Tuesday Offering from Fr Marcus 25th May 2021
My Dear Friends,
What a beautiful Celebration we had across the Chaplaincy over the weekend, with lots of enthusiasm, plenty of guests, great fun and laughter, and a huge outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
I hope you experienced the same wherever you were.
Last year at this time I did a series on the Fruits of the Spirit, and it seemed to be received well. This year we shall be looking at the Gifts, and so just to remind you here is Paul in 1 Corinthians 12 giving us a clue:
12 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.[b] 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
Paul talks about all of this within the context of us being the Body of Christ, and the Gifts given freely to us in order that we can work together to build that Body and grow the Kingdom.
This list, of course is not exhaustive, but rather a series of examples of the diversity with which The Holy Spirit equips the members of the Body.
And from the King James Version, but same chapter he goes on to say
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. 28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the [i]best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.
I love this translation as it talks about those who have the gift of Administration! We shall go on to Chapter 13 later in the series. But let us spend a while unpacking our relationship with both the Holy Spirit, and the Gifts he has given us.
The Holy Spirit is the power and energy and presence of God at work in us now, fully active for the good of the church and the world. It is part of the mystery which is the Holy Trinity, and has always been there and always will be.
Both gentle and dramatic The Holy Spirit can bring about major changes in the lives of those who seek it, but also challenge and change the lives of those who don’t. Paul (Saul) was not seeking the Holy Spirit on the Road to Damascus.
The Holy Spirit is not confined to any lists, practices or patterns in the same way that God is not confined to the Sacraments, to Church members or to Scripture.
Sometimes it is obvious that God the Holy Spirit is at work in our own lives, when we feel the ‘Call’ to a particular course of action. Other times it can be much more subtle, and of course, for many folk there can be a resistance to it. An inhibition brought about sometimes through humility (Why would God choose me) to the strength of our own desires (Maybe God is calling me to serve him as an evangelist, but I think I can do it better in my present role as ………… )
One thing I am sure of. God pours his Spirit freely in to our hearts, and that Spirit is active. He calls us to build his church, and equips us with everything we need in order to do it. God uses the most unexpected people to do his will, and he Blesses us, every one.
So, in this series we shall unpack some of the Gifts of the Spirit, practice a little ‘Gift Detection’ and see how best we can use what God has given us.
So, the first in our list is the Spiritual Gift of Wisdom. (Not the same as brilliance, intelligence or knowledge)
You will know the Greek word for Wisdom is sophia. (The word philosophy means love (philo) of wisdom)
Wisdom has been defines as ‘The knowledge of things human and divine, and their causes’ (Clement of Alexandria)
Striving after the bests ends and using the best means. (Aristotle)
It comes not so much from thought and from communion with God
The second in our list is knowledge, and they go together so well. In fact both are necessary.
Knowledge, gnosis, (Agnostic – The reality of God is unknown or unknowable) is more practical than wisdom. It is the knowledge which knows what to do in any given situation. It is the application of wisdom, and vice versa. Knowledge is about knowing stuff. Wisdom is about making sense of it, putting them together is the gift of applying them within a fellowship. As Gifts of the Holy Spirit Wisdom and Knowledge together enable people to both live according to the will and way of God, but also to understand what they are doing.
It is quite possible to have much knowledge, but little wisdom, or to have plenty of wisdom, but within a narrow spectrum. Within the Body of Christ God the Holy Spirit Gifts the appropriate amounts of Wisdom and Knowledge to various members in order that we can put in to practice our genuine response to the glorious things that God has done.
Bless you, Bless you, Bless you.
Fr Marcus