SPIRITUAL GIFTS

One of the core values at the church where I am lead pastor is the importance of people using their spiritual gifts to serve Christ and the church. The Bible teaches that there are from 19-21 different gifts, divine empowerments by God which allow us to serve effectively along with other members of Christ's body to do the work of Jesus.

That's why Christianity can never be considered a spectator sport. It is not a matter of some doing the work and the rest cheering them on or writing checks to support their efforts. In fact, where some Christians chose to sit on the sidelines, the church is hampered and hindered. If your gift is intercession (prayer) and you (1) do not embrace the gift and (2) do not use the gift; the church loses a vital tool in the spiritual warfare in which it must engage in order to bring people into God's Kingdom. If your gift is giving and you ignore God's gifting, the church lacks both the resources and the modeling needed to help finance God's Kingdom work. The list goes on and on.

But when we ignore or resist God's spiritual gifting, we also suffer personally. Ephesians 4 tells us that part of God's plan is for us to become skilled servants "working within the church, until we're moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God's Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive alive like Christ." Ephesians 4:15b-16, The Message translation

CELEBRATIONS

A few days ago Dianne and I unexpectedly joined a celebration. We were taking a brief vacation to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. No special agenda, just a quiet getaway together before the hectic intensity of Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas. Thanks to some nice gifts for Pastor Appreciation Sunday, we booked an inexpensive room (read "off season rates") at the Hampton Inn at Woodstock, Virginia. Only 180 miles from home in the midst of some magnificent mountains and ripe with Civil War history (I am a Stonewall Jackson fan and Dianne thrives on museums.) Hampton Inns have often been the place to which we retreat--great service, comfortable rooms, an early breakfast (for early rising Steve).

The Hampton Inn at Woodstock proved to be a brand new hotel, and its staff was especially sharp, friendly, and helpful. That night we discovered that the next night was the hotel's official grand opening. (In fact, we met the owner, a Lancaster County native named Lefever--who invited us personally). Great food, lots of people, horse and buggy rides. The guests included people from the community, the families of the employees and owner, contractors. A festive evening. Even though we were peripheral to the celebation, we were warmly welcomed and enjoyed a memorable time.

We are less than 2 weeks from Thanksgiving, a civil holiday in the US; and Christmas, a Christian holiday that has been embraced by the culture as a time of good will and good works. Dianne and I, like many of you, will be a part of those celebrations, too. Yet because we are Christians, we will not be peripheral participants--especially to the Christmas celebration. For Christmas is the celebration of the greatest news that anyone on Planet Earth ever received. That God in His grace had come in the flesh to redeem His people from their sin. In just the right time, when we were powerless (and clueless), God acted out of the richness of His love to end the separation of sin that left His people lost and without hope.

Others will celebrate Christmas for their reasons. We can neither control that nor condemn that. We just need to celebrate Christmas for Christ's reasons, for we are the people of Christ.

FINGER PAINTS

Do you remember finger paints?

Those bright, bold, beautiful colors that just screamed out "Smear me all over everything!" Many a child, with innocent and reckless abandon simply plunged in and the next thing you knew - painted walls or maybe even "painted playmates."

Teachers and parents quickly attempted to set some boundaries, corraling youthful creativity and passion before home remodeling became a necessity. Or they would watch them like hawks, wiping away any errant smudge that found its way onto faces or clothes before the child was permanently marked by their artistic enthusiasm.

Often, the children had an eye for colors (and their combination) that seemed alien to the adult mind--a first indication of a generation gap. And for many a child, finishing the picture was not as important as the process of painting. Most finger paint efforts were works in progress. But they also had an idea when the work was complete and now ready to go on exhibit in that Louvre of Finger Painting--the kitchen refrigerator.

Finger paints were better than crayons--because they were not used to "color within the lines." Finger paints defied such conventions. Finger paints were instruments of pure expression. A first attempt to be who God had created us to be--unique, gifted, eager to leave an impression on the world.

New Christians are like children with finger paints. They have a newfound discovery and a newfound resource. Boundaries are not as important as expression. They introduce an element of freshness and unpredictability that often brings bright new "colors" to the church. Although they need to be discipled, we need to always be careful that we don't crush the simple enthusiasm and passion that they have for their newfound faith.

And maybe we would be benefited if we let them paint on the walls or any on the faces of believers who have grown dull and dim in the predictable passing of years.

SILENCE IS GOLDEN

I am often up at a very early hour. Whether I am at home or at work or even at a hotel or retreat center-one thing tends to be true. It is very quiet. So quiet that at times you can hear traffic on an interstate many miles away. Or leaves rustling against the wind. Or maybe the building creak a little.

The Tremeloes once famously sang "Silence is golden." But do we treasure silence. Many immediately break the silence by turning on their favorite radio station. (I tend to turn on Sports Center on the TV.) Others fill the air with praise and worship tapes. But to paraphrase Simon and Garfunkle, "The sounds of silence are sometimes lost in the sounds (noise) that comfort us."

In many ways silence really is a godly friend, if you don't bury it in sounds. It is not without accident that David writes in Psalm 46.10, "Be still and know that I am God."

Without times of silence, our lives have no real reflection--we have no awareness of what really is around us--we have no active listening that allows us to hear God and know God.

Don't see silence as an enemy and don't despise silence with so much background noise. God does his best speaking when we are silent enough to listen.

(C) by Stephen L. Dunn. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.