Heard the story about the animal school? It goes like this.
Once upon a time, the animals agreed to do something to solve the world’s problems. So, they began an education project. Their school would have a full curriculum of running, climbing, swimming and flying. All animals were expected to achieve great grades across the whole curriculum.
The duck performed brilliantly in swimming but struggled when it came to flying class. Running was particularly disappointing and the extra work required made the duck’s webbed feet hurt. Meanwhile the rabbit excelled in running but was stressed out after being thrown into the swimming pool. In the climbing tests the squirrel was top of the class but was banned from flying class after attempting to begin his flight from the top of a tree. At the end of the year, it was discovered that an odd looking eel who was mediocre at running, climbing, swimming and flying had attained the highest average marks across all subject areas.
I am sure you get the point, no-one is made to be excellent at everything. We each have our preferences, our abilities and aptitudes. However, when we each contribute what have, together we are able to be and to do far more than any one super-talented individual.
In the famous passage in 1 Cor 12, which is our text for Sunday, we are reminded that every Christian has a contribution to make to the growth of the whole church and to the spread of the kingdom of God. God has given and distributed expressions of his grace across all of us in all manner of ways.
“Diversity not uniformity is the essential matter for the healthy church “ writes Gordon Fee about this text.
In fact, verses 4-6 tell us that Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God are the consistent anchor point behind all expressions of spirit-gifts. In all the variety of what God does in and through us there is a foundational unity that pulls it together just as the Holy Trinity is eternal diversity in unity. Incidentally this essential unity behind the varied glory of creation means that unity (not agreement ) is vital to uphold in all the differences that make up church.
This powerful image of the body exhorts each of us to connect and to contribute to the whole. We each bring different gifts we have received from God, shaped by our personality, experience and even by the other gifts we have received. The whole body is diminished when we hold back our contribution and the whole community benefits when we offer what God has given us.
So here are a couple of questions:
What is my contribution to the health and growth of the body of Christ?
How am I connecting and contributing to this church?
It can be perplexing working all this out. However, my experience is that when we get stuck into serving we soon discover (as do those around us!) where our strengths and gifts lie.
Of course, many of these gifts are special endowments from God that he releases to us in the course of our serving and praying, or ongoing special enhancements of a human ability we have offered to the Lord. So gifts come into action when we step out in faith and beyond our ability.
Sometimes the Spirit’s gifts have been misused to elevate an individual or coerce people and this leaves us hesitant and cautious about using them. However gifts are for the building up of the church and choosing to draw back means others lose out and the body’s growth is impoverished.
So let us pursue spirit-gifts and follow the way of love more eagerly that the church may be built up and Christ made known.
See you Sunday.