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Sunday January 24, 2010 "Honoring the Gift" 1 Corinthians 12: 1-11 |
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Location: Blogs Brad's BlogBrad's Sermons |
 | | Posted by: Brad Miller | 1/26/2010 1:24 PM | One day a few years ago my mother and I were sitting in the kitchen talking. We were talking about when my brother and sister and were young, reminiscing about things we had done, laughing about trouble we sometimes got into. It was a chance for me to ask a question I was really curious about.
“How,” I asked her, “did you and Daddy manage to make us all feel special, all feel loved, and all feel like we could do what we wanted to do, without a hint of favoritism?”
My mother did not hesitate for a second. “Oh, it was easy to not play favorites and to make each of you feel special, because the three of you were so different! You needed different things, you excelled at different things, you had different personalities, so there was no worry about treating you “the same”. The fact was, you weren’t the same, so we didn’t have to treat you the same!”
"You all had different gifts,” she continued, “So the best thing we could do you was to encourage you to develop those gifts as much as possible.”
I can’t tell you how grateful I am to have had the parents I had. They didn’t always understand choices I made: but never did they argue against any of it. They simply encouraged me every step of the way.
That is what the apostle Paul is addressing in this passage from First Corinthians that we heard this morning: the recognition of the gifts we have been given, and the importance of encouraging each and every follower of Christ to exercise their gifts, to God’s glory and to the benefit of the community of faith.
The general assumption about this passage is that the leaders in the Corinthian church were dealing with some sort of disagreement as to which gifts were “the best.”
It may have been that some people thought some gifts were superior, and therefore, to be held on higher plane than other more mundane gifts.
Whether or not the church in Corinth asked specifically for an answer to that question, there very well could have been a disagreement within the congregation. The church in Corinth is often presented as a great example of dealing with diversity. It was most likely one of the more diverse churches in the early Christian movement. Some of the early churches were mostly Jewish Christians and some were mostly Gentile Christians. Some congregations were made up predominantly of servants and slaves while others were mostly people of free birth. Still other congregations would be mostly agrarian, poor churches, while others would have been centered in the cities, populated by wealthier people.
The church in Corinth was one of those places where Jews and Gentiles, slaves and free, rich and poor, men and women were found to be more or less equally represented, and that may very well have led to how spiritual gifts were viewed.
For instance, for gentile converts to Christianity, ecstatic speech, or speaking in tongues was of a very high importance to people who believed strongly in evangelizing and prophesying. For Jewish Christians, teaching and taking care of the “widows and orphans” would have been considered “higher gifts”. So, if the church was quite diverse in background, it is easy to see how questions of the importance of different gifts would arise. It is easy to see the consequences of such disagreement: division and conflict in the church.
However he became aware of such conflict, Paul addressed the issue directly and powerfully.
First, he dealt with the issue of the origins of spiritual gifts. To Paul, every single person who confessed Jesus as Lord and savior was gifted in some way by the Holy Spirit. This was important for the early church to understand, just as it is important for the 21st century church to understand: all gifts come from God and God gives everyone gifts. Before we even get into a discussion of whether one is more important, Paul said, let’s get one thing straight: every spiritual gift we possess is not of our doing, but comes from God’s Holy Spirit.
Second, Paul dealt with the issue of how those spiritual gifts were to be used. Directly and succinctly, he instructed the church in Corinth that any and all the gifts we have been given are to be used for the good of the community of faith. Our faith might be personal, but it is not private: we are expected to share our gifts so that the church might grow stronger and that even more people would be brought into the community. This is how the kingdom of God will be achieved.
Finally, Paul addresses the question of the existence of a hierarchy of gifts. The short answer: all gifts are equally activated by the grace of God. None is more important than another. All are necessary to the functioning of Christ’s church. All are to be honored and nurtured. All are essential in God’s sight.
This is a powerful message that we need to take seriously: all spiritual gifts, no matter how seemingly pedestrian, are given by the Holy Spirit with all the wisdom of God. In our individualistic society, we tend to think of gifts – or skills and abilities – as something we possess. Paul makes it clear: we have done nothing to deserve the gifts given us by God. And the next logical step is the understanding that they are not simply for our use, but are to be used to serve the church of Jesus Christ. As one scholar, Raewynne Whiteley has observed, “our gifts are not merit badges for holiness or a sign of approval from God, but God’s response to the needs of the community of faith.”
This passage may be the most important Pauline instruction of them all.
