Good Morning!
As I get ready to write this, I am looking at a pile of books on my desk. These books are all about spiritual gifts and I am using them to get ready for a new study that will take place during the month of February. It’s a lot of work to get ready for something like this. And it is a big obligation for you to sign up for it, as some of you have already done. I would love to see a huge class as we learn together. But it dawned on me that if I want you to learn more about these gifts, I need to give you a little preview – like a trailer for a movie or that little taste of ice cream they let you have before you make your final decision. So, here is a little bit of why I hope you will join the class – a little bit about what spiritual gifts are all about and why we should even care:
The first thing is that in more than one of his letters to the early church, Paul tells us that if we are followers of Jesus Christ, then we have been given our own unique spiritual gift. We can be sure that we have one thing that God has given us to do and do well.
The second thing is that if we don’t know or care what our gift is, then we feel as if there is always something missing in our life. We feel as if we come to church and we certainly consider ourselves Christian, but we never really feel as if we can find our place. We never really feel we are making a difference.
The third thing is that when we do discover the special gift that we have been given, then Nellie bar the door! Where once things seemed drab and in black and white, now our understanding of the depth of God’s love for us is in 3D, in technicolor, in Imax!
Let me give you a personal example. One of the gifts of the Spirit is the gift of prophecy. If I had that gift, which I definitely do not, it would mean that I could stand behind the pulpit, open my mouth and all these wonderful words and images of God would pour out almost beyond my control. The truth is, if you put me behind that pulpit without a manuscript or at least a good outline, I would probably go hide behind the choir. My gift instead is the gift of encourager. What I can do is to bring you sermons that lift you up, that inspire you, that make you want to go out in the world and live as Christ among the people. That I can do. It’s the same with you. If your gift is the gift of giving (feeling joy in giving money, time, pound cakes, grass cuttings, etc.) and I ask you use the gift of teaching to teach a Sunday School class…….well, you get the idea!
Want to know more?? There will be a form in the bulletin tomorrow to sign up for the class and to share your preference for a time (Sunday after church, Sunday or Wednesday nights at 6:30). Just fill that out. I am looking forward to it. I hope you are as well!
Can’t wait to see you tomorrow! Our guest will be Rev. Dr. Gary McDonald who will share the good news of Christ through Murphy Harpst Children’s Centers in Cedartown. Please be prepared to share in an offering to this wonderful ministry of the UMC.
Love you all!
Rev. Martha