e-vo for week of January 13

Dearest e-votees-

Our appointed gospel text this week is Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana as told in John 2:1-11. Perhaps it would be helpful to consider that story in light of our appointed epistle lesson in 1 Corinthians.

Peace,
Karl

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Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says "Let Jesus be cursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

1 Corinthians 12:1-11, NRSV

All of us are granted gifts by the Holy Spirit. In baptism we are equipped to contribute as members of the body of Christ. Paul begins with the text above and continues through chapter 12 making the case that we ought to function as the body of Christ—equipped by the Holy Spirit with Christ as our head.

If we were given the option to pick out our spiritual gifts which would you choose? Some would be drawn in the flamboyant racks in the display room to supernatural and readily apparent gifts—working healings, miraculous transformations, raising the dead, etc. Some would be drawn to the perhaps more muted shelves containing gifts of prayer, wisdom and discernment, etc. Where do you fall on that spectrum? What might you select as your gift(s) were you given the opportunity?

The truth is you are gifted and you weren’t given the opportunity to pick and choose. God has equipped you as the Holy Spirit saw fit. Your job isn’t to covet or denigrate or even worry about the gifts of others. They are gifted too. Just as the Holy Spirit saw fit.

Jesus obviously had the spiritual gift of working miracles. In the case of the wedding at Cana he was called out by his mother. After a rather snippy response to his mom he goes about the business of using one of the gifts given to him by the Holy Spirit. He didn’t draw particular attention to it nor hide it. He did what he was called to do and the responses come as they may.

We are gifted. There are times coming when we will get called out to use those gifts. We might get a little snippy. After some redirecting prayers and proper attitude adjustments we can and should serve. We shouldn’t draw particular attention to our gifts nor should we hide them. We ought to do what we are called upon to do and let the responses come as they may.

God, thank you for the gift of Jesus. Thank you for the gifts of the Holy Spirit that are at work in us and through us. Help us not squander your gifts but let our lights so shine that others might see our good works and glorify you—our Father in heaven. Amen.