name Baptist pastors and Catholic priests, Community Church leaders and New Monastics, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Lutheran and Brethren friends, those of our own community living in joyful times and those struggling with heavy burdens - I do so all in the context of being included in that intimate fellowship of the loving Trinity, through the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit, who is already praying within me, even when I cannot find the words to express my heart to Him.
There is one way we will always be sure that we are in accordance with God's will, that is, when we intercede as He does, echoing Jesus' cry to His Father for the unity of His people, in fulfillment of His prayer in these verses of John 17.
Colin Symes is the full-time team leader of Edinburgh Community Church, a non-denominational, Christian charismatic church in the capital city of Edinburgh. He is a member of the regional Edinburgh Alpha advisers' team, and also one of the core team of Network Churches Scotland. Colin is also on the Executive of the Evangelical Alliance Scotland. To go to his website and blog click here
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