May 15, 2005 – Pentecost Sunday
I Corinthians 12:3-13
1. It is fairly obvious to most people that we are not all alike. At least in terms of our gifts and abilities. This is most often seen in what we do at work. Some people are carpenters, others are accountants, and some fly airplanes, and so on. What I do as a minister, of course, aside from preaching on Sunday. Most of the rest of week consists of a wide variety of activities. No one day is the same as the next.
On Tuesday, for example, this past week I was in a meeting with other pastors and lay people to review a plan for a summer camp program for young people at Red Lake. At the request of Father Pat Sullivan, I spent the entire day at St. Mary’s Catholic mission church with local Red Lake community members and staff people from Lutheran social service. A Presbyterian minister even came to the meeting all the way from Jonesborough, AK, to tell us about a week long camp they ran there after the Jonesborough shootings. You may remember that was when two boys 11 and 13 pulled a fire alarm at the middle school in Jonesborough and then shot and killed four students and a teacher on the playground. He told us how it was a very therapeutic experience for many of the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders to get away to a safe place and have fun for a week. He went on to describe how they continued this same camp for more five summers until all of the kids graduated from high school.
The principal from Red Lake Elementary was also at the meeting. He said that kids in his school are asking two questions: (a.) why would someone do something like this? And (b) am I safe?
One of the leaders of the task force was a disaster coordinator for Church World Service and ecumenical organization. He told us how in disasters like this the real grief and trauma does not really set in until afterward. The stress of such an event continues to spread out through the community.
I didn’t have much too say. It was mostly a learning experience. However, since I am the Northwest District Disaster Coordinator I reported on this meeting to the Bishop in Minneapolis and to Victoria Rebeck the Conference Communications Director, and to the Conference Disaster Coordinator.
At another meeting on Monday night, I also learned about the march to Red Lake, which was mentioned earlier this morning. I also spent time on the phone this week talking to Sandra Brands, the lady who wrote the article about our own members who were involved with Red Lake which was in the May Newsletter. She is going to be coming back up here again on Thursday and Friday and will be doing another article.
2. This week I also had our regular Bible study and our Wednesday faith discussion group. In addition, I met with a lady who is not a member of our church who had never been baptized and so she was baptized on Saturday morning.
On Thursday and again on Saturday I met with the Johnson family to plan for the funeral for Doris Johnson which will be tomorrow.
I also spent time talking this past week with some people who are interested in renting the Cass Lake Church for a worship service every week. And I am still trying to set up a meeting for this coming week. And I also had a long phone conversation with a younger minister who needed my advice in writing some papers so he can complete his education toward becoming a licensed local pastor.
And, of course, I spent time reading and getting ready for this Sunday’s sermon and worship - and that’s just some of the things I do.
In other words a wide variety of activities. No day is the same, really.
3. Of course, not all jobs are like this. For instance … when I left the ministry to work for the Red Cross I was hired to do one thing: organize blood drives! That’s all I did – five days a week – 52 weeks a year … Mostly I would drive around and meet with people … train volunteers … come back to the office and make reports …and attend meetings and so on …
I did pretty well at it … and eventually I became a supervisor and hired and trained other people to organize blood drives … but it was still the same repetitive job.
And then one night, after doing this for about 19 years, I was standing in the parking lot outside the Super Eight motel in Park Falls, Wisconsin, and I had a revelation. And the Revelation was this: I was getting pretty tired of doing the same old thing over and over again! So - I came back to the ministry. And just as I was coming back, I met some friends of mine who were leaving … because THEY WERE TIRED OF IT! So, there you are…!
But, at first I liked working for the Red Cross. And when I first arrived at the Red Cross Blood Center and every day after that when I came to work I would walk by the lab on the first floor on my way to the Donor Recruitment Office on the 2nd floor. And every day in the lab there were anywhere from 35 to 40 people whose sole job was to test and process the blood every day – five days a week. Now the blood would start coming in from the bloodmobiles around noon and kept coming in until after midnight. By then the second shift and third shifts were involved.
The people in the lab had a job; it was obvious, that was very different from mine. We recruited the donors and they processed the blood. And their job was exactly the same every day. Pretty boring – I thought! For at least I could go to different places every day … and drive around in my car … and I could set my own schedule.
I often thought to myself on my way to the second floor --- I couldn’t do that kind of work – I would go crazy!
Eventually I discovered that the lab people probably thought the same about me … the last thing they wanted to do was go out and try to talk people into giving blood.
It was kind of the same thing with accounting, or the computer department. Now when computers first came in … it took me quite a while to figure out what was going on. So whenever there was a problem all I had to do was call up Pat Derks in Information Services and say “My computers not working” and she would come right over and fix it. That was her job. And she was good at it. “Thank God for people who understand computers.” Everyone say - Amen!
4. Well, you can all probably relate to this … only at different places … and different organizations. But everyone, we realize, has their own particular skills and abilities … it seems … and hopefully we are able to find a career we like … and where we are needed … and appreciated and we feel that what we do is important in the bigger scheme of things.
