Sunday, October 30, 2016

"We Have Gifts..."

Recently, Pastor Meina and I pulled out the Nominations Report from 2015, reviewed it, noted items for follow up, and placed the whole list under prayer. Reviewing the list is always accompanied by a sense of enormous gratitude and appreciation for the amazing and faithful service of so many, and for God’s provision.

As a refresher, the Nominations Report is a roster of all the different ministry areas, leadership roles, and disciples who have said “Yes!” to serving and leading in a given year. (Please do note: It is not a comprehensive list of all the many ways that many people serve. It doesn’t list our hospitality sharers, for example, or our scripture readers, soundboard techs, or Messenger editor. Please know, this does not in any way discount or overlook that service!) Each year, this report is presented at our annual “business” meeting, otherwise known as Charge Conference, and voted on.

Each year, as “Nominations” is underway, I am reminded again of how the apostle Paul envisioned the church – as Christ’s body, a body with many members/parts, each member uniquely gifted and graced, each gift and grace meant to build and strengthen the whole. There are lots of scriptures in which this image is named, developed, and affirmed (Romans 12:4-8, I Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, Colossians 2, to name the “big” ones.) In Christ’s body, there is no one too young or too old to participate. In Christ’s body, there is no one too dumb or too smart to contribute. In Christ’s body, there is no one more able or less able to make a difference. Your gender, looks, IQ, educational background, housing status, past failings...nothing disqualifies you from being a valued, important, necessary part to the well-being and wholeness of the Body. We all have something to give, and we all count. In fact, we’re all needed.

So I invite you to set aside some time to pray in the next weeks, asking God to show you how you are uniquely called to participate, contribute, and make a difference in this community...and beyond in the coming year.

  • How might you step up?
  • How might you try on a ministry or an act of service in order to grow and listen to God?
  • How might you seek out intentional partners and mentoring in order to strengthen and sharpen a gift you sense in yourself or someone else?
  • How might you say “yes” to something in order to practice relying on God instead of yourself?
  • How might you open yourself up to being used by God to enable what only you can?

May you sit with these questions and allow God’s Spirit of Life and Transformation to move. And may we, day by day, move into the fullness that we’ve been called.

Peace,
Pastor Emily