 I think the Apostle Paul’s writings (which make up a lot of the New Testament) have stood the test of time because his words speak directly to the heart And his convictions are grounded in personal experience. So as you hear this message from Paul today, remember he knows what it’s like to be really horrible toward followers of Jesus (he wasn’t always the Apostle Paul, he was once Saul- a man who denied Holy Spirit within himself and others). So he knows what it means to reclaim our spiritual love language, he knows the real change of heart it creates. Let’s listen for our own Saul-turned-into-Paul moment. 12 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” This makes common sense, right? That my experience of the world is made better when you fully live out your gifts? We are better together when each of us does the work of discovering and using what I’m calling today: our spiritual love language. You might have heard of this book written in 1992 by Gary Chapman called The 5 Love Languages. A lot of people like it, some roll their eyes, most of us have likely not even read it. But we’ve heard of these love languages- and today I’d like to introduce Paul’s message by way of “The 5 spiritual love languages.” Here are Chapman’s top five: Words of affirmation; quality time; physical touch; acts of service; receiving gifts. So let’s pair these with the gifts Paul talks about: The spirit gives us messages of wisdom (words of affirmation); gifts of healing (physical touch); miraculous powers (acts of service); faith & knowledge (quality time); prophecy & discernment (receiving gifts). So whether you’re gifted in wisdom, healing, miracles, faith, knowledge, prophecy or discernment- (or fill-in-the-blank with a hundred more strengths), here’s the real gem: “All gifts are of ONE and the SAME Spirit. And if that’s true, then no gift is better than another. In fact, me using my gifts enhances your ability to use your own. We get this strange privilege as people of faith- to make various aspects of God’s Spirit alive in this world, until the full image of God is present at last. And in order for us to share our spiritual gifts for the common good, we have to discover what they are! What is your spiritual love language? Cherlyn shared Wednesday at Lenten Soup supper that she’s been making food for others since she was a small kid. Granted, it started as delicious sounding mud pies. But she’s claimed that gift, she’s honed it (quite a bit, I might add), and now we as a church benefit from her skill and thoughtfulness and generosity. I have hundreds of examples just like Cherlyn, because as I’ve gotten to know you, your gifts are made evident in this spiritual home. Most of you’ve already figured this out: When we offer our spiritual gifts in the company of trusted friends, the whole body of Christ benefits. What’s my spiritual gift? As a freshman in college, I took a strengths inventory (I love these and wholeheartedly support you completing a Strengths Quest or StrengthsFinder inventory online. My top five strengths, as an 18 year-old, were: 1. Positivity, 2. Achiever, 3. Includer, 4. Relator, 5. Harmony. A dozen years later, I took it again through my UCC-sponsored Next Generation Leadership Initiative- and I was impressed to discover that most of my strengths were the same. I think I swapped harmony for woo or something equally vague. I’m grateful for the mentors in my life who’ve guided me to pursue my strengths as spiritual gifts. As a positive achiever who appreciates relating to and including others in the quest for harmony- I’ve decided my role as pastor is pretty darn awesome. I get to use my spiritual love language, for the sake of the common good, and I don’t have to be perfect at it…because your strengths (given by the same Spirit), your unique spiritual love language, compensates for the strengths I don’t have. That’s the divine design, friends, and it makes perfect sense. Even if you don’t know your spiritual love language right this minute, it doesn’t mean you don’t have one- we all do, all of us made in the image and spirit of God. It simply means we get the honor, as your spiritual friends, of helping you discover it and use it. Isn’t that exciting? (says your positive pastor). I mentioned earlier how Cherlyn’s spiritual love language of meals/ hospitality is used for the common good, right? Well how do we know? 1. She uses her gift. She’s in the kitchen getting it done. You name the event, and if food is involved, Cherlyn will quietly ask if you’d like her assistance. So using our gifts is one way to discover them. But another, perhaps equally important way, is to share our stories with others. In recalling significant stories from our past, we create meaning from our lives. And sometimes all it takes is a bit of reflection and a good question from a friend for us to see more clearly what spiritual gift has been within us the whole time. This is what small groups of faithful friends offer. And if you’re in need of that type of group- we have table groups who are looking to add you. Heck, if your spiritual gift is hospitality- you might be brave enough to host a small group of your own. The authentic intimacy of a small group is often where our spirits come alive. As a final word of encouragement and warning- if you’re still not sure what your spiritual gift is- my positively-achieving, relatable self might just include you in a few woo-ing conversations about the topic in weeks and months and years to come…because the body of Christ benefits when you are fully you. End of story, one that is more beautiful than any of us can imagine. The story of God at work in us and through us. Thanks be to God for gifts of the spirit, Amen.
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 Holy Spirit 101 continues! Today’s question is this: how exactly do we connect with Spirit? Even if Holy Spirit dwells within us, as we discovered last week, how do we make the connection between Holy Spirit and our bodies & minds real? One that actually makes a difference in our lives? We turn to scripture to understand how we strengthen the connection between Holy Spirit and our hearts.
