Eyes to See Giftedness

by The Rev. Donna Whitmore

1 Corinthians 12

1 Corinthians 12 has long been a favorite passage of mine as it deals with the giftedness that God has endowed to each person. For many years I read everything I could get my hands on regarding this passage, attended workshops and taught adult education classes on spiritual gifts. I administered various spiritual gift indicator tests and coached individuals in finding the unique giftedness they possessed.

Within people, I saw a hunger to explore their uniqueness, to name their gifts and to see the value of their giftedness in furthering the mission in and outside the faith community. The church has often mirrored society’s values and I saw this to be true in the recognition given to those with charismatic personalities and up-front gifts like public speaking. So, using 1 Corinthians 12 as my soapbox, I became a strong advocate for the priesthood of all believers and for unleashing the giftedness of the laity for the health and mission of the church.

Chapter 12 is set within the larger context of 1 Corinthians where the Apostle Paul is describing the nature of the church. 1 Corinthians 12 starts out, “Now about spiritual gifts, I do not want you to be ignorant.” There is something interesting in these words, “I do not want you to be ignorant.” That phrase is an emphatic idiom in the Greek, a phrase which has a very strong emphasis. It is used only four other times in the New Testament, each time linked with one of the primary doctrines of the Christian faith. It is found in 1 Corinthians 10:1 where it deals with sin, in 2 Corinthians 1:8 where it deals with the issue of faith, in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 where it has to do with the resurrection of believers and in 2 Peter 3:8 where it talks about the judgment of unbelievers. I would conclude that the use of the Greek word ranks this passage as crucial to our understanding about the nature of the church.

Paul is addressing a conflict which has arisen in the church at Corinth. They were exercising spiritual gifts, but Paul points out that they were emphasizing and honoring certain gifts to the neglect and disregard of others. Does that sound familiar to what is happening in the church today? Those with the more up front gifts were honored and applauded and other people’s gifts were being ignored and even devalued for the functioning of the church.

Paul doesn’t just say that all gifts are important. He uses the imagery of the human body 16 times in two chapters to describe the church. He says that the very unity and strength of the church rests in its diversity of giftedness. He argues for interdependence among the members of the household of faith, where the lie that “we can make it on our own” is exposed. And then, in verse 22 he argues for respecting and valuing the contributions of those members who appear to be inferior. I always thought of this as those people, like me, who had more hidden or less public gifts.

A rather jolting realization came to me about 10 years ago. I began to know persons with developmental disabilities and persons who were non-verbal. As I spent time with them and got to know them, I found myself ministered to by them in a very powerful way. In my ignorance, I was surprised by the power of their giftedness. Using a phrase coined by Jean Vanier, I came to experience an “intelligence of the heart” which many people who are non-verbal or developmentally disabled possess. A story from the Seattle Special Olympics held a number of years ago illustrates this “intelligence of the heart.”

What a promise the day held for both contestant and their supporters! When it was time for the 100 yard dash, nine athletes gathered, all with physical or developmental disabilities. At the signal, they were off!

A collective gasp went up from the audience, however, when one of the contestants stumbled and fell. The boy began to cry. To the spectators, it appeared that hopes of this brave young athlete were shattered.

The other runners heard the boy’s distress and paused. They knew just what to do. Instead of rejoicing because there was one less competitor, they gathered, one by one, around the fallen athlete. Then, they linked arms — all nine of them — and walked together to the finish line. That day the audience learned that participation is more than “winning.” That we can all reach the “finish line” better by linking arms.

This story is a beautiful image of 1 Corinthians 12:22 which says that “while some parts of the body may seem more essential and worthy of praise, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable … and God gives them greater honor!” The crowd in the stands of that Seattle Special Olympics meet saw this lived out on that spring day.

Do we experience the indispensable gifts of those deemed to be weaker in our churches? Does this passage not imply that when so-called “weaker members” do not have a valid place in the life of the church, we are ALL diminished and weakened?

Often the church, like society, reflects the structures of preference and power. We may be deeply involved in service to those we think of as poor and needy, but even our service can reflect the attitude that we are the ones who have the gifts to share. We set the agenda, we stay in charge and we choose when it is convenient for us to serve. Those to whom we minister are those who need us and are incomplete without us. Noted author Jean Vanier says “is it any wonder that persons who have been rejected by society are sick and tired of ‘good’ and ‘generous’ Christians, Christians who come on their pedestals of pride and power to do them good? They are waiting for someone who really cares and who recognizes their gifts and their beauty.” (1)

Many of our churches struggle to extend our community to those who are vulnerable or “seemingly” weaker. In many cases we have not allowed the vulnerable to be “one of us.”

