(1 Corinthians 12: 1-11)
Back before the COVID pandemic shut everything down Teresa and I used to enjoy going to the Cellar Door on Monday evenings for Open Mic Night. It was quite entertaining, and we would often take our out-of-town friends and guests there to experience some of the local talent. On any given evening you would take in a wide range of musical offerings, from the really, really bad to the downright amazing. There were the regulars, some of whom couldn’t carry a tune if it had handles, and then you would have these traveling musicians who would drop in and just knock your socks off with their amazing playing and singing. You could tell it was a natural gift as they weren’t using sheet music and it didn’t appear they were playing from memorization. It seemed as if the music just flowed from somewhere deep within them down their arms and onto the guitar strings or whatever instrument they were playing. From time to time, I would sing a set accompanied by my good friend and guitarist Jim Espenson, also known as Jimmy Sparechange on stage, but I had to work at it so as not to embarrass myself or Teresa. What I wouldn’t have given to have been blessed with such a natural musical gift. Instead, I was just born good looking.
And using our gifts in service to God is what the Apostle Paul is talking about in his letter to the church in Corinth. He’s writing to a church consisting mainly of converted Gentiles, and he says: Brothers and sisters, I don’t want you to be ignorant about spiritual gifts. You know that when you were Gentiles you were often misled by false gods that can’t even speak. So I want to make it clear to you that no one says, “Jesus is cursed!” when speaking by God’s Spirit, and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. You see, there was a problem in the Corinthian church regarding who was spiritually gifted and how the gifts were being used. Instead of building up and unifying the church, the issue of spiritual gifts was splitting it. The spiritual gifts had become symbols of spiritual power, causing rivalries because some people thought they were more “spiritual” than others because of their gifts. Paul, I believe, was genuinely concerned over losing these new Christians over petty infighting and turf wars. He didn’t want this to be that “bad experience with organized religion” we hear so much about. He wanted them to understand that these gifts were God-given and to be used unselfishly in God’s service with grace and humility. He goes on to explain: There are different spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; and there are different ministries and the same Lord; and there are different activities but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. What Paul is trying to convey to the church is that spiritual gifts are given to each person, regardless of who they are, by the Holy Spirit as special abilities that are to be used to minister to the needs of the body of believers. Paul is stressing to them that there are many gifts and that some people may have more than one gift, and that one gift is not superior to any other gift in the eyes of God. He wants them to understand that all spiritual gifts come from the Holy Spirit and nowhere else, with the sole purpose of building up Christ’s body, the church.
Paul goes on to say: A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good. A word of wisdom is given by the Spirit to one person, a word of knowledge to another according to the same Spirit, gifts of healing to another in the one Spirit, performance of miracles to another, prophecy to another, the ability to tell spirits apart to another, different kinds of tongues to another, and the interpretation of tongues to another. He says that all these things are produced by the one and same Spirit who gives what he wants to each person. This is not an all-inclusive list and there are other places in the New Testament where Paul rattles off a list to make his point, such as Romans 12: 6-8 where he lists the different gifts according to the grace given us such as prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, contributing to the needs of others, leadership, and showing mercy.
Now I hate to second-guess the Apostle Paul, but I think he missed a golden opportunity to connect what he was saying to the gospel of Jesus Christ. He could have reminded them of what Jesus taught in Matthew 25 when he said to his audience that when he was hungry he was given food, when he was thirsty he was given something to drink, when he was a stranger he was welcomed, when he was naked he was given clothes to wear, when he was sick he was taken care of, and when he was in prison people came to visit him, stressing that whatever they did for the least of his brothers and sisters they were doing for him. He could have reminded them of how important this was to Jesus and to think about how they could help others out of their abundance by utilizing their individual gifts in service to others. He could have referred back to what the Apostle Luke wrote about in Acts 6 where the church leadership was faced with the problem of feeding hungry widows and children and how they formed a committee of seven people well-respected and endowed with the Spirit to meet this growing need so the church council could tend to church business. And we’re told that because of the forming of this committee God’s word continued to grow and the number of disciples in Jerusalem also continued to grow through the gift of working together for the common good of the church and God’s people.
The point Paul is trying to make is that God is completely involved in the giving, using, and empowering of gifts. Specific gifts, places of service, and activities vary, but they all have their best effects when they build up the body of Christ-the church. Think about some of the churches you may have attended over the years. Think about the special ministries some people had that made Sunday morning possible. Think about some of those different areas in which you may have served. Sure, the ability to effectively preach on Sunday morning is a gift, as is the ability to play beautiful music that enhances the worship experience. But think about all the other ministries that go on behind the scenes. The ministry of greeting and hospitality, the ministry of Bible Study, the ministry of keeping the grounds and the ministry of maintaining the facility, the ministry of serving on committees and holding positions of church leadership, and now the new ministry of live streaming, just to name a few. And think about our Clothes Closet and Food Pantry ministry where we clothe those who need decent clothing and provide food for others so they won’t go hungry. Consider our ministry of allowing our property to be used to provide shelter and housing through Margaret’s Village and Peter’s Place. Our ministries of supporting out of our abundance two Food Banks, ECHHO (Ecumenical Christian Helping Hands Organization), OlyCAP (Olympic Community Action Program) and UMCOR (United Methodist Committee On Relief). Consider all the fire starters, fleece blankets, bean soup mixes, and hygiene kits we’ve assembled and distributed. The list goes on and grows as new opportunities present themselves.
The point is that God creates a unique place in the body for every believer. These gifts and ministries may over-lap, but each believer has a specialized, God-designed role whether it is out front for all to see or quietly behind the scenes. We all have different gifts, according to the grace given us. And that’s part of the exciting adventure of following Christ as it involves being open and discovering one’s service contribution, and then making it available to God. So, make serving God and his people your motivation as you utilize the gifts given you by the Spirit to build up the body of Christ’s holy church. And give thanks and praise to the Father for your life in Christ. It’s a gift.
Let us pray.
I am the church! You are the church! We are the church together! All who follow Jesus, all around the world! Yes, we’re the church together! Gracious and loving God, keep us mindful that your holy church is not a building or a resting place. It is a people. A people of many kinds of all ages and all races. Keep your church safe during those times when we are marching forward, when we are on fire with the Spirit, when times are tough, and we are challenged by fear and doubt. And Father keep us engaged as we learn of the many ways in which we can be of service to you in our efforts to build up the body of your holy church. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.