The gift of the Holy Spirit
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2019 Narrative Lectionary • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 16:43
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· 156 viewsThe gifts of the Spirit are many -- and sometimes they're not even what we're expecting to receive. Paul reminds us though, that there is something even more important than any of these gifts -- the gift of love. May we find ways to love, for then the church will be built up in ways that we will not have even imagined.
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The gift you didn’t want
The gift you didn’t want
I think we’d all admit that at one point or another in life we received a gift we didn’t want. Either it was the wrong colour, or the wrong size, or the wrong brand — or even worse a gift that seemed to have no real redeeming qualities to it. You know the type — the one that makes you shake your head and wonder what the giver was thinking of when they bought it for you.
If truth be told actually, we’ve probably also given those gifts. Ones where what we were thinking would be helpful for the recipient weren’t quite as helpful as we had originally thought. Sometimes it hurts when people identify that our gifts didn’t quite make the mark. Normally, if you’re like me, you’ve put some thought into the gift, and it wasn’t something that you just grabbed off the shelf because you had to grab something.
When we receive those gifts though, it is hard to know what to do with them. Do we look for the gift receipt right away? Do we wait until the giver has left the party, and then voice to those closest to us that we think the giver was not quite thinking right? Do we chalk it up to a momentary lapse in judgement by the giver and move on? Do we think — hmmm … I wonder if I could use this? Or do we think — how do I re-gift this without the giver knowing that I gave it away?
Honestly, none of us would want to hurt the feelings of someone who gave us a gift, but there are moments when the gift just doesn’t seem to fit. Then we’re left with a quandary — how to respond in a grace-filled way.
The gifts of the Spirit
The gifts of the Spirit
Anyone remember the gifts of the Spirit? I’m sure we all knew them at one point.
You might know them from this passage:
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to 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. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
To that we could add:
++Administration (1 Cor 12:28)
++Apostleship (1 Cor 12:28-29)
++Encouragement (1 Cor 14:26)
++Evangelism (Eph 4:11)
++Giving Aid (1 Cor 13:3)
++Helping (1 Cor 12:28)
++Leadership (Rom 12:8)
++Service (Rom 12:7)
++Teaching (Rom 12:7)
++Pastoring (Rom 12:7)
Some would could the list of gifts as being 19 items long. And yet today — when we celebrate Pentecost, the disciples — and us today — are stuck on just one gift of the Spirit
Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?
Certainly since the Tower of Babel, we’ve been trying to understand each other — and misunderstandings have resulted in wars, broken relationships, and broken hearts. Honestly, even when we speak the same language, we still might not understand each other.
I took a course years ago, that spent a lot of time helping clergy get their congregations to speak the same language — so when we talked about something, it was known in the congregation what what meant — and this wasn’t for multi-lingual congregations — this was for congregations like us as we operate only in English, yet at times misunderstand each other.
What is God trying to give us?
What is God trying to give us?
Some would say that today is the birth day of the church — since we receive gifts on our birthdays, and the disciples are receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, it might not be a bad comparison. But what is it that we’re about to unwrap? Which one of the 19 gifts of the Spirit are we about to open?
Given today’s reading, you might think that speaking in tongues — or the interpretation of tongues would be the gift that we should be hoping to open. Well, honestly, that’s not a gift I want. There are times that I wish hadn’t have forgotten as much French as I have — or that my studies in German had gone further — or that I remembered more of my Biblical Greek or Hebrew. However, most days I’m quite comfortable working in English and I don’t feel a need to either speak another language or understand one.
Paul might have some direction for us though:
1 Co 12:27–31
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.
Strive for the greater gifts
Strive for the greater gifts
With such a vast array of gifts — all 19 of them — how can there be an even greater one? It seems like Paul and Luke might be in a bit of a contradiction here. But maybe not. If we read on in 1 Corinthians:
Pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy. For those who speak in a tongue do not speak to other people but to God; for nobody understands them, since they are speaking mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, those who prophesy speak to other people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. Those who speak in a tongue build up themselves, but those who prophesy build up the church. Now I would like all of you to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. One who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.
So that the church may be built up
So that the church may be built up
And now we come back full circle — that little word “church” means so much to each of us. For some, the “church” is this place — Holy Cross (on this land, in this building). For some, the “church” is this gathering of people — this family / community. For some, the “church” is our Eastern Synod, or our ELCIC, or certain denominations we get along with, or … Now do you see why it is important for us to have a common language? We don’t even agree on the meaning of the word that in some ways describes who we are, and what we do.
And honestly, there are times that we want to define “church” as narrowly as possible. I like what we do here on Sundays — and this building — this location — you (the people of Holy Cross) and I don’t want that to disappear. And if receiving the gifts of the Spirit might interrupt that, I might be tempted to find the gift receipt and see what I can exchange it for.
But I do know this:
Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.
Love never ends
Love never ends
That’s ultimately the teaching of this season of Easter that culminates in today. Pentecost isn’t the start of a new season, as much as it is a culmination of Easter — that love that God showed in the Resurrection of Jesus continues on with the gift of the Spirit. Love never ends — and if we strive for that neither will the church — and in this case I don’t mean anything here — I mean the church — universal — that gift from God to help us discern our way as God’s people — loved by our Creator.