Gifts and Grace

Yesterday we read Romans 12:1-8 in worship. Paul describes followers of Jesus as the body of Christ, and being members (as in limbs) of one another. We are attached to one another like your hand is attached to your body. We cannot choose our limbs. They are God-given. So are the other members of the body of Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 12:26, Paul uses a similar image, with followers of Jesus being the body of Christ: "If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice with it."

What a vision! We belong together. We need each other. We suffer and rejoice with each other.

We talked a little bit about what constitutes a member of the body of Christ. Church folks that we are, we usually look at the church as representing the body of Christ in the world. 

So I asked the members that were there: What makes a person a member of the church; what qualities would they have? 

Some of the responses were: attendance, faith in God, financial giving. 

Others were: acceptance, inclusion, unconditional love, serving others, and seeking. 

I'm sure I don't remember everything that was mentioned but I remember being deeply moved and impressed by the responses. We've come a long way!

"Membership" no longer means certain requirements that need to be met in order for someone to be a member. Membership no longer means that some are in and others are out.  

If you practice acceptance, inclusion and unconditional love, if you serve others, if you have faith and/or are seeking, you are a member of the body of Christ. And when you suffer, we suffer with you. When you are honored, we rejoice with you. 

(Anybody else getting teary-eyed?)

We also talked about gifts, based on Paul's statement that "We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us" (Romans 12:6).

For example, I think my gift, given to me by the grace of God, is sharing God's love with people. And languages. 

I asked our kids to share some of their gifts and they were too modest to tell us. Then the congregation spoke up and told them what their gifts were! What an example of building each other up. 

I gave each of the kids a gift box, representing the gifts God had given them, and asked them to literally "build" the body of Christ with it. See the photo for the result. What awesome, gifted kids we have! 

It's ok to say what your gifts are. You're not bragging. You're just acknowledging that God has graced you with gifts. That's nothing to be ashamed of. It's a privilege. And by acknowledging your own gifts you are also acknowledging that others are gifted. So I asked the whole congregation to make a list, either mental or on paper, of their gifts. And I asked them to think about how they can use those gifts to build up the body of Christ.

Because that's why God gives us gifts: To do good. To love. To build each other up. 

Now I'm asking you to do the same. What gifts has God given you, and how can you use them to build up the body of Christ, to be God's hands and feet and face and ears and mouth in this world? 

Take a moment to think about that. And think about it again. 

I will close the same way I closed my sermon yesterday, with a quote by Marilynne Robinson: "If you ever wonder what you've done in your life, and everyone does wonder sooner or later, you have been God's grace to me, a miracle, something more than a miracle."