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"One" by Avery Stafford: A Call to Be the Community Christ Envisioned


Christ prayed for it in His darkest hour. Are we living the answer? 

In the prelude that led to the cross, knowing what was coming, Jesus knelt and prayed — not for Himself, but for every believer who would ever follow Him. “They would all be one,” He asked the Father, “like the Father and the Son.” That prayer was our Savior’s deepest longing, asking God to unite us, you and me alike. 

Avery Stafford - One (Radio Edit)Avery Stafford captures the essence of this prayer in his song titled “One.” The song builds this intimate prayer into a call to action that refuses to stay quiet: “Get it together — let’s come together. No going further until we get together.” That’s not a gentle nudge. It’s a challenge rooted in love for each of us. 

So where does that leave us? We can read Jesus’ prayer in John 17:21 — “that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” Unity among believers isn’t just good community practice. It’s a testimony, it’s a key part of His church. A divided church whispers doubt into the world, and there is already so much doubt and confusion in the world. A united church shouts the gospel and clears a path for true healing and peace.

Today, choose someone who is different from you — different background, different worship style, different story — and reach across that gap. That’s not a compromise. That’s how we can answer Christ’s prayer, by embracing unity and showing in real time what it means to have Christ in our lives. “Listen my sister, hear me my brother; we need each other forever and ever.”

(Related scripture: John 17:21; Ephesians 4:3; Romans 15:5)

Release date: May 29, 2026

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