The point of all this … is that what it all comes down to is that everyone is needed and important. All of us are a part of the same world … and the same community … and the same church … and we all have an important part to play in the bigger scheme of things.
But of course, people don’t always see it that way. Our egos get in the way … and we are inclined to think that some people are more important than others are … USUALLY US!!! Or that some skills are more in need than others … or that some gifts are of greater value …
This is human … and things haven’ really changed all that much since Paul wrote his letter to the church in Corinth 2000 years ago which we read from this morning.
5. Now, quite often people say … the church needs to get back to the way it was in the early days …back to true Christianity …
But what was true Christianity …?
Was it true Christianity when the disciples argued among themselves about who would be most important in the Kingdom of Heaven …? And Jesus had to rebuke them?
Or was it true Christianity when Paul had to write a letter to the church in Corinth because there was trouble and disagreement in the church?
Or is it true Christianity today when people in one church or denomination proclaim that they are better Christians than others are? Or when some people proclaim that they have received certain spiritual gifts that places them in a more important position than others? Or when some people say that only “they” are the ones who are saved … because they have special knowledge or believe the right things … or have had certain religious experiences that set them apart from the rest?
Well, not much has changed, has it?
6. Now, the city of Corinth went way back to ancient Greek times and the famous Greek philosopher Diogenes (you all remember Diogenes?) was even buried there. But, around 200 years before Jesus, Corinth was conquered by the Roman Empire. Eventually, the citizens of Greece tried to revolt and in the process the city of Corinth was destroyed (almost) in 144 BC. Then, a hundred years later, Julius Caesar decided to restore it … and he made it the Roman capital for southern Greece.
In other words, Corinth was on the way up and was becoming an important and prosperous city again … when, all of a sudden, St. Paul shows up proclaiming the message that the Christ had come on earth … and that a new Kingdom … the Kingdom of God was at hand.
Well, it turns out, that after spending some time in Corinth – possibly a year or two … Paul eventually moved on to Ephesus. So don’t get the idea that Paul was some kind of Billy Graham style traveling evangelist who comes and stays for a week and holds revivals where some people get saved and that is it. No, when Paul came to a place he stayed for as long as it took to get a church going. Paul was not just interested in converting individual people … he was also interested in starting churches.
What does that say about our faith …? Are we merely supposed to be persons with our own individual faith in God … or are we supposed to belong to the body of Christ? In other words … in order to practice our faith … don’t we need to be part of a group … a fellowship … a faith community?
After all, it seems as though if we have been given gifts …are we not called upon to use them in and with a community of people – a community of faith?
7. Sounds good, right? But, as we all know, once you get a bunch of people together … all who have different ideas and opinions …sooner or later you open yourself to disagreement … because of differing opinions …and the like.
Well, this is what happened in Corinth … for no sooner did the church get started … than there was disagreement … surprise, surprise!
And according to some accounts … some of the disagreements had to do with differences in social status … and things like that…
Which is why Paul says in I Corinthians 1:26-31
26Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
Other questions also arose in Corinth which had to do with some people thinking that they were spiritually superior to others and as a result they could do pretty much what they pleased.
8. Paul writes to counteract this divisiveness. In doing so, he emphasizes the unity of the Church. Not the uniformity of the church … for, as I have said, we are not all alike in abilities …
And in so Corinthians 12: 12-31 he uses his famous image of the Body of Christ. You know the one where he compares to church to our own bodies and says that no one part is unnecessary … for we all need our hands, and our eyes, and our teeth, and our brain, and all the rest … all the parts are dependent on other parts … as we all know …
Paul then goes on to discuss the various gifts of the spirit …
Which is an important lesson to consider on this Pentecost Sunday … when we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit on the gathered disciples.
Now I chose not to read that lesson today … since it is read every year … but you know the story:
How the disciples were all gathered together … and a sound like a rush of wind came upon them and they began speaking in strange tongues … and yet they understood each other … and how Peter got up and explained that this was in fulfillment of Jesus’ words … and also from the book of Joel … how God would pour out his spirit on all flesh …
9. And so Paul … goes on to talk about the spiritual gifts … which we read this morning …and he writes:
4God's various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. 5God's various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. 6God's various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. 7Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! 8The variety is wonderful:
And what are these gifts, he enumerates them as follows:
wise counsel
clear understanding
9simple trust
healing the sick
10miraculous acts
proclamation
distinguishing between spirits
tongues
interpretation of tongues.
And Paul concludes by saying that:
11All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when.
Now you notice that these gifts are not quite the same as the gifts we have in terms of our everyday work … gifts like music or mathematics … or how to repair things … or things like that …
These are “spiritual gifts” … which come to us through our faith in God … through the Holy Spirit …
These are gifts for a special purpose … which is to minister to one another … and they have, as Paul says … a common origin … the One Spirit of God.
Now, we may not think so … but we all have been given spiritual gifts for ministry … such as to encourage others in their faith … to help in healing … to teach … to counsel … to interpret … to speak … words of faith to others … Quite frankly, just by coming to church today we are all using our gifts just by being here … for our presence is an encouragement to others as we share our faith in worship. Isn’t that right?
