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Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit. 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: 1-11) Reflection Do you have those friends that you turn to often for advice? Perhaps one who has a talent for interior design. Another knows a lot about plants and gardening. One in the medical field can be really useful. Often one area of expertise seems to be more valuable than another. I’ve been fortunate to be a full-time Mom for the last 11 years. As I contemplate reentering the work force, I evaluate my skills. Experience in cleaning up spills, refereeing sibling squabbles and reading the same book 300 times doesn’t seem to be much of a resume builder. What do I excel at? I guess my friends do turn to me for parenting advice. Paul tells us that all gifts come from God, and all are for the common good. One is not better than another, but all are activated by the Spirit. How can you use your gifts to proclaim Jesus as Lord today? --Erin Hayes Prayer Lord, thank you for the variety of gifts that you give your children. Help me to use my gifts to serve you and others. Amen. Our devotions are based on this Sunday’s Revised Common Lectionary (RCL). The RCL is a three-year cycle of readings telling the story of our Christian faith and corresponding to the season church calendar. On any given Sunday, we are hearing and praying and examining the same Scripture with millions of Christians around the world. In our current Year C, the Old Testament readings progress through the Prophets and have the theme of the day that it is connected to the Gospel reading. The Psalm, a song the congregation sings in response to the Old Testament reading, most often corresponds to the theme of the Hebrew Lessons and/or that of the Gospel Lesson. The lesson from the Epistles or from Acts typifies the church’s focus on the meaning of Christ for today. The Gospel lesson is connected to the season of the Church Year. This year, our gospel readings are from Luke, who writes that Jesus is the universal Savior and the perfect Son of Man. In the current season of Epiphany, Christ is revealed, the disciples are called, and we see the early ministry of Jesus.
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