Worship January 22, 2022
Let us worship!
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
--Psalm 19, verse 14
A prayer to center you
O most wonderful creator,
Open our hearts to your word
Let us mediate on your works.
In your Holy word,
may we find the bedrock that we seek,
even in our own weakness.
May your Spirit swirl us towards you
And open us up this hour
To all that you are whispering to us.
Come, Holy Spirit, Come.
Come guide us now.
Amen
Holy Scripture
1 Corinthians Chapter 12, verses 7 through 26
7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So, we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So, God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
Reflection:
When I envision the church, this is my favorite way to picture it. The church as a body. Each part has its own role to play. Every member their own responsibility. Each part needed and necessary. Every member valued and cherished. Each part connected to the others, working for a common purpose, the good of the body. The church.
“The body does not consist of one member but of many” and “God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as God chose.”
This interrelated understanding of the church, Church both in the big (universal sense) and the small (each congregation), helps me to remember not only the importance of my role in the church, but the role of each and every person.
God has given to each of us gifts and skills to use to share the love of God with those around us. We each have been given special and unique gifts that when we use them bring us joy and God glory. When we insert ourselves into the larger church (either universal or congregational) we help fill in the larger picture of purpose that God has for us and for God’s people. When we do our part, no matter how large or how small it may seem, we help complete the fullness of what God desires. We each have a part to play.
One thing I love about churches is the hospitality and the food! I love to cook. Feeding people and creating a warm and inviting environment is a gift given to me by the spirit. I love to cook and hostess—especially with the context of church. What I do not love to do is clean dishes. I have a HUGE distain for washing dishes and cleaning up the kitchen. Like, I cannot stand to do it! I will wash dishes if I have to at a church event, but if there is any way out, I will wiggle my way through it.
In my years of ministry, however, I have discovered that there are people out there who actually do not mind washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen. This is mind blowing to me and I rejoice in their existence. For some people, they find comfort in the steady flow of washing dishes. They find mindless comfort in the familiar motion and warm water. They find joy in restoring order and cleanliness to a messy world. Praise Jesus. I treasure these people. I could cook all day. I could decorate enough to make it pretty. But I give thanks every single time someone says they will handle the cleanup. I give thanks that the body is not just one but many members and all the members of the body, though many, are one body.
God created us each unique individuals and gifted us with our own talents, passions, and skills. God also has called us together to with each of those unique gifts and skills for the forward movement of God’s desires. God has gifted us the members of the body of the Church to support, uplift, cherish and walk beside. God has given to us others to walk beside who complement us and whom we complement. It is when we each live into the gifts we have been given, within the context of a larger community, that God’s glory really begins to take hold and shine. It takes each of us living into our best self, fit with in the body that God calls us to, in order for the true form of Christ’s calling to grow and develop within us and with the world around us.
Amen.
Thinking it through….
-What gifts do others have that complement your gifts?
-Think of a time when you could not do something all by yourself and it was made better by the gifts of another?
-How can excepting the gifts of others help your gifts shine brighter? How can using your gifts to the fullest help others shine brighter?
The Word in Action
Be the body!
This week, look for a service project where you can insert your gifts and skills.
Look around you and see what gifts and skills others are using. How do all these gifts work together for the betterment of the kingdom?
Prayer of sending
Holy God,
may your light shine through us
may our gifts be made whole
may we step into the body of believers and make it stronger
may you use to help those around us
may we be yours
now and always
Amen
Going out.
Go out into the world, renewed and revived by the word of God.
and in all that you do, may the love of Christ Jesus uphold you,
the peace of God sustain you and may the Holy Spirit guide you each step of the way
Let all God’s people say: AMEN
