{"id":1110,"date":"2009-10-28T15:11:54","date_gmt":"2009-10-28T15:11:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=527"},"modified":"2009-10-28T15:11:54","modified_gmt":"2009-10-28T15:11:54","slug":"the-gift-exchange-michele-rizoli-jan-1407","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/?p=1110","title":{"rendered":"The Gift Exchange – Michele Rizoli – Jan. 14\/07"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

The Gift Exchange\u00a0<\/h3>\n

January 14th, 2007\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Michele Rizoli<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Text:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

John 2:1-11<\/strong><\/p>\n

1 Corinthians 12:1-11<\/strong><\/p>\n

Psalm 36:5-10<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now that Christmas is over, we\u2019re taking down decorations, starting diets and maybe heading to the stores to exchange some gifts. I need to tell you that one of my culture-shock experiences in North America is the idea that it is acceptable to exchange a gift.\u00a0\u00a0I can understand the need for a different size of something, or maybe a different colour sweater, but I can\u2019t get my head around giving back the candle holder in exchange for the table cloth. Someone has chosen to give you something, but you don\u2019t really want it, so you go to the store and get something you\u00a0really<\/em>\u00a0want. To me that just defeats the whole definition of a gift.<\/p>\n

\u00a0My anxiety on this point is best illustrated by a game we used to play when we got together as a family (and which thankfully we have abandoned). The idea is that everyone brings a wrapped \u201cgift.\u201d Then, while it is still wrapped, each person in turn decides whether they want the gift they got or whether they prefer to take a gift from someone else. It is presumably very funny, but \u2013 perhaps because I do not like practical jokes \u2013 it always left me with a great deal of anxiety.\u00a0\u00a0Actually, it would probably be more fun if you just stopped calling it a gift exchange and called it what it really is: a competition for the best prize.<\/p>\n

\u00a0I believe that a good gift is one that takes into consideration the character (the likes and dislikes) of the receiver and has something of the character of the giver in it as well; but ultimately the gift is the prerogative of the giver not the receiver. The receiver\u2019s role is to accept a gift graciously and gratefully, or else it is not a gift but an obligation of some sort for the giver to \u201cget it right\u201d. Sometimes the most unlikely and treasured gifts are those that we didn\u2019t realize we would enjoy and that also serve to remind us of the giver.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Last time I preached, I spoke about opening our eyes for opportunities to live with compassion in the world. (Don\u2019t worry if you don\u2019t remember, I had to look it up myself!). Today I invite us to open our eyes to the work of the Holy Spirit, especially when it comes to how we might be called to use our gifts.<\/p>\n

\u00a0In our scriptures today we come across the idea of Spiritual gifts in the life of the church. They are given freely by the same God whose character is described in the Psalm we read as: righteous, full of steadfast love, who gives us to drink from waters of delight.\u00a0\u00a0Do we experience this character of God\u2019s when we look at our spiritual gifts? Are we satisfied with those gifts? Do we think the Holy Spirit made the right choice? Would we rather exchange the one we got for someone else\u2019s?<\/p>\n

\u00a0We also read the BYOB story in the Gospel of John, where Jesus is called upon to use his own gifts to make a gift (of wine) for the gathered community: the wedding at Cana.\u00a0\u00a0We\u2019ll come back to this story in just a bit. First, let\u2019s have a look at I Co 12.<\/p>\n

