May They Be One

♪ Here is where I lay it down ♪ ♪ Every bird in every crown ♪ ♪ This is my surrender ♪ ♪ This is my surrender ♪ ♪ Here is where I lay it down ♪ ♪ Every lion and every dog ♪ ♪ This is my surrender ♪ ♪ And I will make room for you ♪ ♪ To do whatever you want to ♪ ♪ To do whatever you want to ♪ ♪ Oh I will make room for you ♪ ♪ To do whatever you want to ♪ ♪ To do whatever you want to ♪ (upbeat guitar music) ♪ Here is where I lay it down ♪ ♪ Every bird in every crown ♪ ♪ This is my surrender ♪ ♪ This is my surrender ♪ ♪ Here is where I lay it down ♪ ♪ Every lion and every dog ♪ ♪ This is my surrender ♪ ♪ Oh I will make room for you ♪ ♪ To do whatever you want to ♪ ♪ To do whatever you want to ♪ ♪ I will make room for you ♪ ♪ To do whatever you want to ♪ ♪ To do whatever you want to ♪ ♪ Oh I see ♪ ♪ I will make room for you ♪ ♪ To do whatever you want to ♪

♪ To do whatever you want to ♪ ♪ I will make room for you ♪ ♪ To do whatever you want to ♪ ♪ To do whatever you want to ♪ ♪ To do Jesus ♪ ♪ To do whatever you want to ♪ ♪ To do whatever you want to ♪ ♪ To do whatever you want to ♪ ♪ To do whatever you want to ♪ ♪ To do whatever you want to ♪ ♪ To do whatever you want to ♪ ♪ To do whatever you want to ♪ ♪ To do whatever you want to ♪ ♪ To do whatever you want to ♪ ♪ To do whatever you want to ♪ ♪ Oh I will make room for you ♪ ♪ To do whatever you want to ♪ ♪ To do whatever you want to ♪ [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] - Welcome to the crossing. Maybe this is your first time. Maybe you're just visiting with us. We're so glad you're here. My prayer for you today is that you get to encounter the living God of the universe. Maybe you joined us before the service when we had our prayer time. Our hope for that was that you can just cut your breath, take a moment to sit and be reminded

that you are known and loved by God. So as we continue and worship now, as we sing this next song, know that you are loved, you are seen, no matter what is happening. God is faithful, he keeps his promises, and you are not alone. (upbeat music) - We're gonna sing this together. Come on church. ♪ God of Abraham, you're the God of promises ♪ ♪ Faithful promises ♪ ♪ Time and time again ♪ ♪ You had proven ♪ ♪ You too just what you said ♪ ♪ Do the storms may come ♪ ♪ And the winds may go out ♪ ♪ May you say it fast ♪ ♪ And let my honor ♪ ♪ Keep speak of word and call to pass ♪ - Let's take a look at this and clear. ♪ Great is your faithful ♪ - Let's sing church, come on. ♪ To be good, say great ♪ ♪ Is your faithfulness ♪ ♪ To the rising ♪ ♪ From the rising sun to the setting ♪ ♪ I will save I will praise your name ♪ ♪ Great is your faithfulness ♪ ♪ To be good ♪

♪ No matter what it looks like ♪ ♪ We will bless you ♪ ♪ No matter what it looks like ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ God from days you age ♪ ♪ But the earth may pass away ♪ - Come on, take the bike, come on. ♪ Your history can prove ♪ ♪ There's nothing you can do ♪ ♪ Your faithful and true ♪ ♪ Know the stars may come ♪ ♪ And the winds may go out ♪ ♪ May you say it fast ♪ ♪ And let my honor ♪ ♪ You speak of word and call to pass ♪ ♪ Great is your faithfulness ♪ ♪ To be with the great ♪ ♪ Is your faithfulness ♪ ♪ To the rising sun to the setting ♪ ♪ I will praise your name ♪ ♪ Great is your faithfulness ♪ ♪ To be with the great ♪ ♪ Whoa ♪ ♪ Your faithfulness ♪ ♪ Guide ♪ ♪ In that rising sun ♪ ♪ In that rising sun ♪ ♪ I put my faith in Jesus ♪ ♪ My anchor to the ground ♪ ♪ My hope and for foundation ♪

♪ He'll never let me down ♪ ♪ I put my faith in Jesus ♪ ♪ My anchor to the ground ♪ ♪ My hope and for foundation ♪ ♪ He'll never let me down ♪ ♪ I put my faith in Jesus ♪ ♪ My anchor to the ground ♪ ♪ My anchor to the ground ♪ ♪ He'll never let me down ♪ ♪ I put my faith in Jesus ♪ ♪ I put my faith in Jesus ♪ ♪ My anchor to the ground ♪ ♪ My hope and for foundation ♪ ♪ He'll never let me down ♪ ♪ He'll never let me down ♪ ♪ Great is your faithful ♪ ♪ Let it all shine through me ♪ ♪ Great is your faith ♪ ♪ The rising sun to the city ♪ ♪ Save all the praise ♪ ♪ All the praise ♪ ♪ All the rising sun to the city ♪ ♪ All the praise ♪ ♪ You can't hold over the light ♪ ♪ The rising sun to the city ♪ ♪ Save all the praise ♪ ♪ You can't hold over the light ♪ ♪ The rising sun to the city ♪ ♪ You can't hold over the light ♪ ♪ The rising sun to the city ♪

