Grace Lutheran Church Sermon The Second Sunday after the Epiphany, January 14, 2007

The Rev. Evan Gaertner
2^nd Sunday after the Epiphany “You Are Gifted”
January 14, 2007 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Today I want to talk to you about the gifts that God has given you. The greatest gift our Lord has given you is life. This gift is given to you by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. He substitutes our death for his own death. He replaces our despair of death with his fulfilled promise of the empty tomb.

Jesus is the resurrection and the life and by faith in him you share in that resurrection and life. The greatest spiritual gift that the Spirit has given you is the heart to say, “Jesus is Lord!”

As Paul reminds the Corinthians, there are varieties of gifts, but the same spirit. There are variety of ways to be of service, but the same Lord; there are a variety of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.

The church in Corinth was a divided church between rich and poor and also between those that were confident with there spiritual gifts and those that were still struggling to sort out their place in the kingdom.

The God who governs all things in heaven and earth knows you. To each of you the Spirit is given for the common good. The spirit with wisdom will not give us all the same gift but the spirit will use us in this world and in his kingdom in a variety of ways.

The word vocation means “calling.” The Lutheran church will speak about pastors having a call to ministry. But Christians who work outside the church also have a calling, a vocation. Any job or career becomes a Christian vocation a good and sacred work if a Christian acts in faith and trust of the Lord God.

The pastor is a public calling to ministry, to serving others. But is the pastor the only one that has been called by God to serve others? No far from it! In fact the calling of the pastor is to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. (Ephesians 4:12) The work of the pastor is to prepare his congregation to do their works of service.

We are each called by God to use the talents that he has given us for the common good. All honest work done by a Christian can be a Christian vocation. Consider a Christian who works in human resources at a large bank. She could organize a Bible study for the lunch hour. But is that what qualifies her as a Christian human resources worker? That would be a good idea to organize a Bible study for the lunch hour where you work and if you need any resources to help with that let me know. But you do not have to convert someone to Christ at work to be a successful Christian worker. Doing quality work for the bank and making sure that the bank does not hire shoddy people makes the job a Christian vocation. What is so special about that? By using the gifts God has given her she is serving others and contributing to the common good.

As you look at how you use your gifts and time you may find yourself confronted with guilt that your work is not churchy enough or not spiritual. You may hear someone state that every part of your life should be devoted to the building of the kingdom of God. I think this is true but with proper understanding of the kingdom of God.

Every thing we do should be directed towards building the kingdom of God, giving him all the glory. But the kingdom of God is two parts. On the right hand the spirit is at work to bring grace, mercy, and truth, the message of the forgiveness of sins. We are all called to share this hope that is within us.

On the left hand we are called to live in this world according to God’s commandments, using our gifts for the common good.

Martin Luther in the conclusion to the Small Catechism gave passages of scriptures with the words, “A table of duties consisting of certain passages of the Scriptures, selected for various holy orders and walks of life.”

That phrase “holy orders and walks of life” during Martin Luther’s time was often used to refer to the work done under a monastic vow. But the sacred Christian life is not just lived in the monastery but through all of human life if the works are performed in faith.

What follows in Luther’s Table of Duties are passages that describe the duties that Christians owe to their pastors but also duties of governing authorities, husbands, wives, parents, Children, laborers, young persons, and widows.

All of you do not need to be in a church profession to be doing sacred work. We are called by God in our lives to love and serve our neighbors.

A lawyer who had become wealthy by working on leveraged buyouts of companies had just heard a speech about a crisis in Africa. Afterwards he went to the speaker and confessed that his life to that point had been very selfish. He stated to this inspiring speaker that had opened his eyes that he was going to quit his job, walk away from all that he had earned, and go to Africa and work in a health clinic. The speaker at first was amazed by this honesty but then he stopped and told the man to go back to work. He said we need lawyers with skills like yours making a difference in this world. We need people at the health clinic but we also need you with the talents that you have.

We all have been given gifts by the spirit and all of these talents are empowered by the one and same Spirit. In the Lord’s Prayer besides praying for the kingdom of God here on earth as it is in heaven we also pray for God to give us this day our daily bread. How does God fulfill this prayer? It is through the farmer who planted and harvested the seed, the baker who made the flour into bread, and the cook who prepared our meal. And of course there are so many people involved in every one of those steps. We might add today the truck drivers who hauled the grain, the factory workers in the processing plants, the stock boys at the grocery store, and the lady at check out. And whether they know it or not they are part of God’s good and gracious will providing us our daily bread.

What is your vocation? You are called by God to serve him at home, in society, and in the church. In each one of those areas you are given unique talents. At home, we are not all mothers nor is it healthy for us all to try to be. In society we need police, judges, farmers, lawyers, doctors, factory workers, and so many other things. And in this congregation we need you to use your gifts to serve the kingdom.

I want you to see your work of Monday through Friday as a part of how God works in this world. We are children of God called to serve our neighbors and all others according to the terms God has set for us in our lives. Serve according to the gifts that God has given you and trust that God is using you to build his kingdom. Even if you wonder how cleaning a toilet is a part of God’s kingdom, trust.

Soli Deo Gloria

(thank you to the ELCA.org’s website’s statement about vocation http://elca.org/vocation and also to Robert Kolb’s explanation of the two realms in Luther’s Table of Duties)

Soli Deo Gloria

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