Ordinary Time

Pause

All eyes look to you, hoping,
and you give them their food right on time,
opening your hand
and satisfying the desire of every living thing.

Psalm 145:15-16

Listen

There are different spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; and there are different ministries and the same Lord; and there are different activities but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good.

1 Corinthians 12:4-7

Think

My least favorite personal trait is my competitive drive. You might say, “Wait, what?” Our society definitely pushes us to compete – from sports, to bell-curve grading systems, even community service hours. But God’s not about competition. God’s about collaboration.

God gives each of us different spiritual gifts, not so that we can compete about whose is the best but so that we can all work together to serve the mission of God. It’s like the board game Pandemic. Players work together to try to save the world from disease. The Medic doesn’t compete with the Researcher; they collaborate, using their special gifts, in order to defeat the game.

The Christian life is like that. God has given each of us a gift, not to lord it over others or build a world in which our gift is celebrated and others are ignored but so that we can all work together for the common good. We have to work against society’s call to compete and collaborate – to save the world.

Jordan Haynie Ware

Pray

Almighty God, giver of all good gifts, in your divine providence you have offered a variety of spiritual gifts for the building up of your Church: Grant that each person may use their gifts to support the common good of your people and that I may never forget that our common life depends upon one another’s toil, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 

(Some phrases inspired by the Book of Common Prayer)

Go

My mouth will proclaim the Lord’s praise,
and every living thing will bless God’s holy name
forever and always.

Psalm 145:21