Sermons for the Month

Gifts of the Spirit Create a Spirited Church
DATE: 8/25/02
SERVICE: 14th Sunday After Pentecost
TEXT: Romans 12:1-8
“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN

We all know what a gift is, especially if our birthdays are drawing near. When it comes to receiving gifts there are a variety of responses between the two extremes of treasuring a gift, or rejecting it.
We can all think of a gift we treasure. I wear a gift nearly every day that probably would be - after the cat - what I would grab if I was fleeing my home in a fire.
These gifts are not valuable, in a monetary sense, but they are priceless to me. I'm talking about this ring, and these two bracelets, which my mother bought for herself when she was in her 20's and gave to me when I was 13. I've been wearing them most days since then. The ring has split and had to be repaired twice and its design is fading. But, to me, they are a reminder of my mother, who I knew for less than 20 years and are a treasured gift.
In contrast, people may respond to a gift as did a woman who wrote to Miss Manners in a letter that was published this week. She was complaining about the wristwatch her son and given her on her birthday. Besides the fact that she already had a number of watches, and that the gift was too heavy and glitzy, the real source of annoyance was that her son was financially unstable and she and her husband had kept him going to the past, and probably would have to do so in the future. Evidently she felt as if she was paying for her own gift, and thus rejected it.
Miss Manner's response was fairly blunt. She said that presents should be accepted graciously, even if they are misguided. But, given her response, Miss Manner's quipped that the writer probably would not have to worry about receiving future gifts from her son.
I would guess that when we hear the word "gifts" the image that comes to mind is of the very things I just mentioned - tangible, material items that can be given some monetary or emotional value. The Bible, and particularly today's lesson from Romans, frequently mentions another type of gift - spiritual ones - that also can be treasured or rejected.
This week I read one of the best summaries of spiritual gifts that I have every come across. The writer indicated that:

Spiritual gifts are given to every believer to support and sustain the church.

Along with the gift God gives all that is needed to carry out the functions that are vital to the health and ministry of the church.

And, with the gift, God gives to each person a measure of grace to empower them for service AND a measure of faith as well.

And, unlike the jewelry I mentioned earlier, these gifts are not to be either treasured, kept only for ones own benefit, or rejected. They are to be used to benefit the Christian community. They are to be given away.
So, what exactly am I talking about? What are these gifts? The ones that are listed in Romans 12 are in two major categories, spoken gifts and serving gifts. The list that Paul gives sites prophecy, teaching and exhorting as spoken gifts, and ministering, giving, leading and showing compassion as serving gifts.
Maybe this is too simplistic, but I like to think of it in terms of gifts that are offered in a public way, and those that focus more on the individual or on one-on-one or small group interactions. So, let's give a few examples from right here at Faith, those who read scripture in worship, or who lead an Explorer's Club class, or create items to be published and read by others or who provide music - as Hans has done in this congregation for 36 years - are involved in spoken, public ministries. And, those who take Holy Communion to homebound members, or who create the budget, or mow the lawn or volunteer at OPEN M are involved in serving ministries.
Obviously, the list could go on and on. The point is that WE ALL have been given spiritual gifts and along with them the skills, the strength and the faith to carry them out. This "spiritual gifting" continues throughout our lives - no one is too young or too old. And, we are all in this together. God's work is achieved corporately, as a team, and not just by individuals working independently of others.
In this, the church is counter-cultural. Especially in the United States this is a self-centered age. "Self" is the guiding principle of our culture, and accomplishing what I can for myself according to my schedule and what is convenient for me is the goal. But Paul teachers something very different. His focus is on inter-dependency. I'll use myself as an example, but this is true of all of us. Where I am weak, you are strong. So I must minister out of my strength, and I am dependent on the rest of the body in my areas of weakness.
We all must rely on each other. The amazing thing about spiritual gifts - and remember that we all have them - is that they are given in such a way as to provide all that the body of Christ needs to function properly. In other words, here at Faith Lutheran Church we have all the gifts we need to effectively and creatively proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. But, the gifts have to be shared.
Some of you may know Pastor Sandy Mitchell at Trinity Lutheran Church in Ashland. I remember that he once told me that he is the "yes man" at the church. When people come in with an idea for ministry, he said, he sits behind his desk and says, "yes", and then cheers them on. But, he does not do the ministry. In that case the staff supports the ministry of the lay people, instead of the lay people supporting and relying on the staff. That's the direction that I, and the Church Council, want to go here at Faith.
When I called Pastor Mitchell to make sure I was quoting him correctly, he gave me three examples from the past few weeks of how this works. Here's one - an 18-year-old recent high school graduate, a basketball star, asked if she could organize a Christian girls basketball camp for 4th-6th graders. He said "yes", and the camp was held as an outreach of that congregation. Of course there were details to work out in a busy place like that, but the point is that a young woman who is athletically gifted shared her gift in a corporate way to further the Kingdom of God in that place. And, to quote Pastor Mitchell, "I didn't do a thing." Recently another couple used the gift of giving - without being asked - to donate $5000 per year, for 10 years, so the church can operate an after-school program for disadvantaged children. So, staff has been hired, volunteers sought, and the ministry is underway.
It's interesting to note that when Pastor Mitchell was called to that church 23 years ago the average attendance was 300 and now it is close to 800 - and the population in the area is declining.
Now, I know there are examples of this occurring here at Faith, many of which I am unaware. I do know that Ken Nouse, Jean's late husband, started the soup ministry for Hospice as an individual project that developed into a team ministry. It grew to the point that he traveled around the area introducing the idea to others and encouraging them to begin a similar ministry. Soup is made here every Saturday and provides emotional and nutritional sustenance to those whose loved ones are dying. Now that's an example of a corporate, serving ministry.
My prayer is that during the next few years we will, as a congregation, focus on spiritual gifts, so that we can all discern what ours are. My prayer is that we will not only acknowledge our gifts, but also the power and faith that we have been given to use them. My prayer is that we will become more and more interdependent, focusing on community rather than individual convenience. And, I look forward to the day when the Council and I will be doing more of this (nodding heads yes) than this (shaking heads in frustration). And, I give thanks for the spiritual gifts that will bring great joy into our lives and the lives of others.
AMEN