Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.”
NL Daily Devotion for Thursday, May 9, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Human beings have an innate need to categorize and rank things. We can say that everyone has gifts to share, and that they are equal in God’s estimation, but internally we assign value to different people’s gifts based on a set of variable criteria. Some of this is societally dictated, I think. We in the U.S. who are deeply entrenched in entertainment culture, tend to value showy gifts—speaking, singing, acting, performing—more highly than behind-the-scenes gifts—physical labor, organization, service to others. Some of this is based in experience—if a gift directly, personally benefits us, of course we will see it as better than a gift that doesn’t. For whatever reason, we can fail to acknowledge the inherent goodness and importance of every single one of us and what we have to offer. Changing our attitude is a practice. It involves thinking intentionally about what actually goes into putting together a typical Sunday morning at our congregation, for example, and recognizing how none of it functions truly independently of the whole. Do we even know what all goes into it? It might be a worthwhile exercise to make a list, journal about what gifts are involved, and say a prayer of gratitude for each gift as an equal contributor to the whole.
What gifts do I offer to my faith community? Do I value them as equal to everyone else’s? Why or why not?
