John 17 - w/Scott McConnell

Good morning.

My name is Scott, and I have the opportunity from time to time,

roughly every eight weeks, to share.

And I really enjoy that.

Pastor Greg is celebrating a birthday with one of his kiddos.

So we're so glad that he gets to do that and enjoy that time.

And I'm so glad the other Hamptons are with us.

Yay!

So it's great to have them with us.

A little bit about me.

Again, my name is Scott.

I am a quadriplegic.

I have been going on nine years now.

So a couple ways that that affects me is I usually

stay leaned back in my chair pretty far,

so that I don't pass out from low blood pressure.

So that's for both of our benefits.

I take quite a few sips of water,

because my mouth gets pretty dry.

And I also usually leave my hood up.

And it's not a fashion statement, so much as it is

that I get really cold really easy.

So I like to always give that disclaimer.

So that's a little bit about me.

Starting this morning, during two minutes for one question,

we mentioned a way that we've been

part of a team or a group that sticks in our mind.

And another word for that could be unity.

And that's what we're discussing today, is unity, a group

that we feel unity with.

Now, one of the groups that comes to mind for me,

I'll steal Chris's and say that there was a group that I went

through for school as well.

There were about eight of us.

And we went through that during COVID.

And it was a group of Catholic brothers and sisters.

It was a Catholic master's program,

well, a pastoral theology program, but through Ambrose.

And so it was really interesting to me,

because it was during COVID, we weren't attending church live

and things like that.

So I became a part of a Catholic community

and experienced unity with them in a really cool way, which

was new for me.

So that was really fun.

Now, Jesus, in chapter 17 of John, is praying about unity.

And first, he prays about the unity

between him and the Father.

Then he prays about unity for his disciples.

And then he prays an interesting part.

He prays for future believers.

So right there in his prayer together with them,

he prays for those of us in the future

who would hear the message, which includes us,

that we would have unity.

Now, we think about unity in a general sense.

But John was writing to them.

This prayer was about unity in a specific way.

They were going through an important transition

in their community.

And part of that transition was how they would be,

what community they would worship with.

And one of the issues that came up was the synagogue,

whether they would continue to worship in the synagogue.

This was an issue that was dividing the community

and that they were wrestling with.

And part of the reason they were wrestling with this

is that the synagogue had a very special place

in the culture at that time.

This synagogue, they had an exception in the Roman Empire

for how they were allowed to worship.

They were allowed to worship one God, the God of Israel,

which was different from the expectations

for a lot of other religious groups.

And that's because they were considered an ancient religion.

Ancient religions were respected by the Romans

and were given a special classification

so that they wouldn't have to follow all the customs

that others did.

And so they were given that special custom.

But there was an issue with Christians now coming in.

Some of the Christians were Gentiles.

And some of the Christians came from different people groups.

And so for them to come in and start coming to synagogue

caused some questions for those already

worshiping in the synagogues.

They'd had this special classification,

but by different groups coming in, it put that in jeopardy.

Part of the reason that I underline that

is we read about the issues with the synagogue in John.

And it's easy to just think of it as a religious issue,

but it was more than that.

It was a political issue as well.

By having different groups of people come in,

it put their safety in danger.

It put them politically in danger

that their synagogues could be shut down

by having different groups in there.

So safety, the freedom to worship,

these different things were at issue

for whether the Christians were worshiping there.

Safety, that's a pretty big issue, right?

I visited the Tri-City Jewish Center not long ago,

and synagogues continue to face issues with safety today.

Why did I go?

I went because I had not visited a synagogue before.

And that started to strike me as very strange

the more I thought about it.

I wanted to speak to a rabbi about some of the questions

that I had and that I wrestled with.

And I felt like there was perspective

that I could get from a rabbi that I probably

couldn't get from anyone else.

Because it had to do with issues that the Jewish community had

gone through.

And so as I went, I had to buzz in to come in.

And the first question that was asked

is if I had any weapons on me.

And at first, that seemed strange to me.

I didn't understand why I was being asked that.

But then I realized that it was because of the issue

that synagogues have faced here in our country today.

We usually wouldn't have to check with people

to check what their intentions are if they

came in to our church.

Very rarely churches do see violence.

But in the Jewish community, that's

a much more likely issue.