♪ You can't hold over the light ♪ ♪ The rising sun to the city ♪ ♪ You can't hold over the light ♪ ♪ The rising sun to the city ♪ ♪ You can't hold over the light ♪ ♪ The rising sun to the city ♪ ♪ Save all the praise ♪ ♪ You can't hold over the light ♪ ♪ The grace is your faithfulness ♪ ♪ To me ♪ Come on, pour out your adoration in this place. (audience applauds) Wow. Even before we see the blessing, we can praise him. We're gonna declare that he'll do it again. ♪ Do it again, Lord ♪ Come on, sing it out. ♪ Pour your spirit out ♪ ♪ Come and awaken it ♪ ♪ Be trying just to fall ♪ ♪ Come on, do it again, Lord ♪ Sing it! ♪ Shake this holy ground ♪ ♪ All creation ♪ You know it, come on! ♪ We can feel it groaning ♪ ♪ Give us the grace of holy sorrow ♪ ♪ We'll sow in tears for our best tomorrow ♪ ♪ Do it again, Lord ♪ ♪ Pour your spirit out ♪

♪ Do it again, Lord ♪ ♪ Pour your spirit out ♪ ♪ Do it again, Lord ♪ ♪ Pour your spirit out ♪ ♪ Come and awaken it ♪ ♪ Be trying just to fall ♪ ♪ Do it again, Lord ♪ ♪ Shake this holy ground ♪ ♪ All creation ♪ ♪ We can feel it groaning ♪ ♪ Give us the grace of holy sorrow ♪ ♪ We'll sow in tears for our best tomorrow ♪ ♪ Do it again, Lord ♪ ♪ Pour your spirit out ♪ ♪ Do it again, Lord ♪ ♪ Pour your spirit out ♪ ♪ Do it again, Lord ♪ ♪ Pour your spirit out ♪ ♪ Do it again, Lord ♪ ♪ Pour your spirit out ♪ ♪ Go away, King, and... ♪ ♪ Come on, sing it on me ♪ ♪ Drive it tough ♪ Let's sing, come on. ♪ Join the end, man ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ All creation, Lord ♪ ♪ All day, Lord ♪ ♪ With one voice ♪ ♪ Sing, hallelujah ♪

♪ And to find ♪ ♪ We will live in high old silence ♪ ♪ Drowned up by our ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Just his role ♪ ♪ Like a river ♪ ♪ Blood the earth with ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Do it again, Lord ♪ ♪ Pour your spirit out ♪ ♪ Do it again, Lord ♪ ♪ Pour your spirit out ♪ ♪ Sing, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Do it again, Lord ♪ ♪ Pour your spirit out ♪ ♪ Do it again, Lord ♪ ♪ Pour your spirit out ♪ ♪ Pour your spirit out ♪ ♪ Sing, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Sing, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Pour your spirit out ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ When I'm where I want to go ♪ I don't start to drown the fire I'll let you go just slowly Like a river Let me go in I'll let you go in I'll let you go into the city of church I'll set it up to the God that never lost the battle

I'll set it up to God that's still the waymaker I'll set it up to the God that already needs your way through I'll set it up to the God who deserves your best breath [applause] So do it again, Lord Pour your spirit on Do it again, Lord Anybody get it again Pour your spirit on Do it again, Lord Let this be our prayer Pour your spirit on Do it again, Lord Pour your spirit out More than a feeling Pour your spirit out More than a feeling We need you to pour your spirit out Yes, Lord We need you to pour our spirit out on your people That it's not something that we just do week from week Coming into this place Doing this out of a religious act But because we have true relationship with you, Lord Jesus We want to look like you to a watching world We want to love each other better We want to have more patience We want to have more love We don't want to just say that others are loved But we want to exemplify what love truly is

In the name of Jesus, pour your spirit out on us Make us new, make us more like you, Lord Jesus That man will see our good works And then they will turn around and bless you In Jesus' name We want this to be our church The hands and feet of Jesus Amen Come on, we can praise Him again (Applause) Listen, community starts in here right now So, before you have a seat, talk to one another (Applause) For the last few weeks, we have been talking about For the Lou Fall Collection You probably see the coats and the supplies Starting to stack up here in the lobby And it is just our way to serve the state and list region We partner with organizations and say what do you need So this year we're collecting things like cleaning supplies Pre-packaged meals and coats That's kind of a big thing that we collect This is our way Because it's the holidays now, right? Like it officially started today Okay, we can clap for that (Laughter) Some others are sweating about it, but we can clap for it But it's kind of our way to serve over the holidays Locally, we'll talk about globally in a couple weeks

But if you would like to donate any of those items I just mentioned, you can pick up a list at the connection point Or you can text four, the word four, to 48099 to get that list This week I was talking to our outreach One of our outreach staff members, Emily And she said, yes, we love to serve those in the state List area, we love to partner with those organizations But we also want to serve those who are in these walls So if you are a family that needs the items I just talked about, we want to serve you as well You can sign up on our calendar page And then we can package those items together for you The other thing Emily said is we still need volunteers She actually has found me after this last service And specifically said, next Sunday afternoon There's a later shift that they still need like 45 volunteers to help with The other thing they need help with is delivering everything To the state list area those next few days after that So you can also find that if you can serve with us on our calendar page So next weekend you're going to walk in And there's going to be a buzz in the lobby Because all these volunteers are going to be collecting these supplies And sorting them, you'll see towers of detergent That may fall over, it did one year, it's okay one year. It's okay. We see your generosity to serve those who are in need. So as we continue in generosity, for those of you who financially give to the crossing, now is a good opportunity. The ways to do it are up here. If you have questions about that, if you're new and you're like, "What is this part of the service?"

Actually, if you have questions about any part of the service, we'd love to answer them, we'd love to meet you. Come to the bullpen down here front or stop by the connection point. So thanks for being here. Okay, so a few years ago, Robin and myself and the girls were on this scuba dive. I noticed a second diving reference in a few weeks, I promise, I'll be done. But what made this one cool was the guide, the shop that we were working out of. Stuart Kove is pretty famous. He's the guy that the Discovery Channel calls every year for Shark Week. He's the guy that all the movie producers call because he is a shark Wrangler. He's the guy that arranges all these things. He's a Christ follower. And so I had a chance, we had a chance to hang out and you go in his office in the Bahamas and it's like all the pictures, all the stories, it's like he's got him, right? But he also will take certified divers out off the coast there a little bit to a shark dive. Now, some of you have probably done those things before. I'd love to hear your stories. All I got is my story. You see, we go out on this boat. It's the four of us now. And I'm signing all the release forms and it's like yada, yada, yada. Promise it's not the suit, the shark eats you, blah, blah, blah, all of that. And I'm not really reading the fine print because to be honest with you, we are bobbing up and down in this boat a mile off of the shore and it's hot and we're in full wet suits and I'm like, oh, yeah, I don't care. And so we signed it all the way. There were two dives. The first dive was so that they could check us out. The guides, I don't mean the sharks. So we go, it's a great dive, beautiful fish, sharks off in the distance. We get back in the boat.

You have to wait a while before you can dive again. And this is where our guide says, now this is when things will get interesting. He said, we're going to get closer to the sharks and this is where their feeding instinct will kick in. It was right here that all three women in my life looked at me as if to say, you have got to be kidding me. But everybody had a game face on because the guy who was going to lead us was saying, you got to do everything exactly as I tell you to do now because I'm going to feed these bad boys. And this is going to happen. And the whole time he's doing this, I'm not making this up. Over his dive suit, he is putting on a steel mesh shark proof suit with gloves, with helmet, and I'm going, did I miss the upgrade in the fine print because it's too late, too late. Check your gear, check your buddy's gear, my buddy was my eldest daughter and then you jump in the water. And when I say jump in the water, you're jumping in the water with sharks. Now they're not quite on the surface, they're just below the surface. And so we have to descend through them to get to the bottom. Here's what they said. As you're going through, try not to stand out. I'm like, really? Really? I look like an overstuffed seal. Try not to stand out. You're kind of, you go and like a couple of them would brush. Oh, yeah, they really do feel like sandpaper. It's weird, weird, weird. You get to the bottom, we're supposed to go to this place. It's about, I don't know, about 40 feet or so beneath the surface on the ocean floor there. And we're supposed to gather in a circle and he will meet us there.

And then these were the instructions. You're on your own. Nobody's got your back. When the fight starts, don't get in the middle of it. If things happen, don't get in the middle of it. And whatever you do, do not reach out your hand for help, or for anything else, or you might pull back a stump. And I thought he was like, "Aren't you just being dramatic?" And then he began to come down, the guy with the extra gear. He began to come down and he met us there. Now, what had happened was he has this large steel box with freshly caught chopped up fish because dinner is now about to be served. Now, we're in this ring together and all of the action is going to happen there. He's going to begin to feed these fish. The sharks are moving in and out of this circle on their own. One of them head butts me, knocks my mask off. I have to put my mask on, re-clear if you know how to do that as a diver. But I was just in his way. Another shark is trying to push these fish that he's catching along the ocean floor and pushes me and Alex over. We fall over. Now, you remember, you're on your own. Don't help anybody. Well, I'm going to help her. So, of course, what I'm doing is... I am reaching out a little bit, and some of you are going, you don't win Father of the Year for that because you put her in that position. But what I want you to know is that when you see all of these twisting masses of muscle,

these pirouettes and graceful moves, it is a terrible frightening dance to behold. Now, where were we? (congregation laughing) It's the worst night of Jesus' life. If you've been with us, we've been studying these middle chapters of John. Jesus is about to be betrayed. He's already dismissed Judas from their midst. It's as if darkness now is creeping through the streets of Jerusalem to find them, and it will, eventually. The remaining 11 disciples are hanging on his every word. Jesus is preparing them for something. He keeps saying things like I'm gonna have to leave you. I'm going to my Father. I'm preparing a place for you. And we learned last week that that's all code for his death, his burial, and his resurrection. Now, speaking of last week, have something, wouldn't it? If you were here. The stories that are flying around this place now, the heartache and the healing, the raw prayers, the asking for help, the kindness that you are showing to each other. Last week, we heard a horrible, beautiful journey of one family and what they did when a rogue wave hit them out of nowhere. Were you here?

It was something. And I think Kirsten Glanville Brown and her family in previous services for allowing us to peek into their heartache when they lost Sean all those years ago. I'm grateful that they showed us what it is to navigate through those kinds of waters and how you keep your eye on Jesus. But at the end of the end, Kirsten praying for us. And then that song, man, I'm telling you, if you missed it, this is one that you'll want to go back and catch up on. But at the end of our time together, right before Kirsten prayed, we got to the end of chapter 16 in John, 1633. It's a famous verse. In this world, you will have trouble. And boy, don't we know it. But then Jesus says, take heart. And in the Greek, it really means daring, courage. Tharsao means like, have courage. Somebody translated it, I dare you to believe that I'm enough. I dare you to believe that I'm that close, that I'm that good and that I am for you. Take heart, have courage. Why? Because I have conquered the world. You see, the heartache, the evil, the death that has a stranglehold on the story is about to be broken. The cross is coming, it's close.

