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Jesus' Prayer: The Pause in the Battle

Sermon
Seventh Sunday of Easter - A
John 17:1-11
David O. Bales
To The Cross and Beyond
Cycle A Gospel Sermons for Lent and Easter
In 1936, near the beginning of the Spanish Civil War one horrible center of fighting was the Alcázar fortress near Toledo. In the middle of horrific fighting, however, every day the firing stopped twice in order to allow a blind beggar to tap his way on the street between the firing lines. We can imagine how welcome those few minutes were to the men on both sides. They probably hoped that the blind man walked slower to give them a few more seconds of peace. Then the reprieve ended and the slaughter again engulfed the two armies that were struggling to kill each other.1
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Call to Worship:

Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and men. Let us worship him today with dignity and love, remembering that he was once a child just as we have all been children.

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 Father God,

Lord, have mercy.

 Father God,

Christ, have mercy.

 Father God,

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 Luke 2:41-52

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