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: 4-11)
On Sunday, March 15, I spent the day at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia with the other bishops of region 7 and the students assigned to our region for their first calls as pastors. It is a yearly ritual. We gather for worship and then spend the day getting to know each other. There is a lot of sharing, mostly in the form of interviews in which the candidates talk about what they see as their gifts for ministry, what they are hoping for in their first call, how they came to this place in their life of faith and how they see God active in their time of transition from school to "real life". It is a holy day.
Once the interviews are completed, the bishops gather in prayer to assign these regional candidates to a specific synod. This year, our New Jersey Synod received three candidates. I am hopeful that these three candidates will be called as pastors soon.
One of the reasons that this day is so powerful is that we spend intentional time sharing the faith. Candidates for ministry get to talk about ways the faith was passed on to them by family members, teachers, pastors, camp counselors, or in random encounters. I get to listen intently and ask questions whose answers often inspire me and always give me reason to give thanks to a living God who continues to choose ordinary women and men to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world.
I wonder what would happen if we did something like this in our congregations. What would happen if we took intentional time to share our faith stories with each other? What would happen if we shared with each other the people and circumstances that have helped to shape our faith? What if we took the initiative to ask about another's gifts and skills for ministry in everyday life?
Perhaps we would discover something new about a sister or brother in Christ. Perhaps we would plant seeds for a church vocation in someone else. Perhaps our own faith would be strengthened in the listening and the talking.
One thing I do know for sure – God is at work in your life. You have gifts to share with others and yours is a story worth telling. I hope that during this season of Lent you and I will find time to be in prayerful and holy conversation with those around us.
Thank you God, for pouring your gifts on your people. Thank you for those who teach and those who learn, for those who serve quietly behind the scenes and those who serve in public ways. Continue to empower us to share our stories of your love with each other. Bless those who are awaiting their first calls as pastors in your church and those whom they will serve. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Contributed by Bishop Bartholomew
Monday March 16, 2015
Liturgical Year B: Week 16
Liturgical Color: Purple
Sunday Gospel reading: Lent4
Fourth Sunday in Lent