Inspiration
12/06/16 05:27
I’ve been thinking about inspiration lately. There are moments when members of the congregation I serve become highly motivated and effective in their mission and outreach. Some project grabs their attention and sparks their generosity and the energies of several people come together to make great things happen. I have been pleased and amazed by projects that have come together with shared effort and energy. But there are also certain projects that seem to remain on the back burner, waiting for that spark of energy or perhaps for just the right leader to come around and make things happen. Sometimes it isn’t clear to me why one project takes off and another remains incomplete.
We speak of inspiration as a kind of uncontrollable force that provides energy and enthusiasm. We think of inspiration in terms of creative energy. The term comes from something far more basic. It means to draw in breath. Inspiration is necessary for life itself.
The primary languages of the bible, Hebrew and Greek, both share with English the connection between breathing and spirit. In Hebrew the term is “Ruah,” which can be translated “spirt” or “wind” or “breath.” The force or principle that animates living beings is seen as freely present in the universe. The air we breathe is the same as the wind that refreshes the land. In Greek, the term is “Pneuma.” We use the Greek term in English for air powered tools: pneumatic.
Latin, the language from which the Bible was read for much of its history, shares that same meaning. “Spiritus” means breath and comes from the base word “spirare” which means “to breathe.” Our English word comes directly from the Latin.
We use the term spirit in a lot of different ways in our language. We speak of it in terms of extra energy. We will say, “He (or she) was inspired!” about an exceptional effort. The language is used in terms of sports and competition as well as in reference to work or other efforts.
We talk of team spirit, school spirit and community spirit to speak of shared energy and pride.
The same word, however, is used to refer to mysterious forces. We will say “spirited away” to refer to an unexplained disappearance.
We also use the word to talk about intention and deeper meaning. We speak of “the spirt of the law,” meaning the essence or the true meaning.
Then, of course, there is the use of the word in relationship to intoxication. Distilled spirits are alcoholic beverages.
A person who sings or dances or fights with spirit is seen as a positive role model.
We also speak of spirit as a disembodied presence: “those who are present in spirit.”
We’ve got such a catalog of different meanings and uses of the words spirit and inspiration that it might be difficult for someone who is unfamiliar with our language to tell whether we are talking about the energy of a game, the presence of a loved one, the ability to accomplish great things or the consumption of alcohol.
One thing about the term as we use it in conversation is a sense that it is somewhat elusive. We can’t manufacture or fake spirit. It needs to be genuine and appears as the result of an external force. It is not subject to manipulation. The gospel of John says, “The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” The sentence doesn’t quite come off in English because we don’t use spirit and wind interchangeably, but in the Greek the same word is repeated in that sentence. “Wind” and “spirit” are the same.
Spirit is necessary for life and we can’t control the spirit. Those two concepts seem to be in conflict. In reality, there are a lot of things that are beyond our control. Part of successful living is learning to accept the things we cannot control, as witnessed by Niebuhr’s serenity prayer.
The problem is that part of my role as pastor of a congregation is to bring inspiration to the people I serve. A preacher is always a part-time cheerleader. One of the roles I am given by the community and accept as a pastor is that of raising issues in a way that encourages the community to respond. Sometimes I’m pretty good at that task. Other times, I try to get something going and my timing seems to be off.
The truth is that it isn’t all about me. It’s fairly easy to become a bit confused about what I want and what God is calling me to do. I often think that God is calling me to the things that I desire. It takes a loving and caring community to discern God’s calling. Not every project that I think is a good idea is in the best interests of the community. When the people aren’t inspired it may be simply because I haven’t chosen the right project or ministry. It also may be a matter of timing. It is very common for me to be pushing for a particular project or ministry only to find out that what I need is patience. The project will be accomplished in its own time and not according to my schedule.
I want to lead an inspired congregation and most of the time that is what happens. But there are also times of rest and periods of calm. Just because we are quietly resting, however, does not mean that we are not alive. Quiet and calm are also meaningful experiences for all people. A bit of decreased activity isn’t a sign that we are incapable of accomplishing big things.
