What's Yours?

Epiphany Season is time to pay attention to the Lectionary (C this year) for disclosure of things we hadn’t noticed, or long forgot and need reminding, or never knew. Though the Star of Bethlehem is classic epiphany by definition -- revelation in light shining down from heaven -- and so is the Baptism of Christ -- heavens splitting, Holy Spirit coming down as a dove, voice from heaven, “you are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” -- other lectionary readings of the season also are educational and enlightening, so called “light bulb moments.”

There are at least two epiphanies to turn on lightbulbs this Sunday, the First Corinthians reading being one:

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.

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. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 (NRSV)

Not only does the lesson list several so-called “spiritual gifts” -- wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues, interpretation of tongues -- it asserts that everyone has spiritual gifts, which are given not for the enrichment of the individual but for the good of the order, “for the common good.” Not to slam, but folks who go into their room and smugly speak in tongues, pray in tongues, believing they have something special and exclusive, are missing it. Tongues, glossolalia, if that’s a gift -- and Saint Paul says it is -- is given not for personal pride and ecstasy, but as a resource for helping build up the Church. Not unlike carpentry, plumbing, electrical, decorating, artistic or architectural skills. Having been in Episcopal churches when and where tongues were spoken in the congregation during worship, I’ll admit to pretty much missing it as to what the use of tongues may be in the Church, but OK.

The important revelation -- epiphany -- is that everyone has a spiritual gift. If the Bible is true, to deny that one has a spiritual gift is to lie. A task of the Epiphany Season may be to figure out what yours is.

TW+ 

And yes, I see the word "stock" in the goofy illustration above. I nicked it online.