Think about what all this means: The Holy Spirit has given each of us gifts. Yes, you and you and you and you and me! And your gift is different than mine, and your gift is different from hers, and her gift is different from his…and all of God’s people are blessed with God given gifts!
Why is this so important? Because God does not give gifts frivolously: if God gives a gift, it is for a purpose. If God gives a gift, it is not to be ignored. If God gives a give, then we must find a way to use that gift.
If Paul is right, and with all my heart I believe he is, then we must recognize that each of us is called to be involved in ministry. Each of us has something to contribute. Each of us has a piece of the puzzle that will illustrate the power of Christ’s church. Each of us is part of the priesthood of all believers that is the Body of Christ.
I want to step back and say it again: this may be Paul’s most important writing. It is at the heart and soul of what it means to be a Disciple of Christ. It is the starting point for every act that we undertake as individuals or as a community of faith.
Every gift we have been given comes from God! And every gift we have been given is to be used to honor God by serving the community.
No gift is too small. No gift is better than another. God graces each and everyone of us with something special, something to be used for the good of others.
We have other scriptures that deal with giving in a material way. The story of the widow’s mite, where a poor widow gives her last coin to honor God is a great example of how no gift is too small when it comes to honoring God. Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth lets us know unequivocally that likewise, God gives no “small” gifts – and when all our gifts are pooled together, we become a formidable witness for God’s love and grace.
Paul is clear: he is not speaking only of material resources, but of the talents and skills that each of us possess. When all our talents and skills are used to in support of the community around us, more and more people are aware of God’s presence and the kingdom of God comes closer and closer to being a reality.
We can think about this in a couple of different ways. First, think about how the gifts of this congregation make it possible for us to worship here today. I’m not talking about money give so that we have this beautiful building to worship in. I’m talking about the abilities and skills that make “the church” a reality.
There are those who use their administrative skills so that we might operate efficiently and effectively. There are those who use their creative skills to provide music and decoration to this space. There are those who use their technical skills to make the microphones work and the lights come on and the words appear at the proper time on the screen behind me. There are those who use their green thumbs to keep the gardens and the grounds looking good. There are those who use their skills to keep things repaired and looking good inside the building. There are those who use their abilities to teach, our children, our youth and our adults. There are those who serve by preparing communion and serving as deacons. There are elders who find the right words for prayers and function as spiritual guides and friends. And that is only the beginning of the different gifts that the members of this congregation share.
And each of these gifts strengthens this community of faith. But the second part may be even more important: we are called to use our gifts to assist those who are not part of this community, but are part of our larger human community. It is in using our gifts to step outside our own community of faith that God is made real to those who seek help.
Again Paul is clear: this is not a choice we have. It is an imperative we must follow. All of our gifts, abilities, talents, and skills are from God and if we do not share the gifts we have been given, we are dishonoring the gift itself.
How would you feel about giving someone a gift and the recipient of that gift just put in a closet and never used it? That is what we do when we don’t exercise our God given gifts. All of God’s gifts are for a purpose, and it is up to us to use those gifts as fully as we can. It is up to us to act.
We act because we can. We act as a way to say thank you for all that God has done for us. We act because, as Paul instructs, our gifts are to be used to help others.
We act because we call ourselves Christians, and that is a sacred calling. We act because God has acted in our lives.
In the end, we need to take a good look at this passage and know that when we all use our gifts within the church, our community will grow stronger and stronger every day. And then we need to understand that when we all use our gifts to reach outside this community of faith, the world will be changed, one person at a time.
But it all starts with this one incredible fact: we are a blessed, gifted people – and none of it is because of anything we have done. And if that doesn’t drive us to our knees in thanksgiving, I don’t know what will.
It also starts with each of us taking a good hard look at what we have been given and what we have to offer. In prayer and meditation, each of us need to think about our gifts and how we are to use them. On a table outside the fellowship hall is a list of our current shared ministries, a description of those ministries and the chairperson of each ministry. Use this as a place to start, and if you think there is something beyond those ministries that you could contribute, let’s talk about it.
Because every gift is special. And when every gift is exercised, there is nothing that we cannot do.
We are a gifted people, and the best way to say “thank you” to the source of those gifts is to share our gifts, each and every one of those gifts, today, tomorrow and always. May it be so, for you and for me.
Let us pray: Lord, we seek to step out in faith and find out how we can best honor you through the gracious gifts we have been given. Guide us in this journey that we might discover exactly how God can best use us, how we can nurture and encourage each other, all so that your kingdom might come closer and closer to reality. It is in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
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