Paul is unusually discerning in
his writings to the Church at Corinth. He feels compelled to speak to
the Church about the Spirit of God, and then to show them that this
spirit is manifest in many different gifts. The Church in Corinth is a problem
Church. It is located in one of the strategic sites in all of
Greece. North-South traffic had to go through the city, located
on the neck of an isthmus in the southern part of the country.
Corinth was a shipping centre for ships from many countries plying
their products in the Mediterranean area. Because of this,
Corinth was a city of wealth, where buyers from the continent would
come to purchase products from the many countries whose ships docked
there. Not surprisingly,
along with the wealth and all the goodness that can be associated with
that, also came the evil. Corinth came to be associated with
drunkenness and debauchery of all types. In the centre of the city was
the hill of the Acropolis, and on that hill the temple to Aphrodite,
the goddess of love. Attached to that temple were one thousand sacred
temple prostitutes who descended into the city each night.
In this city, Paul established a
Christian Church. Given its location, there is little to surprise us
when we read of the squabbles and factions in that Church. Paul
continually had to upbraid them and try to get them to understand the
most basic behaviour patterns of being a follower of Christ. The Corinthians abused the Lord’s supper
meal with their selfishness, divided themselves up with a different
leader as head of each faction. Paul had to deal with the unity of our
faith and with the manifestations of the spirit of God. That is the
background for our text this morning.
Paul has just finished giving the
Church a lesson on the spiritual ethics involved when celebrating the
Lord’s Supper. Now he addresses the issue of spiritual gifts.
This topic is relevant for our Church, as it is I suspect for many
Churches. Paul begins,
“no one who speaks with the spirit of God will say Jesus be cursed”.
Next, he puts a different twist on it, “no one can say Jesus is Lord
unless speaking under the influence of the Spirit”. Here is a way in which we can test
ourselves. To say Jesus is Lord, as we do each Sunday, is to believe
the Spirit is leading us. Should we rebuke the name of our Lord,
or use it unwisely, that is evidence that we have fallen away from the
leadership of the spirit.
Within every Church there are many
gifts and they are all different. But there is just one Spirit,
just as there is just one Lord. Do you really hear these
words? Look at this Church. Right here there are people who
serve on boards or committees; people who sing in the choir or sings
solos or play instruments. Some cook, some prepare coffee hour,
some work in the food bank or the soup kitchen, others teach and some
visit. Within our ranks, there is planning that is done, community work
in which people of faith participate, youth leadership, a care ministry
that lets people know they are not alone... and on and on the
list goes.
Now here is the point. Every one
of these gifts and manifestations of service are inspired and
apportioned by the same Spirit. There is no division of leadership in a
Christian Church. From preaching to praying, from teaching to
participating, from pouring coffee to knitting a shawl, from baby
sitting to asking for money, the inspiration is from the Spirit of God. That is what Pentecost is all about.
Milling about in Jerusalem, many years ago, 50 days after Passover, the
people were listening to the preaching of the disciples, particularly
Peter. In that environment, the Spirit came, and they all
understood what people were saying no matter where they came from.
There was unity of perception and recognition of the Lordship of Jesus;
and the Church grew- 3000 that day, says Luke, the writer of Acts.
To me, Pentecost illustrates why
congregations are so important. It’s easy to believe by yourself.
There are no interactions that force you to practice the works of
the spirit with others. But Christianity is not a solitary
religion. There is no growth in retreating into your subjectivity and
gazing at your navel. Christianity is a social faith, and the fruits of
the Spirit are demonstrated in the accumulated talents of a
congregation. God gives all gifts, and being religious is using
those gifts in God’s work and sharing with each other. As Paul demonstrated, congregations
do not always work together, yet that is where learning takes place.
When you disagree with a Church member, or with the decisions of an
elected board, you are forced to put into practice your Christian
faith. One of the great gifts of God for a congregation is learning how
to disagree agreeably.
The gifts of God are here. This Church
has lots of talent. We become God’s people when we use those talents
under the inspiration of the Spirit and for the Kingdom. As Frederick Buechner concludes,
“Spirit is contagious. When a person is very excited, very happy or
very sad, you catch it as easily as the measles or a yawn.” When we get excited about the
possibilities and the present state of this Church, that will be
contagious. When we talk up our faith and our place of worship, good
things will happen, because that is the work of Spirit. That this has
not happened is mute testimony that we need our faith enlivened by the
spirit- revved up, excited, doing what we say we believe
When we start doing what we believe we
should; when we stop worrying about whether what we have done is right
and leave that decision to God; when we welcome the gifts of all and
see them as gifts from the Spirit; when we see that this Church is one
body, with many members, all important, all equal all loved by God,
then Pentecost will happen again.