Exodus 18:13-27 and
1 Corinthians 12:4-13, 27-31
Our worship this morning is all about
spiritual gifts. God has given each one
of us something special to use in the community of faith. Our goal today is to talk about those gifts
and encourage everyone here to do something to share their gifts with this
particular community of faith.
Since the earliest days of the church
community, power and responsibility have been shared among the people. Our reading from Exodus is one of the first
examples of the work of elders in the church community. The Israelites have just come out of the land
of Egypt. Even before they receive the
10 commandments and the plans for the tabernacle, they begin to organize their
leadership. Moses has been working overtime
trying to be the leader of the people and his father in law, Jethro, knows that
is not a sustainable plan. He encourages
Moses to set up a system of elders to help him lead the people. Moses can’t run the church alone, he needs a
Session!
Why would we imagine things to be any
different today? We might not be as
numerous as the nation of Israel but we certainly have our share of issues to
address in the life of the church. From
taking care of the building, to managing staff, to engaging in mission at home
and abroad, to running a Christian Education program, and providing quality
worship and pastoral care, the work of the church is way too much for one
person to handle. Just like Moses, I
need a Session of elders to help me lead this church into the future. Lucky for me, God has placed the gifts needed
for leadership into the hearts of you, the congregation.
Our reading from Paul’s first letter
to the church in Corinth is one of the most famous writings on spiritual
gifts. The church in Corinth was a
wonderfully diverse community and in that community, Paul saw a metaphor for
God. Just as a body is made up of many
and diverse parts, so too is the body of Christ at its best when it embraces
diversity. Paul encourages everyone in
the community to embrace their spiritual gifts and to use them for the building
up of the community of faith.
In our modern individualistic culture,
talk of gifts given for the use of all can be counter cultural. We often feel that what we have been given is
for our use alone. Paul would totally
disagree. According to him, each of us
has been given a gift from the Holy Spirit.
These gifts are not for our use as individuals, and they are not
individual blessings. Rather, these
gifts are given for the mutual benefit and blessing of the church. God knows the needs of this particular church
community, and God has given us what we need through the spiritual gifts of
those present here today. We have what we
need to be a successful church right now; we just need to use it!
So, what are your spiritual gifts? Nominating committee has been encouraging
folks to take a spiritual gifts inventory.
From leadership and discernment, to shepherding and faith, to mercy and
hospitality, this spiritual gifts survey gives each of us a chance to examine
and think about what areas we are skilled or gifted in. I found that I am good at teaching and
exhortation (or preaching) which really isn’t a surprise. But I am not good at everything. Evangelism and apostleship are some of the areas
where I am weak.
If you haven’t had a chance to take
the survey, make sure you grab one on the way out today. The nominating committee has also included a
list of church committees and how they connect with the listed spiritual gifts
as part of the survey. Not surprisingly,
each of the committees from deacons to elders, Christian Ed to Mission,
connects with a certain group of spiritual gifts. I want to encourage you to take the survey,
discover what your spiritual gifts are, and consider how you might best use
them in the life of the church.
The future of this church depends on
the members of this church. It is up to
us to invest in our future, not only financially but also with gifts of our
time and energy. The ministry of this
church is the work of each member of this church community. God has already given us the gifts that we
need to grow our church; it is up to us to share those gifts with each other,
with the church, and with the world.
In the spirit of sharing leadership
today, I am going to turn over the second half of this sermon to you. Now is a time for you to share your thoughts
about sharing your spiritual gifts within the church community. We are going to stretch ourselves a bit today
and engage in some testimony. . .
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