Now that's the end of chapter 16. And so we're going to turn the page now. But first, I'd like to pray for us because today will be a bit of our ride. Father, we come before you, we celebrate the worship that we've been able to experience. Lord, we celebrate the joy, we celebrate all of this, the freedom to be able to gather here. Lord, the gift of your word that keeps us connected to you. And we hear these words of Jesus. We want to take them seriously. We want to take them in. We want to take them into our hearts. Lord, for those who do not yet believe that are in our midst, I pray that they will hear that this is their invitation to be a part of this life. And for the rest of us, God, may we leave here, may we leave here realizing that you are still up to something. Lord, we do ask that you do this again. It's only because of you and it's only through you that we can see these things happen in our midst and in our world. So we're asking you now to keep us close and to keep us connected and to keep us focused on what you would have us to hear today. It's in the name of Jesus that we pray this. Amen. So what does Jesus do when there's nothing else to say? Or at least there's nothing else that these guys can handle? He prays.

Now, when I say he prays, we're not in Gethsemane yet, not yet, not yet. We're someplace between the upper room and the Mount of Olives where Jesus prays those famous prayers. But he prays, father, father. Let's not forget the intimate relationship Jesus has with his father. If you keep reading these early verses in chapter 17, he will actually say, we've had this relationship since before the world. Father, the hour has come. Now, if you read the Gospel of John, you'll see in a couple of different places where he says the hour has not come. Like one of them was with his mom at this wedding in Kaina and he goes, mom, it's not time. So a couple of different places he says, the hour has not come, the hour is now, it has come. Evil is running free. but you need to remember Jesus is in complete control here. None of this is a surprise. All of the predictions, all of the prophecies, all of the longings, it's all rushing down to this moment, and it is exactly as God would have it. This is the moment the hour has come. I just want you to feel the urgency of it. And I want you to feel the weight of it. Jesus prays, and there are some scholars who will say, well, this is really the Lord's prayer, 'cause it's the longest prayer recorded in all of scripture.

Jesus prays, first of all, for himself, then he prays for those remaining 11 disciples. By the way, we're gonna cover all of that next week. And then if we jump down to verse 20, he prays for us. That's where we're gonna pick things up. John 17, verse 20. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message. Now, who is the there? Who are we talking about, the disciples? I'm praying for all the people who are gonna believe because they testified to me. That's us. What does he pray? I pray that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one. I in them, you and me, may they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. There's a lot there. But we always come back to this because it's so important to Jesus and because it's so easy for us to forget how important it is to Jesus.

But let's just break some of this down. We won't go to all of it, but let's just state the obvious here. When time is of the essence, right? Remember, it's not long before Judas is gonna find him and Jesus prays for you and me. What does he pray? Father, may they be the coolest kids at school. May they win all of the theological debates. Father, may they be in charge of everything. May they have more money than they know what to do with. Father, may they be the best looking, most athletic, most artistic people ever. Father, may they be the most pop. Father, may they have more followers than anyone else on Instagram. Does he pray any of those things? No, what does he pray? Father, may they be one. That's what he says, may they, meaning us, may they be one as we are one. Jesus prays for us to be one. And I want you to notice how important it is because he lashes it, he ties it, he tethers it to his own mission, like what he's doing so that the world will know that you sent me. Apparently this is a big deal. Jesus is praying for our unity. (groans) That's what we're talking about today?

Unity, that's so corny, that's so unrealistic, Greg, that is so squishy. Some of you right now are thinking, poor Jesus. He just didn't understand how complicated things were gonna be in our day. And I just wanna say this out loud. Jesus knows more than we do about, like he knows everything, amen. Okay, I think I had 23 people that agreed with me in this room. So I'm just gonna go with those 23. Jesus knows best, amen? Yeah, okay, we did better. Here's the rest of it. We didn't invent complicated relationships. I know we think we did, I know we think, oh boy, ooh, go read the Old Testament. I'm telling you, God's been dealing with our brokenness from the beginning, and he's been calling his people to something different, and right here, Jesus is calling us to something different. Who's the us? Here's the truth in advertising. If you don't trust Jesus yet, if you haven't turned to him yet, if you haven't let go of religion and said it's only because of what he's done for me on the cross. If you're not there yet, I want you to know this is a truth in advertising message. We're gonna tell the story of what he has invited us to be a part of, and just check and see

if this isn't what you wanna be a part of. You just tell me if this doesn't seem right. But he's talking about his church, not an institution, not a building, not a denomination. He's talking about the people of God who have trusted in Jesus, his church. Which means, by the way, this being one business is not an organizational motto. Do not think of this as a company motto. Do not think this is like one of those posters that's in the company break room. You know? Before you go out there, remember, be one. That's not it. This is so otherworldly, so different, so unique, so beyond the physical, it's spiritual, it's supernatural, that he connects all of this to the relationship he has with his father. What does that mean? It is a kind of unity that we can't eat. Like there's a union there where they are so connected, but they don't lose their personhood. Stay with me on this. Jesus does nothing without the Father working through Him. But the Father trusts Him and says, "You go accomplish it." And they enjoy this relationship all in the fellowship of the Spirit. Now we're in the deep end of the pool, y'all, because we're trying to explain life within the Trinity. Now, I know my time is limited, because as soon as I say that,

some of you are like, "I'll give you two minutes." Let's try it this way, because we've talked about this before in mysteries and things like that. I am -- I'm a lot of things. I'm afraid to ask you what you would say there. So I'm just going to say, "I am human." Can we all agree on that? Yeah, okay, great. Which is a what? What am I -- I'm human, so there's one what? I am Greg, me. Okay, that's me. So that's who I am. So we humans operate with this general rule. It's one what and one who. You are human and you're whoever you are. One what, one who, are you with me? Okay, so when we talk about the transcendent God of the universe, who creates everything, who is beyond anything we can imagine, who doesn't fit into categories, because he doesn't fit into the universe he created. He is so much more. We're not going to get into multidimensional universes and all of those things. I'm just telling you, God is more, so I don't expect him to fit into my categories. But what I do see scripture revealing is that there is one divine being. There is one what?

