How can we rise up?

Yesterday our Inner City Pastoral Ministry Bible study on the Grandparent Teachings wrapped up with the final teaching of Love. We always get into good, deep discussions at Bible study and run out time before we run out of insights. 

Somewhere in the time leading up to yesterday's study, our leader, Pastor Jim, ran across this old Bruce Springsteen song, My City of Ruins, and brought the lyrics for us (thank you, Jim). They fit really well with our morning conversation about how important it is to love ourselves so that we can love each other, especially in challenging times. And in these challenging times, some communities are in ruins when people aren't properly cared for, so we are called to rise up.

I couldn't remember Springsteen's melody, so I came home and looked it up, and found this video where The Boss is singing to some of the people of New Orleans about a year after Hurricane Katrina. It moved me, especially after walking among the tents and tarps of downtown Edmonton. My City of Ruins leaves me asking myself, what else can I do with these hands? How can we as a society rise up so that change comes? How do we start a groundswell of love in action? Comments are welcome.

Sing it, Bruce!