Day of Pentecost

Mother’s Day

May 9/11, 2008

Victor H. Nixon

GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT

1 Corinthians 12:4-7, 12-13

This weekend we honor our mothers—thanks to Anna Jarvis, a Methodist laywoman, who founded Mother’s Day 100 years ago this very weekend on May 10, 1908. Mother’s Day quickly became a popular custom and a terrific commercial success—a phenomenon that the original founder opposed, by the way. In the spirit of Anna Jarvis and in addition to the telephone call, card, flowers and restaurant, it is very important to recognize and remember ways in which our mothers have enriched our lives, and, if possible, spend quality time with them. After all, our mothers gave us the gift of life.

My mother, Louise Rankin Nixon, was a great country cook, if you know what I mean: mostly battered and fried, incredibly delicious, loaded with cholesterol. Yellow squash, in my cookbook, should be prepared no other way. She could transform leftover mashed potatoes into fried potato patties to die for!

Mom baked wonderful pies. My favorites were her chocolate meringue and Karo nut— or what some folks call "pecan pie," or "pee-can pie" if you’re non-native. My Dad said that Mom’s pies were "larapin." I thought he had just made up that term, until I found it in the dictionary, a mid-western or southern term meaning "superior in taste." Northerners don’t have anything that is larapin. Spell check doesn’t recognize it either.

In addition to the delicious pie fillings, Mom’s piecrust was scrumptious. She made the dough with vegetable shortening, of course, rolled out on a big board to just the right thickness with the rolling pin Dad had made for her. Then it was placed over a pie plate, tucked and shaped to fit inside, and trimmed neatly around the rim. Using her flour-dusted thumb and forefinger on one hand and forefinger on the other, she artfully shaped a jagged piecrust pattern around the rim of the pie plate, "fluting" I think it’s called.

Leftover strips of piecrust dough were put on a baking sheet and popped in the oven along with the prepared piecrust. Just remembering the aroma of her baking piecrust makes my mouth water. One of my fondest childhood memories is sitting at the kitchen counter eating warm piecrust strips. Although she wrote out her piecrust recipe, none of her children or grandchildren have been able to duplicate it. What can you say? Mom had a gift for making piecrust!

"Now there are varieties of gifts,"(12:4) writes St. Paul to First Church Corinth where the matter of spiritual gifts had become a major issue. Some folks were claiming that they possessed such gifts and that others didn’t. Some claimed certain gifts, like speaking in tongues, were better than others. The real problem was spiritual arrogance—not gifts. Now, isn’t that about the silliest thing you’ve ever heard or read?

Sad to say, the problem persists among disciples of Christ today. People still engage in critical evaluation of another’s Christian Faith for the purpose of elevating their own. My faith is better than yours—or the equivalent. Whether it’s the mode of worship, music, architecture, language, the denomination or something else—spiritual snobbery is a sin, not a gift, and usually leads to conflict and division in the body of Christ. So, Paul had a real problem at First Church Corinth.

Paul approaches this problem in our text in a very unique way. He begins by speaking of what is translated as "spiritual gifts," or "spiritual manifestations"(pneumatika), at the beginning of the chapter. In verse 4, Paul changes the term to what is translated as merely "gifts"(charismata). The semantic difference is very significant. The Greek word charismata comes from charis, meaning "grace." Paul is telling the Corinthians that they can’t have pneumatika without charismata, that is, spiritual gifts without God’s grace. Spiritual gifts are manifestations of God’s grace in our lives, not personal achievement or property; they are manifestations of the Holy Spirit, not manifestations of personal abilities. Spiritual gifts are about God’s grace in our lives.

Furthermore, Paul says the real test of authenticity is whether one’s gift comes from God and benefits others. (12:7). "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." Now you can see how that would take care of the matter of spiritual arrogance. A spiritual gift is not something one can boast about because, first, it comes from God not from oneself, and second, because it’s purpose is to benefit all, not merely oneself.

I have a friend with a beautiful singing voice who says humbly, "It’s a gift from God." Certainly, she has worked hard, spent time, money and effort to develop that gift but she recognizes that the basic ability is not something she merely earned or accomplished: It is a gift from God. We have persons in our church who have the gift of music, the ability to sing and to play instruments. What would our worship be like if those gifts were not shared? Each of us has at least one gift from God that can be used for the common good.

Paul says is that there is one God, one Spirit, one Lord, but there are many gifts. (12:4) "Many Gifts, One Spirit," is the title of a wonderful hymn by Al Carmines that is based upon our text and found in our hymnal.(1)

Paul identifies eight gifts in the Corinthian church: Wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, working miracles, prophecy, discernment, language and interpretation (12:8-10) There are more than thirty gifts of the Spirit identified in the New Testament.

Where abilities, or gifts, are concerned, homogeneity is not an indication of the Spirit—diversity is. You can’t successfully run an ice cream store with only two flavors. You can’t have a successful football team with only quarterbacks—you need tackles, guards, ends, full backs, receivers, and kickers as well as a whole other team of defensive specialists. Henry Ford once remarked that customers could have any color car they wanted—as long as it was black—but later learned that variety of color sold more cars.

The church has and needs variety. We are not all alike. We do not possess the same strengths, talents, abilities and experiences. We are not of the same race, sex or heritage. We have different theological and political perspectives. We are at different places in life and in our faith journeys. We are very different. Paul says, that is not a problem; that is a great blessing! God loves variety and diversity. Look at the creation! God needs a variety of gifts to accomplish God’s purpose.

One of our members has the gift of calligraphy, beautiful penmanship. She does all of our baptismal certificates, like the ones given to parents following the baptism of their children. Others have the gift of hospitality, greeting and welcoming people who come to our church. Others teach and inspire youngsters in Sunday School or basketball. Some keep our grounds looking nice and help make repairs. Some plan and help us get ready for the future. Some are generous with money. Others heal minds, bodies and souls. Some speak languages from other cultures—like those who read the passage from Acts about the first Pentecost and like those who speak "teenager"—that the rest of us can’t understand. It takes every one of us sharing the gifts God has given us.

I love the story about a mother, wishing to encourage her young son’s progress on the piano, by taking him to hear the famous concert pianist, Ignace Paderewski. When the night arrived for the Paderewski performance, they found their seats near the front of the concert hall and eyed the majestic Steinway piano waiting on stage. The mother found a friend to talk to, and the boy slipped away. When 8 o’clock arrived, the spotlight came on, the audience quieted, and only then did they notice the boy sitting at the piano on stage. He innocently began picking out, "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" on the keys with one finger.

Of course, the child’s mother was horrified. Before she could retrieve her son, however, Paderewski appeared on stage and quickly moved behind the child, whispering in his ear, "Don’t quit—keep playing." Leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reach around the other side, encircling the child, to add a treble obbligato. Together, the master and the young novice held the crowd spellbound.

Our gifts may be unpolished and imperfect, but God surrounds us and whispers in our ears, "Don’t quit—keep playing." The gifts we offer may seem meager, but God augments and supplements our efforts until a work of amazing beauty is created. Like the mother in the Paderewski story, one of the greatest things parents can do is recognize their children’s gifts and place them in the presence of a master. We gather today in the presence of the Master of Life who has gifted us with Jesus, the example and model for sharing gifts that God has entrusted to us.

I wouldn’t claim that Mom’s piecrust was a spiritual gift. However, it tasted divine! God has gifted you. God will help you develop your gift for the benefit of others. God needs your gifts. Thanks be to God! Amen.

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