But the deeper in scripture you go and it cannot be denied by the time you get deep into the New Testament is that this one God, this one essence, this one nature is revealed as Father, Son and Spirit. You see, we're trying to define the Trinity, but I can't define it, I can describe this is what it means. Which, by the way, means that there's one what? And three who's. There's Father, Son and Spirit, and yet one God. And now you're the one that's getting seasick because the room's getting swirly. Here's the best way I could describe it to you. If you want to think of the Trinity today, there's one word that we're going to hang on to it and it already came up in the passage. Love, love, love. The Trinity is a community of love. So what Jesus is saying is you get to reflect to each other the kind of love that flows within the Trinity. Y'all, the reason we just did a little heavy lifting was because if you blow past the theology, you don't get what Jesus is praying here. Jesus is not praying. Father, may they get along as you and I get along. It's not that. Jesus is not praying that you and I will get along in the back seat on our way to eternity. It's so much more. It's based on how he is loved and how he loves within the life of the Trinity.

And you need to know that is the core relationship that has always been before there was time, before there was anything. That's why God is love. First John 4.18 says God is love, he's loving, but God is love. So what was God doing before there was anything? You ever think about these things? Here's a quote, it's going to surprise you. You're not really going to know what to do with it. The Allosian Scott McKnight puts it like this. He says the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit were in an endless tense of endless love and surging joy and delightful play as they enjoyed the depth of their love for one another. They were doing this forever and are doing this now and will do this for eternity. I'm trying to blow up this idea in your head that God is just this serious sombre. You know, I'm on my throne and this is what we do. God is joyful, God enjoys himself. He and the Father, Son and Spirit. The ancients would call it the dance of the Trinity. Jesus is saying, I have done this for you and I'm inviting you into it. No, we're not gods. We are redeemed mortals, but he's inviting us into this thing that is going on where we get to enjoy the love of God. We get doused in it, baptized in it,

soaked through and through. What did Kirsten say last week if you were here? What is it at the end of her wrestle and the end of her journey? What did she say opened things up for her? She said, I got to a place where I could trust that God loves me that much. it starts to change some of the game-playing, some of the insecurities, some of the stuff that we all wrestle with. So we learn again and again and again how loved we are, and we probably learn again and again and again and again, how we are to love the way we have been loved. You see, when you and I love the way God loves, it's a raucous, gentle, bold, tender, gutsy, outspoken, quiet, generous, proactive, creative love. When we love that way, Jesus says, "The world will pay attention," 'cause here's a news flash. The world doesn't see that kind of love anywhere else. You and I live in a violent, chaotic world. We live in a lonely world. But our research showed that when it comes to Gen Z, the three words that they said were sort of a common reality were isolation, loneliness, and uncertainty. Is that track? Is that you? And some of you are like, well, I don't think I'm Gen Z.

No, unless you were born between 1997 and 2012, you're not Gen Z. But does that track? 'Cause I think many of us, like, we think I'm good, I'm good. I've got a whole bunch of people in my life, man. Do you have friends? I was thinking about this on the way into church today. I lost count, Robin. How many times when we were with family last night? How many times I did the math on the fallback? And I would just say it out loud. Do you know what time it really is? It's 6.30. Do you know what time it really is? It's 7.13. You know what time it is, Robin, it's nine o'clock. Now, I was reveling in this luscious thought. I got another hour of sleep tonight. It doesn't work that way, does it? Those of you with small kids. Your kids didn't readjust, did they? No, but you know what the rest of us didn't either. The University of Bristol showed that, like, on average, tops, you might sleep an extra 30 minutes that first night that you think you got an hour. I didn't even get that much. I'm telling you, theoretically, I think, oh, I've got all of this, but it's not what I was experiencing.

Sometimes we look around and go, my life is full of people, but do you have friends? Because part of what Jesus is saying here is, you can't do this alone, you don't wanna do this alone. I have created you for more. I was reading this week about people who are frantic. I mean, frantic in tears, trying to figure out what they're gonna do next, because character.ai has filed for bankruptcy. Now, you may not know what character.ai is, but it's a platform that provides, it's an app that provides for people to have relationships with, like, chatbots and online characters and personas. And when that bankruptcy goes through and that platform goes away, those chatbots go away. And there are people who are frantically trying to figure out, well, what do I do? 'Cause I've invested in that. Now, listen to me. I am not now about to make fun of people who are saying, I think that's like the closest thing to a friend I have. You see, some of you know how hard it is to make friends. Some of you are people who don't track what the social cues that everyone else has, and so you always feel like you're half-step behind. Some of you have been burned so many times that you're like, this just feels safer.

I can imagine that it does, but I want you to hear me. It's not enough. You were made for more. Can I guarantee you when you're talking to flesh and blood people and you like take the risk of having real friends that it's gonna always work out? No, can I tell you it's gonna always be easy? No, but it's worth it. It's worth it. And 2,000 years ago, Jesus said, if my people will begin to love each other in a completely different way, the rest of the world is gonna pay attention and go, "Oh, so maybe that's what we were made for." And maybe, maybe they will listen to the gospel, the good news of Jesus. I still believe that's true. Now, if you are saying, I'd like to kind of carve a path into real relationships. I was just talking with a man today who was saying, I'm trying to figure out as a guy, how do I have relationships like that? If you're trying to figure that out, come talk to us, we'll help you. We're not gonna own it, but we'll give you some ideas. But for some of us, we need to get out of theory now. So what we're gonna do is you're gonna hang out with some people around you. And this'll be the easiest part of the day for some of you. This'll be the most horrifying part of the day for others.

