November 2002

Fra Prestens skrivebord

It’s Tuesday morning at 10:00 AM. Seven people are gathered for Bible Study. We read about the laborers who were standing idle at the marketplace all day. (Matthew 20). I look around the table. I see dear faces of people who indeed have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat. They have been serving in the vineyard of the Lord for so many years. Mindekirken is blessed with a lot of volunteers.

Then we pass the question around the table: "Do you regard the things you are doing at the church as serving with your spiritual gift?" There is a little hesitation and then someone admits: "No one has ever helped me to look at what I’m doing as my spiritual gift."

And yet Peter says: "Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received." (1 Peter 4:10).

There is a certain modesty when it comes to regarding the tasks we do as spiritual gifts. Maybe we don’t want to boast about ourselves. Some tend to think: "Isn’t a spiritual gift something like speaking in tongues - and I don’t do that."

A spiritual gift is not a mysterious thing. Paul gives us certain lists of gifts in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians and Ephesians 4. The gifts cover a great variety, from prophecy to giving, from compassion to tongues. The lists are obviously not complete. Said with other words: The Lord may surprise you with a talent you never have thought of as a spiritual gift. He has given his people gifts, services and activities, and it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. (1 Cor 12:6)

Maybe it would be useful to talk about this very specifically. To what extent is my job as an usher, my turn in the kitchen, or my committee work a spiritual gift? I think it is – to a larger extent than we normally are aware of. We need the humbleness of thinking that every sinner is called to be a child of God. And every child of God is equipped with a special gift so the body of Christ should be built up. Ephesians 4:12.

We need a self confidence in the Lord that we do good works which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. (Eph 2:10)

In the month of November, we’ll focus more specifically on what stewardship means to us as Christians. A committee has been assembled to work on this. We will try to come forward with questions like: What kind of talent have you received? How do you use it? What about your time? Do you have the right priorities in your life?

What about your treasure? Are you willing to see yourself and all you have as gifts, and contribute according to that?

Stewardship is biblical. We have to focus on the specific challenges of our congregation. We also need another focus: The giver of all good things. Stewardship is a matter of grace and privilege. We need to focus on both to serve the Lord with gladness and joy.

The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church ·  924 E. 21st St, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2952 ·  (612)874-0716