‘The Church of England is the ancient church of this land, catholic and reformed’ says the Revised Catechism and though some parishes go very much for being ‘catholic’ and others ‘reformed’ here at St Wilfrid’s we hold the careful balance implied in our formularies. When St Wilfrid’s was dedicated in 1865 the sense of the Church of England being part of the ‘one, holy, catholic and apostolic church’ was being recovered by the Oxford movement rebalancing from the ascendant reformed or even Protestant tendency of that age.
150 years or so on there is another rebalancing going on of which I was reminded both by today’s second reading and by listening again to Andrew Marr’s Start the Week of 22 November on Christianity’s Changing Fortunes where the focus was predominantly on Pentecostalism. When I was diocesan mission & renewal advisor we reckoned half of church attenders in Sussex were Pentecostalists of one shade or another from The Point Anglican and other fresh expressions, meeting in warehouses and schools, across to denominational Pentecostals.
In 2022 with the Catholic and Evangelical tendency we now have the charismatic or Pentecostal tendency a century or so old. This draws strength from the ‘charisms’ or gifts of the Spirit listed in the 12th Chapter of the first letter of St Paul to Corinth with its teaching about supernatural empowerment. As Anglicans we read this passage on Sunday every three years in January and it fashions a good preparation for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. During the vacancy I had the privilege of presiding at a service in Holy Week on behalf of St Wilfrid’s that drew in our local Pentecostals, Ruwach Christian Church, which is probably the youngest church in Haywards Heath both in origin and age profile. Pastor Tom Partis attended Fr Edward’s induction service. If we want to take a leaf out of Ruwach’s book it's the 1 Corinthians 12 leaf or page in our bible that’s just been read to us.
Concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. Paul says in verse 1 and Pentecostalists it must be admitted are more informed than Anglicans. The Apostle goes on to explain in verses 2 and 3 that ministry in the Church is animated by supernatural empowerment through the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus. He outlines the glorious diversity of ministry gifts there are in Corinth, reminding those who have them that what they’ve been given is given not for them but for the building up of the body of Christ. In this passage Paul lists supernatural gifts – wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, speaking in tongues and the gift to interpret that. We need to read this list though alongside two other lists of ministries Paul gives in Romans 12, where he adds the more natural gifts of serving, teaching, exhortation, generosity and leadership and Ephesians 4, where he adds apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastors.
Let’s look at verses 4 to 7 of today’s reading: 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
In his first letter to Corinth Paul’s chapter 12 and 14 are about supernatural gifts and their use for the common good. These two chapters – 14 is mainly about speaking in tongues – have the famous one on love, Chapter 13 in the midst. Paul lists the empowering gifts and goes on to say they’re all great but will go nowhere unless you use them lovingly, submitting to the body of Christ as a whole. He says elsewhere that no Christian can be right with God unless they’re right with those over them in the Lord. To best use what God has given us we need to use it in an authorised way and not freelance. Otherwise we see body breaking and not body building! Such body breaking occurred a century ago when groups in the mainline churches rediscovered the supernatural gifts, sadly got their marching orders and founded Pentecostal Churches!
Let’s read on, verses 8 to 11: 8To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10to 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. 11 All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
A few brief points. The Greek word for gifts is charismata. The first two charismatic gifts in v8, wisdom and knowledge are the capacity to receive supernatural information about situations through which God can change things. What a difference these can make to a Church! When God gives you an insight and you follow it things flow relatively easily as you persevere in pressing forward. At St Wilfrid's and the Presentation we need that gift to better plan our services, their timing and how we best link in to our greatest youth and family resource, St Wilfrid’s School.
When in verse 9 we read of the gift of Faith that’s not the faith by which we believe but a special gift linked to believing God for something special. It's possible that such a gift of faith may emerge to invest in our worship ministry and school liaison. If that needs more money the gift of faith about it would link to conviction God has such funding up his sleeve awaiting release. God’s work brings with it God’s supernatural provision.
The next two charismatic gifts are named healing and miracles in v9 and 10. One of the encouraging signs in our life together is the evidence of answered prayer not least from those on our prayer list, even if those answers are manifested at times in the midst of great suffering.
Prophecy and discernment v10 are capacities to help the church see the way ahead. Elsewhere Paul says the church is founded upon ‘the apostles and prophets’. The Rector and PCC share an apostolic function into which members relay creative suggestions, some of which are prophetic. Those that are prophetic, truly of God, are taken on, taken forward and shown to be so by their effectiveness and fruitfulness.
Tongues and interpretation are similarly gifts of empowerment some of us have received linked to deepening prayer and praise in individuals for the common good. Speaking in tongues isn’t ecstatic or hysterical but something you can do before breakfast. It’s a gift many Christians have received through the ages which helps believers pray as the Holy Spirit leads for what the Holy Spirit wants. It is a devotional aid that helps build more praise and intercession in the life of the Church. The gift of interpretation, rarely used in Anglican circles, comes into play when tongues are rather exceptionally used aloud at services.
If we at St Wilfrid’s and The Presentation are going to deepen our life and grow new members we need to make space for the exercise of both natural and supernatural ministry gifts. We need to recognise that these gifts are to be exercised under authority, ultimately that of the bishop. The Church needs and has been provided with that safe structure, just like our natural bodies need our skeletons. As Anglicans we are blessed with such apostolic order but not always with the apostolic vitality of our sister Pentecostalists. Like them we need the Holy Spirit’s giftings and vitalitisation to clothe the skeleton, so to speak, of the apostolic order of holy church. We don’t want to be the dry bones mentioned in the book of Ezekiel. To that intent I suggest each of us prays daily ‘Come, Holy Spirit’ as part of offering our lives to God first thing every morning. When you pray that prayer you see spiritual needs and opportunities and the hand of God working in your life in the hours that follow. I know this from when I forget to pray ‘Come, Holy Spirit’ and my day turns rather useless!
One last clarification on the gifts of the Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians. The bible many times compares believers to trees that bear fruit. It says we’ll be judged ultimately by the fruit of the Spirit we bear – love, joy, peace and so on. In this passage Paul is speaking not of fruitfulness but of empowerment gifts that are ours to serve the church’s fruitfulness. It’s not a fruit tree image for the church but a Christmas tree image! We’ve been disposing of our Christmas trees this month. Presents hung on a Christmas tree can be taken off by people. They don’t grow from the Christmas tree as fruit grows from an apple tree.
You and I are called to bear fruit, the church is called to bear fruit, but we also get gifts given us by God that don’t come from us but are given to empower others when they receive them. People given gifts of healing are given them by the one Spirit not from out of themselves but from God above. What they’re given is given to bring blessing to others. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
May the Lord who alerts us this morning to seeking his spiritual gifts equip us with them as we welcome his new wine at this eucharist! Come, Holy Spirit and equip us to serve!