And I could sense a certain amount of,

I don't want to say suspicion, but I

think that's maybe fair as to what my intentions were.

Again, because of issues that have been faced,

especially recently by Jewish communities,

by people making statements and acting in ways that are hateful.

So I sat down with Rabbi Linda, who's

the rabbi over of two different congregations,

at the Tri-City Jewish Center.

And I began to speak to her.

And I made a statement to me that was really funny.

I knew better than this, but in the moment I froze,

I asked her a question about the Old Testament.

And I knew when I was saying that I was not

using the correct term to say to a rabbi.

But I froze, and I couldn't think.

And so she gently said, we call that the Hebrew Bible.

All right, that's fair.

And I guess it is for us too, isn't it?

As we read it, it's the Hebrew Bible.

It's not just the Old Testament.

I don't think we call it that in a pejorative way.

But it could be taken that way, especially when

you're talking to a rabbi.

And so I learned, but as I reflected on that,

going back to John, when we read the issues in John,

and the issues with synagogue, it

wasn't just an issue of being mean to Christians

or discriminating against them.

The issues that were coming up as to how they should worship

together was an issue of safety, of safety for them.

Again, whether their synagogues would be shut down,

whether they would face persecution

throughout the empire, and whether they

would be in physical danger because of who worshiped

with them and what those people were saying.

If the Christians are coming in and saying Jesus is Lord,

directly in contradiction to Caesar as Lord, to recognizing

Caesar as the authority, that would raise some issues,

wouldn't it?

That could cause some problems.

And if they were saying a Jew that had been crucified

was the Messiah that was prophesied about in the Hebrew

Bible, that could also raise some big issues,

not only in the Jewish community,

but in the other community because Christians were not

understood at all by the Roman culture at that time.

So those are some of the issues that they were facing.

But that also meant that John's Christian community

that he was writing to were also dealing

with issues of their identity, who they worshiped with,

how they worshiped, these different issues.

Would the community be divided to a point

where it couldn't survive?

Or would they be able to put unity in such a place

that they could survive together?

Now, when we think about unity today,

are there any things that threaten unity in the church

today?

We can probably think of a few.

Some of the issues that we face are certainly

in the political climate were pressured

from different parts of the church each way

that we need to support a certain group

or we may not be putting proper priority on our faith.

If you look on Facebook, you can see both ways, right?

Especially as we approach a presidential election.

And I'm not going to name names.

I'm not going to try to influence it all.

So you can let your blood pressure come down a little bit.

Even online, probably, if you're watching,

when I hear someone talk about these issues,

I tense up a little bit.

All right, what are we going to do here?

But it's not an issue of encouraging

where you should find.

Again, I'm trying to choose my words carefully.

This isn't an issue of pointing you in a certain direction,

but of recognizing this can be a threat to unity.

They even have religious folks on the different news networks

that I watch.

And I try to watch different ones of people presenting

why they believe that certain communities are right or wrong

or even just recognizing the issues

that we're having with unity in the church.

And we hear language that is so inflammatory,

even just on a political side that raises the stakes.

A threat to democracy.

The most important election of our times.

The greatest danger America has ever faced.

And again, I watch more than one source,

and I've heard it on both sides.

Absolutely heard it, so we can't take this and say

we're pointing to one or the other.

Now, I'd like to take history into account for just a moment.

We went through the Civil War, didn't we?

And the church was divided between North and South.

Congregations divided between North and South

on moral and political issues.

But did the church survive it?

Did healing happen between congregations?

Have we found ways to find peace through that?

I hope the answer is yes.

Have we reached a perfect place?

Of course not.

But the church was able in our country

to find a way to seek healing through that.

I think of the Civil Rights Movement.

Were there moral issues there that had to be faced?

Absolutely.

Were there divides in the church as to how to respond to it?

How the church should be involved?

Whether we should be involved in politics

when it came to that issue?

Those were all issues that were faced.

But was the church able to survive through that?

Were we fractured to such a place

that we were no longer able to worship together?

No.

We were able to find healing through that.

Will the church survive the issues

that are happening today and the things that divide us?

Whichever way things go, will we be able to persevere?

And the answer is already yes.

The answer is already yes.

It's already been decided.

Now one thing that we're also wrestling through

are some of the pains of COVID

and the way that different churches handle that.

And I hope that we can begin to start to look back on that

and learn from it and seek healing.

