Readings for the Day:
Sermon:
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Original Manuscript:
When I came to St. Paul's, I was told that our parishioners were very active in running things. I'm grateful that has stayed the case throughout my time here.
No one can ever do any of the work of the church alone. We need each other. We all have our own skills we offer, and the church needs all of those skills.
All these skills are what God offers to us through the Holy Spirit. Without God at our side, we can do nothing. We accomplish nothing without our Lord.
That is what Paul tells us this morning. He tells us that each of us have different types of gifts which we offer for the good of all. No matter if it seems big or small, we all need each other to do the work of God in the world, mainly the work of the church.
Why is it that we each have different gifts? Why don't we all have all the gifts. Because we each have different gifts, we must work together. We must be one with one another. Next week, Paul will continue by saying to the Corinthians that they are like a body. Our body has many different parts, and many cells doing many different things. And yet, they all work to one goal, and one purpose. So it is with us as the church.
What we hear throughout the Bible, particularly in Jesus' words, is that we are called to be one with one another, just as The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit are all one God. The Trinity is a great reminder to us of the unity we are to have in community.
Our gifts help us do that. They help us to move forward with one common goal: spreading the light of Christ Jesus to the world and to each other.
In my time here, St. Paul's has had a great host of examples of living together and using our own individual gifts to serve God in the world. My hope is that will never change, but that our use of our gifts together will continue and grow. We are not a reminder of a past way of worship, crystallized for all to see. We are the living past that brings the story of Jesus all the way from over two millennia to be visible and present right here today. We don't just honor the past, but we keep it alive and growing so it can continue into the future well beyond us all.
Keep working together. Keep using your skills, talents, and gifts to serve God in this world. Continue the story and the work of Jesus Christ in the world. Never settle for how things are now, but always think about what we can do to better serve God in this world. Keep moving forward in Christ Jesus.