For the Common Good

Jan. 20, 2019

Second Sunday after Epiphany – Year C

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

First delivered Jan. 27, 2019

Rev. Dr. Kevin Orr

This sermon was intended to be delivered on Jan. 20 but, because of inclement weather, church was cancelled.

            One of the holiday parties that Kim and I attend every year is a gathering with a small group of friends that includes a white elephant gift exchange. We have a small collection of interesting gifts on hand for these occasions. But this year, Kim talked me in to including something else. It was a dream catcher that I received from a church I once pastored at their going away party for me. I was reluctant, but said it would be fine to take to the white elephant exchange.

            We started by drawing numbers and I got lucky number 1. I went first and got a really nice scented candle. Not bad for a white elephant gift! Well, after everyone had their turn, I got the opportunity to take someone else’s gift. Amazingly, no one had taken the candle from me. I thought about it and thought about it. I looked at that dream catcher, and started thinking about the people at that church I served, and the love they had for me signified by that gift…and I took the dream catcher back.

            When we got home I hung it up over our fire place, where it stayed for about a day until Kim noticed it and it came back down. It is now tucked away with my old records. But one of these days, I’m going to find a place where I can hang that dream catcher. I know it’s a little gaudy. But it has sentimental value to me. So one of these days it will be hanging up somewhere.

            Each of us has received gifts from God, spiritual gifts. And these are gifts that we can’t give away like a white elephant gift exchange. Kim’s grandmother was such a hoot when we opened Christmas presents. There was always at least one present Grandma Grossi would get where after she unwrapped it would say, “I know just who I’m going to give this to.” We can’t transfer or exchange the spiritual gifts God has given us. God has given them to us and there are no take backs.

            But also, God expects us to use the gifts we have been given. To take those gifts and figuratively put them on the shelf or store them in some closet: it’s not just rude, it’s downright disrespectful not to use the gifts God has given us. But it’s not only that. God is counting on us to use our spiritual gifts. God didn’t give each of us gifts just so we don’t feel left out. God gave them to us on purpose, so that we would use those gifts.

            The gifts that God has given us are meant to be used for the common good. They are not meant for our own self-aggrandizement or personal benefit. The gifts are meant to benefit the whole community. This also means that every gift matters. Whether your spiritual gift puts you out front or it is used behind the scenes, each gift is an important piece of the whole program that is the transformation of the world.

            This weekend we remember Martin Luther King, Jr. who would have turned 90 this year. He is the leading figure of the Civil Rights movement. He has been lionized. He has a federal holiday recognizing his birthday. Some may be tempted to think that he alone brought about the historic advancements of civil rights for black Americans. But that is surely not the case. Yes, Dr. King was a truly great public speaker. He had the courage to express hard truths. He was a drum major for justice. But the Civil Rights movement was successful because of the contributions of a multitude of people, named and unnamed. There is no way that Dr. King could have brought about the changes in our nation all by himself. Every contribution, large or small, made a difference. What made the movement so effective was that untold numbers of people did exercise their spiritual gifts for the common good in an organized and coordinated way. That’s the only way social transformation happens, everyone doing their part for the common good.

            These gifts that God has given us also ought not be categorized into a hierarchy. I was tempted to do that when I was first reflecting on this scripture in preparation for the sermon. Paul has this list of spiritual gifts and the first two he mentions are wisdom and knowledge. And I thought to myself that Paul must be implying that these gifts are more important or valuable than any other gifts, including the gift of speaking in tongues, which was creating a controversy in the Corinthian church. There were those who had the gift of speaking in tongues who got in their heads that this was a sign of their spiritual supremacy. Paul was seeking to squash that way of thinking partly, in my thinking, by putting the gift of speaking in tongues at the bottom of the list along with the gift of interpreting such ecstatic speech and putting wisdom and knowledge at the top. But the problem with that thinking is to exchange one highly valued gift for another, so that those with the spiritual gift of wisdom or knowledge should be held in higher esteem than those who speak in tongues. That misses Paul’s point. He stresses that all the gifts are important and have a role to play for the common good. Whatever your gift is, wisdom, knowledge, healing, working miracles, or speaking in tongues, they are all given by God, all important, all meant to be used for the common good.

