“Gifts of Love (From Love, For Love)"
Preached Sunday, January 16, 2022
Why do you give someone a gift? The season of gift giving isn't that far behind us. Christmas, various holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, to say I'm sorry, to say I'm thinking of you… The reason to give a gift is probably as numerous as the types of gifts that can be given. I’d like to think, however, that the reason behind most gift-giving, most genuine, heartfelt gift-giving, whatever the excuse or occasion is just this: "I love you. You are someone I care about. Here is a gift."
Now, when we’re speaking of gift giving, the idea of the 5 Love Languages comes to mind. This was a book that is almost as old as I am where author Gary Chapman wrote that there are 5 primary ways people express or receive love. Knowing your type and the type of those you love in your life helps with communication, understanding, and better being able to express your love. And this is often talked about for couples but this is applicable in all relationships. Knowing the love languages of my housemates in college was game changing as to how we understood each other. So, the five types are:
Words of affirmation: Words of affirmation are verbal words of encouragement, compliments, building up. “I just want to let you know I’m so proud of you.” “You are a great parent.” “Your smile is brighter than the sun.” And so many more examples.
Quality time: Time spent with those you love and not just quantity but quality. Sharing an activity together, a board game, discussing a book, lingering over dinner, taking a walk…And so many more examples.
Giving gifts: Seems pretty obvious but yes - gift giving! “I was just thinking of you” “I made this for you” “This reminded me of you and I had to share” And so many more examples.
Acts of service: This is doing something for the one you love that you know they would like. Washing the dishes, filling up the gas tanks, cooking a meal, pet sitting…And so many more examples.
Physical touch: Self-explanatory! Cuddles, hand holding, hugs…And so many more examples cause there are so many ways in this world that we can express and receive love. It’s a marvelous thing when you sit down and think about all the ways that you can express and show love.
And we can receive love and show love in different ways or show it in different ways with different people or how we express love can change based on the season of our lives…The bottom line is, however you do it, love is not meant to be kept hidden away.
Love is meant to be shared. The greatest commandments are to love God and to love neighbor as self. The shared verb in these commandments? Love.
Keep love in mind as we turn back toward today’s Epistle: “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” Those “manifestations of the Spirit” are what we call gifts - spiritual gifts. Not gifts like physical things or wrapped presents but spiritual gifts. Our Scripture today lists the following: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues and interpretation. There are also much more extensive lists of spiritual gifts out there. Other gifts are things such as teaching, mercy, generosity, hospitality, leadership, serving, helping…and so many more examples.
Now, we all have spiritual gifts. And if you’re thinking: I don’t know what my spiritual gift is or I’m not sure I have a spiritual gift, let me stop you right there: I know there is not one of us who does not have a spiritual gift. How do I know this? We were created to love God and to love neighbor as self and the God who IS Love who loves us with, as the Psalmist says, a steadfast love, that God is the one who is giving us ALL spiritual gifts. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the God who is LOVE, gives us spiritual gifts because God loves us AND God equips us to love God and love neighbor as self. We ALL have gifts because no one is unloved by God, no one is without a spiritual gift meant to share love
And not only do we all have spiritual gifts, no one’s gift is better than someone else’s gift. Spiritual gifts are not in the comparison business. None of this your gift is bigger/better or you have more or any of that. Cause all of our gifts were given equally in that they are all lovingly shaped, formed, specifically designed, given to each of us to match the unique individual that God created us to be. Our gifts are best for us. God would know! And each of our gifts is given to us as individuals to complement the whole, the community of believers, so that together as the body of Christ in this world, we can all better share love.
We each have individual gifts designed by God to help us spread love.
And through the same one Spirit, given to us as a whole, to better spread love together.
I’d like to share with you a reflection poem on this topic written by Anne Osdieck:
“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts,
but the same Spirit. 1 Cor. 12:4
Was Puccini’s
music for his ears alone?
Or was Starry Night only for Van Gogh’s eyes?
Are discerners of spirits
better than those who prophesy?
Is it better to be a healer than a preacher?
Was Mother Teresa more important
than the Jesuit brother who
held the door?
Is red better than blue?
All gifts are
from the same Spirit.
They are each a part of the whole
and given to each of us for each other
or for the common good.
Lord, help us understand.
Thank you for all
Gifts.”
"given to each of us for each other or for the common good" or as I would say - for Love, the God who is Love, to be that Love for the world.
So today I ask, how do you share love best? What’s your love language? How are you expressing and receiving love with those in your life? And what spiritual gifts do you have? How are you expressing and receiving the love of God in this world?
If you don’t know, there are, of course, tests for both online or you can go about it more organically: ask a friend what gifts they see in you, pray about it…and whenever you’ve identified your gifts, then give thanks to God for the gifts given to you by God.
And the best way to give thanks is to put those gifts into action. Use the gifts that God gave you to the glory of God so that all would know the steadfast love of God.
May it be so. Amen.
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