In Search of Church III: Unwrapping Your Gifts
1 Corinthians 12:12-31
4 February, 2007
As a former school board chair, I am well aware of the debates over what should and should not be mandatory in the school curriculum. It seems that this question goes all the way back to the beginning of history because it wasn't too long after creation that the animals got together to form a school. They wanted the best school possible, one that offered each student a well rounded curriculum of swimming, running, climbing and flying. In order to graduate the animals agreed that they would each have to take all the courses. But what seemed like a natural and good idea soon became a disaster. The duck was excellent at swimming. In fact, he was better than his instructor was, but he was only making passing grades at climbing and was getting a very poor grade in running. The duck was so slow in running that he had to stay after school every day to practice. Even with that, there was little improvement. His webbed feet got badly worn from running and with such worn feet he would then only be able to get half his grade in swimming. Now average was quite acceptable to everyone else, so no one worried much about it except the duck. Now the rabbit was at the top of her class in running, but after a while she developed a twitch in her leg from all the time she spent in the water trying to improve her swimming. Now the squirrel was a peak performer in climbing, but was constantly frustrated in flying class. His body became so bruised from all the hard landings that he didn't do too well in climbing and ended up being pretty poor in running. The eagle was a continual problem student. She was severely disciplined for being nonconformist. For example, in climbing class she would always beat everyone else to the top of the tree, but insisted on using her own way to get there. Each of the animals had a particular area of expertise. When they did what they were designed to do they excelled. When they tried to operate outside their area of expertise, they were not nearly as effective. Can ducks run? Of course they can. Is that what they do best? Definitely not.
We here in the church could learn a lot from this animal school. The New Testament reminds us over and over again that each member of the church is gifted in some way. You have received, by the grace and love of God, a gift. Just as every animal has been gifted for survival, every person in the body of Christ has been gifted for the growth and ministry of the body, and we have been gifted differently. Knowing what our gifts are enables us to excel and to not know those gifts means that we might find ourselves doing things, but doing things that increasingly lead us to burn out. A lot of the burn out in the church is because we are doing something that isn't necessarily what we are good at.
Management expert Peter Drucker says, “Progress is obtained only by exploiting opportunities, not by solving problems. When you solve problems, all you do is guarantee a return to normalcy.” Most of us spend most of our time solving problems and in doing so we think we are making progress. In actuality, merely solving a problem only returns us to the status quo. The same is true of every human endeavour. We spend most of our time solving problems and wondering why we don't make any progress.
It is no less true when we come into the church. The biggest part of our energy is spent solving problems, putting out fires and sticking our finger in the dike to hold back the onrushing water. Problem solving is important and even crucial, but it isn't progress. Progress comes only when we exploit our opportunities.
A church make progress, grows into the future, and enjoys a dynamic life, only when its members are using their God given gifts. In the New Testament the word saint is used for the ordinary believer. Theologian Frederick Beuchner gets at the original meaning of saint when he writes, “I mean saints as men and women who are made not out of plaster and platitude and moral perfection but out of human flesh. I mean saints who have their rough edges and their blind spots like everyone else, but whose lives are transparent to something so extraordinary that every so often it stops us dead in our tracks.” Saints are people who recognize and celebrate and use their God given gifts-gifts of wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, listening, playing, praying. Gifts of love, joy and patience, kindness, passion, compassion, gentleness, wit, simplicity, complexity…
Some of you may not feel so gifted. If your experience of being in Jr. High School was being picked last for every team don't worry, don't worry if you are insecure or shy, don't worry if you feel inept or unsuccessful. The bible is clear on this; every one of you has a gift. Romans 12: 6, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.” 1 Corinthians 12:7, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” Ephesians 4:7, “To each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.” Notice the repeated expressions-“We have different gifts”, “to each one”, “to each one of us” Something special is given to each and every one of us gathered here this morning. You are a gifted people.
Notice too the language of grace. You receive your gift. You don't earn it or apply for it. The gift you have received is God given and it is given as an act of love and grace. It is interesting to note that in Greek the words grace, gift, joy and thanksgiving all share the same root. When you discover and begin to use your gift you cannot help but be moved to an overwhelming sense of joy and thanksgiving.
