Devotion from the past … 2002
Read 1 Cor. 1:3–9
Gift List
Funny, isn’t it, how our gift lists change as we age. We go from ice skates to orthopedic
shoes and from Legos to nose hair trimmers in just 40 or 50 short Christmases! And
when we compare our gift lists from younger days to what our students ask for, there
simply is no comparison—even if we check it twice.
Okay, so maybe you’re one of our younger educators—one of those incredible twenty or
thirty somethings that bless Lutheran schools and congregations. You might not need
bifocals to see visions of dancing sugar plums, but you also can attest to changes from
Christmases past.
The older you get, the less you need—unless we’re talking about medications and time
to figure out the latest software. This is true of spiritual gifts, something Paul tells us we
already have in today’s Bible reading. Paul says that we have the spiritual gifts we need
to do God’s work. Let’s think about a few of these gifts.
First, salvation is the most important gift we already possess. Advent season offers
many opportunities to experience the anticipation that godly people felt for centuries
before the Savior was born. The first Christmas present was not on everyone’s gift list.
Some wanted a political hero. Others wanted a king to lead them as a sovereign nation.
Instead, typical of God, they got Someone better than that for which they wished.
Second, faith is a gift of the spirit without which we couldn’t receive the first blessing
listed above. How could we put the complete impact of faith into a word or two on a gift
list? We might find several synonyms for faith, but nothing in human language can truly
describe this miracle, common among believers.
Third, other spiritual gifts come in more varieties of designs and colors than sweaters in
an L. L. Bean catalog. We have a complete collection of these spiritual gifts in the people
who teach in Lutheran schools and congregations. What is the color of your spiritual
gifts? What designs grace your specific ministry? Don’t be shy now. Show off some of
the gifts given you by the Holy Spirit.
Do you remember younger days when you awaited Christmas? Anticipation was as slow
and thick as ketchup in a bottle. Okay, so that’s not an original metaphor, but do you
remember the delightful days when you could hardly wait to open your presents? (For
some of us, that was about 12 months ago.) You wondered if you would get a gift from
your gift list—or maybe several gifts from your list.
In contrast, our spiritual gifts may no longer be a surprise, though the Holy Spirit can
give new gifts at will (God’s). Knowing many of those gifts already doesn’t decrease their
usefulness or pleasure. Instead, as Paul says, we use them as we eagerly await the next
coming of the Savior.
Spiritual gifts are the only gifts we really need. That’s not to say that childlike mirth
during Advent is out of place nor need we abandon our gift lists. In fact, when it comes to
spiritual gifts, it’s appropriate to ask for more. So go ahead and share your gift list with
the Holy Spirit. Then be sure to unwrap your presents for all your students to enjoy.
Prayer Thought: Tell God your gift list. He’s already given you the Savior and the Spirit,
but He might have a few more gifts that are yours for the asking.
Written by Ed Grube
© 2002 Lutheran Education Association, River Forest, Ill.
Read this devotion in pdf format.