EPIPHANY III
January 22, 2023
“Many Gifts Serving One God”
“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.” (I Corinthians 12:4-6)
If you’re looking for something to liven up the sameness that is January (that’s not a tornado!), my suggestion may not be exciting, but it carries a certain amount of challenge. After our time of separation and distancing, we’re invited to gather as a church family and once again share, plan, and encourage one another in our ministries. Our annual congregational meeting includes reports and business matters, but it’s also a great opportunity to come together and regain our sense of community. It’s a joy to be brought up to date and to learn more about the varied forms of ministry within our church, where we might contribute or find fulfillment, and then begin to prayerfully consider where God may lead us,
The Apostle Paul was in frequent communication with the new churches he and other Christian leaders had established. Reading these letters, we learn a great deal about the very steep learning curves that the early believers dealt with. Paul emphasized the importance of community, of respecting and supporting one another, which could be challenging to people who had lived under authoritarian churches and states. Landowners, business people, temple authorities, and those with political influence were the ones who wielded power, whether in villages or cities.
Jesus’ teaching, preaching and healing ministry had touched many people, and as the word spread of his sacrificial death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead, more and more people listened, no doubt pondered, and came to believe that this man truly had been sent from God. After Christ’s ascension into heaven and the command was given to the disciples to go forth and spread the good news, these groups of new believers naturally congregated to share, to learn, and to find ways to live this new gospel.
The example of our Lord, who fed the hungry, healed the sick and suffering, and who accepted the outcasts was the beginning point for Christian service. The examples are clear and specific in Matthew 25:31-46, when Jesus speaks of the eternal reward for those who care for the hungry, thirsty, the strangers, the sick and the imprisoned. That he identified as one with the “least of these who are members of my family” was and is a radical concept, as status and wealth were and continue to be of the greatest importance.
The Holy Spirit leads and guides us to use our varied gifts, whether individually or as a community of believers. It can be easy to think we don’t have anything special to offer, or there’s really nothing we could do that would be of any significance, but that’s really not for us to decide. Rather, let’s stop trying to be in charge, take a breath, and stop and listen, and in the quiet, we might just hear that little voice or feel a gentle nudge that will get us moving in the right direction.
Looking, listening, kind of excited,
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers