No Auditions Necessary May
12 and 13
Scripture: Ephesians 2
and 4
Today we’re beginning a new sermon
series on spiritual gifts. There are over 20 spiritual gifts listed in the
Bible, and today you’ll find an activity that will begin to teach you about
those gifts. We thought it might be a fun way to help you learn. But teaching
on spiritual gifts must always be framed as part of our larger purpose and
calling. So that’s what we’re going to talk about today. Let’s read.
A well-known blog editor had an
idea: She would try out for the hit show “America’s Got Talent.” Like many of
us, she’s watched the dreams-coming-true performances from people who just want
to make it in the world and wondered if she could be one of them. So she set
out on her journey. It was a long day. She waited in line for hours, with young
and old hope-filled contestants, each awkwardly practicing their unique talent
until their name was called. But one by one, they were sent home, their
American dream dissolving into the American disappointment. Nobody from that
day’s auditions received a call back. Every single one of them was told,
“Thanks for showing up, but you’re not what we’re looking for.” Except for the
blog editor. She was asked to hang back and told that her stand-up comedy
routine was pretty funny. And even though she didn’t make it, that affirmation
was enough. She had been noticed, and in America, she wrote, is the best you can hope for. The best you can hope for is to
get noticed. [1]
When I read that story, something
struck a chord in me. We all have a desire to be noticed, to be recognized, to
be seen, because we want our lives to count. And so we live life as one big
audition, trying to convince others, and ourselves that my life matters, that
my life has purpose. I see this everyday in my house. When I praise one of my
girls for something they’ve done, undoubtedly the other one will say, “Look at me.
Look at what I can do. I’m just as important.” But what my girls don’t know is
that I’ve always seen their significance, and they never had to do anything to
prove it.
This is one of the hardest pieces
of theology to wrap our heads around. We are people of grace, which means that our significance is determined
more by God’s activity than by ours.
We sing a lot about grace, talk a lot about grace, but to embody this
idea that God willingly loves us with a love that is underserved is quite the
challenge. We’re used to proving ourselves; we’re used to working for what we
want and need; we’re conditioned to study, sweat and grimace just so we can
pass the test, cross the finish line, get the job and make it in this world.
But here’s the good news: Long before we put in any effort, God had already
spoken significance over our lives. Listen to what God speaks to the prophet
Jeremiah: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were
born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
Jeremiah wasn’t even a glimmer in his mother’s eye, yet God had his finger on
him. And all Jeremiah could do was receive this promise, this life, as a gift
from God.
It might not always seem like it,
but from the moment you were conceived, and even before that moment in
mysteries I can’t even begin to comprehend, God had his finger on you. Ephesians
calls this “God’s handiwork.” Another translation puts it this way: “You are
who God created you to be.” You hadn’t even proven yourself yet, and God was
still circling your name, calling you, dreaming of fulfilling beautiful
purposes in you and through you. And when we live out our purpose, our
God-given potential, there is rejoicing in the heavens and transformation on
earth. So let’s talk a little bit about purpose.
Purpose is a buzzword in our world.
Everyone’s searching for it; everyone’s trying to nail down an answer to the
age-old question “What on earth am I here for?” And for good reason: we want
our lives to count. There are no shortage of self-help books, ideas and entire
careers that try to help us answer that question. But most of the time, we
start at the wrong place. Let’s look again at Ephesians. Paul writes, “we are
God’s handiwork, created in Christ to do good works, which God prepared in
advance for us to do.” So what’s this have to do with purpose? Everything.
You see, more often than not, our
conversations about purpose usually start with the unholy trinity: me, myself
and I. We ask questions like, “What am I good at? What skills do I have? How do
I fit in? What do I like to do? It’s a very me-centered driven way of thinking.