\u00a0There are several things to keep in mind in this passage:<\/p>\n

\t<\/span>\u2022\t<\/span>First of all, the topic is spiritual gifts\u00a0in the church community,\u00a0<\/em>in the body of Christ. The New Testament has a clear understanding of the church functioning under the direction of the Spirit. We are not necessarily talking about administrative or programmatic efficiency but about\u00a0a community that witnesses faithfully what it means to follow Christ<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\t<\/span>\u2022\t<\/span>Secondly, the Holy Spirit assigns abilities, callings, insights and words democratically, not on the basis of hierarchy or merit. Every member of the Spirit-led community is entitled to a gift. Everyone is entitled to experience the Spirit of God.\u00a0<\/em>There is also a not-so-hidden agenda behind these gifts, v. 7 says that they are manifestations of the Spirit for the\u00a0common good<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\t<\/span>\u2022\t<\/span>Thirdly, it pays to remember that chapter 12 comes just before chapter 13, which grounds the activity of the Spirit in love. I Co 13 reminds us that none of the Spirit\u2019s gift cards are any good unless we use the activation code: love.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Clich\u00e9d as it sounds, this is still a crucial point:\u00a0\u00a0If I manifest gifts but do not have love, I am nothing, I gain nothing (I Co 13); there\u2019s really no point. Church loses its purpose when our actions have any other motivation; obligation, habit, promoting volunteerism, pleasing others or furthering personal interests are poor substitutes for the loving movement of the Spirit.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Now, I hesitated a bit to make that last point lest all the wonderful committees, Sunday school rooms and sign-up lists that keep TUMC alive become depleted by people who don\u2019t\u00a0feel<\/em>\u00a0loving enough at any giving moment. Of course you know that we\u2019re not actually talking about a\u00a0feeling;\u00a0<\/em>it\u2019s about a deep sense that in being church we are not going through motions or simply keeping an organization alive, but rather tapping into the deep life-giving source of love which is God\u2019s Spirit.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Just to be clear, I\u2019m also not implying that we have not been attuned to God\u2019s Spirit, only reminding us to check our motivations every so often; to try and perceive the draft, or breeze or wind of the Holy Spirit that fans the fire of our church involvement.<\/p>\n

\u00a0So, what are some of the gifts in I Co 12? Well, the one that tops the chart is diversity. It\u2019s all the same Spirit, but there are varieties of gif
\nts. Can you imagine what it would be like to be in a church that had only one gift? It wouldn\u2019t quite work to have 100 treasurers or preachers or pianists in the roster, now would it?\u00a0\u00a0Or to put it in a more sobering manner, can you imagine what church would be like if everyone was like you?<\/p>\n

\u00a0The passage goes on to list some of the manifestations of the Spirit: the utterance of wisdom, the utterance of knowledge, faith, healing, the working of miracles (or powers), prophecy (which incidentally is to be understood as transmitting communication from God and not as foretelling the future), discernment of spirits, and tongues mitigated by the interpretation of tongues.\u00a0\u00a0To observe these activities carried out for the common good was to observe God\u2019s Spirit at work.<\/p>\n

\u00a0What are some of the ways you see God\u2019s Spirit manifested in the gifts of our congregation?<\/p>\n

(opportunity for input)<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0Today we hear this list of spiritual gifts as being somewhat neutral, but to the Corinthians (and dare I say to some people today), there were certain manifestations of the Spirit that counted more than others:\u00a0\u00a0Getting lost in the ecstasy of speaking in tongues \u2013 now\u00a0that<\/em>\u00a0was really the Spirit at work, or manifesting wisdom (Sophia<\/em>) or knowledge (gnosis<\/em>) \u2013 these were the means by which the Spirit surely spoke. Or maybe God was\u00a0really<\/em>\u00a0present in the continuation of Jesus\u2019 ministry of healing and power over spirits. By stressing the variety and listing various gifts of the Spirit, the writer is trying to make sure we keep our eyes open to the broad spectrum of God\u2019s activity.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Although we at TUMC probably haven\u2019t had great problems arising from too much ecstasy in our community (yet) is it possible that we might also have some blind spots in recognizing God\u2019s Spirit in the variety in our midst?<\/p>\n

\u00a0Notice how all the gifts the Spirit distributes work best in interactions between people. No sense uttering wisdom alone in a room somewhere or discerning spirits in one\u2019s mind just to be smug about it or to say I told you so.\u00a0\u00a0No sense being able to heal but never running in to sick people. All the gifts require some action on the part of the recipient towards others: they are not of much use if they\u2019re kept wrapped up in the original packaging.<\/p>\n

\u00a0And as it happens, God\u2019s Spirit is renewed and love is nurtured in these same interactions.\u00a0\u00a0You give me the gift of uttering wisdom, I give you the gift of listening and God\u2019s Spirit finds a place to inhabit. She shares healing and the healed person brings gratitude and their own restored gifts into the mix. He shares faith and strengthens others who need someone to temporarily believe on their behalf or who merely need to experience the love behind the sharing.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Let\u2019s look at the Gospel story in John. I don\u2019t know what caught your attention when we read it, but for me there are a few things that jump out when I take it at face value.<\/p>\n

\t<\/span>\u2022\t<\/span>First there\u2019s the miracle itself. While it is certainly very nifty to turn water into wine (especially if you forgot your hostess gift), it seems a rather extravagant and non-essential use of Jesus\u2019 power to provide drinks at a party, doesn\u2019t it? And it\u2019s not even that important a party, we don\u2019t know who the bride and groom are, and the wedding celebration also apparently takes place in an insignificant little village (scholars can\u2019t even pinpoint the location anymore).<\/p>\n

