Meeting Halfway

where do you think inspiration comes from?

There’s an old joke about the guy who wants to get rich, and he thinks the only way to do so is to win the lottery. So every morning and every evening, he prays to his god “God, let me win the lottery!”

And every day he doesn’t.

Yet every day, he continues his prayers, adding in spells and incantations he learned from a Wiccan priestess, and wearing amulets from the Catholic priest, and does every kind of ritual for prosperity that he can find. And yes, he continues to pray “God, let me win the lottery!”

After a long time, a frustrated god interrupts the guy’s prayers.

“Meet me halfway!” demands the booming voice from above. “Buy a damn ticket!”

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Too many times in collegial settings, ministers will share that they get complaints from congregants that they (the minister) are uninspiring, that this is the reason they’re leaving the church, or worse, they want a new minister and are willing to find others who feel the same way. Or even worse, they’ll complain to a board member but not want their name mentioned, so it becomes “people are saying.”

The minister doesn’t inspire me.

I’m not getting my needs met.

I’m not seeing a return on my investment.

I’m not getting what I paid for.

Do you see it? Do you see the capitalism in that complaint? You think it’s about inspiration, but it’s really about capitalism.

Church is not a business. And inspiration is not a commodity.

Let me repeat that: CHURCH IS NOT A BUSINESS. And inspiration is not a commodity.

I’ll write more in future posts about capitalism and religion – as it relates to governance, worship, and welcome – but for now, let’s talk about capitalism and inspiration. And let’s set aside for the moment that we do live in a capitalist society and that concerns about finances are the price of being in a capitalist society.

Let’s talk instead about how those attitudes and practices are seriously messing with your spirit.

Because that’s what it’s about, right? Your spirit. And mine. And the other congregants. And oh, by the way, the minister’s too. Yes, friends, your minister is a human being with a spirit. It’s good to remind yourself of that sometimes, because capitalism turns your minister into an employee you only engage with on a very limited basis, and usually in one certain role.

Most of you see your minister for about one hour a week, in a big room with a lot of people. There is no individual connection in that hour, but rather a collective experience. And this is the image you have – your minister, the preacher, speaking from a pulpit, or maybe traversing the stage, offering words that are meant to inspire.

Sometimes, the minister gets it right for you – you hear the message you needed, you are captured by a story or illustration or a phrase, you feel moved. You are inspired.

Sometimes, the minister seems to be talking about things you don’t care about – you don’t hear anything interesting, you’re distracted, you feel bored. You are uninspired.

First of all, that’s natural. Sometimes the sermon isn’t for you. The minister is doing their best to find and engage with topics that cover a lot of ground, especially when trying to lead worship for a congregation with diverse experiences and diverse theologies. The Rev. Dr. James Forbes, minister emeritus at Riverside Church in New York City was asked how he made worship work in their diverse, integrated community. He responded,

A truly diverse congregation where anybody enjoys more than 75 percent of what’s going on is not thoroughly integrated. So that if you’re going to be an integrated church you have to be prepared to think, ‘hey, this is great, I enjoyed at least 75 percent of it,’ because 25 percent you should grant for somebody’s precious liturgical expression that is probably odious to you; otherwise it’s not integrating. So an integrating church is characterized by the need to be content with less than total satisfaction with everything. You have to factor in a willingness to absorb some things that are not dear to you but may be precious to some of those coming in.

It’s really okay to not like all of it on a particular week; someone else in the room is hearing exactly what they need. And honestly, it’s possible that not liking thing is the spirit nudging you toward that uncomfortable place where you have to wrestle with an idea or feeling or belief of action.

But whether you like it or not, ministers are working to create a service that will hopefully inspire everyone in some fashion or another. And while many ministers in Christian denominations have a common set of texts to draw from, ministers in Unitarian Universalism must find topics must come from what sometimes feels like the ether. Yet they find the inspiration (or we hope they do) – through study, conversations, media, the arts, life experiences, as well as spiritual practices such as prayer and meditation. (By the way, this is why ministers take study leave and sabbatical - because without study, and rest, and new ideas and experiences, they’ve got nothing left to give.)

In other words, they meet the spirit halfway in the process of crafting a service.

The least you could do is meet them halfway and open yourself up to spirit too.

A minister can lead you to the places of inspiration – through the words and music of a service, through covenant groups, faith formation classes, book discussions, and teaching/leading spiritual practices.

What a minister cannot do is pry your mouth open and make you take your inspiration pill.

Your minister cannot do your spiritual work for you.

You cannot pay for inspiration.

You cannot be spoon-fed inspiration.

You have to meet spirit halfway.

Inspiration can’t be bought. Inspiration is what happens when you engage all that you encounter with your spirit, as well as your body and mind.

Church is not a business. Inspiration is not a commodity.