Epiphany 2, Year C
Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm 36:5-10
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
John 2:1-11
Today's reading from 1 Corinthians comes to us after we've just come out of the biggest gift-giving season of the year and just a couple weeks after celebrating the Wise Men greeting the newborn Christ with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. For months, we have been preoccupied with finding the right gifts for others—from perfunctory tokens of appreciation for polite acquaintances to deeply heartfelt expressions of gratitude and love for those we cherish most. The gifts we give, even those we don't put much thought into, can speak volumes about the kind of relationship and regard we have for the recipient. We also find ourselves trying to navigate the implicit and sometimes explicit desires of others' hearts.
It's something I frequently dread, to be honest—the pressure to find the "perfect gift," to discern that arcane combination of uniqueness, utility, and personality. The Magi's offerings of gold, frankincense, and myrrh were expensive, kingly gifts, rich in symbolic meaning to the Messiah, but not the kind of baby shower offerings new parents would find very useful. I'm reminded of a cartoon with three women meeting the Holy Family with gifts of diapers, casseroles, and formula. The caption of the cartoon reads, "After the Three Wise Men left, the Three Wiser Women arrived."
However, the "gifts of the Spirit" that Paul talks about today aren't gifts as we understand them in our everyday lives. The Greek word Paul uses for gift is the word charismata, which is the plural form of the word "charisma," and it doesn't simply mean "gift." It specifically means a "gift of grace." Paul goes on to describe a partial list of these gifts, but first, he emphasizes the source and purpose of them. "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 them in everyone." And then, at the end of the list, to drive home his point, he says, "All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses."
Paul addresses this topic in his letter because the church in Corinth had found itself squabbling over who had the better gift, and that is a trap that churches today often fall into as well. Is preaching more important? Is healing? Is outreach? Is teaching? Is consecrating the Lord's Supper? We feel tempted to rank these gifts because we feel tempted to view them as gifts we have earned. If I've got the better gift, I must be the better Christian.
Rick and I had the privilege yesterday to attend a service of Ordination at the cathedral for three new deacons, and the Gospel lesson they chose from Luke 22 resonated with me as I was preparing my sermon for today. In this passage, Jesus is with his disciples when, we read, "A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. But he said to them, 'The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.'"
All the gifts of the Spirit come from God, and God gives them all for the same ultimate purpose. Just as no gift is superior to another, neither is anyone more deserving of their gift than any other. We receive a "gift of grace" because God has heard our cry and our desire to become a new creation through baptism and because we understand that becoming a new creation means committing ourselves to a life of purpose and service to God and one another. Paul emphasizes, "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." The Spirit doesn't give these to us for our own benefit, but for us to share them with the whole body of Christ.
Okay, so we have some idea what spiritual gifts are. We understand they are "gifts of grace" and thus unearned. We understand that their purpose is to build up the Kingdom of God. And since they all come from God, we understand that none are greater or lesser than the others. So, how do we discern what gift we have? Last year, we had a book study of "Walk in Love: Episcopal Beliefs & Practices" by Scott Gunn and Melody Wilson Shobe. The book includes a chapter on Christian vocation, and it emphasizes that the concept of vocation is not reserved for the clergy alone. Every Christian has a vocation, and our vocation is that space where we fully realize the gifts the Spirit has given to each of us. The authors write, "Vocation is what happens at the intersection of our gladness and the world's need; it is the thing that we do both because we find fulfillment within ourselves and because we are filling a gap in the world."
One of the authors then shared this story: "Once, I was meeting with a newcomer at my church, a woman named Caitlin. She shared that she wanted to serve God in the church, but she wasn't really sure how. She had been approached to help with Sunday School, but she didn't really enjoy teaching. She had observed the ministry of the lectors and chalice bearers, but she had a paralyzing fear of speaking or serving in public. She had carefully read the notices asking for various church volunteers, but none of them seemed to be the right fit. I asked Caitlin, 'What are some things that you love to do? Or where do you feel close to God?' With an embarrassed laugh, she said, 'Well, I really love to iron. When I'm feeling overwhelmed or confused, I get out the ironing board and iron my shirts or even my sheets. It's a time when I can focus and concentrate and reflect on life and maybe even talk to God. But that's not really a church ministry.' I couldn't help but smile at God's sense of humor. What Caitlin didn't know is that, the night before, I had been at a very tense altar guild meeting. The members of the altar guild were faithful, dedicated people who loved tending the sanctuary, keeping the sanctuary lamp blazing and bright, laying out vestments, and quietly preparing the church for worship. But they all hated cleaning and ironing the linens. It had become a battle, where members were angry and resentful with one another about who had to launder the linens that week. Into that void stepped a person who found deep joy and connected with God in the act of ironing. When I told Caitlin about the dilemma, her face lit up. She heard that the place of her deep gladness was the very place of the church's deep need. She had found her vocation within the church."
For many years while I was serving in the Army, I had in my email sign-off this quote by Theodore Roosevelt: "The greatest gift that life has to offer is the opportunity to work hard at work worth doing." Finding that kind of fulfilling work out in the world can be hard. Very few people are lucky enough to make a living doing something that holds deep meaning to them. But within each and every one of you is a gift that the Spirit chose specifically for you and a specific purpose for that gift. Where does your deep gladness meet the world's deep need? What is your work worth doing? I invite you to pray on those questions, and always to be prepared for the Spirit to surprise you. Amen.