Love Like We've Never Seen

And Jesus stood among them,
praying for them,
asking God to take care of them.
He knew what would happen the next day.
He had no illusions about the coming of the dawn
and what it would bring.
Pain.
Ridicule.
Death.
And yet
He stood there, among them,
Praying for them.

Holy Father, guard them as they pursue this life
That you conferred as a gift through me,
So they can be one heart and mind
As we are one heart and mind.

Why?
Why do it?
Why pray for them?
Why pray for us?
Why pick up that cross?
Could he possibly love them that much?
Could he possibly love us that much?

I am gonna show you what I mean
I am gonna love like you’ve never seen
You are gonna live like you used to dream
This is your new song

Now he stands among us.
We don't always see him,
and when we don't see him,
we fail to show him.
But he is there,
closer than we think.
And he prays for us
as he prays for them.
He died for us
as he died for them.

I'm praying not only for them
But also for those who will believe in me
Because of them and their witness about me.
The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—
Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
So they might be one heart and mind with us.
Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.
The same glory you gave me, I gave them,
So they'll be as unified and together as we are—

And now we stand among each other
We are to be the light
We are to show the light.
Are we witnesses?
Have we seen Him?
Do we proclaim him?
Do we live our lives
As if we are loved like that?

Coz I am gonna show you what I mean
I am gonna’ love like you’ve never seen
You are gonna live like you used to dream
This is your new song

Do we sing our new song?
Do we live like we used to dream?
Do we show them love like they've never seen?
Do we love like that?

Notes: Verses from John 17, The Message. Other stanzas from Don't Get Comfortable by Brandon Heath.

Image: Leaf, this morning.