Gifted by Spirit for the Common Good
INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Psalm 36: 5-10 In the middle of the psalmist lament about wicked people, comes this song of praise for God’s love which is the only sure defense against evil in this world or even in our selves.
5Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.
6Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your judgments are like the great deep; you save humans and animals alike, O Lord.
7How precious is your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
9For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
10 O continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your salvation to the upright of heart!
I Corinthians 12: 1-11
William Loader has an interesting take on this passage. He suggests that the Corinthians passion for spiritual gifts might be no different than their previous passion for worship of idols. Paul suggests that this occurs wherever the gift or experience becomes more important than the giver and the achievement more important than love. Ask yourself, “What gifts has God given me and how am I using them to express the love of Christ in my life?”
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. 3Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit. 4Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
SERMON
Vincent is being confirmed today. Confirmation is very different than just joining a church for a person who has already confirmed their faith. It is about making an informed decision to join the church of Jesus Christ, not just becoming a member of a particular church such as Unity. Vincent and I focused our study on three areas: Bible, Devotional Life, and Mission. He has worked hard. Even writing his own statement of faith:
It is hard to write what I believe. I have been told that people can believe what ever they want to.
I believe in the Holy Ghost.
I have learned that God touches people.
I believe people have an afterlife, because they believe in God
I love to have fun with kids.
I like to be an acolyte and liturgist for church.
I promise to be a disciple of Jesus all my life.
Many of you know Vincent has a wily sense of humor. One day as I was taking him home after confirmation, he said that because of his racing midget cars he knew how to drive. He was quiet for moment and then get got this big grin on his face and said, “Of course, I only know how to turn left!” Confirmation is a lot like driving a midget car. Confirmation does give you an idea about what the essentials of faith are, but a disciple of Christ never stops learning and growing in his faith in Jesus Christ. I think the Corinthians might have been a step farther along than Vincent is in their own journey of faith. Like teenagers who have been given their driver’s permit, they understood the essentials and they had experienced of the power of the Holy Spirit, but there were still years’ worth of experience to build, before they would be ready to judge one another. In fact most mature Christians realize that our first and only requirement is to love one another. Leave the judging to God. Experience teaches the student driver that attention to the road needs to be foremost in their mind. I am pretty sure Jimmie Johnson is not texting while he is racing his Nascar. The Corinthians wanted to drive and text. They wanted to do what was fun and exciting such a speaking in tongues or healing and claim authority over others. Such manifestations of the Holy Spirit became more important to them than a disciplined effort of prayer, study and service. Paul reminds them that even these exciting gifts are given to them for the edification/instruction of the whole body of Christ the church. “… Each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” (verse 7). Vincent has a gift for reading and speaking and this gift he has for years used to enrich our whole church. What are your gifts and how are you using them for the whole body?
The earthquake in Haiti challenges us all to consider ways to use the gifts the Holy Spirit has imparted to us for the greater good. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette used her gift of writing hymns to create a hymn, which we will be singing later at the joys and concerns. I have created a display on the Mission bulletin board for you to prayerfully consider ways to help, if you have not already. You can give through the church by marking your check or envelope for Haiti relief. Already thousands of workers are in Haiti from hundreds of agencies using their gifts to make a difference. From dog teams sniffing out the living to strategic planners to organize this massive response, each is using their God given gifts to help others. The national church’s theme for the response is Give. Act. Pray. This is not a hierarchy of things to do. Prayer leads us to give and act. Giving and acting leads us to prayer. When there is a tragedy we sometimes ask, did God make this happen? But my faith says no, that the planet we live on is no more perfect than we are. So when disaster strikes the response team from the Holy Spirit is already there. Hovering over the injured and dying, guiding rescue teams, and around the world stirring people with compassion. The wonder is that this team of the Holy Spirit is in action everywhere. One of the team members is sitting right next to you, eager to help you in your journey of faith and open to your help in lifting up the rubble of their lives and lending a helping hand. You might be good a sniffing out problems but you need a partner to help you see the possible solutions. It is why we encourage everyone to participate in a small group. Historically when someone was confirmed, that was the last time the church saw them till they came by for the graduation gift or on C & E (Christmas and Easter). I have faith that will not be true of Vincent. I pray that he will indeed be a disciple of Jesus all his life. I pray that is true for all of you. May one day the people of Haiti sing with the psalmist:
I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. (Psalm 40: 1-3)
May it be so! Amen.
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