INSPIRE Everyone

        What inspires you? Is there anything in particular that sends a thrill of hope or joy down your spine? Anything that makes you want to stand up and cheer? Anything that motivates you to take some positive action in the world?

        For me it’s the inspired work of others—usually in the arts—that inspires me. I was listening to a live version of Bruce Springsteen’s “My City of Ruins” on my way home from Philadelphia last night, and when he and the background singers belted out, “Come on, rise up!” I was jumping in my seat and swaying like I was in a gospel choir. If you know the song, you know what I mean.

        I find movies, books, and poems inspiring as well. When director, cinematographer, and actors blend their talents to create a perfect, emotionally wrenching scene; when a turn of phrase or a particularly well-crafted sentence captures something true about God or life or the human condition, I feel inspired to do my best work also.

        That’s the thing about true inspiration: it doesn’t hit you with an emotional high and then leave you alone; it picks you up and pushes you forward, sometimes gently, sometimes more insistently, into a future where you make your own inspiring contribution. Those who do inspiring work are both paying back and paying forward—they offer an homage to those who have inspired them and seek to inspire others in turn.

        People inspire me, too. People who put their faith into action in meaningful ways—especially ways that invite others to join in and make their own contributions. Some of these people have made such an impact that we name them saints and will celebrate them this Sunday in worship (All Saints Day). St. Francis and St. Teresa come to mind. Others cannot be found on any official list of saints, but they make it onto my personal list: Oscar Romero, Dorothy Day, Rosa Parks, John Lewis, Cesar Chavez, Art Simon.

        I find inspiration in the congregation of Community UCC as well. I see people stepping up to do important work without fanfare or official recognition. I see people staying late after receptions or other events to wash the dishes, put away the tables and chairs, and so on. I see people working behind the scenes to make sure we have bread and wine for Communion. I see people working hard to make our church and its facilities inviting and accessible to all. I see people volunteering their time at food pantries and with other local agencies. I see people using their talents to keep our financial ship afloat. And I see people stepping up all the time to make sandwiches, decorate the church for Advent, put on a successful bazaar, teach young people how to knit and crochet, and do all the little things that make for a vibrant church community. I am inspired by all these efforts and want to do my best for all these good people.

        I hope you are inspired by something or someone who can get you out of your seat (“Come on, rise up!”) and into the midst of what we are trying to do here at Community Church. I further hope that your inspiration will translate into generosity, because we need both to accomplish the possibilities we are imagining and the future we are envisioning together.