1 Corinthians 12:12-17 teaches us how to do this. It teaches us to have “a theology of welcome” which involves both giving and receiving.

The late Henri Nouwen, Catholic priest and popular author, first learned this as he was involved in ministry with persons who were poor in Bolivia and Peru. His concept of missionary service was transformed when he learned that perhaps the most important thing he could do as a missionary was to receive the giftedness of those to whom he came to serve.

In his book !Gracias!, Nouwen says, “It is hard for me to accept that the best I can do is probably not to give but to receive. By receiving in a true and open way, those who give to me can become aware of their own gifts. We come to recognize our gifts in the eyes of those who receive them gratefully.” (2)

Isn’t this passage in 1 Corinthians 12 an invitation to be ministered to by those who have been formerly overlooked and perhaps even marginalized? It is an invitation to look at those who appear to be weak with new eyes — eyes that see them as gifted and as having something to offer back — a mutuality of relationship.

Receiving from others is a humbling matter. John Perkins, a well-known Christian activist, adds, “When you make the commitment to be more than a giver and to be a receiver too, you begin to move from the role of a caseworker to that of a convert.” (3) This is when the true nature of the church is revealed.

I experienced this conversion in my freshman year in college. Several of my friends talked with me unceasingly about accompanying them to be with the children at the United Cerebral Palsy Center. I said, “Oh no! That is not me. I don’t know anything about children with disabilities! That is not in my area of giftedness.” I had never been around children with disabilities and I didn’t want to be in an uncomfortable situation — one where my Christian compassion would be shaky at best.

Well, my friends did not give up. They wore me down with their invitations and finally I said I would go. So I went — dragging my feet every step of the way!

You can imagine where this story is going. I immediately fell in love with these children. They radiated joy and delight in life. They welcomed me and accepted me unconditionally — it didn’t matter if I “knew how to be with them” — being with them was all that mattered! They exuberantly showered me with love. I saw them as the image of Christ made visible to me. It was so powerful! I went in weakness, with not much to offer — but I discovered a deeper sense of service than I had ever experienced by becoming a recipient of their love, their joy, their sense of wonder about life and their gifts.

I was transformed because my service wasn’t based on me and my power or my strengths. I was the vulnerable one! This was when my service was offered most humbly and when I lived out

1 Corinthians 12 by letting those with gifts I needed for my wholeness minister to me.

Those who are around persons who have disabilities tell countless stories of the giftedness of persons they have experienced in sometimes simple, yet profoundly beautiful and deep ways.

In his book The Broken Body (4), Jean Vanier says, “To give life is to be full of sacred wonder and reverence in front of the mystery of the person; it is to see the beauty within and beyond all that is broken. To love is not to give of our riches, but to reveal to others their riches, their gifts, their value and to trust them and their capacity to grow.” This is a profound statement to which we are called in 1 Corinthians 12.

Henri Nouwen discovered this in the person of Adam, a man with severe mental retardation. He could not speak or care for himself in any way. Of him Nouwen said, “He (Adam) was my friend, my teacher, my spiritual director, my counselor, my minister. By his very life he was the most radical witness to the truth of our lives that I have ever encountered.” (5)

In our service to others — ministry to children in our Christian education programs, tutoring or mentoring at-risk youth, serving dinner to those who are homeless, or relating to persons who have disabilities — God invites us to see the image of Christ reflected in their personhood and in the God-given gifts they have to contribute. So hear the call of God from 1 Corinthians 12 to reveal to people their beauty and their place in the heart of God. Let those who appear weak … or vulnerable … or disabled minister to you with their gifts. As a result, Christ will be glorified and the Body of Christ will be united and made whole, fully representing the fullness of God! Amen.

Footnotes

1. Jean Vanier, The Broken Body, DLT, page 78
2. Henri Nouwen, !Gracias!, Orbus Books, page16
3. John Perkins, Beyond Charity, Baker, page 28
4. Jean Vanier, Broken Body, DLT, pages 79-80
5. Henri Nouwen, Adam, Orbus Books, page 56