But would you, and be nice to everybody around you, okay? this morning, it's okay. If they go, "Mm-mm, just leave them alone." Here's the question. What one or two words describes what it means for us to be one? I want you to think, "Burb's here." What are we doing when we are being one, okay? Use the app because we're going to kind of catch up with everybody at the sites, mid-river's, grants, trail, fountain, hello, those would be online, but hang out with each other. What does being one look like in the real world in real time? Go ahead and talk to each other. [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] Alright, let's bring it back here. I'll bet you you've got some great answers. I'm just going to ask Dave, would you just kind of start writing some of these things as you're getting them on the app from all of the sites? Okay, so by the way, can I just tell you this? Some of you probably looked at each other and said, "I have no idea what he's even asking." Look, I don't know what it means to be one. What we're trying to do now is to put some handles on this, okay? We don't want to just talk about it. We want to see where God is leading us. And so these are some good ones, accepting hospitality. Ooh, that's a good one. First Peter 4.9 says, "Show hospitality to others without grumbling."

What do you really mean, Peter? It's just like he's just saying, "Open your lives up, welcome people to the table, and do this. Show hospitality." That's a great one. Kindness. Yes, yes, yes. Serving. Empathy. Let's say the including and the hospitality are often very, very similar to each other. How about listening? You know, we're kind of in this. We've talked about the dance here for a bit, so I'm going to share you a dance step. You ready? Here it is. You ready? James 1.19. It's not my idea, but it works. One quick and two slows. Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. There's your dance move, people. You see, as we move into, so you're, I don't know if they said it elsewhere, but you're telling us we're in the holiday season now, as we move into the holidays, you might want to remember one quick and two slows. As you move into this next week, yeah, let's talk about that for a second. What a privilege it is for us to vote in this country. What a privilege it is for us to do this. Now I know we say that we dread these election cycles, and I'm guessing some of you are fatigued about this time, but we're here, it's now, and so I'm going to ask you if you would, to study up, to learn, to know what you're doing, listen from more than one source, like

really understand what's going on. Let the scriptures shape your thinking, pray hard, and then vote, because it is a privilege in this country for us as a free people to vote, so do that. And then let me tell you how it's going to turn out, okay? I'm not calling anything, but here's how it's going to turn out. Some of your people are going to win, and some of them aren't going to win. Yeah, I know. I've got the gift of prophecy, don't I? You're going to be thrilled with some of the things that happened, and you're going to be heartbroken about some of the other things that happened. It's almost always that way. Can I tell you what I say before every election? Y'all listen to me. Jesus is King, and the King of glory is our ultimate source of healing and hope in this world, and no matter how things turn out, you need to keep your eyes on Him, and some of you are going, "Well, wait, it sounds like you don't think it matters." It does. I just told you to vote. But let me tell you something else that matters, how we treat each other in this world. Let's hear my next prediction. You're going to bump into somebody, like tomorrow, week from tomorrow, at work, home. You're going to bump into somebody who disagrees with you politically. What do you do? One quick and two slows. It's biblical. Be quick to listen, ask questions, ask questions, listen, try to understand, be slow to speak. Slow to anger. Now this is what we do. It's not like anything else in the world, but this is what we're called to do. That forgiveness, when somebody fails you, when somebody hurts you, when somebody disappoints

you, they betray you, they sin against you, maybe it's just they forgot it was your birthday. I don't know what it is, but somebody does something. Do you go to them, or do you let it fester? Do you go to them and say, "Hey, we need to make this right?" And if they ask for forgiveness, do you, do you forgive them? Or do you treat that failure, that grudge like an everlasting God's stopper? You remember everlasting God's stoppers from Willy Wonka? You remember what they did? They never disappear, they never grow smaller. Do we do that with the things that people do to us and go, "You know what? It's never going to disappear and it's never going to grow smaller. I'm just going to hang on to it and savor it." God says forgive. Ephesians 4, 13 says, "Forgive as God in Christ has forgiven you." You see what I did there? I give you just one little subtle Halloween reference. You didn't even see it coming. By the way, a week from now, when you're stealing candy out of your kid's stash, may the Lord bring to your mind that we are to forgive as we have been forgiven. There you go. You're welcome. I didn't know where we were going to go with this. I'll just tell you, I knew where we were going to talk about love. So this one, this one I knew, we used this in weddings, but Paul's writing to the church. Understand the context here. This is the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, the followers of Jesus. He says to us, "Love is patient and kind. Love does not envy or boast. It is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way.

It's not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Bears all things, believes, hopes, endures. Sometimes we believe the lie that working on these relationships that we are not worth it. It's just too much. And so we settle into these habits, and the evil one keeps trying to put wedges in between those of us who know the grace of God, and that gets us back to those sharks. How come the instructions that were given to me, to us when we were swimming with sharks, how come those same instructions would seem appropriate to give to people who are hanging out with certain other people, some of whom just might be Christians? Get your back. You're on your own. If you fall down, you've got to get up. If the fight starts to get in the middle of it, and whatever you do, do not reach out and ask for help or anything else or you just might draw back a stump. How come people treat each other this way? How come we've made this normal? How come we've gotten to a place where we go, "Oh, yeah, that's just what we do?" How come Christians tolerate this? How come sometimes we're the first to hit on that juicy bit of gossip? How come we're the ones that ghost people can carve them out and sometimes carve them up behind their back? I'm not going to ask for a show of hands on this one, but I'll bet you most of us, if we're going to be honest, would say, "Yeah, I've been hurt by people who call themselves Christians." Yo, this is not God's way. If this sounds like I'm being a bit too in your face, I don't mean to. Well maybe just a little I do because I've done that before to people.

