Loving God, you continue to work within us and through us and among us by the power of your Holy Spirit, giving gifts that are for the common good.  Help each of us to be aware of your gifts, living to the praise of your glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    Whenever I have had conversations with people about the coming of the Holy Spirit or about the gifts of the Spirit, we always seem to get on the topic of speaking in tongues.  Why, do you think, is this one gift of such interest to people?  Any theories on that?... [hard to understand?  Easy to fake? Most visible?]

    The thing is that when the gift of tongues was given (i.e. the ability to speak in other languages), the purpose was missional in nature.  It was to share the good news about Jesus in languages that foreigners could understand.  Anybody can babble unintelligibly.  That’s not a miracle.  The miracle was when people who previously had no knowledge of foreign languages were able to speak to outsiders and be understood.  However, instead of remaining a gift to be used for mission, it became something to show off to your friends at church.  That’s why Paul writes so much about it to the believers at Corinth and emphasizes how important the other gifts of the Spirit are.

    In today’s reading from 1 Corinthians, as in other passages, Paul writes about some of the gifts of the Spirit in order of importance.  Those who can speak with wisdom or knowledge are listed first.  Next is faith, and then gifts of healing.  These are followed by working miracles, prophecy, and the discernment of spirits - in other words, being able to tell what is from God and what is not.  Finally, he names various kinds of tongues and the interpretation of tongues.

    I have to wonder, though, if Paul were writing to St. Luke’s Zion, what gifts would he name here?  What gifts are missing from this list that you see at work in other people here at St. Luke’s Zion?... [music, cooking, teaching, fixing things, love, artistic, writing]

    I came across a helpful distinction this week that talks about both natural talents and spiritual gifts.  Many people are born with talents for various things, and these talents can be used in God’s service, or not.  However, natural talents can be infused with the energy of God, allowing God to direct and give energy to what we do with what we have been given.  In other words, natural talents can become spiritual gifts as they are used in the service of others and for the glory of God.

    The most important thing about all spiritual gifts is that they are given for the common good (1 Cor. 12:7).  The gifts of the Spirit are given for the good of the community.  One of the ways that this works is through a division of labour.  Not everybody has the same gifts, and so, rather than having one or two people doing everything, each person uses their gifts for the good of all.  This is how it is intended to work.

    At the same time, the Holy Spirit brings unity even in the midst of diversity.  You might remember from a few weeks ago how diverse the community was that Paul was addressing at Corinth.  It included rich and poor, slave and free, Jew and Gentile, young and old, married and unmarried, men and women.  And yet, each one of those people had the Spirit of God within them.  As diverse as they were, each one had been given gifts of the Spirit for the common good.

    This doesn’t necessarily mean that they agreed on everything.  In fact, some liked Paul better, some liked Apollos better and some preferred Peter (1 Cor. 1:12).  However, they were united by the fact that every single one of them had been baptized into Christ.  Each one had been given the gift of the Holy Spirit and had been made members of the body of Christ.

    It actually begins to blow your mind when you think about the fact that there is one God - one Holy Spirit - and that same Spirit of God is in each one of us.  This presence of the Spirit has implications for how we treat one another, as well as for the importance of the Christian community for those who follow Jesus.

    When we think about how the gifts of the Spirit are given for the common good, and how each person has different gifts to use in the community, it becomes pretty clear that God never intended for us to be solo believers.  I’ve heard plenty of people say that they can read the Bible by themselves and pray at home.  However, God’s intention is for us to be members of the body of Christ and to work together with others for the furthering of God’s mission here on this earth.

    Now, human beings, such as they are, are not always so easy to get along with.  There are times when it is really hard to work with others.  This is when it helps to be aware that each one of us has the Spirit of God within us.  And so, even though I may not agree with you about everything, I need to treat you with love and respect as one who has been given the Holy Spirit.  For, each one of us belongs to Christ, having been adopted as precious children of 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.  To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good (1 Cor. 12:4-7).

Thanks be to God!  Amen.


Pentecost (NL 2)                            1 Corinthians 12:1-13
May 15, 2016                            Acts 2:1-4
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2016 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved