May the words that I speak be both spoken and received in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Today, let us think about the special gifts and powers which the Holy Spirit gives to believers. These gifts and powers are given for the common good, to build up the church, the ‘Body of Christ’. They are not meant to be buried. Jesus said, “For the one that has, to this one shall be given. But to the one that has not, from this person shall be taken, even that which he or she has.” It means use what gifts you have been given dn if you do you will be trusted with more. If you don’t then then gifts will be taken away and maybe trusted to someone else!
St Paul say: “To each is granted the gift of the Spirit for the common good … and there are a variety of gifts but the same Spirit and there is a variety of services but the same Lord. In each one of us the Spirit is manifested in on particular way, for some useful purpose.” St Paul goes on the say that we as the Church are Christ’s body and as such we find in the first place God appointing apostles, then prophets, thirdly teachers, then miracle workers, followed by those who have gifts of healing, or the ability to help and assist others, or power to guide them, or the gift of tongues (and that by the way doesn’t mean being a church gossip!).
St Paul encourages people to aim for the higher gifts. But not everyone is called to be an apostle, prophet, teacher, or miracle worker.
Some of these gifts are given to people and they often go unnoticed or not appreciated by others. Such as all the hard work keeping the church clean and tidy. Polishing the furniture and brasses. Vacuuming. Flower arranging. Administration. Attending to the fabric of the church and grounds. Providing food and drinks and also the generosity of those people who contribute financially to keep the Church running. These people, believe is or not are often taken for granted, but deserve heartfelt thanks from us all.
There is so much untapped talent in church which sadly goes unnoticed and unused. Some gifts are given to people to be used in the vocations of caring for people in various ways and of marriage. What really matters is to love. Jesus said that we should love God and love our neighbour; that is, other people wherever they are. St Paul says that love is patient, love is kind, never selfish, delights in the truth and love never keeps a score of the wrongs or sins which offend.
One of the characteristics of the early christians, which was noticed by their enemies, was their love for one another. This love was a vital principle in their lives grounded in their faith of Christ. As St John put it, ‘We love because he first loved us’. Their love was, and our love must be, a true reflection of Christ’s love. Those who do not love have little or no experience of God, for God is love, and the love of God is revealed in Christ.
Christianity is not about carrying out religious practices which to a certain extent Jesus condemned if people had hard hearts. What is important is to love others. For we cannot forgive others, then neither will God forgive us!
Christianity, like a tree, will grow and flourish when all the conditions are ripe. A church will flourish if we worship regularly and receive the Eucharist and if we love God and put that love into action and importantly, work together towards our mission.
Jesus once approached a fig tree when he was hungry and because it had no fruit on it he cursed it. I suppose we may think at first that this was out of character. Why should Jesus curse a fig tree which had not produced fruit and when he, by his nature revealed the love of God?
The fig tree was a symbol of the Jewish nation, whom God loved and blessed. But because his people performed the outward rituals of religion, but inside their hearts were unforgiving, cynical and cold. Then they failed to produce the fruits of the Spirit. The fruits of the the Spirit are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Today is the Feast Day of Timothy and not many people know that! He was a young disciple of St Paul and accompanied him on his 2nd missionary journey.
Timothy was sent to Thessalonica as St Paul’s representative to encourage the Christians under persecution there and to report on their progress. When St Paul joined Timothy in Corinth, it was this information which prompted him to write the 1st Epistle to the Thessalonians. Timothy accompanied St Paul on further preaching tours. He served as Paul’s ambassador to many of the young Christian communities and his youth belied his abilities as a leader of the Church.
Up to now I haven’t mentioned prayer. Pray for yourself and for others that we will receive those gifts and powers which the Holy Spirit gives to believers. May we work together and worship together in harmony. Each one of us has a role to play and may God be with us and bless us and our efforts to build up the church and to reach out with the Good News of the Gospel.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
St Peter's Church 