January 21, 2025 

Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Daily Lectionary: Joel 1:1-20; Romans 10:1-21

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in every one.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

Paul is laying out for the Corinthians a whole long list of spiritual Gifts. Right after this section, He uses the example of a body and how there are many different members that make up the whole. None is more important than another. None is greater or worse. It is in that way, then, that he explains that the Gifts they might hold mean nothing for the individual.

We don’t see the types of spiritual Gifts that Paul is talking about much in the Church anymore. They seem to have died out within the first couple of centuries, which is all fine and good. They were given in order to move forward, jump start if you will, the early Church, and the proclamation of the Gospel throughout the world… But that doesn’t mean that this section of Scripture still isn’t important for us. For what Paul says about spiritual Gifts holds true for the Gifts that you and I have been given by our Heavenly Father as well. And these Gifts which we have been given, some of which I have that you lack, some of which you have that I don’t, are to be used for the good of the whole Body of Christ, for the good of your neighbor.

It is a selfless way of thinking, then, that can only be taught to us by our Head, by Christ. In the same way in which He selflessly loved His neighbor, we, too, are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. Christ gives us Gifts so that we can be a blessing to others. The Gifts we have do not make us greater in the sight of God but instead have been given so that where our neighbor lacks, we can be of service and fill him up.

This is the way of the Church. This is what it means to be the Body of Christ: First, we receive all that is good from our God above (First Article gifts Creation; Second Article gifts of Redemption; Third Article gifts of Sanctification, of being made holy as we receive in time and place the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation), then, through Him, because Christ first loved us, we lovingly do good for our neighbor.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Holy Spirit, the wind of great power, Source of strength and of peace and of love, Truest Comforter, plead, As You bring all our need To the throne of God’s glory above. Be the light that enlightens the Scriptures; Keep our feet from each devilish snare; Only You can make whole All that troubles our soul; By Your chrism Christ’s triumph we share. (LSB 502:4)

-Rev. Eli Lietzau, pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.

What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.