University Christian Church

In this world in which we live, we often seek out guides to help us figure things out.

Right now, one of the most popular guides in our culture is… not a religious figure… not me, your pastor… but YouTube.

At this moment, there are millions of how-to videos on the internet, from cooking demonstrations to how to fix leaky toilets (something I have watched multiple times). And on the fun end of things - K-Pop dance videos.

We witnessed a Pentecost explosion of dance on Friday evening at a Korean cultural celebration in Washington DC at the National Museum of Asian Art. A DJ was playing a mix of hit Korean pop music from global superstars like BTS and BlackPink. And as hit after hit began, a diverse group of people of all ages, with roots from every culture and corner of the earth, took turns in rhythm and joy. How did they learn the moves to these songs? Well, they watched music videos and rehearsal videos on YouTube.

This is the future. And I’m already thinking about hosting a K-Pop dance party here at the intersection some time.

In our life of faith, we seek out guides just the same. It's why we go to church - to be around people, a pastor, and others - who can help shape and direct our lives to be more holy, more loving, more centered in who we are.

Of course, this life of faith is never as easy as a YouTube video to get everything sorted out. Being a church, in fact, is hard. I read a quote from a colleague, and I couldn't find who it was attributed to but it said - "Choosing a church is just choosing which mess you want to work on." Every church - even the big ones - are a mess. Some are good at hiding it - some have it right there out in the open. And some of us Christians are a mess. Some of us do a lot of work to hide it, but it’s there.

But that also doesn’t mean we don’t have a responsibility to keep working on our mess, to to seek to live more faithfully, to turn away from sin, to love other mores boldly each and everyday. And the good news is - God doesn’t leave us without guidance. God provides us with something better than a YouTube video.

In the Gospel text today, Jesus is giving an extended teaching on the Spirit. The whole chapter is preparation as Jesus faces the cross and his execution in a few hours, knowing he is to going to leave his Disciples. But the message over and over again is that Jesus was not leaving them alone. He was providing a guide - but a presence, a partner, a companion, an advocate to lead them.

Of course, the way the Spirit moves and the way this was about to unfold, it wasn't going to happen at all once. There was no shortcut.

Jesus says to his disciples, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now."

The Greek word for bear in this text is the same word used when Jesus bears the cross on his way to Calvary. Jesus is aware that his disciples are about to have their world shattered, as Barbara Holmes shared in the video earlier, even though he has warned them more than once. Right now, they could not fully understand all he was teaching them. There was simply no way. But over time, with an Advocate by their side, they could begin to piece together the meaning of his teachings, his life, and his way.

The same is true for us thousands of years later. God never dumps everything on us at once. The journey of faith is not always a climb to the glorious mountaintop. Sometimes, this winding trail takes us in strange, disheartening places. Sometimes, we feel lost. Sometimes, it feels like we are moving in circles.

Jesus promised his disciples that the Spirit would help them bridge the gap from what they know to what they needed to know. And the same promise extends to us. In times of uncertainty, that is exactly when we need to hear the Spirit to know how to move forward.

Jesus goes on to say, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."

The Spirit as guide - directing our way - is a beautiful image. You might think of the Spirit as a 1st century Google Maps, leading us to that final destination. Or more like a teacher, helping us deepen our knowledge, understanding, and attentiveness to God’s power in our lives. No one in this life of faith ever stays the same. If your faith is not changing, if you are not widening your sense of inclusivity or love of others, if your prayers are not evolving, you are not being guided.

This is why churches change our hymns and praise songs. It’s why we learn new things. It’s why our ministries change. It’s why we change. The Spirit is guiding us forward, at our best, into truth - into the way, the truth, and the life. In how we might reflect God’s love and Christ’s presence in this world.

Finally, Jesus says - “All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you."

This language is poetic, because talking of the Spirit is never like math. Or how to fix a leaky toilet. It is more of a dance. We can follow the moves, but we will have to bring our own bodies, our own spirits, our own style into the dance.

Jesus assures us that there is continuity - that everything he has - his grace, peace, his ability to heal, his work to liberate others from sin and evil - these are gifts given to us through this Advocate. We aren’t gatekeepers of the Gospel - we are co-workers in God’s reign and community - in the gospel.

Ultimately, the Spirit’s presence promises us that “Jesus meets us in the future.” Following Jesus is a dynamic relationship - we do not look solely backwards - but we always look forward. So matter now how much of a mess your life is or your church is or the world seems, empowered by the Spirit, our lives are open to fresh futures and proclamation through the Spirit. No matter who you are, no matter what you have done, no matter how badly you have screwed up your relationships, no matter how resistant you were to living as God calls. Today - this moment - is an opportunity to be transformed and move in that evolving journey with God.

In her book, Unbinding the Gospel, Martha Reese, who is a researcher and author around spiritual development and transformation for congregations, was brought in as an easy quick fix for a church that wanted desperately to grow. They were getting older. They were anxious about their future. And I think they wanted a step by step process like how you fix a broken toilet. Do this, this, and this. And done.

But Martha challenged them. Do you really want to grow? Then spend the next 100 days praying together. That's it. She didn't give them a book to read. She didn't tell them what to pray about. Every day for the next 100 days, get together and pray.

Something changed in that small prayer group over the next 100 days. At first, it was hard, but the more they persisted, the deeper they feel connected to each other and to God. But grounding their effort first in listening to God, it began to change their perspective, what they noticed, how they listened to each other and to the Spirit. And specifically, who God was calling them to pray for. It was a transformation from the easy fix to the realization that any transformation begins with our own relationship with the Spirit. It was an invitation to break out in dance, a little tentative at first when they didn’t know the moves, but with more grace and joy as the Spirit’s rhythm moved their feet.

I wonder if we challenged ourselves to pray together for the next 100 days - would we do it? Would we have the patience? Would God open our eyes to possibilities we did not imagine before?
Martha Reese lists eight things that she challenges churches to do as they begin to seek to grow and be more attentive to their community. I will not share them all today, but here are a few:
The bedrock of sustainable Christian action is a spiritual life. Are you praying daily? Are we praying together? Are we praying for others? Are we listening as much as we are talking?
Your evangelism team is a prayer group. If we want to grow, prayer is where we start. Not public arguments. Not public spectacles. Praying for the Spirit to move us in rhythm to join the party already taking place. 

Pray for the people who have no one to pray for them. And most importantly, our prayers shift from always internal things - though that is important - to praying for others and noticing avenues for the church to grow.

I noticed it on Friday night, in the potential for the church to gather young people for a K-Pop dance party. Where are you noticing it?

As I prepare to head out for a time of rest and renewal with family, we welcome your prayers - but let’s use these next 3 and a half weeks to pray. I challenge you, not to 100 days, but 25 days of prayer. Let’s see where it goes? Where the Spirit guides us as at the church at the intersection? Thanks be to God.