God helped me. I have done that to people and so have you. If we are so outrageously loved by God that he pays the costliest of French to invite us into the circle with him, how can we not be challenged by this prayer? When Christians fight in a way that would make a shark blush, is it just a shame? Is it just what we do? Oh, great. It's what denominations do. It's what churches do. It's what small groups do. of who Jesus is by the way we treat each other. So when we make fun of somebody who's walking up the stairs to a party and we just start goofing on them about what they were wearing or when we roll our eyes and we start saying like really ugly things behind somebody's back or when we are the ones who take the bait and pass on the room or when we are the ones who always have the side jab about that one person and we think nobody else notices but we're constantly putting them down when we are the people who feel like we are called to critique and put down everything that happens in the cul-de-sac in the office on the team at school maybe even here at church when we are the people who say things online that we would never own up to in person when we are the people who cling to grudges when we are the people who look down on others and wrap ourselves and self-righteousness this is not God's way. And I need you to know I am so grateful that I am a part of a community that says we can't do that at a friend who's an author and a speaker who came through town a little bit ago and just had a sampling of us of our team and of our church and came and worshiped and she just said to me do you have any idea how different you guys are I said what do you mean she goes like the way you guys are committed to really trying to figure out relationship with each other like this whole thing of gossip came up and somebody said you know around here we really really really try to just kind of try to pull that weed out and she said do you know and I'm like I do and I'm grateful and I want to say thank you to all of you for this mattering because the rest of the world is watching you see when

sharks dance and the twirls and the pirouettes are a frightening sight to behold that's one thing but when Christians dance that way God is grieved people are hurt and the rest of the world looks at us like we're no different but there is a better way and you know this I just want to remind you of it again we've been called to something different something so otherworldly and counter cultural it's a different way to live and to love because we are the beloved we have friendships that last we have relationships that we're committed to we try to do things the right way and when this happens and we creatively collaborate and work together on things I'm telling you it's so winsome it's so attractive it's a relief it's a joy it's a ride and the watching world goes wait I can't explain that but I'd like to know more you see when you look at like the dance of sharks who wants to be in the middle of that but when you think of the dance of the Trinity who doesn't want to be in the middle of that y'all we're being invited into something that our souls long for the work of God on planet earth and the work of God in our own friendships and I just want to say this for those of you who are still going yeah but this isn't a call for us to all blend into kind of some oh I can't tell anybody apart from anybody that is so boring and bland and not God he's not saying that this isn't a cultish conformity to oh we've all got it just no go read this go read the New Testament Paul tries to talk about all these different people that call themselves family together Jews and Greeks slave and free men and women rich and old and young and poor and all of this together by the time you get to the book of Revelation John says it's every tribe tongue and nation you can't even hardly explain it what I might say it to you I'm saying this doesn't mean that we don't get to have opinions this doesn't mean that we we don't get to be ourselves it doesn't mean that we won't disagree hello it doesn't mean that we won't have bumps doesn't mean that we don't offer grace to each other we do that all the time it doesn't mean that we avoid saying the things that need to be said to each other in love it doesn't mean that we look the other way when something needs to be done just to kind of you know keep the peace no the love I'm talking about is not icky it's not sweet it's not soft it's strong it's got way to it it's real and when the world starts to see all of these different people and go how are y'all getting stuff done in this world it's all because of him so what am I saying to you you young and old you who are rich and poor you who listen

to Sinatra or Shabuzi you didn't get that one you listen to Ella Langley or Ella Fitzgerald You who love football or basketball or picket ball, or you like to get dressed up and go to the ball. You who hunt birds or bird watch. And for the record, when I'm hunting birds, I am watching them. You who are black, white, or brown. You who are married, or single, or single again. You who have kids and don't have kids. Those of you who live in the county, and those of you who live in the city. If we are the followers of Jesus, if we are His capital to see church, do you know what we have in common? Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, and we have no hope of doing this together if we don't stand in view of the cross. We are the people who stand drenched in His grace and filled with the Holy Spirit. And this is the way it has always been. And that means we, above all other organizations on this planet, we have a chance to do things differently. And that's what Jesus was praying that night. And remember, it's close. Like it's close. He's about to be betrayed now. It's mere hours before God will be nailed to a cross. I mean, we're almost there. A sacrifice will be made. One life will be laid down. And justice will be served. The scales will have tipped. And a way will have been made, we're close.

So it seems to me like right now would be a good time for you to grab your elements at each of our sites. We'll do this together. It's okay for you to go and get those elements and come back. We'll take them together here now. But on this very night that we're talking about, Jesus gives us a way to remember and a way to remember how much we are loved. You see, Jesus is about to win the battle, y'all. But that means that the Son of God would have all of the sin and all of the horror and all of the shame. And it would all be piled up on him at one place. Paul says that he who knew no sin would now be made sin for us. It doesn't mean that Jesus is sinful. It means that in this moment, it's now all piled on him. And it means that there's going to be a moment of separation between he and the father, these two that have known each other since before there was time. Why? Because the hour has come. And because you and I are the beloved. Now, if you believe in this Jesus and you have received this grace, then I invite you to take this with us. If you have not made that decision yet, it's okay. Take a pass. This really won't mean anything until you have made it personal. If you were at a place where you need to do some business with God because you're sideways with somebody else, take a pass, instead use these moments now, to ask God to bring healing in that relationship.

