Imagine with me, if you will, that Jesus has just ascended into heaven, and is met by the Angel Gabriel at the gates of heaven. Gabriel says, "Welcome home, my Lord, and congratulations on a job well done. Now that your work on earth is finished, what plans have you made to insure that the truth you brought will be spread throughout the earth?"

Jesus answers, "Well, I called some fishermen, tax-collectors, and sinners to walk along with me as I followed God’s plan."

"Yeah, I know all about them," Gabriel answers. "We’ve been keeping tabs on you, you know. They seem like decent fellows, but a little dim perhaps. So what other plans have you made?"

Jesus says, "Let’s see…I taught Peter, James, and John about the Kingdom of God; I taught Thomas about faith, and all of them were with me as I preached and healed and fed the multitudes. By the way, has Judas gotten here yet? There’s something I need to thank him for."

Gabriel starts to lose his patience; "Forget about Judas, and the rest of those dimwits you left behind. I know they were your friends, but certainly you’ve made other plans to make sure your work was not in vain."

Steely-eyed, Jesus looks at him and says; "I have no other plans. I’m counting on my disciples. Any other questions?"

Jesus was counting on the disciples to continue the mission that he had begun. He was counting on them to spread his message of love, mercy, and compassion to the whole world—no small task. But they would not be left to their own devices, for Jesus had promised them a helper, a comforter, a counselor. Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit would come and give them the power they needed for the task at hand.

The disciples knew all this—Jesus had told them—but still, I imagine that they felt confused, alone, and lost. They were probably frightened, insecure, amazed and perplexed.

They had just seen their friend rise into heaven. They had just seen their Lord, their teacher, their hope go away from them. To be sure, this was a glorious event, because now they were sure that Jesus was with his Father, that Jesus was really the Son of God, that now Jesus and his Father were one.

But on the other hand, now they were alone, without their leader, without their friend and companion. This day in the life of the disciples was an in-between-time; a time after the time when they had Jesus with them, and a time before the time when they would be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. It was an awkward time for them, but a time to think about the words of Jesus, to dwell on his teaching, to recall his promises for them.

In the church calendar that we follow, last Thursday was Ascension Day, the day that Jesus rose into heaven. Next Sunday is the Day of Pentecost, the day that Jesus sends the promised Holy Spirit on the disciples. Today is a waiting day, a time in between, a day for us to reflect, with the disciples, on all that Jesus has said and done.

And I think that the gospel text that is appointed for today is an appropriate one for this in-between-time. For if the disciples were to think about these words, if they could recall this conversation between Jesus and his Father, this in-between-time wouldn’t seem so frightening, and they wouldn’t feel so alone.

Today’s text, from John’s gospel, is called "Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer." Now in the Temple at Jerusalem, it was the job of the High Priest to pray for the people. The priest acted as an intermediary between the people and God, because God was thought to be too holy for just anybody to pray for. Now, Jesus takes on the role of the High Priest, praying for the world, for the church—which was yet to be born—and for his disciples.

Jesus prayed this prayer with his disciples just before the events of Holy Week. He prayed it to comfort them, even though they could not understand it before his death. But now, following his Resurrection and Ascension, they could really appreciate the words of his prayer for them, and understand what he really meant. And as we look at this prayer of Jesus, we can see how the disciples might have drawn strength from it, and the assurance that the power of Jesus would indeed be with them again somehow.

In his prayer, Jesus says; "Holy Father, keep them in your name which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one."

Jesus prayed that the disciples would remain in faith, remain in the name of the Father, remain true to the lessons that he had taught them. This is important for the in-between-time.

It would have been so easy for the disciples to forget everything that Jesus had taught them. It would have been so easy to say; "Well, back to the fishing boats and tax booths, it’s all over. It was good while it lasted, but Jesus is gone, we are alone, and there is nothing more for us to do. Let’s go back to what we know how to do." It would have been so easy for the disciples to think this way. But if they remembered this prayer of Jesus—which they must have—then they would have the strength and courage to wait, to stay in Jerusalem as Jesus had told them, to wait for the coming of the Spirit.

In order to get their mission going, the disciples would need the Pentecost experience, the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Jesus prayed that while they waited for this, they would be drawn together, and keep the faith.

There is something we can learn from this text and this sequence of events, too. Jesus, our great High Priest, also prays for us—that we would be drawn together and keep the faith as we face the in-between-times of our lives.

Each of us faces times when we are not quite sure of our faith, not quite sure what will happen next, not quite sure what the future holds for us. It is in these times when we also need to recall Jesus’ prayer for us. You know how powerful it is when other people pray for you. Think what it means to have Jesus, seated at the right hand of God praying for you. We might feel in-between, but Jesus is still there for us, interceding on our behalf.

People who have lost a loved one, people who are facing sickness, people who are confused about relationships with family members or a spouse—it is in these situations, when we don’t know what is going to happen next, when we wonder where we will get the strength to carry on—it is in these situations that these words of Jesus cry out to us.

Jesus says; remain in faith, believe in me. I will give you the power to see you through, I will be with you. Just as these words were comforting to the disciples, they are comforting to us, in our in-between-times. Jesus tells us to keep the faith, because our in-between-times won’t be in-between-times much longer because he will come. He will be with us. He promised—and like his Father, Jesus always keeps his promises.

As the disciples faced an in-between time in their lives, the time in between the Ascension and the Day of Pentecost, they could recall these words of Jesus, these words of prayer for them.

As we face our in-between-times, we too can know that Jesus is praying for us to remain in faith until he comes.

We give him thanks for those prayers, and pray that he will give us the power to be faithful to him and to his words. AMEN

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