A CHURCH THAT INSPIRES

(Preached on Sunday, August 27, 2006)

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power.                                                                                                      -Ephesians 6:10

 

It=s probably too little, too late, but I came across this list of suggestions this past week for boosting summer church attendance and, since we do live in South Florida, land of perpetual summer, and we are always looking for ways to increase our worship attendance, I thought I would share these suggestions with you anyway.

C Have your preacher speak from a Dunk Tank!

C Add a slide to your baptistry and advertise the church as a water park!

C Offer a free tank of gas for ever five sermons heard!

C Convert your parking lot into an RV campground!

C Convert the sanctuary aisles into putting greens!

C Replace your church sign with one that reads: ATourist Information@!

C Have deacons dress up in animal costumes and open a petting zoo!

C Put up road blocks and tell people there=s a manhunt going on!

But, the very best way to boost church attendance during the summer, or any time, is to be here yourself!

 

Now, that probably isn=t the sort of Ainspiration@ most of those who helped develop our Vision Statement thought of when they wrote that we are a Church that Inspires.  But then again, you never know.

 

As human beings, we yearn to inspire and be inspired, just as we need to love and be loved.  Inspiration is the oxygen of the soul.

Norman Rockwell has a painting titled ALift Up Thine Eyes.@  Shown in his painting is the magnificent entrance to an urban cathedral.  Vaulted high above its carved gothic doors are statues of the prophets, apostles, and martyrs.  And right in the center is Jesus Christ, sitting on a throne at the right hand of God.  On the sidewalk below the cathedral move the busy throngs of people amidst the noise and fumes of cars and taxis.  The pastor of the church has just finished changing the public bulletin board.  The sign, written for edification of the passers-by, reads: ALift Up Thine Eyes!@  The irony, of course, is in the scene below.  Each person in the passing crowd is caught up with his own thoughts.  No one looks up.  Most appear gloomy, harried, and depressed.  They hurry on with eyes glued to the pavement.  Some are lugging their briefcases like millstones.

What a picture of modern life! 

What a picture of the vital need for a Church that Inspires!

Look at the word Ainspiration.@  It comes from the Latin spirare, spirit.  To inspire is to infuse with an encouraging or exalting influence; to animate.  Inspiration is stimulation by divinity, a genius, an idea, or a passion; a divine influence on human beings; to give life; the breath of God.

Oscar Wilde said, AWe are born naked, wet, and hungry, and then things get worse.@  He also said, ASome cause happiness wherever they go, others whenever they go.@ 

A church that inspires is filled with people who bring about happiness wherever C not whenever C they go.

 

They do that because a church that inspires is all about building character and doing so through an emphasis on affirmation and empowerment.  A church that inspires starves the problems and feeds the possibilities.

Most of the motivation models at work in the world today are based on fear.  This results in us spending our lives playing not to lose, not to get old, not to get sick, not to get poor, not to lose our jobs, not to get in trouble with the boss, not to look silly, not to fail.  But a church that inspires does not play to lose, rather it plays to win.

 

That is where inspiration differs from motivation.

Inspiration isn=t about me C it=s a gift to you that comes from my love for you and my desire to serve you in some way.  If you=ve ever had a great coach or mentor, you know that this person inspired you out of love for you.  There was nothing in it for them other than the joy of seeing you grow. 

Motivation is about me.  Inspiration is about you.

Motivation is about fear.  Inspiration is about love.

They are almost opposites C although we freely interchange these words because we do not understand this subtle but critical difference.

 

By focusing on positive possibilities a church that inspires builds character in those who participate in the life of that community.  A moral, ethical life doesn=t happen just because we decide we are going to be nice little boys and girls.  Nor does it come because we go to church on Sundays and put money in the plate.  It doesn=t even come from sitting on a dozen committees.  Really!!

The moral, ethical life comes from conscious prayer and thought about the many ambiguities we encounter.  It develops when we discuss these ambiguities with others C how does my way of thinking C my way of living C affect others?  And (here=s what the armor metaphor Paul uses comes into play) what kinds of habits and practices can I build into my life?  How can I live the kind of life God calls me to live?

Now, I realize many of us have a real problem with this militaristic imagery.  But look closely at what Paul is doing here.  In fact he is attempting to transform our concept of power.  True power and strength to resist evil are contained within qualities which are not forceful or violent at all.

The kind of power being referred to here is centered in God and is more connected to singing and praying than it is to any kind of militaristic struggle.

It is the kind of power that manifests itself in literally standing together and singing hymns as a protest against injustice and praying that God=s will shall prevail.

Look more closely at the qualities Paul is encouraging us to embrace: truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, the word of God.

Each Apiece of armor@, each quality, is a key ingredient in character development.  With the exception of the Asword,@ which is the Word of God, they are all internal aspects of our being.  They are inner qualities were are encouraged to cultivate: always deal truthfully, never dishonestly; live the right way, walking the right path; live at peace with the world and all those around us, and with ourselves, our decisions, our actions; trust God in all we do; choose to live as free people, not enslaved to any person, any ideology, any nation, any -ism.  Finally, read the Bible, even if you don=t understand it.  Pray, even when you don=t feel like it.  Live your life as a follower of Jesus, acting like Jesus, doing what Jesus did.  Live into the possibilities of the future instead of dwelling on the mistakes or failures of the past.  That is how to be part of a church that inspires.

 

Sometimes meditation is described like trying to split a log with an ax.  We hit the wood 99 times, and nothing happens.  The hundredth time, it splits.  We wonder, AWhat did I do differently?@  Although we may try to discover the unique difference of the final strike, really the wood split open because we kept on going.  It isn=t just the mechanical act of hitting and weakening the fiber of the wood that makes for that breakthrough blow; it is our sheer willingness to keep going, perhaps not knowing if we will ever get what we want.

It is our openness to possibility; it is our patience, our endeavor, our courage, our sweat, our heartfelt effort, our humor, our self-knowledge; it is all the strength we gain as we keep going C these are the elements that comprise the magic of that moment when we finally break through.

Living the life of faith is just like that.

Jesus never called for us to believe any particular thing about him, but rather he called people to simply AFollow me.@

Put one foot in front of the other, stumble after me, imitate me, try to walk and live as I walk and live.  Act like you are a disciple, make believe that these folks beside you are your brothers and sisters.  Eventually, it will come to you.