Ephesians 3:14-21 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. So how do we strengthen our inner being with power through Holy Spirit? Eugene Petersen, the pastor who also wrote the paraphrased version of the Bible called The Message, says this of the Christian walk, “It’s a long and intricate and daily business to be formed in the likeness of Christ. We practice habits of the heart that change spirituality from a wish or a desire into an actual life lived to the glory of God. A phrase from a Wendell Berry poem gives focus to this. He says we “practice resurrection.” Even if we haven’t yet journeyed to the empty tomb this year, we embrace Lent as resurrection people. And people who believe in resurrection are also compelled toward lives of prayer. That’s what makes our connection to Holy Spirit real- we “practice resurrection” when we believe that something in us changes when we pray. That we can really connect with the God who put breath in our lungs; that breath itself is a form of prayer, because it’s confirmation of divine life beyond our comprehension. I trust you (at some point in your life) have believed in the power of prayer, because you are in worship today. And what is worship, if not a time of public prayer? Of communal breathing in the goodness of God? Even so, our journey’s with Christ extend beyond Sunday mornings, yes? And if that’s true, we need to build the chops for prayer as individuals as well. Are you ready to connect more deeply with Spirit in your soul? Me too. So let’s practice! Prayer can be as simple as paying attention to your own breath. It can also be thoughtful listening to scripture. Prayer may take shape in loving and open conversations with others. Prayer may be a simple word of thanks. Prayer can be scripted, like sharing The Lord’s Prayer together, or it might be the “Lord Help Me” whispers in a tender moment of struggle. Prayer is SO many things, and I want to affirm there’s no “right” way to pray, so long as what you’re doing connects you in love to God, your neighbors, and your very selves. I don’t know about you, but I also enjoy being guided into prayer by another. So this morning, I’d like for us to practice a way of praying that might be new to many of you. It can be practiced together, but it’s also something you can do pretty easily at home, grab a bible or even your smart phone, look up a favorite passage, and dive right into: Lectio Divina (pronounced lex-ee-o d-veena) is an ancient practice of reading Scripture as prayer. Lectio divina is a Latin term that literally means sacred or divine (divina) reading (lectio). We read Scripture, not in order to know more stuff, but in order to know Jesus Christ in the intimacy of a personal loving relationship that will transform our life. The goal, in other words, is formation rather than information. Four movements: 1. Lectio (reading) 2. Meditatio (Meditation) 3. Oratio (Oral Response) 4. Contemplatio (Contemplation- a wordless, quiet rest in the presence of the one who loves us) Settle yourself, perhaps close your eyes, take a deep breath. 1. A word or phrase that catches your attention. Ephesians 3:14-21 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Read; Pause; Ask for response; quiet rest 2. Imagine yourself in this story, hearing Paul speak directly to you, as you sit on a hillside among other eager listeners. Ephesians 3:14-21 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Read; Pause; Ask for response; quiet rest 3. Listen for a word the Lord is speaking to you directly through this story. Ephesians 3:14-21 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Read; Pause; Ask for response; quiet rest May you practice delighting in Holy Spirit that lives within you, speaking words of life and healing and wholeness- forever and ever. Amen.  Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time. I felt led to offer a Holy Spirit 101 course during our Lenten Journey this year- inspired by conversations I had with our confirmation crew this Fall. In speaking of God as three persons, the Trinity- I realized that God the Creator is easy enough to understand. Just look at creation, and we begin to see the intricate divine details of God’s imagination. God the Christ is definitely tangible- Jesus was human, walked the earth- and felt all the things we feel. But what about God the Spirit- the Holy Spirit? How do we wrap our minds around someone we literally cannot see? I suggest we start in scripture. Specifically, Jesus’ story in Luke 4. Jesus has just had his beautiful baptism scene (that’s why he’s returning from the Jordan River- and that’s where the Holy Spirit descends upon him, remember?). So where does Jesus, now full of the Holy Spirit, go first in his earthly ministry? To his rightful throne as king? His big mansion on the seaside? His place of honor at the family dinner table? No- he was led into the wilderness. Where the devil is constantly testing him. Where he doesn’t get to eat. Where he finds himself all alone, except for one person: Holy Spirit. Jesus experiences in the span of 40 days ALL the things that could possibly draw someone away from God; so how does Jesus prevail over every evil sent his way? He relies on the word of God, written on his heart by the Holy Spirit. Sometimes I think the Holy Spirit is so hard for us to grasp because we’ve been taught that God exists far away from us. But in the coming of Christ, that’s simply not true. God lives within our very hearts- and it's the Holy Spirit who keeps us connected to God while Christ is physically apart from earth. Spirit goes by many names and feelings in scripture, and I’d like to highlight three of them today. I hope at least one of them IS an image you can wrap your heart around.
If Holy Spirit acts as our comforter, counselor, and conscience, how do we get in touch with the Spirit that ALREADY exists within us? That’s the beauty of Lent each year, an invitation back toward the center of our being, where Spirit exists in us all. Here are some tangible ways to lean closer toward Spirit’s voice this Lent, as offered by Magrey deVega, a UMC minister, published on Ministry Matters website: Give up the need to be right all the time. Give up your reluctance to ask for help. Give up your fear of failure. Give up comparing yourself to others. Give up the need to have things all figured out. Give up your fears of the future. Give up anesthetizing yourself to pain and suffering. Give up the need to be in control. Give up the need to make everyone happy. Give up all the non-essential noise in your life. This may be the toughest thing of all to give up, but it may be the key to a deeply moving Lenten season for you. Your life is inundated by competing voices and blaring noises from the culture around you. Pay attention to your breath. Take walks. Drive without the radio on. Set the cell phone down when you’re at the family table. Watch less television, read more newspapers and books, and look people in the eye when you talk to them. Most of all, pray to God, “Silence all voices but your own.” Turn down the volume of your life, and connect to a God who knows you better than you know yourself. Who is Holy Spirit: You tell me, what voice of comfort, counsel, and conscience you hear this Lent. |
Rev. Emily Mungerdelights in connecting sacred texts with everyday life. Sermon Archives
August 2023
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