1Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want
you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you were
enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no
one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says "Let Jesus be cursed!"
and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit. 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.
Corinth was of strategic importance for its
shipping and trade. In addition, it hosted the annual Isthmian Games, and was home
to the temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. It was therefore the gathering
place of people from all over the world: some came to buy its bronze articles,
some to use it as safe port for trade with Greece, some for sport, and some to
worship in the temple on top of the Acrocorinth.
Paul
came to this city in AD50 from Athens.[1]
He found work as a tentmaker, in partnership with Priscilla and Aquilla. In the
absence of modern hotels, travellers and tourists would live in tents, so there
was always work for a tent maker. Acts 18 tells us that Paul preached to both
Greek and Jew about Jesus, and a Christian Church was soon established
here. It would seem that this church was
made up of the variety of people that made up Corinth – and it was not long
before they began to develop schisms. They therefore wrote a letter to Paul
asking him for advice.[2]
Paul replies, probably in AD57, from Ephesus,[3]
The
passage for today addresses them at their place of division: their
understanding of the Holy Spirit. It would seem that some used their own unique
experience of the Spirit to feel superior to others. Paul responds by pointing
out that the Spirit of God was never given so that people could gain status.
Instead, God’s Spirit was given for service: Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are
varieties of services, but the same Lord;[4] Different
gifts are given, but no one gift is greater than another: To each is given the
manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.[5]
Despite
this unambiguous teaching, followers of Jesus continue to vie with each other
for status. We want to claim truer theological truths, better music, finer preaching,
superior buildings, more excellent service projects and clearer mission
statements than others. Paul is quite clear: All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each
one individually just as the Spirit chooses.[6] Let
us resist the temptation to spiritual superiority. All are blessed by the one
God.
Today
I ask your prayers for my friend and colleague Ecclesia De Lange
who has faced exclusion by those who claim a better truth than hers. I have
known her for the past ten years as one who has lived her life in obedience to
the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Sadly, not all her colleagues have been able
to see the Spirit at work in her life. She was born as a gay person, and
reached a point in her life where she married her (female) partner. This led
some of my colleagues to question her spirituality, and ultimately resulted in
her expulsion from the Methodist Church. I am asking for our prayers – that we
might discover that God gives different gifts to different people “for the
common good”. In time may we learn to appreciate this.
Trinity Sunday
30 The Triune God
The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben
Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to
Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983),
190.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for
the day.
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