            Before Christmas, when I was a kid, I would write out a wish list for Santa and hand it off to my mom and dad. Magically, on Christmas Day, I would open up my presents and some of those items on my list Santa came through with. Somehow those wish lists to Santa transforms into shopping lists as we get older and realize that Santa doesn’t exist. These days, around late November, Kim gives me her wish/shopping list. Then I take the list and go shopping in real stores. I prefer seeing what I’m buying in 3-D instead of 2-D images on my computer screen. But when I go shopping for Kim I always go a little off list with the hope that the unexpected gifts I give Kim will give her greater pleasure than the ones she has told me to get. Sometimes I miss the mark but when I get it right then it’s a win. The off list gifts are ones I have had to be intentional about. I have had to think hard about what Kim would truly appreciate, some gift that would make her life easier that she didn’t think to ask me for. This, of course, requires me to pay attention to her so I can pick up on what her needs are. If I can do that well, then she’s happy and is impressed that I’ve been paying attention. And that makes me happy too.

            When it comes to our spiritual gifts, we don’t get to write out a wish list, much less a shopping list. No, the gifts we have are assigned to us by the Spirit of God. And not only does the Spirit determine what gift we receive, God also willfully chooses the gift. It is not random. It is not like God has a spiritual gifts wheel where God spins the wheel to see which gift the arrow lands on for you. God has intentionally selected the gifts God has given you. It is not random.

            God intentionally gave you the gifts you have so that, as you activate your gifts, you are enabled to fulfill your life purpose, the destiny that God has in mind for your life. Failing to activate these gifts prohibits you from fulfilling your destiny, never mind the failure of contributing to the common good. Not only does everyone else benefit when you activate your gifts, you benefit as well. By letting God activate your gifts and you put them to use, the result is that you are living your best life, life at its fullest potential. And who doesn’t want that? Don’t we all want to live a meaningful life that makes a difference?

            Maybe you aren’t sure what your spiritual gifts are. That can be frustrating. It’s one thing to get Christmas presents that you have in your hands, which you can unwrap and see what it is. Spiritual gifts have to be discerned. And I think it’s possible that as we gain more life experience, or at different stages of our life, that latent spiritual gifts can move to the fore as other gifts move back. One way to discern which gift you have is to reflect on the different spiritual gift lists we have in Scripture, of which today’s reading is one such list. Another option is to take a spiritual gifts inventory. You have two options I have given you in your bulletin insert. I encourage you to do one. Here’s a third option. You could sit with this quote from Howard Thurman, the great theologian and mystic, a man whose thought and writings have been influential to many people, including Martin Luther King. Thurman once wrote: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” What are you passionate about? What do you do that gives you energy rather than saps your energy? Whatever that is, there’s a good chance that this is a manifestation of your spiritual gifts. So do that, not just because you enjoy it, but for the common good.

            Let us pray.

            God of many gifts: we thank you for the gifts that you have given to each of us gathered together this morning. By the power of the Spirit, activate our gifts and guide us on how to use our gifts to serve others. Make us come alive for your glory. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Remember Your Baptism

Based on Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Delivered Jan. 13, 2019

Rev. Dr. Kevin Orr

            “Remember your baptism and be thankful.” These are the traditional words that accompany the action of coming forward to the baptismal font, dipping your finger in the baptismal waters, and claiming anew the baptismal covenant that you entered in to. “Remember your baptism.” Do you remember yours? This is where I got stuck for a long time. I don’t remember my baptism. Probably like most of us gathered here, I was a baby when I was baptized. I have been told about my baptism. It was at the church I grew up in, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City. Mack Stokes was the pastor who baptized me, who four years later became a bishop. My mom said I didn’t cry. That’s all I can tell you about my baptism. I sometimes envy those who got baptized when they were old enough to remember it. When they go before the font and are told to remember their baptism they can go back in their mind’s eye to that place, visualize who was there,  feel the sensation of the water on their heads, or even their whole bodies if it was a full emersion. Those folks can remember their baptism and be thankful. But not those of us who were baptized as infants. It’s like we got cheated. The best we can do is remember that we were baptized; that getting baptized was something important for our parents. That we are baptized is something we are to be thankful for. We just can’t say much about how it happened.

            Today we remember Jesus’ baptism, a baptism that was remembered differently by the gospel writers. As Mark tells it, Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan and just as Jesus was coming out of the water he saw the heavens torn apart, the Spirit like a dove descending on him, and he heard the voice from heaven saying, “You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.” As Matthew tells it, John resists baptizing Jesus, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” For John the gospel writer, he doesn’t explicitly say that Jesus was baptized. Instead, he relates that John the Baptist saw the Spirit descend on Jesus like a dove, and then John heard the voice of the one who sent him to baptize with water say to him, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” Why John the gospel writer refrained from saying that Jesus was baptized was maybe to avoid the problem of why Jesus was baptized in the first place, a problem that Matthew addressed head on. Why did Jesus receive the baptism of repentance that John offered? It was to fulfill all righteousness. It was just the right thing to do.

