The state of Maine made national headlines earlier this summer when the Supreme Court decided by a 6–3 vote that residents could apply vouchers for private Christian schools, not only secular ones. Religious liberty advocates praised the ruling in Carson v. Makin, though its greatest impact will be felt in states with larger Christian populations.

John 17 is a prayer by Jesus in an upper room in a house in Jerusalem at the time of the Passover. That is, the setting is alive with elements of Jesus’s own Jewish roots. The chapter is known as the “High Priestly Prayer” because in it, Jesus intercedes for His disciples and for the soon-to-be established church. As He prays, He knows He’ll soon suffer physically as only those who were crucified could ever comprehend. In addition to that, and far worse, He knows He’s about to undergo agony on a spiritual level beyond anything you and I can imagine.

You know this passage from a wedding you were in or attended. But what is Paul, a single, tent maker and Old Testament scholar doing writing about love? There must be something more going on than a wedding sermon.

Therefore, let us celebrate together, even with our secondary and tertiary differences, what God has done to preserve His bride until He returns for her!