What Jesus Wants for COTC...

Hi COTC Family!

These past few days and weeks have been so very rich. Thank you for your kindness and encouragement. We, Coelhos, look forward to being with you this Saturday and Sunday before our move to Pittsburgh. 

I’ve joked that the conclusion to the subject of this e-news should be “…for everyone to move to Pittsburgh.” How I wish that were true! 

Instead, the subject of this e-news relates to the content of John 17. We’re taking a break from our series through John this Sunday and last Sunday, but COTC will be returning to it beginning next week with the start of John chapter 17. This chapter is known as Jesus' “high priestly prayer.” I once heard it described as “God praying to God.” In John 17, we read of Jesus' desire for his followers, for the church. This passage is a gold mine when it comes to reflecting upon our calling as God’s people. Looking at Jesus’ prayer in John 17 and thinking about COTC in this final newsletter I write as rector, three things come to mind.

Jesus wants COTC to glorify Him. Jesus' most basic petition for the Father in the opening verses of John 17 is that he would be glorified. This glory is connected to his followers in verse 10. It is appropriate because of Jesus' status as God from God, having shared in and now returning to the glory he shared with Father. It seems counterintuitive for how humble Jesus is, but he is right to desire glorification. It is fitting for who he is and who he shows himself to be upon the cross. 

As a community, COTC is oriented around the person of Jesus. Part of seeing him rightly and clearly includes glorifying him. When we see Jesus clearly we can’t help but glorify him. All our shared life together can be understood as doing this. This is what we seek to do in our weekly worship, as well as in mission, through our various vocations, and in actions of care for one another. May Jesus' glory be increasingly known and magnified at COTC. 

Jesus wants COTC to be made holy. One of Jesus’ specific petitions to the Father is that his followers would be protected. Jesus’ words are less focused on physical protection than on spiritual protection. He prays specifically for protection from “the evil one” in verse 15. This request flows into Jesus’ comments regarding “sanctification.” Jesus identifies God's word as the means by which his followers will be sanctified. Jesus desires that we be a people of holiness, set apart for God’s purposes. Our worship and actions in the world are connected to our integrity and devotion to God. Our personal holiness relates to the holiness of the entire community. May COTC be a people who stand apart for God and in line with His purposes in the world. 

Jesus wants COTC to share in the life of God. Jesus’ final petitions to the Father relate to his followers “being one,” as the Son and Father are one. While Jesus’ desire for unity among his followers is clear, I want to focus on the “in-dwelling” language in this section of his prayer. As people hear his message through his followers, they will indwell Jesus and experience his indwelling. This language suggests a deep and intimate union and a sharing in the life of God through Jesus. This indwelling, I believe, is at the root of Jesus’ desire for COTC.

I pray that we will be a people and community that experiences and lives in intimacy with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And I pray that this indwelling will animate our glorification of God and our sanctification. This intimacy is what Jesus has made possible, what the Gospel makes actionable, and what Jesus longs for and works toward by the Holy Spirit in our midst. When you cultivate intimacy with God, you live in line with Jesus' desire. Let us seek to delight Jesus in this way.

Preparing for this final weekend, I am so grateful for the years I’ve spent here at COTC. You are a wonderful community of Jesus' followers. I and my family are blessed to be numbered with you.

I look forward to sharing more about how you all have blessed our family this weekend. Looking ahead to the future of this community, in line with Jesus’ desires, I pray that COTC will continue and increase as a community that glorifies Jesus (and through which we see His glory), that is being made holy, and that shares intimately in the life of God. 

In Christ,

Peter+

Ps. RE: Rector Search - A reminder that the Rector Search Team is currently working on a Parish Profile and Candidate Profile. As a part of this process, they are inviting COTC parishioners to complete this survey. Please take time to answer the questions, knowing the information gleaned will help in the process of finding our next Rector. Please complete the survey by August 9th. The surveys will only be read by the Search Committee and will be kept confidential. Thank you for participating in this process. 

Remember to pray with the Search Committee on Mondays and to direct any questions about the search for our next rector to the Parish Council.