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How Jesus Can Turn a Painful Division into a Holy Moment

What do you do when someone you love sees the world completely differently than you? When a comment makes your stomach turn — or a social media post hits like a gut punch? Do you argue? Do you walk away? Do you silently pull back, waiting for things to cool off, secretly wondering if the relationship will ever be the same?

In John 17, Jesus prays something bold and deeply personal. On the night before His crucifixion, He lifts His eyes to heaven and says:

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one…” (John 17:20–21, ESV)

He’s praying for us. For all future believers. For the church. And His prayer is not simply for niceness or surface-level harmony — it’s for deep, abiding unity. Not agreement on everything. Not sameness. But something deeper: that we would be one as He and the Father are one.

How is that even possible?

The Glory That Makes Us One

Jesus continues:

“The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one.” (John 17:22)

That’s a mysterious line. What does it mean that Jesus gave us His glory — and that this glory is what unites us?

The word glory in Hebrew, is the word kavod, which has to do with weight or heaviness. The glory of God is not just light or majesty — it’s His weighty presence. His holiness. His reality pressing in.

In the Old Testament, when God’s glory filled the temple, the priests couldn’t even stand. Isaiah trembled. When God showed up, Job shut up. 

God’s weighty presence is powerful enough to undo us — and yet, in Jesus, God’s glory is given to us. Not to crush us, but to re-form us.

To make us one.

Unity doesn’t start with human strategies. It begins with the recognition of who is present. And that’s why one simple phrase can be a life-altering prayer:

“This is a holy moment.”

The Moment You Want to Walk Away Might Be Holy

Not every moment feels holy. Especially not the ones filled with tension.

But Jesus once said, “My Father is always working, and I am working” (John 5:17). This means that God is at work in every moment of your life. Even — and maybe especially — the uncomfortable ones.

That’s why training ourselves to say, “This is a holy moment,” can change everything. It doesn’t mean the situation is good. But it is holy — because God is present. And when we recognize that, we make room for Him to shape us.

This isn’t theory. It’s daily life.

On the Sunday morning of this sermon, I pulled into the church early because I felt like I needed the time. A homeless man was sitting outside the door. My first instinct was frustration — “I don’t have time for this.” But then I caught myself. I breathed. I whispered: “This is a holy moment.” And it changed everything. Not just my morning. My heart.

A Pathway to Unity

In real relationships — in families, in churches — unity often feels like a fantasy. Especially when differences run deep. But Jesus doesn’t leave us helpless. He gives us His glory, His presence, and even a practical path. Four simple steps can help us stay present in Christian unity when we feel that division rising:

  1. Center on God’s Presence and Grace
    Before reacting, remember who is in the room. The Holy Spirit is present. Christ’s glory is in you — and in the person across from you. This awareness alone can soften hearts and open new possibilities. Say to yourself, “This is a holy moment.”
  2. Individuate the Issue
    Don’t reduce someone to a viewpoint. Don’t think you understand them because you think you know what team they are on. They are not a headline or an argument. They are a person — made in the image of God. Two image-bearers facing each other over something potentially divisive. Jesus prayed that these two may be one. This is – you guessed it – a holy moment.
  3. Get Curious
    Ask questions. “Help me understand what led you to that perspective.” Curiosity isn’t compromise — it’s a form of love. 
  4. Listen with Empathy
    Don’t listen to respond. Listen to understand. Let their story in. You don’t have to agree to show compassion. What would you think and do if you had gone through what they went through?

God’s Presence – His Glory – Compels Us to Stay

We live in a world that says, “If someone offends you, cut them off.” But the glory Jesus gives us draws us closer, not farther apart. It’s weighty enough to hold two people together — even when they don’t agree.

The cross is the greatest picture of that glory: love poured out, arms open wide.

The resurrection says that glory is still alive — still healing, still uniting, still bringing new life.

So the next time you feel the tension rise…
The next time you want to walk away…
The next time the silence between you and someone else feels deafening…

Pause.
Breathe.
Say to yourself:

“This is a holy moment.”

And let Jesus do what only He can — bring a Spirit-filled sense of unity between two people who find themselves on opposites sides of a divisive and emotionally charged issue. Jesus, and the glory He gives you, can turn even that kind of moment into a holy moment.