It is hard
to believe that we have been journeying together now for 29 days. We began this
journey 5 weeks ago, hoping for the best, but not knowing for sure where God was going to take us. It has had its ups and downs, some have continued reading, some have stopped, some have been attending
small groups, and some aren’t. But one thing is for sure, we are all talking,
asking questions, thinking differently and deeper than we did before. We might
not agree with everything we have read or heard Rick Warren say but the beginnings of conversations and deeper questions has
begun. We have looked to each other and other books to seek answers and ideas
on some of the questions that have surfaced. We are beginning to grow.
And wasn’t
that the goal we started off with? We didn’t begin this journey to read
and agree with everything that we heard and read, we began this journey, to experience God in a different and deeper way. And in doing so we have also gotten to know each other on a deeper level. Our small groups are flourishing, we are having deep and meaningful conversations all around town. And I hope you are all beginning to think about what next? Where will we go from here? How will we continue to keep these
lines of communication and depth growing and strengthening.
This is where
we pick up the journey this week. How can we best take what we are learning and
experiencing into the world around us. Our focus this week is on ministry, it
is on serving instead of being served. It is the time when we stand up and acknowledge
God’s working in our lives. For God is working in all of our lives, in
very different ways, but in each and everyone of our lives.
Our scripture
today, might not seem like it fits in perfectly, but it does. Jesus declares
that the son of man is to be handed over to be condemned to death, and what is the very next thing we heard? A mother pleads for her sons to take the seats of honor on Jesus’ right and left. What a response, it almost feels as though this woman heard but didn’t comprehend what Jesus said. He just announced that he would be put to death, and her immediate response was to
seek the best for her sons, to declare that they deserve those spots. It is something
that happens so often within ministry, within business, within life, we look for that opportunity to get ahead, and we jump
at it with all of our force. We might miss completely what is being offered,
we don’t hear what is being said behind the words, we go in to the mode of self preservation and self advancement.
It seems so
harsh to say that, but it is true. Even within the church, there are certain
jobs and tasks that are much more pleasing to some than other tasks, things that if done will gain more praise and acknowledgment
than other tasks that happen behind the scenes. Warren’s focus this week is on the word “SHAPE” which he has broken down
into: Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Ability, Personality and Experiences. We hear the
term spiritual gifts often, but what does it mean? As one of our other texts
shares (1 Corinthians 12: 4-11)…
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties
of services, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them
in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 To one is given through the Spirit
the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the
same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to
another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All
these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
Through
the power of the Holy Spirit we are given gifts, to be used for serving others. Some
of us might have the gift to teach, others, healing, or wisdom, or discernment. Each
of the gifts of the Spirit is for the benefit of the kingdom, to help others with the gifts that we have. To really get into spiritual gifts would take more time than we have, but if you are interested in discovering
what gifts you might have, there will be a Spiritual gifts inventory on the Christian Education table down at the ministry
fair. It serves as a guide to see what gifts might be surfacing through you.
The next aspect of our
serving God comes from our Hearts. The Holy Spirit is constantly at work shaping
us and guiding us as we seek to serve God. Through the working of the Holy Spirit
our hearts become a source of our voice. In Jeremiah, he speaks of the fire that
is burning within him, that is the working of the Holy Spirit, when there is something so heavy and strong upon our hearts
we cannot even for a second ignore it. Perhaps there is something that we all
of a sudden have the conviction to speak, that intense feeling that if you don’t say what is on your heart you might
burst. It isn’t a feeling that we get often, perhaps only a couple of times
in our lives, but it is those times, that God is preparing to use for an extraordinary purpose, and we need to open our hearts
and our mouths to speak what God is giving us to say. We can’t ignore the
wrong in this world, when the conviction of the Holy Spirit is upon us.
The third letter in SHAPE
is A representing our abilities. Take a look around this room, can you pick out
the people who are amazing listeners, those whose creativity seems to be bursting out, or those whose ability to organize
events or activities is a gift you admire. Just as we all have gifts of the spirit,
we also have abilities, things that we can do, and do well, and that not everyone can do.
For example, those sitting behind me, all have wonderful voices, and lead us in worship, there are some who sit near
the back, who fill in the gaps, I for one have never heard the phone ring during church.
We each have very different abilities, if we all had the same abilities what would get done. To read further in 1 Corinthians 12,
14 Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot would
say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any
less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where
would the sense of smell be? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all
were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many members, yet one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the
head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker
are indispensable, 23 and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less
respectable members are treated with greater respect; 24 whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has
so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, 25 that there may be no dissension within the body,
but the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member
is honored, all rejoice together with it.
We
each need to have different abilities and strengths, for it is all of us working together that helps us seek the will of God.
The fourth element of SHAPE
is our personality. Again the differences within the room shows how important
that is. If we were all to take notes and keep the group on task person, than
where would the creative ideas come from. If we didn’t have some who asked
questions, how would we ever grow. Just as our gifts, and abilities differ from
person to person, so does our personality and how we face situations and how we interact with each other. We are all different, and that is so beautiful. Again I ask
you to look around the room, not one person in here is the same, not even our twins, each person present here today, and each
person who is a part of our community is so unique and so valuable to this church.
The fifth and final element
of SHAPE goes along with the rest, we all have had different experiences. We
all come from different places, different kinds of families, different social backgrounds.
We all have different most embarrassing moments, different greatest joys. We
all have a different story of how we came to this church, and especially, how we came to know God, and Jesus as our Lord and
Savior. The differences amongst us, are what unite us and bring us together. We are all here in this place, and we are all called to the service of the church. The Presbyterian Church declares that all members are ministers. We all have ways we can help spread the good news of the kingdom, we all have the ability and the gifts
to do work within this church.
Following worship today,
we have a ministry fair downstairs. What does that mean? It means all the different ministry teams of the church have collected information, created displays, are
on hand to share with you what they do. Ever wonder what the Property ministry
is responsible for? Or how the youth around you have learned so much about their
faith? Any questions you might have regarding what happens here can be answered
downstairs. But there is another element to the ministry fair…YOU! Perhaps you are already involved in dozens of things, or perhaps you aren’t
involved in anything, the key is that we are each SHAPED for God’s service, to serve instead of being served, to go
to the back of the line instead of the front. We each have gifts of the spirit,
have hearts focused on serving God, unique abilities, open personalities, and have a variety of experiences, we each have
a niche to fill. Do you know what yours is?
Do you feel like what you are doing here at church is what you have been called to do, have you always wondered what
other opportunities there are? Today is your chance. Go downstairs, look around, talk to different people, experience different opportunities, explore where
God might be calling you.
There is no time like the
present to seek the will of God on your life, to explore the possibilities of ministry within the church. To embrace your gifts, to nurture your talents, to share your experiences.
I encourage you all, to spend a few minutes downstairs, there will be food if your stomachs begin to rumble. Come, learn, serve and follow the leading of Christ on your life.
And now let us stand, and before we declare what we believe, may we join in for verse one of hymn number 391, Take my Life.
Rev. Janice M. Tiedeck