            Luke’s memory of Jesus’ baptism is a lot like Mark’s: brief. But Luke adds a couple of details that are important. He begins by saying, “When all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized.” No dialog with John. It is not specifically said that John baptized Jesus. Instead, we are given an image of everyone standing in line to receive the baptism of repentance, to experience a fresh start, a clean slate, and Jesus got in line with everyone else. Jesus didn’t need a fresh start or a clean slate. But he didn’t stand apart while everyone else got in line. In an act of solidarity, Jesus got in line with everyone else. Jesus participated in baptism with the people.

            The second detail is that after Jesus was baptized “and was praying” the heaven opened, the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.” For Luke, he stressed that Jesus was a man of prayer. In key moments throughout his ministry, Luke notes that Jesus prayed. He prayed at his baptism, before he chose his disciples, before he told them for the first time that he would be crucified, at his transfiguration, before he taught his disciples the Lord’s prayer, before he was betrayed and arrested, and when he took his last breath on the cross. At one place in the gospel, after having done many healings, Luke says Jesus spent the night alone in prayer. And so, as Luke tells it, as Jesus prayed, the heavens were opened and the Spirit descended upon him. It seems it was the act of Jesus praying that caused the heavens to open and the Spirit to come down to empower him for his ministry, and to hear the voice of his Father say, “You are my Son, my beloved, and I am so proud of you.” Jesus needed that empowerment and affirmation because immediately after his baptism he was driven into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. And then, having passed those tests, he began his public ministry. At thirty years of age, the time of preparation was over. The time had come for Jesus to fulfill his destiny, to do what God had sent him to do. So he needed the power of the Spirit. He needed to hear that affirmation from his heavenly Father. And prayer caused that to happen. Prayer opened up the heavens for blessings to come down. In the same way, when the disciples were gathered in the upper room, and were praying together, the Holy Spirit came upon them like a mighty wind and tongues of fire appeared on each of their heads. Prayer caused that to happen. When we pray, the heavens are opened, the Spirit descends upon us again, and God can speak to us what we need to hear: you are my beloved, you are forgiven, be encouraged, there is hope, all will be well, I will never leave you nor forsake you. How good it is that Luke adds this detail of Jesus’ baptism, that after he was baptized he was praying.

            And so we can approach the renewal of our baptism in prayer. When we renew our baptismal covenant, we don’t get to repeat our baptism. As United Methodists, we believe that you only get baptized once. Baptism is an action of God by means of water and in the power of the Holy Spirit. And God doesn’t make mistakes! Since God acted in your baptism, then your baptism took. No do overs. But, of course, we can renew our baptismal covenant as often as we wish, in an attitude of prayer, following the example of Jesus.

            We should come back to our baptismal covenant, to remember that we are baptized, to bring ourselves back to that watershed moment in our lives in Christ. It didn’t seem like a watershed moment to you if it happened when you were a baby or a young person. But it was, whether you were aware of it or not. It was at your baptism that the people of God publically witnessed God claiming you as one of God’s own children. You were marked publically as a child of God, a child of promise. We claim that anew when we renew our baptism, that we are children of God. To renew our baptism is an important way for us to live out that baptismal covenant that God has made with us, that we are God’s children. We spend the rest of our lives living out of this covenant God has made with us by water and the Spirit. You could say that one purpose of the church is to help each other live out our baptism. We get baptized once, but the implications of that baptism play out the rest of our lives. The journey begins at baptism and ends when we stand before the throne and hear God say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” And all through that journey we have our brothers and sisters in Christ on the journey with us. We never travel alone.

            So it is good to renew our baptism from time to time. It makes sense to do it on the Sunday that we remember that Jesus was baptized. It also happens to be near the beginning of the year. It is a good time for a fresh start. And it’s not just because it’s January. We are also in the midst of winter. This is the time when, for us in the northern hemisphere, the earth is sort of in a reset mode, a time to prepare and get ready for the burst of growth that will be unleashed in the spring. Winter is the prelude to the vitality of spring. Maybe for us right now can be the prelude to a season of spiritual vitality and renewal. Remembering our baptism can be a part of that prelude to spiritual renewal.

            Renewing our baptism with prayer opens up the heavens for the Holy Spirit to come down upon us again. We can perhaps feel God’s presence as we touch the baptismal waters. And maybe we will hear in our hearts the affirmation of God’s love, to hear God say to each of us, “You are my son, my daughter, and I love you.” We need to hear that affirmation now and then from those close to us, our family, our dearest friends, to be told “I love you.” We need to know that somebody loves us. It makes a difference. In the same way, it makes a difference for us to know that God loves us, and to hear God say that, in the quiet of our hearts.

