The gifts of the Spirit help us to build unity in our communities (1 Corinthians 12.7).
Context
In the news this week, particular since Tuesday night, you are hard pressed to see anything beyond the world of UK politics and the problems of Brexit.
This week we hear Paul’s words on the gifts of the Spirit. Of course, we pray that those gifts – given by the Holy Spirit to encourage and grow community – are seen and used in the House of Commons; particularly gifts of wisdom and discernment. We also hear about receiving the gift of tongues. And a couple of chapters later Paul writes of the problems if everyone speaks in tongues that no one can understand. It leads to babble and confusion – ‘will they not say that you are out of your mind?’ (1 Cor 14.23). I don’t know about you, but it often sounds like that to me when the House is reported on the news, and babble and confusion reign until the Speaker intervenes (often with one of his favourite phrases about not wanting any more ‘chuntering from a sedentary position’).
But the world is a big place, and there is other news out there. And some of it really is good.
How about the bus driver who never stops smiling. I wonder if this is a gift of joy given by the Holy Spirit to this man – and to his community too.
Or what about the gifts and skills and knowledge of the people at Hyundai, who have designed a car that walks? It may look like something from a SciFi movie, but how exciting if it turns out to be something that really can, as its makers suggest, become something that helps with rescue efforts in a tsunami, earthquake or wildfire.
And isn’t it inspiring to read of a company that decides to ‘work together in unity’ to stop their company losing employees?
Reflection
This week sees the beginning of the annual week calling for Christian unity across the world. The Bible readings reflect this, with Paul beginning his encouragement to us all to work together as one body for the good of the church and society. (It continues in next week’s readings.)
This week we look at the first part, and the giving of Gifts from the Holy Spirit which come to build the church or worshiping community.
The gifts of which we read this week are varied, and some will have more than one – which is okay, as long as we remember that the gifts are something to be shared and valued, not abused, not hidden away for personal use. If we do the latter, the community cannot grow. Paul seeks to build up the church by encouraging its members to see the common good as so much more important than individual glory, and serving others as more important than attention seeking. If/when we work together, it is so amazing to see how varied are the gifts given to us!
God gives us these gifts by the Holy Spirit, but they are not really the point – that is, they are not an end in themselves. The point is to build up our worshipping community so that we can share the good news with others. The point is to enable us to say and live out that Jesus is Lord.
We rejoice together when we exercise the gifts that help the community of faith to grow, not caring or worrying who has the gift to speak in different languages, or to heal, or to work miracles. We should care that the community is learning to say ‘Jesus is Lord!’, and is becoming a people who praise God’s name.
But, finally, back to Brexit. We cannot get away from it in our news. The vote has happened. At least at the time of writing, who knows what is going to happen now? We can hope and must pray that people are working together for the common good. But we – the church – must also play our part by working for the common good in our communities and showing Christ’s light in what can be, a dark and confused world.
Prayer
Lord, we pray for Christian unity across the world,
and that we can and will work together to help others know you in their lives.
Help us to use our gifts wisely, and for the good of all the people.
Help us to encourage one another to build our communities
into places where your love shines out and each are welcome.
We pray for the United Kingdom as Brexit continues to dominate our lives.
We pray for unity with other nations and wisdom for our leaders.
We pray that we can work better together in the global church,
and, in this week of Christian unity, help us to work through our differences
and to place our own prejudices to one side.
Help us to break down walls and work together,
to learn to love one another, as you commanded.
Amen.
Questions
- Is our worshipping community working together to serve our local community, shining Christ’s light into the dark and confused corners?
- How can we work together to grow our community so that we can serve others better?
- Are there divisions within our worshipping community? if so, how can we begin to heal them – starting today?
- Have you/your church asked God for the gifts of the Holy Spirit?
All-age activity
Set up tables with a range of different beads, small envelopes, small () pieces of paper, and pens. Put a long piece of thread at the front of the worship space – long enough to hold the beads of the congregation. Set up a large sheet of paper on a board or wall at the front.
Ask everyone to choose a bead and take an envelope and a piece of paper. If anyone wishes to remain in the place, invite someone (a younger person, perhaps) to ask that person what their favourite colour is, and then to bring them a bead, envelope, piece of paper and a pen.
Each person picked a different bead. We each have different thoughts about what our favourite colour might be, about what might taste good, or to what music we like to listen, and so on. Invite people to look at those around them. We can see differences in hair colour, eye colour, body size/shape, and much more. In what other ways are we different? What gifts do we each have, and how may those be used to grow/serve our community? If it important that we are different? Why?
Now, ask people to write on their piece of paper, one strength or positive they have noticed about the person next to them (e.g. they are polite, or helpful, or good at doing/making…anything at all). Place the paper in the envelope and write the person’s name on it. Collect in all the envelopes. Open each one and read the name and the comment (if someone has written a comment that is not positive, do not share it; the person who wrote the comment will get the message that it was not appropriate!). As you read each comment, invite the person named to place their bead on the thread. You could ask children (or people who may find the writing difficult) to help hold the thread as it builds into a large necklace.
When the necklace is complete, ask: Why do you think we made this necklace? Each of us is different, as represented by all the different beads. The thread that holds all the beads together is like the Holy Spirit, and our love of Jesus, that binds us all together. The necklace is beautiful, just as the we – the people of God – are beautiful, a community that can serve each other and those around us. Hang the necklace in a central and prominent place.
Young people
You could do a simpler version of above, with paper chains. Ask each young person to pick a coloured strip of paper to represent themselves – each slip could have a gift of the Spirit written on one side. Ask people to write the name of another young person present on their paper. Then get all to work together to turn the individual slips into a paper chain. Hang the chain somewhere in a prominent place. Now invite everyone to take a second slip and again to write another person’s name on it (it could be the same one). Colour/decorate the paper to make a bookmark. Ask people to take the paper home and to use it as a reminder/encouragement to pray for person named.
Laura Leatherbarrow is a vicar, a trained Spiritual director and Examining Chaplain, in Liverpool diocese. With a background in nursing, she has a special interest in health and wellbeing, including spiritual wellbeing, and has launched a number of mental health cafes and communities to help people form communities of hope in the area where they live.
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