Perhaps the biggest challenge for me as a leader is learning to balance patience and push. There are times when I need to be encouraging action and other times when I need to wait. Like many other things in the ministry, the trick is balance.
We speak of inspiration as a kind of uncontrollable force that provides energy and enthusiasm. We think of inspiration in terms of creative energy. The term comes from something far more basic. It means to draw in breath. Inspiration is necessary for life itself.
The primary languages of the bible, Hebrew and Greek, both share with English the connection between breathing and spirit. In Hebrew the term is “Ruah,” which can be translated “spirt” or “wind” or “breath.” The force or principle that animates living beings is seen as freely present in the universe. The air we breathe is the same as the wind that refreshes the land. In Greek, the term is “Pneuma.” We use the Greek term in English for air powered tools: pneumatic.
Latin, the language from which the Bible was read for much of its history, shares that same meaning. “Spiritus” means breath and comes from the base word “spirare” which means “to breathe.” Our English word comes directly from the Latin.
We use the term spirit in a lot of different ways in our language. We speak of it in terms of extra energy. We will say, “He (or she) was inspired!” about an exceptional effort. The language is used in terms of sports and competition as well as in reference to work or other efforts.
We talk of team spirit, school spirit and community spirit to speak of shared energy and pride.
The same word, however, is used to refer to mysterious forces. We will say “spirited away” to refer to an unexplained disappearance.
We also use the word to talk about intention and deeper meaning. We speak of “the spirt of the law,” meaning the essence or the true meaning.
Then, of course, there is the use of the word in relationship to intoxication. Distilled spirits are alcoholic beverages.
A person who sings or dances or fights with spirit is seen as a positive role model.
We also speak of spirit as a disembodied presence: “those who are present in spirit.”
We’ve got such a catalog of different meanings and uses of the words spirit and inspiration that it might be difficult for someone who is unfamiliar with our language to tell whether we are talking about the energy of a game, the presence of a loved one, the ability to accomplish great things or the consumption of alcohol.
One thing about the term as we use it in conversation is a sense that it is somewhat elusive. We can’t manufacture or fake spirit. It needs to be genuine and appears as the result of an external force. It is not subject to manipulation. The gospel of John says, “The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” The sentence doesn’t quite come off in English because we don’t use spirit and wind interchangeably, but in the Greek the same word is repeated in that sentence. “Wind” and “spirit” are the same.
Spirit is necessary for life and we can’t control the spirit. Those two concepts seem to be in conflict. In reality, there are a lot of things that are beyond our control. Part of successful living is learning to accept the things we cannot control, as witnessed by Niebuhr’s serenity prayer.
The problem is that part of my role as pastor of a congregation is to bring inspiration to the people I serve. A preacher is always a part-time cheerleader. One of the roles I am given by the community and accept as a pastor is that of raising issues in a way that encourages the community to respond. Sometimes I’m pretty good at that task. Other times, I try to get something going and my timing seems to be off.
The truth is that it isn’t all about me. It’s fairly easy to become a bit confused about what I want and what God is calling me to do. I often think that God is calling me to the things that I desire. It takes a loving and caring community to discern God’s calling. Not every project that I think is a good idea is in the best interests of the community. When the people aren’t inspired it may be simply because I haven’t chosen the right project or ministry. It also may be a matter of timing. It is very common for me to be pushing for a particular project or ministry only to find out that what I need is patience. The project will be accomplished in its own time and not according to my schedule.
I want to lead an inspired congregation and most of the time that is what happens. But there are also times of rest and periods of calm. Just because we are quietly resting, however, does not mean that we are not alive. Quiet and calm are also meaningful experiences for all people. A bit of decreased activity isn’t a sign that we are incapable of accomplishing big things.
Perhaps the biggest challenge for me as a leader is learning to balance patience and push. There are times when I need to be encouraging action and other times when I need to wait. Like many other things in the ministry, the trick is balance.