09-10-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 10, 2024
Sunday, I started talking broadly about Spiritual Gifts. It is important to make some distinctions, as that is a phrase that is tossed around within the church without often defining what is means. To do so, let’s talk about what Spiritual Gifts are not. First, they are different than the Fruit of the Spirit. In Galatians 5, the Apostle Paul tells us that the Fruit of the Spirit (note that it is singular) is: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. This is not a list from which followers of Jesus choose their top two, but the Fruit that a life of faithfulness produces if that life is rooted in Spirit of Christ. These are attributes for which every follower of Christ should strive. Along with the Fruit of the Spirit, there are Spiritual Disciplines. These are practices, such as fasting, prayer, contemplation, silence, sabbath, simplicity, stewardship, generosity, etc. There might be some overlap, but Spiritual Disciplines are teaching practices by which we learn about God and grow in our relationship with God. They are not precepts by which we will be judged, but gifts that help train and shape our lives toward greater joy and faithfulness. And then there are the Spiritual Gifts. Different people have different lists; some people stick with the Spiritual Gifts that are specifically mentioned in the Bible, but there is even some disagreement in regard to those. And then there are those that are implied or indirectly referenced in a story. A Spiritual Gift is a special outpouring of giftedness that exists within a person. Now the complication arises because there is some overlap between the Fruit of the Spirit, Spiritual Disciplines, and Spiritual Gifts. For example, someone might not have the Spiritual Gift of compassion, so does that mean that person is never compassionate? Of course not! Since Kindness is included in the Fruit of the Spirit, I think some compassion is necessary if we are going to be kind. And if someone wants to grow in their understanding of generosity, they might seek to practice the Spiritual Discipline of generosity. To be generous, a person usually needs to have some compassion for those who are hurting or in need. But for a person with the Spiritual Gift of compassion, there is something truly unique about that person’s capacity for compassion. You might even know someone who can enter a room and feel the ache or fears of others. They are so attuned to the longing or lostness of other people that they feel deeply what others are feeling. It is a gift that not all of us have, but I’m pretty sure there is an expectation to be compassionate by the God who loves us all. Thus ends the first lesson on Spiritual Gifts as compared to Spiritual Disciplines and the Fruit of the Spirit.

Keep me focused, O Lord, on becoming the best possible version of myself. May the Spiritual Disciplines more deeply root my life in the life of Christ. In doing so, my life will bear the Fruit of the Spirit. And as I grow in my understanding of myself and my relationship with you, I feel confident that I will become more aware of how you have uniquely gifted me for the work of the Gospel. There is a lot to do, but I trust that your love will walk alongside me on my better days and my less than stellar days. Amen.