"Essential Gifts"
October 31, 2004
 The Rev. Laura L. Stellmon

The New Testament Lesson: Acts 4: 32 - 5: 11
The New Testament Lesson: I Corinthians 12: 4 - 18

In this part of Paul’s letter to the Christians in Corinth, he is eager to say that a person’s spirituality is not an experience which is somehow separate from one’s daily, material existence. The Spirit of God is with us and within us everywhere we are, and in every experience of this life. Our relationship with the one Holy and Everliving God covers every corner of our lives, hidden or exposed, grand or tiny, simple or complex. And our relationships with this Sovereign God are lived out not in a vacuum, but in a community. And that community is the body of believers called the church.

Here Paul turns his attention to the services or gifts which are being exercised in the fellowship in Corinth. The gifts are not all equal, and perhaps some are more useful at certain times than are others, but all the gifts, nonetheless, have some common aspects.

The first thing Paul underlines is that there are varieties of gifts. Not everyone has the same gift. The gifts are different from one person to another. Some have ten talents, and some perhaps five, maybe another has a single talent. Some have greater mental ability, and others have a more vivid imagination. Still others have the determination and will to see a very complex project through to completion. So it is in the Christian community.. .there are varieties of gifts.

Paul further points out that all of these gifts are given through the generous grace of God. Whatever gift any one person possesses, it is not something that they have earned for themselves, it is not a talent that they are responsible for developing solely by themselves. God is the source and giver of every good gift. What we possess, be it the “stuff” that surrounds us, be it the people in our families, be it the skills, talents and strength we enjoy--all of that “stuff” that makes us who we are is given to us by God.

Now, Paul says, since the variety of gifts is just about endless, and since every one of those gifts comes from God, there is no reason for any of us to boast. If there is any praise to be made, any glory to be acclaimed, let it be to the Lord, the giver of those wonderful gifts.

And now, the question you’ve all been asking--or which Paul HOPES you’ve been asking   “How do these gifts affect the life of the fellowship?” Paul sees everything the Christian does and is through the lens of Christian fellowship. And this issue of God-given gifts is no different. He wants to know if the gifts that people have received are being shared within the community of believers. He wants to know if the lives of the believers are being enriched through the sharing of the gifts of others. He wants to know if the Christian witness of the community is being enhanced by the sharing of the gifts of the people within that community. The gifts given by the Spirit of God are meant to benefit both the individual concerned AND the entire community of which he or she is a member.

Today, as in Paul’s day, the variety of gifts present in the community of Christ can be clearly seen. Some are good with numbers and finances. Some can sing and some can play instruments. Others are fantastic teachers of children, and there are those who are very capable of leading adults to new knowledge and understanding. Some can prepare a meal that makes you nearly weep in gratitude. Yet others have a heart designed to pray for others with power and conviction.

None of us possesses any gift of our own making. All these gifts have been given by God, and they have been given for the purpose of sharing them responsibly with the community of believers, not for any selfish purpose.

Paul compares the community of Christ to a body made of individual parts. There is no part of the body which is dispensable if the body is to function properly. Those of you who have lost the use of a hand or a foot temporarily to the healing of a broken bone understand what Paul is saying here. Those of you who have lost, or thought you might lose, vision in one or both of your eyes understand what Paul is saying here. But those are quite obviously necessary parts of our body. Surely there might be something we could do without that would cause no disruption in our proper function?

I’ve been wondering about a person’s appendix or gallbladder, but I’m not a physician, so I’m not going to comment on that. I would however, like to share with you my father’s experience with losing just a small portion of one finger. In a boating accident my dad severely damaged just the top portion of his right hand pinky finger. As per the doctor’s advice, he had the portion just above the top joint removed. It took, as the doctor had said it would, a number of weeks for the pain to subside. My dad was prepared for the bothersome itchiness, and the occasional twinge of pain from accidentally bumping the finger against a hard object. What he had not anticipated, and what the doctor had failed to tell him, was that he was going to have a very hard time holding onto a full glass of water for a year or more.

You see, through experience and years of repeated practice, our body has learned to apply a certain amount of pressure to the tip of each finger and thumb in order to securely hold a glass of water. Without just that little bit of extra support from the end of his pinky finger, my dad found himself very often in danger of dropping his glass of water. He had to retrain himself to apply extra pressure with another part of his pinky due to the lack of support from the missing part.

God does not give us gifts which are intended to benefit only ourselves. God gifts us, and calls us to be good stewards of those gifts within the community of believers. If you have the gift of teaching, then teach within this community. If you have the gifts of writing, then write for the good of this community. If you have the gift of encouragement, then encourage those within this fellowship. If you have received the gift of singing, then sing for the glory of God and the good of this body.

When we talk about stewardship, people tend to think about what? Money. And although stewardship of the gifts God has given us is about much more than just money, it is also about money. Everyone here today has received financial gifts from God in some measure. God has gifted us in this area in a variety of ways. Some are able to give much, and others not so much. Giving an amount that is significant will look different for each person here.

What I want to say today about giving to the church is, I think, neither “preachy” nor complex.

First, I want to say that even small gifts matter significantly. I don’t know what any one of you gives to the church. I don’t want to know. But I am sure that there are some of you who feel

guilty that your gift is small and therefore insignificant. And perhaps there are others of you who feel that you could only give a very small amount every month, and that amount wouldn’t matter in the whole big picture of things anyway, and so you don’t give anything. I want to affirm for you that both of those viewpoints are misguided.

I don’t know how many of you are aware that the Ogden Nature Center recently underwent a major fundraising campaign. They were shooting for $3 million. They have so far raised about $2.9 million. Here’s what’s interesting about their story. They hired a fundraising consultant who told them that the maximum amount they could raise, given the demographics of this community would be about $3 million. And, in order to secure that amount, they would need a certain number of very large donations (i.e. one $1/2 million gift, two at $1/4 million, etc.). To make a long story short, their major gifts came in WAY under target. WAY under target, but they kept plugging away at it in ways that were creative. They encouraged people to make a donation, no matter how small. And the result has been amazing. The bulk of their fundraising has come from gifts that are less than $100, many of them just $25-50.

Small gifts DO make a difference, even very small gifts.

This is the second thing that I want to say about giving to the church. Everyone who is a member of this congregation and is alert and well enough to be in charge of their own finances CAN participate in supporting the mission and ministry of this congregation. If the biggest gift you can give is $5 a year, then give it with a generous spirit and a grateful heart!

Do you know what kind of a change in numbers I hope we’ll see in our 2005 budget versus our 2004 budget? My prayer is that in 2005 we’ll have 100% of our membership participating in the financial support of this congregation. I don’t say that because I think it will guarantee a balanced budget. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. I don’t care about a balanced budget--I’m not the senior pastor, so I can say that! What I care about is the spiritual health of this congregation, and I know that this congregation will really start to grow in excitement and in discipleship when every member participates in sharing his or her God-given Gifts.  Amen