\t<\/span>\u2022\t<\/span>Then there\u2019s the problem with Mary and Jesus\u2019 little interaction. She pushes him into doing a miracle, and could thus either be going against God\u2019s timing or changing God\u2019s mind on the matter. Hum\u2026let\u2019s just leave that one alone right now, shall we?<\/p>\n

\t<\/span>\u2022\t<\/span>And then there are all the literary reasons John may have had for telling this story as he did\u2014right at the beginning of Jesus\u2019 ministry in Galilee.\u00a0\u00a0Was this first revelation of Jesus\u2019 power a symbol of some sort? Jesus as new wine? The wedding feast as an image of God\u2019s kingdom? Could be.<\/p>\n

\u00a0These are all plausible ways to access this story \u2013 and academically would certainly take precedence over the method I\u2019m about to use. Forgive me, but today, I\u2019ll be using the little known \u201cMother knows best\u201d approach to interpreting John 2. As I told you before, we\u2019ll look at it as an illustration about gifts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Weddings in Palestine, then and now, were week-long ordeals (Parteys!). They involved the whole community and were a demonstration of the host family\u2019s true hospitality. Obviously attendance was not by printed invitation only; anyone that had any claim could show up. Participants needed to eat in abundance, drink in abundance and enjoy themselves in abundance. (Incidentally, it might be good to remember that it was not about getting drunk, wine was really the only available beverage next to water and was often diluted.) It was a culture of honour and shame, and to fall short in hospitality (as in, run low on beverages) was to fall into disgrace, it was also a bad omen for the newlyweds.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Mary may have been related to the family somehow and was therefore implicated in their shortfall in the wine department. She may also just have been acting out of compassion for the family. Either way she saw the need and realized that it was a perfect match for her son\u2019s abilities. I\u2019m a Mom, so I know how this type of conversation goes:<\/p>\n

\u2014\u201cSon, our relatives are going to be humiliated and you\u2019re the only one that can help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u2014\u201cMo-om, not now, not like this!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014\u201cSon, it\u2019s high time you live up to your potential. I know your friends are here and are watching you, and I know you\u2019d rather wait for a more auspicious opportunity, but this is Aunt Mildred we\u2019re talking about. Surely you care about her?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014\u201cI really don\u2019t think it\u2019s the right time, Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n

She preempts his protests, turns to the servants and says, \u201cDo whatever he tells you dears\u201d thus forcing his hand. He surrenders and it ends up that she was right: plain old water is turned into wonderful wi
\nne; more than could possibly be consumed at that party. The miracle wine not only keeps the party going and saves the family from a terrible situation; it is also of such good quality that the wedding goes down in people\u2019s memory as one of the best ever. And more importantly it turns out to be a perfect opportunity for Jesus to reveal himself, launch his ministry and to manifest God\u2019s power and compassion.<\/p>\n

\u00a0I\u2019ve been through this mother-child dynamic more times than I can count \u2013 most often as the child. It\u2019s not always comfortable but sometimes people just need a little push in the right direction to open up so that God can make wonderful things happen. Mary knew that the time was right and\u00a0\u00a0that the gifts were present, ready to be given to help others.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Here\u2019s my push to you: just like that wedding in Cana, our life as a community that witnesses faithfully what it means to follow Christ is also premised on good hospitality (i.e. generosity, welcome to strangers, love towards one another). When we open ourselves up to God\u2019s Spirit and use our gifts to respond to others in spite of our reservations, God is manifested.\u00a0\u00a0This is a true gift exchange.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>The Holy Spirit is in our midst, let us open our eyes to the Spirit\u2019s presence and respond gratefully to her gifts. Amen.<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Gift Exchange\u00a0 January 14th, 2007\u00a0 Michele Rizoli \u00a0 Text:\u00a0\u00a0 John 2:1-11 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 Psalm 36:5-10 \u00a0 Now that Christmas is over, we\u2019re taking down decorations, starting diets and maybe heading to the stores to exchange some gifts. I need to tell you that one of my culture-shock experiences in North America is the idea that it is acceptable to exchange a gift.\u00a0\u00a0I can understand the need for a different size of something, or maybe a different colour sweater,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons-a-worship-audio"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1110"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1110\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}