There was once a wholesaler from the city who sent a letter to the postmaster in Tignish. He asked the name of an honest lawyer who would take a collection case against a local debtor who had refused to pay for a shipment of the wholesaler's goods. The reply read:
Dear Sir: I am the postmaster of this village and received your letter. I am also an honest lawyer and ordinarily would be pleased to accept a case against a local debtor. In this case however I also happened to be the person you sold those crummy goods to. I received your demand to pay and refused to honour it. I am also the banker you sent the draft to draw on the merchant and I sent that back with a note stating that the merchant refused to pay. And if I were not for the time being substituting for the pastor of our local church, I would gladly tell you where you can put your claim.
This situation describes our life as the church. We all may be gifted people but we are not all using our gifts. This church like most others suffers from a lack of ability to get people involved. We hear a lot of “I can't do that. I can't help out.” Sometimes it seems as if the same people are doing everything. This leads to only one result, fatigue, burnout and discouragement.
The wonderful thing about God is that since God has blessed each of us with a special gift, there are in this church an abundance of different gifts. We aren't all the same thank God. But there are right here in the pews all the gifts we need to be about God's work in the church. What richness there is here. But that richness is only achieved when every single person here discerns and uses their gift.
How do you know what your gift is? Earlier in the fall we offered a gift discernment class. We will be offering this again. It's a place where you can gather with others for the express purpose of discovering your gift.
A simpler way is to remember that a spiritual gift is that which stimulates and fulfills you. What do you like to do most? What activity gives you a sense of purpose? What fills you with joy? Claiming your gift will help you feel you've found the perfect fit for a puzzle piece. “I like help other people” you might say. “I guess I have a way with numbers” someone else will say, “but could never do something like teach a class or sing a solo.” When you identify and use your gift you are being your most special self.
Is your gift compassionate listening? Or praying for other? A sense of humour and a bright optimistic outlook? The gift of caring? The gift of creativity? Organization? Words? The gift of service? The gift of praise? The gift of tears? The gift of outrageous and courageous ideas? Some gifts are glorious in appearance and dramatic in their effect. They are easy to identify and easy to praise. Other gifts are more subtle, more ordinary in appearance and have their impact over the long term rather than in the instant. Some gifts are public and known, others are used in private and sometimes fail to receive the recognition they deserve. Bu regardless, through the Spirit we are each blessed.
We must also note that you are given your gifts for a purpose. They are not given to you for your own sense of self worth or to build your esteem. They are not given to puff up your ego and make you feel good about yourself. You are given gifts for one reason only, service to others. Once we have discerned our gift it is time to use them. Gifts from God are given for the good of this church and the sake of the world. There is something here to do for every one of us. Each and everyone of you has a ministry.
When God got ready to organize the church he didn't set up a dictatorship with the minister at its head. God also did not set up a democracy where everyone has an equal say in everything. When God got ready to organize the church God set up a body with Christ as the head and each believer as part of the body. Your gifts enable this body to function correctly.
That's why the question, “What is my gift?” is so important. Unless you know the answer you will never be 100% effective in your service to Christ. You may spend your life doing something for which you were not gifted and be frustrated and ineffective.
It's Super Bowl Sunday so let me use a football metaphor. No team would take one of those hulking big offensive linemen and put him at wide receiver. He can't run, he can't catch and his hands are bricks. But put him at left guard and he's right at home because he was born to knock people on their backside.
In the same way we want you to be where God is calling you. We don't want you teaching Sunday School out of obligation. We don't want you to be an elder out of guilt, or because no one else will. Albert Einstein was once offered the presidency of the new state of Israel. He turned it down because though he was a gifted mathematician he felt he lacked both the natural aptitude and the experience to deal properly with people. There is no shame in knowing your limitations. We want you to discover your gift and then use it to God's glory.
When you do so, you will be fulfilling God's purpose for you. The church is a body, Christ is the head and we are the joints, the ligaments, the bones and the muscles. As each one of us exercises our gift the church grows. Christ's followers discover, develop and deploy their God given gifts in order to build up the body and to participate in the mission of the church. You have something unique to contribute. We need you and deep down inside you need to serve. Won't you unwrap your gift? Amen.