And without these gifts … the church would not exist. For everyone … LET ME REPEAT THIS … everyone is important … in the life of the church …and everyone has a part to play … that is Paul’s message …
10. Now I was in a discussion recently with someone about spiritual gifts … and this person wanted to know what I thought about speaking in tongues … and things like that …
And of course, nowadays … with the revival of Pentecostal Christianity and the charismatic movement … a fair number of people have had religious conversions and some have even spoken in tongues. Not many in terms of the whole church worldwide … but more than back in the days … when Pentecostals … were a marginal movement known as “Holy Roller’s.”
For nowadays, be a Pentecostal can be a fairly respectable thing compared to back when I was growing up and they were just a little church on the edge of town called the Gospel Tabernacle. In my town if you wanted to be respectable you were either a Lutheran or a Presbyterian and the Catholics came in far behind in third place. Incidentally, there was no Methodist Church in Canby, which is why I grew up Presbyterian – loosely, that is …
Well, what are we to make of this …?
Does speaking in tongues really make someone more “spiritual” than someone who does not … well, some people think so …
Recently, I watched a television program … which featured the senior pastor of the Riverside Church – one of the most famous churches in New York City … and this minister, who is a black person … told about how he grew up in the Pentecostal Church and when he wanted to go into the ministry he was told he could not be part of that denomination … because he had not experienced speaking in tongues. Well, he seems to have done all right for himself. But I could see that there was still a bit of mystery and disappointment when he told how he was rejected by the church of his origins and of his own family.
Incidentally, our new Bishop, Sally Dyck told us about growing up in another denomination and how when she went to college she met a Presbyterian woman who is a college chaplain and how she decided that she, too, would like to be a minister. However, her denomination did not allow women to be ministers. So, eventually she became a United Methodist. And now she is our Bishop.
11. Now, I want to say that I have nothing personally against other denominationsa or against speaking in tongues or any other of the gifts of the spirit … but, in seems to me … that, in Paul’s words …these gifts are all given in order to build up the church … not to divide it …
And as Paul says, each person has received different gifts … not because they are special but for the well being of the whole church … and that’s what I think the church is all about … We are supposed to be all in this together.
Unfortunately, however, this business of gifts carries with it the potential for divisiveness.
So, sometimes when I am asked by people about “spiritual” gifts I refer them to Paul’s famous passage in I Corinthians 13 about how if I have all knowledge, and all faith, and all wisdom … but have not love … I am just a noisy cymbal or a clanging bell. You know the one about faith, hope, and love and the greatest of all is love.
And I also refer them to Paul’s words in a different letter … the letter to the Galatians … where Paul talks not about gifts of the spirit … but about “fruits of the spirit.”
This is a passage that is not always as familiar as the one we read today about “spiritual gifts.” But, in the fifth chapter of Galatians … Paul … admonishes the members of that church … to “live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit.” This, he points out is preferable to living selfishly … or self centeredly.
The fruits or results of self-centered living are all the same …and Paul enumerates them … and I read to you now from the Eugene Peterson translation:
Read Galatians 5:19-21
19It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; 20trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; 21the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.
And Paul concludes by saying:
This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.
That’s pretty good, don’t you think …?
It is a lot more exciting than reading the NRSV. Let me read that to you for comparison:
19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
It’s okay, but it doesn’t really get your attention does it?
Let’s read Eugene Peterson again:
19It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; 20trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; 21the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.
That really nails it down doesn’t it?
In person, I guess, Rev. Peterson is a rather thoughtful and studious individual who does not like a lot of publicity or attention – but he can really say it in writing? I wonder what his sermons were like when he served an average sized Presbyterian Church for some 26 years?
12. Well, one of Eugene Peterson’s gifts is translation, obviously. And it was his version of the Bible which we gave to the Confirmation kids last Sunday. One of them said to me … I really like reading this Bible because it makes more sense …
If you haven’t read from the Message, which is what Peterson’s translation is called, you really should.
And, course, it is really not Paul’s fault. For Paul was trying to make sense … only he wrote in Greek! So, we have to translate it the best we can. And, incidentally, Paul was not trying to be complicated … because all of the New Testament was largely written in Koine’ Greek … or the common language of the day … not the more erudite Greek used by the Greek Philosophers …it is just that we don’t speak that way today.
So, if being self-centered is not he way to be … what does it mean to be open to God’s spirit … on this day of Pentecost 2005? And what besides the gifts of the spirit … are the “fruits” of the spirit … which we receive through our faith …?
Paul spells them out …
And again, I read the Message: Galatians 5:19-21
22But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard--things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, 23not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
And there you have it … on this Day of Pentecost … the gifts and fruits of the spirit … poured out for you and me … and for the whole church …
Affecton for others
Excitement and hope for living
Serenity and peace
The ability to wait patiently for things
Compassion for the less fortunate
Loyalty to the church and to other people
And lastly …
A sense of purpose in life - which comes from the conviction that, God is at work in our lives and in the world.
May the Holy Spirit touch your life today … may you receive God’s gifts richly … and may you be inspired to use them for the good of all … here in this church and in the greater world …
Let us pray …
