Gift and Goal
A Sermon for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
August 4, 2024
The Rev. Robin Teasley
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it is said, "When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people." (When it says, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.)
The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love. Ephesians 4:1-16
Have you been watching the Olympics? Maybe you have favorite events and athletes. My favorite event is gymnastics and my favorite athlete is pommel horse guy, Stephen Nedoroscik, the Clark Kent of men’s gymnastics. We watched him waiting on the sidelines as the other men performed routines on bars, vault, floor, and rings. He could be seen bringing water to his teammates and often appeared to be napping in his chair, while the others were using their gifts to gain points for the team. We waited to see him in action, knowing he must surely have something to contribute or why would he be on the team, at the Olympics? It turns out that his gift was important.
In June when he qualified for the team he told the press, “When I was very, very young people would tell me, ‘One day you’re going to be an Olympian!’ Back then I was just a dorky little kid. And now look at me, I’m a dorky adult, going to the Olympics.”
You may have another favorite athlete, but in every case we see what it means to live life focusing on a goal; we see the end result of athletes fully using the gifts they have been given, and it is a beautiful and inspiring thing. Each person at the Olympics is important. Even the cap man, whose only job is diving into the pool to retrieve the swim caps. Even Snoop Dogg has a purpose at the Olympics, bringing joy and laughter wherever needed.
This morning the author of Ephesians, begs us to lead a life worthy of the calling to which we have been called. We hear that we have each been “given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift” and there is a purpose for our gifts. They are for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God…”
In our readings from the Second Book of Samuel over the past few weeks, we have seen what happens when we abuse our God-given gifts and forget our purpose, forget that we are part of something bigger than our own personal desires. Last week we heard that in the spring of the year, in the time when kings go out to battle, King David made a choice to stay home. And that was just his first bad choice! One wrong decision led to another resulting in consequences that impacted not only David but the whole community. Here's a G-rated summary: David saw Bathsheba and wanted her, he had her husband Uriah killed so that he could have her.
David forgot about his purpose and his leadership responsibility, and he lost his focus. In his isolation from his community, he became vulnerable to making a whole string of wrong choices. And in the reading today, David must face the consequences of his behavior.
When David was confronted by the prophet Nathan concerning the many wrong choices he made, when he was reminded of all God had already given him, David confessed and asked for forgiveness. In a world where all too often we choose to blame someone else for our mistakes, this action on David’s part is instructive. Some of us have difficulty with many of David’s behaviors which, let’s be clear, were not exemplary, some were even horrific. Here though, we see him realize his mistake and own it.
Lately, the world, our nation, our friends and family, and even we have had a difficult time being tolerant, asking for forgiveness, or not jumping to conclusions about so many things. We make assumptions that the other people are trying to cheat, or that they are mocking our religious beliefs. Rather than apologize when we have been wrong, we cast blame on someone else. There’s even a term for this now – whataboutism. We have become a society perched on the edge of conflict about everything anyone does or says. Criticism and negativity are everywhere.
And as inspiring as the Olympics have been, they have not been without challenges and misbehavior and conflict. Olympians are human too. There has been controversy from the opening ceremony, with people making assumptions about the intentions of others, a drone spying on a soccer team practice, and questions of gender and genetics in an attempt to discredit athletes. Even so, there are redemption stories as truth is revealed, intent is explained, as people apologize, and as we see the care and concern that athletes from around the world show one another.
US Men's Gymnastics Team
Perhaps this is what we can take away from the Olympics, from the message to the Ephesians, and from the prophet Nathan’s words to King David.
Each of us is just one part of God’s wonderful creation, and yet we are integral to it. We are a part of something larger than ourselves, and we are responsible for one another. We will sometimes fall short, we will mess up things, and we will make wrong choices. But the good news is that God will have mercy on us according to God’s loving kindness.
Most of us will never participate in the Olympics, but we are blessed to be part of the Body of Christ, where we find opportunities to practice using our gifts for the good of the whole. We won’t all win medals, but that’s not the point.
We are called to share our gifts, whether we are parenting or caring for aging parents, whether we are serving our country or nursing the sick, whether we are farmers or scientists, bankers or builders, musicians or math teachers; even if we are the pommel horse guy. Even Stephen Nedoroscik never imagined he’d be an Olympic medalist.
Perhaps we can imagine our church as an Olympic training ground for developing our gifts. As we do the work of ministry, inside these walls and out in the world, we become an example that will inspire others to be more tolerant and forgiving, more inclusive and more loving. Like the Olympic athletes, we are called to live our lives focused on a goal. Our goal is proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. The Olympic Games will be ending soon but the work of building up the Body of Christ in love never ends.
St. John's Church, Richmond, Virginia
Title Image:2024 Olympics, Paris, Redshark News
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