There's still healing in my heart

that needs to be done over that.

There's a church that I was part of

that ultimately I was told,

and I'll say I think this was the right decision,

but I was told by a pastor as I expressed my concerns,

it doesn't sound like we're a good fit

for each other anymore.

It doesn't sound like we're going to get to a place

where we're not divided.

And I realized that in him saying that,

that I was a threat to the unity of that church,

of the path that they had decided to take

and the positions that I held

and I wasn't willing to compromise on.

And so I had to find a new church.

And I saw someone from that church the other day

who I wasn't expecting to see.

And I've not yet sought reconciliation with that person.

They were a leader in that church

where I disagreed with how the situation was handled.

And that pain rose up in my heart again.

Of the divide that we felt and how that was responded to.

Is my point to determine what paths were correct

or even what paths I'm talking about?

No.

But did it hurt the church's unity?

Yes.

But have we begun to come through that?

Yes.

And are churches finding ways to worship and love one another

even though we were divided on that issue?

Yes.

And so as we think of the issues today,

as we look at the issues of unity,

was the early church,

as they decided how their community would worship,

what it looked like for them,

did they survive?

Yes.

Was Jesus' prayer for future believers effective?

Yes.

Will we continue to struggle with unity going forward?

Of course.

But is it something that will tear our church apart

to a place where we can't recover?

Nationally, locally, globally?

No.

Because the Spirit is still at work.

Now we can resist that.

We can resist unity,

or we can follow the Spirit and continue to be healing,

continue to seek to show love,

even when we disagree,

and even when we come on to the other side of a disagreement.

Amen?

All right.

Now a brief intermission while I take a drink.

I now want to focus for a moment on,

I really wrestled with in this message, unity.

Because unity can be used so broadly.

When we talk about unity,

what are we talking about?

Now there are lots of groups and organizations

that take pride in being an accepting community,

or take pride in sharing certain beliefs.

And that's a good thing.

But it raises the question,

what makes the church unique?

What is it about this group of people

that is different from, for example,

I'm part of the Kiwanis Club,

where our saying is,

serving the children of the world.

That's a great cause, right?

But can the church be,

we know it should be, more than that.

But I think at times of seeking unity,

we can risk paring down

what those things we are unified by

to try to build common ground.

And what I came to,

not for this sermon,

but just in general,

I was asking people,

what do you think it means to be a Christian?

What makes us Christian?

What are the beliefs that we can say,

hey, these are what we really cling to?

And ultimately, I decided that

that's not what Jesus was talking about here.

He was not trying to promote

a certain set of beliefs.

I think our beliefs are very important.

But Jesus' focus here was the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit being what unites

and ties Christians together.

So I want us to think about that

as I share what I'm going to next,

is that what really tied the church together

was an experience of the Holy Spirit.

Now, I'd like to share a little bit

about how I see the Spirit at work

in our church today.

I thought I saw Eric earlier.

Did I imagine that?

Okay, that could be.

We'll all look at you

while I talk about Eric.

No.

That could be.

But Eric preached a message

over a year ago now,

where he talked about

not waiting until there was some sign

where the heavens opened, my words,

to obey something God had put in our heart to do

that we shouldn't wait to do something

that's right until you see

three different signs that prove it.

And I realized as he preached that

that that was true of me.

I had been batting around the idea

of starting a nonprofit

to advocate for accessibility

in the community.

I was waiting for the right time.

I was waiting for the right motivation.

I was waiting for different things.

And I realized, okay,

the Spirit's put this in your heart.

Stop playing around and do it.

So I did it.

I researched it and I incorporated

my nonprofit Quad Cities Advocates.

And I printed up business cards.

And thus far, I haven't used that to raise money.

I haven't used it to do any other things.

But it gives a name for me to identify

what I'm trying to do.

And I've been able to make some positive influences

in the community through that.

But the point is that by Eric preaching that message,

the Spirit impressed on me

that I needed to take another step.

I needed to do something more.

And God has worked in my heart

in the community through that.

That's an example of God,

the Spirit working through our community.

And that being something that unifies us.

Someone who's not in our congregation now,

but was for many years far before

when we came here,

sent a text to my wife

on a day that we had a very important appointment

saying, I was up last night praying for you,

and I don't know why,

but I wanted to let you know.

