Gifts of the Spirit
Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm 96
I
Corinthians 12:1-11
John 2:1-11
Tim
Christoffersen
St. Anselm’s
January 14,
2001
Good
morning. Let me ask you two questions.
Raise
your hand if you feel comfortable that you know the spiritual gifts you received?
Do you feel comfortable
understanding yourself as a priest?
It looks like you
have greater comfort in having knowledge of your spiritual gifts than in understanding
yourself as a priest. That is not a surprise! We don’t talk often about
our being a priest. Let me start at that end and try to make the connection
to our spiritual gifts.
In Exodus 19, God says to Moses on Mt. Sinai "Although the whole earth
is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."
But the Israelites repeatedly turned away from God, and the prophet Jeremiah
reminds us, "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make
a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah….I will
put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their
God and they will be my people."
As Christians we understand God’s promise of a new covenant as foreshadowing
God’s incarnation in Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus words at the Last Supper
make the connection clear: "This is my Blood of the new Covenant,
which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins."
Christ is our high priest and he died for the sins of all mankind.
The first letter of Peter connects us as priests to Christ as our High Priest.
"As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen
by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built
into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
Strikingly, the only references to priests in the New Testament, other than
to Christ as High Priest, are the references to the baptized as a holy priesthood,
a royal priesthood of all believers. We do not encounter the word priest applied
to an ordained person until the end of the second century.
Unfortunately, since the second century there has been a strong tendency to
view the priest as the keeper of the ‘sacred’ or ‘spiritual’
and the parish or the rest of the baptized community of believers as keepers
of the ‘profane’ or the rest of life. I believe the lazy side of
human nature accounts for much of this tendency. We want to let a designated
person be responsible for spiritual things. Over the many centuries since
Constantine made Christianity the state religion in the 4th century, we have
developed a clerical culture. The high point was the middle ages when the
words of institution at the Eucharist or the Mass were said silently and the
people took neither the bread nor the wine, only the priest.
In the 20th century, however, there has been a significant effort to restore
an understanding of the baptized community as the priesthood of all believers.
The changes in the 1979 Prayer Book such as reestablishing Baptism as a community
Sacrament and not a private act is a sign. While there is some progress the
clerical culture is still alive and well. That is also why it is a foreign
notion to think of yourself as a priest.
Let’s shift to the subject of our spiritual gifts in today’s Epistle.
First let me comment on how ordination is connected to spiritual gifts. Ordained
ministry belongs to one of the realms of the gifts of the Spirit. The process
of discernment by the baptized community identifies or acknowledges those
persons seen to have these gifts and is a ‘designation’ of those
persons. While at first blush, it may seem incongruous to us, ordination and
marriage are similar as spiritual gifts. There is discernment on the part
of the community and consent is given. A vow before God is made in each case
and the Church pronounces its blessing on both. Spiritual gifts are required
to uphold our vows in both cases.
Let’s now go back to Paul’s words to the Corinthians about spiritual
gifts. Paul begins by making clear we understand who is Lord. He reminds the
Corinthians that were once influenced or lead astray by false idols. I doubt
few if any of us could say we are not influenced or sometimes led astray by
false idols! Maybe it is our job, maybe an addiction, maybe our pride and
our reliance on ourselves as the place where the ‘buck stops.’
Once we are clear about who is Lord, Paul says "Now to each one the
manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." Gifts
are not limited to the educated, the wealthy, the hard working or even those
perceived as spiritual. Spiritual gifts are given to each baptized person.
The practical questions are how we discern our gifts and whether we offer
our gifts and ourselves as living sacrifices.
The process of discerning what spiritual gifts we have been given is an important
role of the parish family. We often see in each other spiritual gifts. A person
may have the gift of mercy and not see it. But it likely others will see that
gift in the person and help him or her to see it and encourage them to use
it. It is a little like the image of the body and the parts of the body that
Paul describes. As a parish family we are analogous to a local body of Christ.
The hand, the foot, the ear more readily sees how each contributes in the
context of the body.
The risk of this image, however, is that it can lead us to focus inwardly
rather than outwardly. We are called to heal the broken hearted, give deliverance
to the poor, open doors to the captives, and set people free who are in prisons
of doubt, fear and selfishness.
This is what each of us is called to do and this is why each of us is given
spiritual gifts. We are all in the ministry. This is the work of the church.
Let me close with a few comments about the Stephen Ministry program and those
who are being commissioned at the service today. This ministry is a manifestation
of the gifts of the Spirit for the common good. It is not just an Episcopalian
program; there are Stephen ministers in many different Christian denominations.
It provides ministry to those in a particular parish as well as to those who
may not even be Christians. It truly is for the common good., It is
one way of participating in God’s activity to make and to keep human
life human.
I have been blessed to be a member of the group being commissioned today.
What I would like to leave you with is the image that continually comes to
my mind. I am struck by the joy and the satisfaction each person in the group
receives from their giving to others. It is proof once again that you receive
back many fold what you give to others.
Finally, at the risk of some embarrassment to M.J., her dedication, her enthusiasm
and her amazing organizational and teaching skills have been at the heart
of launching this new team of ministers. While I know she has received much
herself from her leadership role, we owe her our appreciation for her love
and her dedication.
AMEN.
