By the Same Spirit
1 Corinthians 12: 1-11
Sally was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road. She stopped the car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride.
With a word or two of thanks, she got in the car.
After resuming the journey and a bit of small talk, the elderly woman noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Sally.
“What’s in the bag?” asked the old woman.
Sally looked down at the brown bag and said, “It’s a bottle of wine. Got it for my husband.”
The Navajo woman was silent for a moment, and then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder said, “Good trade.” (www.homileticsonline.com “Why the Church Needs NORA,” Animated Illustrations, January 2007)
I’m sure none of you would trade your significant other… at least it would have to be for more than a bottle of wine! What would you trade for your relationship… with God?
The church at Corinth was a blessed people. From all apparent indications this was a congregation that had a lot on the ball. They were an active church, full of people with various skills and gifts who when they worked together were an effective ministry of hope and light to their part of the world. Of all the churches to which we have record of Paul writing, the Corinthian church seemed to be one of the strongest and most vital.
The letters from Paul in our newer testament part of our Bible give us insight into all sorts of challenges and opportunities the early church faced. It is our reading for today from the 12th chapter of Paul’s first letter that we find the greatest understanding of how the gifts of the Spirit work in the life of the church. This particular list is the one usually referred to when people want to do a “spiritual gifts” inventory. We’ve done those inventories here before. Lots of churches use these kinds of surveys as a tool to help match people’s gifts with a ministry that uses those gifts.
What we discover as we overhear this conversation between Paul and the folks in Corinth is that something wasn’t working the way it was supposed to. Imagine that! Something wasn’t working the way it was supposed! Does that happen? Here was this blessed congregation – full of wonderful, capable, and gifted people – and they had lost sight of the reason any of us are gifted by the presence of God. When that happens, the result is chaos, for you see, the purpose of giftedness is service.
That doesn’t appear to be what was happening with the giftedness the Corinthians possessed. There were two pitfalls that tripped them, and we should pay attention. The first was that arrogance crept into their giftedness.
It is such a subtle thing that we usually don’t even notice it until our purpose is crippled by this insidious force. That which in the beginning had been such a source of joy had somehow morphed into a reason to think less of someone else. How did they go from being so excited about how God’s Spirit was using them as a group to such a petty quarrel over whether my gift is better than yours? Nyah nyah, nyah.
In a few weeks we will be launching our “Would Jesus Discriminate?” campaign. Here at All God’s Children we get to experience the blessedness of God’s presence and the reality of knowing what it is like to be part of such a congregation like this where who we are in all aspects of our lives is integrated and celebrated. We don’t need to keep this a secret from the rest of the world. It is important that we share this insight with others and give other people the tools they need to have these conversations in their communities of faith or within their families. The Creating a Life that Matters curriculum that Rev. Robyn will be leading us through is another fabulous opportunity to discover how God has equipped you to use your gifts to make the world a better place.
It is a lesson we learn again and again: When we are focused on serving our world and making the world better, we have a whole lot less time and energy for the little irritating things that cause us problems among ourselves. We don’t have time to carve out little fiefdoms or build walls around our ministry area or wonder if someone else’s ministry is getting more air-time. When we focus our giftedness on service, all of that other stuff becomes less important.
The second problem the Corinthians faced is something that continues to plague humanity today. We fear that which is different. Last Sunday most of you know that I was invited to speak at another church as they are doing a series on hot-button issues. It went very well. They were good people, gracious hosts and everyone treated each other with respect.
As we spoke about our understandings of God, the Bible and whether GLBT people are sinful in some special way different than others, I realized how difficult it was to have a conversation with some of them because the fear of letting go of long-held beliefs is terrifying – even if those beliefs don’t serve you well. It was easy to see this happening in others but I also saw it as a mirror. We all do it – and nobody wants to admit to it. Rather than living by faith, which means there are no guarantees, we want something solid that we can hold onto so we keep it in our vice grip no matter what evidence may appear that tells us that letting go would be in our better interest. Think about it: How long did you hold on to the old idea that being gay was anathema to God even when you saw evidence to the contrary all around you? How many of our childhood assumptions have popped up to block us from trying something new in our faith, simply because that wasn’t the way we did things in our family, in our church, in my community. What are the ideas about God, about being a Christian, about being a person of integrity that have changed for you over time? Change is always hard.
Perhaps the Corinthians were so afraid because they still listened to the whispers from childhood and old well-rehearsed tapes hissing those insipid tales of being worthless, unable to succeed, or unable to sustain deep and meaningful relationships. Maybe if I have the best spiritual gift it will finally prove that I have worth to God. It is an ancient lie which still tempts contemporary people.
The purpose of gifts is service. Period. We are not blessed in order that we can preen our spiritual feathers like a peacock. We are not blessed in order to prove that God loves us. We don’t need to prove that. God proved it for us. The proof of God’s love and grace in our lives is that you and I are here right now, in this place, about this work, listening for the Spirit’s call. The fact that we have breath is a sign of God’s grace. The fact that our hearts beat continually is a sign of grace. The fact that we have experienced the power of holiness in this place and in our lives that calls us to soar to new heights in our souls is proof of God’s grace. What else do we need?
This week we celebrate the life and ministry of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As we heard earlier from his sermon “Drum Major Instinct” all of us – rich and poor, educated and uneducated, privileged and deprived, smart and intellectually challenged – gay, straight, lesbian, bi, trans, ambi, curious, confused or prude – have the ability to use the spiritual gifts of our lives for service. Indeed, all you need in order to be able to serve is “a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you can be that servant.”
Paul knew that the Corinthians had much for which to be thankful. Some of them had gifts of healing, some gifts of persuasive reasoning. Some are given extraordinary wisdom, others extraordinary faith. Some could speak heavenly languages and others could interpret those languages. But it is by the same Spirit that we each receive our diverse array of giftedness. That which unites us – which we call God, that holy presence that fills this place and fills our hearts, and which compels us to love lavishly and helps us discover deeper truths about life and ourselves – that same Spirit is at work in you and me. It is alive and well today. You can feel the pulse of the Spirit in your heartbeat. You can sense the closeness of God when that holy presence envelopes you like a warm blanket on a cold January morning. Why are we so blessed? So that we can become servants.
There are many jobs you can do in your life. Some will lead you to fame. Many will lead you to wealth and fortune. Many will bring power and prestige. But the best job in the world is to allow the presence of God within you love the world around you in service. And it is a job all of us have been equipped to do by Holy Spirit. Whether it is helping an elderly neighbor with her shoveling or sitting on the Board of a charitable organization, use your gifts to make the world better. Whether it is speaking for those who have been silenced or acting on behalf of those who are disenfranchised, use your gifts to make the world better. Whether it is making sure there is hospitality after worship or running a ministry team, use your gifts to make the world better. Whether you are gifted in technology or friendliness, organizing others or helping a child with homework, interpreting for the deaf or speaking the truth to those who are too afraid to hear, use your gifts to make the world better. The Healing and Wholeness Team is planning a new ministry this year to provide food to those who come out of the hospital or are incapacitated in some way. That is using their gifts to make the world better. When you overcome your shyness to greet the stranger in our midst, you are using your gifts to make the world better. When you take a chance to step outside your comfort zone to try on a new faith concept or risk allowing someone into your life, you are using your gifts to make the world better.
We who know that we have been touched by God’s grace understand that there isn’t anything in this world we would trade for that presence. We are blessed. We are blessed to bless. We are blessed to be a blessing.
Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you can be that servant. (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “The Drum Major Instinct”)