Scripture: John 17:6-8, 20-23 (CEB)

Washington is ready to conclude his public service, but Hamilton is not ready to let him go. He tries to convince the President to remain in office, that the nation isn’t strong enough yet to make it without him. But Washington is insistent – that stepping away will create the opportunity for the nation to grow. He implores Hamilton to help him “teach them how to say goodbye.” We hear echoes of Jesus’s final farewell and the extraordinary prayer he offered in John 17. He prayed not only for his closest companions, but for all of us who would come to faith because of them. He needed to go so that the disciples – and the church they would create – could lead.