The Same Spirit

A sermon for the second Sunday after Epiphany given at the United Church of Acworth, New Hampshire on January 20, 2013.

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Paul's first letter to the Corinthians is a passionate plea for unity.

Unity in the community of believers.

Christians have made a mistake when reading chapters 12 and 13 of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians.

We have lost sight of the forest while focusing on the trees.

We tend to hear what we want to hear.

But chapter 13, famous chapter 13 is a perfect example.

When we begin to hear “love is patient, love is kind...”

What do we immediately think of?

But what was Paul writing those words for?

If we read chapter 13 in light of chapter 12 we see it in a different light.

And that's what I hope the next three weeks will help us do.

We are revisiting these famous chapters.

We are looking again at what's there.

And I want us to see it with new eyes.

The first thing that we need to realize is that Paul wrote these words to a community for a community. Not to an individual, for an individual.

Now it's true that communities are most often composed of individuals.

But.

We in the 21^st century are used to reading individualistic writing – all of our self-help books and how-tos –

they all assume an individual who wants to improve or change in some way.

But we make a big mistake if we go back to this letter from the Apostle Paul and read it as if it were addressed to me, myself, and I.

Paul is writing to a whole bunch of individuals about their life together. Because for Paul I can't be me without you and you can't be you without me. We all refract God's renewing love in different ways for the sake of each other.

Our pew Bible reads “Now, concerning what you wrote about the gifts of the Holy Spirit.”

This is a loose translation.

Here's how I would translate it from the Greek:

“Sisters and brothers, I don't want you to be ignorant about spiritual things.”

Paul uses a real general term here that I translated as “spiritual things” – it might be close to what we in the 21^st century refer to as spirituality.

Sisters and brothers, I don't want you to be in the dark about what spirituality really means, we might paraphrase it.

“No one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit,” Paul writes.

This is a crazy thing to realize for many of us, I think.

Have you put your faith in Christ? That very act means that the Holy Spirit is at work in you.

It is only by the power of God's Spirit at work in us that we can turn the gaze of our hearts Godward.

Now this is perhaps scary for many of us.

Because many of us would claim to be believers of one stripe or another – and yet to claim that is to also claim that the God of the universe is intimately at work within you and through you.

But this is where it gets tricky.

Because we are told in our modern books on spirituality that there is a god in each of us waiting to be realized or actualized.

And that's more comfortable. Because that's empowerment that can be done in one's own living room. That's empowerment that doesn't require anyone else. It's you and you alone. It's private. It's safe.

But the disturbing thing that Paul suggests here is that there really is something divine at work in all of us.

But it's the same Spirit.

there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 

and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 

and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

The people of Corinth were very enthusiastic about this newfound Christian spirituality.

Some of them found themselves able to experience ecstatic communication with God.

Some found themselves prophesying and receiving visions.

Others enjoyed their newfound peace of mind that faith had brought them.

But there were problems in this spiritual community. Just before our reading, in chapter 11, Paul describes their practice of communion.

For, to begin with, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you...

When you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord’s supper. 

For when the time comes to eat, each of you goes ahead with your own supper, and one goes hungry and another becomes drunk. 

What!

Do you not have homes to eat and drink in?

Or do you show contempt for the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing?

What should I say to you? Should I commend you? In this matter I do not commend you!

I don't know all the details.

But the people of Corinth were divided.

Whether by class differences, age differences, ethnic differences, I'm not sure.

But they were divided and it seems like each of them saw their spirituality as something individualized, a first come first serve mentality.

But Paul reminds them that there is only one God. And it is the one God whose Spirit lives in every different believer.

And this has radical implications.

It means that every single person is equally empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Every person has been given gifts by the same Spirit who indwells all. Different gifts. Same Spirit.

And it's important that Paul uses the word gifts here and not what we in the 21^st century would call skills or talents.

A gift is not something you can take credit for. A gift is not something that you possess, that you've created.

If it's a gift – it's free and it's from someone else.

The Greek word for gift, “charisma” is often used to talk about a really persuasive and likeable personality. And so we often credit that person for their charisma. But the charismata that Paul is talking about is completely free and completely from God.

There were folks who were taking pride in the fact that they were able to have ecstatic religious experience and others weren't. They were treating gifts like they were earned.,

There were folks who were exerting their own importance over against the assembly. They were treating spiritual gifts as something they themselves have made.

But it is God at work in all of us. The same God, not different gods – who empowers us in our spiritual lives.

And that means that in a fundamental way we all are equally important in this new work of God. We are all called to be a vital member of the community, imparting the fruit of the Spirit's work in us just as others impart the fruit of the Spirit's work in them.

You may serve in some way,

you may teach,

you may sing,

you may encourage,

you may prophesy,

you may have wisdom to share.

“The Holy Spirit has given you gifts. Yes, you! Let's work together to find out what those gifts are and how you can use them.”

One God indwells all believers and enables different spiritual gifts that are all important.

But why?

Why does God empower us?

Why does God gift us with experiences or skills in our journey of faith?

“To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

That was the problem at the communion table. Each was taking as much as they wanted and some were getting stuffed or drunk while others were unfed.

One God empowers, one common good is the goal.

And this clashes with our individualism and various tribalisms that we find ourselves a part of.

If one God empowers me and the same God is at work in the rest of the people in my pew – that means that my life is in a certain way bound up with the lives of those other people.

This was a theme of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s work – whose birthday we celebrate tomorrow.

He wanted to build up what he called the “beloved community.” A new group of people who saw their common identity in God's agape love and not in color of skin, age, class, ethnicity, etc.

Paul's after a similar thing in this chapter of Corinthians.

We are all one,

and while it may be confusing,

it may be uncomfortable.

The same God who empowers you,

who works in you,

works in your neighbors,

even the ones you don't like.

But the biggest take away point from all this.

Is that unity is not instinctive.

It's inspired.

Unity is not something we can create,

it's something we need God to work through us.

And spirituality is not for ourselves alone. But for the common good.

Each one of you has gifts for the common good of this church. Talk to a close friend some time this week about this sermon. Either about how crazy the Pastor is or perhaps about how it might make a difference in the way you see yourself a part of this church.

What difference does it make to you to know that God has given you gifts even if you haven't named them yet or realized that they're there?

What difference does it make to you to know that the same God empowers and is at work in each one of us uniquely?

May we allow our individualism, a privatized spiritualities to be challenged by Paul's words.

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”