Discussion or Journaling
Have you ever had to tell someone that is older than you that they are wrong? If you did, how did that feel? If you did not, what prevented you from doing so? Share the story.
Today’s reading is 1 Corinthians 12:1-13
Gospel reflection
The big take away from this reading in Corinthians is that Paul is teaching that all spiritual gifts of the community are needed and are equal. That each gift is needed to help the community grow.
Today, I also want to you to review the 1 Samual 3:1-19. In this passage, we read about a young Samual who receives a call from God. He is unsure of what he is hearing and is told by his mentor, Eli to answer it. Samual answers the call and is given a message from God that Eli and his house will be punished for the iniquity that he knew. Samual lies awake until morning when Eli asked him to share what God’s message had been. Samual tells Eli. Eli’s response is “It is the Lord, let him do what seems good to him”.
No one, except God, was expecting this type of message for Samual. A message that he would be charged with telling his mentor, someone that Samual loved and admired, that Eli had made poor decisions in the past and it was time to deal with those. Time and time again in scripture we find that God calls the young. That older ones must accept this and teach the young to listen and respond, even if it means that the young will point out the flaws of the old. Our world can feel very broken and full of pain right now. We are dealing with a pandemic, the loss of dreams and hopes for this summer, the truth that we will not be able to gather the way we want for several more months, a reminder of police brutality and a system of systemic racism and white supremacy that we must ALL be apart of solving. Much of the messaging I received when I was young was that with time, energy, and education I could one day work to be apart of the solution. That was a misleading message. The truth is, as a young person, you have the spiritual gifts, passions, and ability to be a part of a solution right now. Education is important at every age, you should continue to pursue knowledge, and grow all your life. Learning new things can take time, and be a challenging experience for us. This too never stops, at every age, I am learning new things about myself and the world that I want to be apart of. No one can tell you who you are and what you are capable of, except for God.
I am finding hope, joy, peace, and love in the actions of many people, young and old. I see everyday people making corrections, holding one another accountable for their words and actions. I see young people using their gifts and passions to make a better world for us all. I see older people making space at the microphone for the young. I see a world that is full of love and promise. You do not need to wait to use your gifts, you have them now. You do not need to wait to learn about the hurts of the world, you know them now.
Paul teaches that we are all to use our gifts for the good of the community. What are your gifts? How can you use them?
Activity suggestions
If you have not done so before, take a spiritual gift assessment. Nativity has one line that will only take you minutes to complete. https://www.nativitychurch.org/spiritual-gifts/ Once you are familiar with your gifts you can start the process of thinking about how you can use those gifts to lift up others.
The Student Action Leadership Team is working to create learning and growth opportunities for us all to become better educated around difficult topics. How we as a community can be a part of a lasting solution and work to be advocates and allies to others. If you would like to be a part of this team or wish it receive information as it is available, please contact Heather.
Closing prayer
God almighty, creator of love, your steady hand guides us and leads us. Give us the tools to see your love around us, and lead us to share your love. AMEN