I was pondering Jesus’ promise and the events of Pentecost. Tongues of fire and a rush of a violent wind filling an entire house.

I was pondering Philip’s request of Jesus and Jesus asking, “Have I been with you all this time and you still do not know me?”

I was pondering the nature of inspiration. How we are “in spirited” with ideas, art, vistas. How fleeting the Spirit can be. How inspiration and the Holy Spirit must be linked.

I was pondering all these things as I sat on my back porch with my dog at my feet. And he looked up at me and said, “Preacher, you better preach! Preach and don’t ponder,
Don’t lose them with thoughts that wander,
But preach inspiration,
For there lies salvation,
In layered parable and words that cause thought,
this is how our Savior taught,
Ignite something with a line,
Do it now before you’re out of time.
Preacher! Preach! And don’t ponder,
I hope my words serve as a prompter,
Even though I’m just a dog and not quite educated,
Yet with those training classes I’ve been domesticated,
Yet I know like the Poet Adam[1] spoke,

You preach now, and they’ll never forget what you invoke.
‘You got — pulsive passages passing the mic
and hot hallelujahs with the lines you write
and your sin is your story your song is your life
and your words are like wonders to wandering fifes’

So Preach preacher! And maybe you’ll inspire.
But don’t do it to no choir,
Preach for the people, woman and man,
for theirs is the kingdom, that was the plan,
Preach and don’t give them silence,
For fire needs oxygen that’s just science.
Preach like the rushing wind,
Preach and let inspiration begin.
Preach and bring that Spirit.
Do it and let them hear it.”

Then he got up and wandered away,
and what he did or where he went, I couldn’t say.

Inspiration comes from the craziest of places. The poem my dog said was inspired by another poem entitled “Poet Breathe Now” by Adam Gottlieb. I heard that in seminary and have been inspired ever since. The Manic Manatee stories I have told at our Alive on the Square services came from a trip down to Florida. We saw this manatee just spinning around in a huge circular tank, as happy as could be. Only moving its mouth as it caught lettuce floating by and I thought, “That has got to be the laziest thing I have ever seen. I wonder what a super hero manatee would be like?” I was inspired.

Jane Greinke was inspired by our Gothic arches here at the church. So inspired she created two amazing paintings. One is in the East Room and one is by the new library, and I never tire of seeing them. She was inspired and now I’m inspired!

I have been inspired by the story of this church. How 7 people gathered and wrote a charter. They founded a church on the Square. From humble beginnings, a log cabin. To meeting in the new courthouse. To the brick church. To this sanctuary.

We have learned so much about our spiritual ancestors through our bicentennial tidbits collected by Pete Metzloff and videos by Terry and Carol Rhodes. These ancestors faced the issues of their day with courage and conviction. They fought for abolition, many even having slaves hidden in their homes. They marched for prohibition, founded the anti-saloon league out of their desire for stable families free from abuse. We have heard the words on Founder’s Day back in February from our Pastor in 1919, Rev. H. Samuel Fritsch and his connection between the theory of evolution and Christ.[2] We might not have understood it fully, but we heard it. Pete and the Rhodes were inspired, now we’re inspired. The spirit catches and moves.

While I don’t know where my dog went after his poem, I do know where the disciples went. They caught the Spirit on Pentecost and scattered all over the world. On an ancient medieval map, it showed the twelve going to all corners of the world. James went to Spain. Thomas to India. Peter and the Apostle Paul to Rome. They went all over to remind Christians in that era that those folks who lived in those lands had the ability to be inspired or inSpirited too. Those folks are our folks. There are no outsiders. Maybe we need that reminder. Folks were so inspired by the Good News the Disciples and the early church brought, they risked their life and being ostracized by their families to pursue it. It was incredible and exciting.

One of the operating ideas I work with in sermons and worship has been “Thou shalt not be boring.” We are dealing with the things of God. We are dealing with the big questions of life: Who am I? How do I love my neighbor? What should I be doing with my life? What happens after we die?

These are not boring questions! God is not boring! God has created such an interesting world for us with such people in it!

The birth of the church on Pentecost was anything but boring. People thought the disciples were drunk. “They are filled with new wine.” Granted there are times to be sober and serious. The church is known for that. That’s actually our reputation. When a bride came in for a rehearsal here recently, she said, “Oh, I can’t have gum in here!”

“Whoa, says who?” I asked.

“My mother in-law, for one,” she replied. “She goes to church so she knows the rules.”

That’s the word on the street. We are restrictive, unemotional and boring. So boring, we don’t allow chewing gum. I think we are anything but. I’ve been so inspired by our story. I’ve been so inspired by all that we are doing together and can’t wait to see where God takes us in the future. I’m excited to dedicate the historical marker later today.

If these things don’t inspire you, then by all means tell me something better. Your voice matters after all. The congregational way is founded on the idea of free, critically thinking Christians bringing their gifts and passions to the assembled body. I’m all ears!

Jesus inspired. He sent his Spirit to be with us. I am convicted that all truth is God’s truth just as all love is God’s love. Both of these things, in whatever form you find them; are of God. They belong to God. When you see a video on social media and you cry. When you are moved. When you laugh. When you hear a phrase or read something that grabs your attention and you write it down or cut it out and post it up, that’s of God. When you are moved to post about a sermon, or lift up prayer for someone and what they’re going through, that’s of God. When you feel or are led to think and discuss, that’s of God.

Inspiration and the Holy Spirit are linked. All artists and musicians talk about connecting to something bigger than themselves when they feel inspired. I think my dog is right. “Let us all Preach and don’t give them silence,
For fire needs oxygen that’s just science.
We’ll preach like the rushing wind,
We’ll preach and let inspiration begin.”

The Holy Spirit moves in and among and through us. Any time we’re inspired, that’s the Spirit of Truth. In the Old Testament, there’s a word for this. Inspiration or the Spirit is linked to the breath of God. The Hebrew word is Ruach. “In the beginning, when God began to create, God’s Ruach/Spirit/Breath hovered over the waters.”

Now church, it is time for us to begin. It is time for God’s Spirit to move among us. It is time to be united in Ruach, God’s Breath, and we can do that now.

Take a few breaths with me. In. Out. In. Out. Our first sermon together. A prayer of Ruach. Always remember we are the breath of God. This life is a gift. May it inspire you to risk and love with abandon. And the church says… Amen.

Works Cited

^[1] Poet Adam Gottlieb inspired this poetry with his awesome poem, Poet Breathe Now which can be found here: https://youtu.be/lXIjF0ERvYY

^[2] https://www.uccmedina.org/sermons/christ-and-evolution/