And that’s understandable because we live in a culture that places a premium on
the individual’s quest for meaning and identity. We spend thousands of dollars
we spend the rest of our lives paying off for a degree that we hope points to
purpose. We buy things we don’t need because we hope they’ll reveal something
deep about why we were born. We stress out over what we’re good at and what
we’re not because we know we only have one shot to live. But faith invites us
to frame our understanding of purpose differently. Because if life truly is a
gift from God, and if we truly are God’s handiwork, then my purpose and your
purpose doesn’t begin with us; it begins with God. The question for us is no
longer, “What is my purpose,” because purpose is found in Christ. Now the
question we ask sounds like this, “What is the purpose God desires to achieve through my life?”
So what does this mean? How we go
about discovering God’s purposes for us. Well, at the very least, it means
“good works.” This was meant by God to be our way of life. Paul says that God
prepared us for good. We’ve been created to do good, because God himself is
good. William Barclay, an old theologian, implies that there’s something wrong with
a faith that doesn’t produce good works because that’s simply not God’s design
for his creation. We are
meant to reflect the character of God, and God is self-giving Love. God
blesses, lifts up, heals and makes new. God sets free. God carries burdens. God
fills our cups. And quite simply, that’s our purpose.
I was spending some time with the
Lord the other morning, reading some Scripture, when Joanna came in and filled
up my coffee cup. And that little act blessed me and set the course for the
day. She had had enough coffee that day, she didn’t need any more, but there
was extra. So she filled up my cup. Whose cup are you filling?
That’s a question about purpose. If the only cup overflowing is yours,
you’re probably missing out on something really important. But when you reach
out to fill another’s cup, you are fulfilling God’s destiny for your life. When
you give your life away, you will find purpose.
Purpose is what Rachel, an up and coming
young track and field participant, found in a stranger one day. As a sophomore
on her high school track and field team, Rachel had just run the race of her
life. But a timing mishap forced a re-run, and her second attempt resulted in a
last place finish. Bursting into tears, Rachel sought out a friend to console
her, not wanting to be alone as she looked back at what she thought would be
one of the worst days of her athletic career. As it turned out, that moment
became one of her best sports experiences ever –thanks to another runner who
gave her one of his medals. "It's not the fact that I didn't get a medal
or first place in the league that I'll remember," Rachel said, "it's
that somebody noticed and that someone cared enough to make my day by giving me
something that meant a lot to them. "That's what I'll remember
forever." That one simple gesture transformed a horrible moment into a
good one. I’d call that “purpose.” [2]
I don’t know anything about this
young man’s faith, but I think it’s safe to say that his gesture has a lot to
teach us about our own. When we give our lives to Jesus, something deeper than
making a heavenly reservation happens to us. We become a part of Jesus. We
become a part of his body, his life, and in a way, we are joined to his hip.
All of which is to say that his purpose
becomes our purpose. And what exactly is God’s purpose? John 10:10 puts it
nicely: “I have come that they may have life and have it to the fullest.” God’s purpose, our purpose, is
to live in a way that helps others come to life.
“The best I can hope for is to be
noticed.” Those were the words I mentioned earlier from the wannabe America’s
Got Talent contestant. But that’s the same yearning that many people are crying
out for today. To be noticed. To be seen. To be wanted. And in Christ, they
are. In Christ, all of creation has a God who has given his best for them. And
your purpose, brothers and sisters, and my purpose, is to join Jesus in his
life-giving mission. That’s how God wants to use you! And the best news is that
God has already called you to do this holy work, and he’s already given you
everything you need to be a part of his plan. There are no special skills required,
no education requirement, no extensive training or extraordinary faith. Just a willingness
to say, “Yes” to filling the cups Jesus brings your way. Just a willingness to
let Jesus grab a hold of your life and fulfill his purposes in and through you.
So are you willing? This will be the greatest adventure of your life, and you
will never have to worry about purpose again. Friends, we have a dying world
that needs our “yes” to God. God
has already given His “yes” to you. Will you give God your “yes” in return?
Amen.
[1] https://jezebel.com/i-auditioned-for-americas-got-talent-to-find-out-if-ive-1792364306
[2] http://www.mcall.com/sports/varsity/mc-district11-track-championships-barkley-panek-20150511-story.html
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