            Renewing our baptism also gives us the opportunity to reclaim the authority we have to be ministers of Jesus Christ in the world. If you think I’m the only minister in this room, you would be wrong. The church I grew up in listed all the church staff in the bulletin, the senior pastor, the associate, director of music, youth director, etc. But at the end of the list it had for minister: the congregation. We are all ministers by the authority of the baptism we have received. When it comes to ministering in the world, of sharing the love of Jesus and helping others in Jesus’ name, you don’t need my permission. You have all the authority you need. Reaffirming our baptism reminds us of the authority we have to be ministers of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

            In a moment, we are going to participate in the renewal of our baptismal covenant. The ushers are not going to direct you forward. I will invite you to come as you feel led to do so. Please don’t feel obligated to come forward. If you have not been baptized and you desire to be, you are welcome to come forward in anticipation of your baptism. Talk to me. It would be my joy to talk with you about the meaning of baptism and plan for you to receive baptism for yourself. I invite you now to remember your baptism, and be thankful.

Rise and Shine

Based on Isaiah 60:1-6 and Matthew 2:1-12

First delivered Epiphany 2019

Rev. Dr. Kevin Orr

            Sunshine is a premium in Ohio during the winter. We can go for days, even weeks, without seeing the sun. You watch the news and the news anchor is prodding the weather forecaster to tell us, “When will there be any sun?” This guy I know was joking, “Partly cloudy means cloudy.” I don’t know about you but when the sun breaks through the clouds this time of year it immediately energizes me.

            I remember a time several years back when I was sitting in my office at the church I was serving at the time. It was early February. I don’t believe the sun was seen for the entire month of January. That morning, through the blinds of my office window, I finally saw sunlight. It was so bright! It was so good to see the sun. It lifted my spirits. To this day I still have a clear memory of that moment. To see the sun after being behind the clouds for a long time is a joyful experience.

            It is in that spirit that we hear these words from the prophet, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” In a time of darkness and gloom, a time of oppression, of exile, of loss, the prophet offers a word of hope. Jerusalem was destroyed. There was no king from the line of David sitting on the throne. Much of Israel was living in exile in Babylon. Things were grim. But it would not always be that way. God will act. God will make things right. The glory of the Lord will rise again over Israel. There will be a restoration. For Israel there will be a new dawn. The prophet proclaims a word of hope. It is this hope for a brighter future that gives us the possibility to stand up and face our future. Without this hope, all is lost.

            In an interview with the BBC, Martin Luther King said, “I have my moments of frustration, my moments of doubt, and maybe temporary moments of despair, but I have never faced absolute despair because I think if you face absolute despair, you lose all hope, you have no power to move and act, because you really feel there is no possibility of winning.” Hope is necessary to survive those tough times, those times when everything is grey and cloudy, when nothing seems to be going right.

            There is a basis for our hope…the God of hope. We know that God is with us. We know that God loves us. We know that God has provided for us the way of salvation, the promise of eternal life. We know that God keeps God’s promises, that God’s will will be accomplished, that God’s reign of peace and justice will be established. Or, as someone else has said, “the arc is long but it bends toward justice.” We know that love wins in the end. This is the source, the foundation, of our hope for the future. So we can respond to the words of the prophet. We can arise and shine for the glory of God is shining on us, at least in our hearts.

            Today is called Epiphany, one of the first Christian holidays. It’s been around longer than Christmas. When the church first started and for the first couple hundred years, there were only two major holy days: Easter and Epiphany. It used to be on Epiphany, and it still is among Eastern Orthodox Christians, for this to be a day of celebrating Jesus’ birth, the visitation of the magi, and his baptism. Now, of course, these events are spread out. Today we remember the visitation of the magi and next Sunday we are going to remember Jesus’ baptism.

            When we talk about epiphany these days, it is when someone has an epiphany, an “a-ha” moment. It’s when you suddenly “see the light.” These epiphanies tend to spring up on us when we least expect it. Maybe that “a-ha” moment occurs when you are lying in bed in the middle of the night, or you are in the shower, or you are driving down the road, or something catches your eye. Whenever it is, something clicks, the dots are connected, and you suddenly see things in a new light. Things suddenly make sense. You have clarity.

            That epiphany may provoke excitement, even joy. Say there was a question you were struggling with, and every answer you came up with didn’t quite fit. But then someone asks the question in a different way and you get a completely different perspective. Then all of a sudden the answer to the question is right in front of you. Problem solved! But epiphanies may also provoke anxiety. It may trouble the waters. You were going along in life with no real problems. Then you have an experience that rocks your world. All of a sudden you realize that what you thought you knew to be true was all wrong, that you had been living a lie. Now that will stir up some major conflict that will take a good deal of time to process. You can’t go back to the way things were. You know too much now. You have to figure out how to move forward with integrity and that’s a challenge.

