Common Good

Focus Statement

God activates gifts in everyone for the common good.

Point of Relation

Have you ever discovered something…anything...about yourself that you just never realized to be true?

For instance, perhaps you thought you had zero cooking skills,

but then you try putting in a little of this with a little of that and end up making the greatest casserole that blows people away when they taste it.

Well, my ability to cook food is no shocker…I LOVE FOOD…and have two great cooks in my life who have shown me the ropes.

But one thing I never knew I could do was stand up to people…and stand up for people.

I have always been one to AVOID conflict.

As a kid, I was constantly being bullied and being told by the grown ups to “Ignore” the bullies.

“Just walk away and eventually they’ll leave you alone”…I was told...

That and “Sticks and Stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me.”

Let me tell you, those two things were the BIGGEST LIES I was ever told growing up.

Sure, the people telling me meant well…they felt bad I was getting hurt and they were encouraging me to not take things personally.

But when you’re being called fat, or other words I can’t even say here, it’s hard not to take it personally...

Deeply, deeply personally...

To the point you begin to think of yourself through the words of the bullies.

Then there was this one day where the bully was tripping me down the steps and doing bodily damage to me...

And when my dad found out, he said, “Son, come downstairs…I want to show you something.”

And he pulled out a set of boxing training gloves and tossed them my way. He then put up his hands and said, “Punch me”.

In that moment, my dad was teaching me another way to deal with bullies…STAND YOUR GROUND.

That next day…I took it a step further and approached the bully, called his name, and as he turned to look at him…I cold-cocked him in the face he dropped...

I told him to leave me alone from now on…and he did.

He turned out to not be the worst of the bullies and he had a bit more respect for me after that.

It might not have turned out that way, but I learned a valuable lesson...

As much as we are called to turn the other cheek, we are NOT called to IGNORE and DISMISS.

In fact, sometimes even warning someone with a punch is a form of turning the other cheek.

I could have done worse than that…maybe…but the warning shot was enough and I let it be after that.

While there was violence in my actions, it was constructive…not DESTRUCTIVE…violence...

And the Bible is clear about the difference be tween the two.

Sometimes you have to tear down to build up…but so long as the intention is to BUILD…then one should be on the right track…or not far off.

Well, anyway, it turns out that my gift to stand up for myself is also a gift to stand up for others.

As a pastor, I have had to adovcate for tons of people.

I have advoated for people for a variety of different reasons…many of those are confidential and I am not at liberty to share.

With that said, in early June of 2020, my family and I joined our Distirct Superintendent, Rev. Dr. Eunice Vega-Perez

on the Newton Green for a Black Lives Matter protest…the first of it’s kinds in our very rural Sussex County.

I knew that doing so would garner the ire of some people, who would see the move…and me representing the church there…as political.

ON THE ONE HAND: Of course it’s political.

So is NOT BEING THERE or shouting “All Lives Matter”.

Let’s be honest, everything we do in public is political.

Go against the grain and say, wear your hat during the national antthem.

Even if you accidentally do that, i t will be seen as a political statement to others.politically.

So, yeah, I knew that some people would not be happy with that…and they would not see the hypocrisy in their own anger at my being there.

But that was not going to stop me for standing up for a community of people who are in need of JUSTICE and EQUITY in this country...

And I was proud to have the courage to do what I believed right despite the political pressure some were apply on me.

I thank God for the gift of courage.

Something to Consider

We all have spiritual gifts but there may be times when we wonder what they are or how we can use them.

What Scripture Says

Verses 6-7 are key to this passage.

They emphasize that it is the same God who not only gives us all different spiritual gifts

but also “activates” them in us. All people have skills, talents, and passions that can be used in a variety of ways –

to enrich their families, personal lives, for profit or gain.

We may not even recognize they can be spiritual gifts.

However, when the Spirit of God activates these gifts, we can use them for the common good.

Sometimes we may feel that certain people are more spiritually gifted than others

or that there is one right way of serving the church and the world.

We may be afraid to be vulnerable, fear rejection, or fear we are not good enough.

But as 1 Cor. 12:12 illustrates through the metaphor of a body with many parts, we are all gifted in different ways.

Each gift is equally necessary to the church’s functioning and its mission in the world.

It is the same Spirit who gives these gifts to each of us and unites us together.

Through the power of the Spirit and our baptism (v.13), we are all affirmed.

I also want to point out that this passage precedes 1 Cor. 13, the famous passage about love that is often read at weddings.

In the context of today’s reading, we can see that the “love passage” is less about romantic love

and is more about what really matters in our relationships with God, each other, and the world.

We can think about the love passage as instructions for how people with different spiritual gifts can be in relationship and work together.

Our differences, even the good ones, can tempt us to think that our way is better,

or can cause us to be impatient in working together.

But if we embody love through patience, kindness, humility, and hope,

we can work together, using our diverse spiritual gifts for the common good.

What this Means for You

I want to invite you to think about your passions and talents. What is it that really gets you going, that stirs your juices, so-to-speak.

Go ahead, close your eyes for a moment and really give this some thought. [Pause]

Imagine how these might be spiritual gifts...

and how they might be “activated” for the common good. Offer some

Who knows...maybe you love to cook.

Well…you can volunteer at Manna House or a cook at a homeless shelter. and serve others while doing something you love.

Or perhaps you’re a really great lawyer…

perhaps you can help people out pro bono who cannot afford good legal representation...

Perhaps you are an artist…and have a passion for children...

Perhaps you could start a children’t paint and sip (juicy juice of course) ministry.

What this Means for Us

Friends, what is our church known for? [Pause]

Then how can we go deeper in our _______ ministry?

What else are we known for?

Then how can we go deeper in our _______ ministry?

What would it look like for people to go “all in” with their gifts

and to encourage one another in those gifts?

Sometimes we are content to “do church” on Sunday morning and forget about it the rest of the week.

How might we use our gifts to go “all in” for God?

Church, if you are feeling convicted by the Holy Spirit to go ALL IN for Jesus…then let me hear you say Amen! Come Lord Jesus!

Amen.