But for those of you who are ready, Jesus said on that night, when he took the bread, this is my body, which is for you. Do this and remember me. I've been saying all weekend long, and it's a strange phrase, really. But I believe it to be true. There is no forgiveness without forsakenness. You see, God, the son is going to be forsaken on the cross, because the Holy God of the universe cannot look on sin. He will not tolerate sin. And there is a moment when all of this is piled onto the son that the father has to look away. Now, Jesus prays about this in the garden father. Is there any other way? And if you remember a couple of weeks ago, we suggested that if there was another way, don't you think the father would have taken it? I'm telling you, the hour has come. And Jesus is giving us a way to remember, because on the cross, the son is forsaken. The father is heartbroken, and the spirit is grieved. And Jesus says, this is my blood, which is poured out for you. Remember me. [MUSIC PLAYING] Father, we do not. the sacrifice of Jesus lightly, the presence of your spirit lightly. Teach us now how to do something with this, besides listen and talk about it. For your glory, we're praying this.

I was trying to figure out how we end this thing because I was a little worried that I used that dance metaphor one too many times. And I know some of you are like, I don't dance and I don't like to dance. So I was trying to think, how do we do this? How do we end this so that you're with me, right? So there's some people that's like, okay, come on, how do we do this? This is for those of you who feel that way. A few weeks ago, a couple of weeks ago with some friends and some leaders, I did this and it's another way to think about us being one, okay? Paul and his letter, Philippians, first chapter, verse 27, he talks about us being in one spirit facing the gospel, doing this together and he says, striving together. In the Greek it can also be translated striving side by side together. Anthony Diego, come here. Let me show you what I think that looks like, striving together. The word soon is with the word atleo 'cause that's what it means, soon atleo. Atleo means just what you think it means. Athlete, athletic. So we're talking about teammates here. So if we're going to strive together in the gospel, part of what that means is we lock arms 'cause we were never made to do this alone. Now let me tell you what happens when we lock arms.

We face the evil together. We face the challenge together. We advance the gospel together as one. This is what it looks like, but it also means, sometimes we celebrate as one. It also means if I'm drifting a little bit, these guys will keep me on course. It means if I'm like holding back and I don't wanna go through that door and I'm like, oh God, I don't think I'm ready for that. They don't push me through the door. You know what they do? They say, we're gonna go through that door together. And as sometimes happens with me, if I get out ahead of myself, they're gonna go, whoa, cowboy, hang on, let's pray, let's talk, let's think this through. But I promise you, there are times in my life and maybe your life. Oh, like you're getting attacked, you're getting something comes up, there's a memory, there's a thing, there's something. And you're going, I don't think I can do this. It's when we strive together that my brothers and sisters hold me up, this is how the spirit works as we do this together as one. Does that make sense? Does that make sense? Okay, good, all right. So here's what I wanna ask you to do is relieve now.

Would you stand? (chuckling) Would you reach across the aisles? Would you lock arms with the people next to you? Some of you are going, I'm not doing that. Well, you can just tell the people next to you. That's dumb, I'm leaving and you can go. But I'm gonna ask you now to lock arms across the aisles. Come on, don't be bashful with each other. Some of you are not believers yet, this is a part of what we're inviting you into. But I want you now to hear just a teeny bit of this song as a prayer over you, okay? Just a little bit of this song as a prayer over you. You may wanna bow your heads, you may wanna be a part of this, you may wanna say, I gotta get out of here, this is too intense. You do whatever you need to do. But right now, would you guys just lead us through, just sing over us here at the sites. Would you just sing this as a prayer over our people? (upbeat music) (gentle music) ♪ For the different ways we see you ♪ ♪ For all the ways you move ♪ ♪ All the colors and expressions ♪ ♪ Oh, the beauty of your church ♪ ♪ What a masterful reflection ♪ ♪ When we are unified ♪

♪ Truly celebrate each other ♪ ♪ And let go of our pride ♪ ♪ That you would have ♪ ♪ A spotless bride ♪ ♪ Oh, praise the Father ♪ ♪ Praise the Son ♪ ♪ Holy Spirit ♪ ♪ Make us one ♪ ♪ Every nation ♪ ♪ Try them tough ♪ ♪ This is our pride ♪ ♪ Your kingdom come ♪ (upbeat music) (upbeat music) Our preference since our plans Would you help us work together To be your feet in hands Your heart's in chance to know you To show them who you are And the gospel's still the answer For every searching heart Oh praise the Father Praise the Son Holy Spirit Make us one Every nation Try that song This is our cry Your Kingdom come Okay, here's the last part of your assignment

I'm gonna ask for the lights to come up a little bit Find somebody in the room you haven't said hello to Maybe in a long time Tell 'em you love 'em, tell 'em you miss 'em If they need prayer, pray for them Make plans for lunch now But can you bring the lights up? 'Cause I want you all to talk to each other As these guys finish singing over you Thank you for being here today [Music] Brothers, sisters Under the banner of your name Brothers, fathers Under the banner of your name All your children All for the glory of your name Brothers, sisters Under the banner of your name Brothers, fathers Under the banner of your name All your children All for the glory of your name Oh, pray the Father Raise the sun Hold His spirit Make us one Every nation Try and talk This is our cry

Your kingdom, oh! (upbeat music) [MUSIC PLAYING]