            An epiphany came upon Herod and the rest of Jerusalem when some astrologers from Persia showed up asking where the king of the Jews was so they could pay him homage. This came out of nowhere. For generations the people had been praying for, longing for, the day when Israel would have a king that was not appointed by Rome, a king from the line of David, who would be the messiah, the anointed one who would restore Israel to its glory and finally get Rome off their backs. And then, all of a sudden, it was happening! A king had been born and no one knew about it! How can this be? What do these astrologers from Persia know? Their presence has turned everything upside down.

            We can understand why Herod was troubled over this news. He was already the king appointed by Rome. There can be only one king. So he knew that his rule was immediately under threat. So that was a problem for him. The people of Jerusalem were also fearful. Even though this was something they had been hoping for, when it is actually happening, this meant that Rome would take notice. And that meant a military assault to squash any rebellion in order to assert Roman control. The epiphany that the king of the Jews had been born did not signal a time of peace but a time of revolt. The waters were troubled by this news. Something had to be done, and, if we read further in Matthew’s gospel, we know what the response from Herod was…the slaughter of innocent children while Jesus and his parents fled to Egypt for asylum.

            So we get why Herod and the people of Jerusalem were fearful and upset. But why were the magi filled with joy? The scriptures read that when the magi saw the star stop over the place where the child lay that they were overcome with joy. Why? What did they know? It was not uncommon for dignitaries from other nations to go and see future heirs to the throne to pay homage. For the magi to go and pay homage to Jesus is not strange. But why would this be a joyful occasion? I don’t see why the future king of the Jews would prompt them to be overcome with joy. Maybe they were joyful because they were looking at the one who would restore Israel’s sovereignty from Roman oppression. Maybe there was something about the star stopping that signaled to them that the royal line this baby represented would never end. Who knows for sure. But for whatever reason, the magi were overcome with joy as they paid homage to the child, presenting gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. For them, this epiphany prompted by the star that stopped, was a joyful experience.

            I had a small epiphany recently when I prayed this prayer one morning a few days ago. The prayer began something like, “Each day is Christmas because we receive from you the gift of another day with Jesus.” That’s true. Each day is a gift. Every morning we get up we have another day to unwrap and enjoy. And it is true that Jesus is with us through the whole day. That is a good thing to appreciate. But what was the epiphany for me was the idea of beginning every day putting myself at the manger in simple adoration that God came to us in human flesh. We can remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus every morning. I guess we can’t keep up the Christmas tree and holiday lights year round. But we don’t have to only celebrate the birth of Jesus one day a year. We can celebrate that God is with us as a human being every day.

            “Arise, shine; for your light has come.” This is not a suggestion the prophet gives us. It’s a command. It is as if your mom or dad is knocking on your door telling you to wake up, it’s morning, time to get up and moving. Rise and shine! We are to get up from our beds of gloom and discouragement and to shine, to reflect the glory of the Lord that shines over us. What does this mean? How do we do this?

            Part of it must be an act of will. We have to choose to rise and shine. In our times of discouragement, confusion, sorrow, despondency, we have to decide for ourselves to claim that God’s glory is over us. We have to determine for ourselves that we are in the light of God. We have to decide for ourselves to walk in the light of God. We have to cling to the hope we have that God is with us and that God’s grace is sufficient for this day. And then we just have to get up and go.

            There is a story told by a missionary who was doing his ministry in India. One early morning, before the sun was up, he and a group of others were walking up a hill, the top of which was a popular site for pilgrims to pray. As they got closer to the top of the hill, another group was going down the hill. The group that was going down was facing east. And as the sun was just coming up, the sunlight was reflected off the faces of those approaching them. This gave the missionary an epiphany: when we turn ourselves toward Christ, the one who is the light of the world, we will reflect the light of Christ out into the world.

            We can’t do anything about cloudy days in Ohio. There’s not much we can do about the cloudy and dark times in which we live, with all that is happening in the world today. But we can rise and shine. We can daily return to the manger and pay homage to the Christ child, maybe with a little joy in our hearts as we simply adore him, Christ the Lord. And then as we move through the day with our eyes on Jesus, we can reflect the light of Jesus out into the world. We can let our little lights shine.

Let us pray.

As the magi knelt at the manger to adore the Christ child and offer gifts, so may we every morning simply adore you as our Christ and Lord. Shine your light upon us, O God, so that we might reflect your glory in the world so others may be drawn to your light. In the name of Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world, we pray. Amen.