And it had been a little while

since I'd heard something like that.

And it really impressed upon me

of how the Spirit was working

and moving in our situation.

And how I needed that,

that even across states,

even across there being distance

and time and communication,

still the Spirit was working

amongst people in our congregation,

even that aren't still attending together,

to encourage, to bless, and to act.

And that person texted me this morning.

She just continues to bless

and listen to the Spirit.

And how awesome that someone,

even after they moved to a different congregation,

the Spirit still has tied them to us.

We're still in their prayers.

We're still being worked in.

And I think that's awesome.

And I want to give one more small example,

and then I'll close out.

Ramps.

Now as I talk about ramps,

I'd like you, there should be a prayer

on every table for unity.

Would you take a picture of that on your phone,

if you would?

There's two reasons for that.

One, you can take it with you.

And two, I didn't want to print it for everybody.

And I wrote it yesterday,

so I didn't have time to get it up

on the old projector.

So I didn't want to print that many of them.

But this way, one, we can read it together

without all having to huddle around each other.

And two, you can take it with you,

which I think is great.

When we went to, I think it was,

no, maybe it was two weeks ago,

when we went to a community table

and were together,

the Korczaks were determined to make ramps

for me to go into their house.

And I had tried to assure them,

I can't go in most houses.

Like that's not a huge deal to me.

It's not something I expect.

David built a ramp for me last year

to get up on their patio.

That was terrifying.

But I was determined to make it.

I thought surely,

and he worked at John Deere for some reason,

I just assume that means

that he knows how to build stuff.

I think that's not what he does there.

But I flew up the ramp.

I survived.

I made it back down.

And this year, he still had the ramp.

And he said he widened it

and he put little guard rails on the side.

And so he improved it even more,

even though I'd said,

hey, I can sit out in the yard.

He wanted me on his patio.

Last year, he thought when he got me up on the patio

that that meant I'd be able to go into his house.

But I explained to him,

hey, look, if I go over the barrier

of your sliding door, I will crush it.

I will bend it.

You probably won't be able to use your door the same way.

So let's not do that.

But this time, Brennan took measurements

and with his 3D printer built, Brennan Korczak,

I see some confusion back there.

Yeah, right, not that one.

Yes, no.

It was not Brennan Hampton.

It was not.

So Brennan Korczak used his 3D printer

and built ramps that fit over the sliding door rail

and would get me into their house.

And I was so impressed.

Again, they were about at this incline and back down.

And is any Baldrige in here?

She's in nursery.

She clearly thought I was going to die when I went over it.

But I was going to.

Why?

Because those are the types of small acts

and the types of love that happen in a church

where the spirit is at work.

That even things like ramps,

wanting someone to be able to go on your patio,

get into your house,

is something that's important.

Important enough for you to take measurements

and spend hours doing.

And you know, as much as I said,

it wasn't important for me to go in their house.

And I believed that when I said it.

It was so cool and it was such an honor

because they wanted me to be able to be in there.

It was a lot of fun.

So we've talked some about the big ways

that the spirit works.

We will be able to go through

and continue healing from COVID

as a church and as a nation.

We will be able to go through and continue to heal

as we go through the next political challenges

and churches feel strongly different ways.

And the spirit is at work in our church.

Even in our church at work through different states.

Even in our church through ramps

and getting into each other's houses.

So I encourage you to continue to listen through the spirit.

And I asked myself the question, okay,

how do we ask for the Holy Spirit?

How do we want to move Him to move greater

in our congregation?

And I thought, well, we ask.

We ask the Father.

And so that's what we're gonna do

through this prayer.

So that's what we're gonna do through this prayer now.

So if you'll go ahead, let's stand.

I don't know why, but it just feels like we should stand.

And we'll pray this together.

And Pastor Jen, if you would come join me

because we're gonna do communion in a moment.

I don't have the prayer pulled up,

so give me just a moment.

Yeah, I sure do. That's great.

All right, let's pray together.

Heavenly Father, we pray for healing

between the churches and our community.

Help us to refocus on your call

to be united in proclaiming your love for us

and our love for one another.

We pray that the Holy Spirit would guide us

as we move toward greater unity.

We pray for the house, please increase the work

of the Spirit in our congregation

and bring us to greater unity.

In Jesus' name we pray, amen.