The Perfect Gift
By Rev. Heidi L. Barham | January 15, 2023
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Read 1 Corinthians 1:1 – 9
Our New Testament lesson this morning comes from Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church. Paul founded this church in Corinth on his second missionary journey and he spent roughly 18 months with them there. But while he was on his third missionary journey, Paul received word that the Corinthians were struggling with understanding how they were supposed to live as followers of Christ in the midst of a morally corrupt environment.
Just to give us a little background… the city of Corinth is described in one commentary as “a giant melting pot with a great diversity of wealth, religions, and moral standards.” The city “had a reputation for being fiercely independent and as decadent as any city in the world.” (Life Application Bible, 2005, p. 1912). Truth be told, it does not sound a whole lot different than the world we are living in today.
But the commentary goes on to state that:
…the city’s prosperity made it ripe for all sorts of corruption. Idolatry flourished, and there were more than a dozen pagan temples employing at least a thousand prostitutes. Corinth’s reputation was such that prostitutes in other cities began to be called, “Corinthian girls” (p. 1912).
And that is the world that the Christians in Corinth were confronted with on a daily basis. So, it is not all that surprising that they were having a hard time figuring out how and where they fit within the chaos and confusion that surrounded them.
That is one of the primary reasons why Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians… to teach them how they were to live within such a corrupt society. But let me suggest that not only does Paul’s letter offer words of instruction and encouragement to the Corinthians – it provides words of wisdom that we would also do well to follow.
Now, in these opening lines of Paul’s letter that call for our attention today, he wanted the Corinthians to know that they had been blessed with what could be described as THE PERFECT GIFT… and let me say that it is a gift that keeps on giving… even to this day.
It has only been a few weeks since we came through the Christmas season which is a time when many of us find ourselves on a quest to come up with THE PERFECT GIFT for our loved ones… a gift that we hope will fill their hearts with joy and excitement that will last long after the Christmas holiday has ended.
However, over in James 1:17, we read that, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
That means no matter how “perfect” we think a particular gift may be that we have given our loved one… it cannot possibly compare to THE PERFECT GIFT that we find in the text this morning… and that is the gift of God’s grace.
And it is because of that gift… Paul says believers (both then and now) have been enriched in every way and do not lack any spiritual gift.
That is because THE PERFECT GIFT of God’s grace is sufficient for all of our needs.
That means even in the midst of all the things we see happening in the world around us we have all that we need in order to persevere through whatever hardships and challenges we find ourselves facing.
In fact, later on in this letter to the Corinthians, we find Paul describing a point in his own life when he asked the Lord three times to take away what he referred to as a thorn in his flesh.
But rather than taking the problem away, Paul explains, “…he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (see 2 Corinthians 12:7-10)
I guess you could say that God’s grace is sufficient because it is THE PERFECT GIFT.
Now, you have probably heard it said a time or two before (at least by me, if no else) that grace can be defined as God’s unmerited favor. Or more simply put, getting what we do not deserve.
And without question, we do not deserve THE PERFECT GIFT of grace that God has given to us…
In Romans 5 (6-8), we read:
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Just think about that for a moment, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
While we were still living our lives as though God did not exist, Christ died for us.
While we were still lying, cheating and stealing, Christ died for us.
While we were still causing hurt, harm and danger to others, Christ died for us.
While we were still mumbling, grumbling and complaining about everything and everyone else, Christ died for us.
While we were still holding grudges and withholding forgiveness from one another, Christ died for us.
While we were doing all that and more… Christ died for us.
How could anyone call that anything less than amazing? God’s grace made provision for us to have access to everlasting life through Jesus… while we were still sinners.
God literally gave us the greatest gift that ever has been or ever will be given… His Son and our Savior, Jesus the Christ. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should be perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
Now, in response to THE PERFECT GIFT, we are called to love… to love God and to love one another… to extend to them the gift of grace that has been given to us… to forgive as we have been forgiven… to build each other up rather than tear each other down… to live together in unity.
For some that may seem like a bit of a tall order but it is certainly not impossible… for “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
Now, this weekend our nation is once again celebrating the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And tomorrow, we will recognize the official Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. According to the Department of the Interior website, MLK Day is the only federal holiday that is also designated by Congress as a National Day of Service. It is to be commemorated as “A day on, not a day off.”
Dr. King understood that serving others is what breaks down barriers, builds bridges, and brings us ever closer to what he referred to as the beloved community.
According to The King Center which is the memorial institution that was founded by his widow, Coretta Scott King, to further his goals:
Dr. King's Beloved Community is a global vision in which all people can share in the wealth of the earth. In the Beloved Community, poverty, hunger and homelessness will not be tolerated because international standards of human decency will not allow it. Racism and all forms of discrimination, bigotry and prejudice will be replaced by an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood. (As referenced: The Beloved Community: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Prescription for a Healthy Society | HuffPost Latest News)
Sounds a lot like what Jesus taught about loving others and seeing that their needs are met… noting that when we serve others, we are in essence serving Him… for whatever we do for the least of these (the hungry, the poor, the sick, homeless and imprisoned), He says we are doing for Him… (see Matthew 25:34 – 46).
But there is something else that Jesus said about serving that we read in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” … it is a reminder to us that if even Jesus came to serve, who are we not to do the same?
Now, perhaps you have heard me share an excerpt or two in the past from a sermon Dr. King gave entitled the “Drum Major Instinct,” which he delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church just two months before he was assassinated…
I hope that you will humor me as I once again share just a portion of what Dr. King said back in 1968 that I think still bears relevance for us today. In fact, there are many of Dr. King’s sermons and speeches that require only a slight change in a name or date or a few other particular details… and they remain just as applicable today as they were when he originally wrote them… it is what made him a truly prophetic preacher.
Dr. King used Mark 10:35-45 as the text for the sermon… it is the story of James and John’s asking for positions of prominence… to be able to sit at Jesus’ right and left in glory… which Jesus explained was not for Him to grant… further explaining that whoever wanted to be great must become a servant.
Dr. King used this passage to illustrate how the United States had gotten things wrong in its quest to be the supreme super power, particularly when it came to our involvement in the Vietnam War. This is what Dr. King said:
But this is why we are drifting. And we are drifting there because nations are caught up with the drum major instinct. “I must be first.” “I must be supreme.” “Our nation must rule the world.” And I am sad to say that the nation in which we live is the supreme culprit. And I’m going to continue to say it to America, because I love this country too much to see the drift that it has taken.
God didn’t call America to do what she’s doing in the world now. God didn’t call America to engage in a senseless, unjust war as the war in Vietnam. And
we are criminals in that war. We’ve committed more war crimes almost than any nation in the world, and I’m going to continue to say it. And we won’t stop it because of our pride and our arrogance as a nation.
But God has a way of even putting nations in their place. The God that I worship has a way of saying, “Don’t play with me.” He has a way of saying, as the God of the Old Testament used to say to the Hebrews, “Don’t play with me, Israel. Don’t play with me, Babylon. Be still and know that I’m God. And if you don’t stop your reckless course, I’ll rise up and break the backbone of your power.” And that can happen to America. Every now and then I go back and read Gibbons’ Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. And when I come and look at America, I say to myself, the parallels are frightening. And we have perverted the drum major instinct.
But let me rush on to my conclusion, because I want you to see what Jesus was really saying. What was the answer that Jesus gave these men? It’s very interesting. One would have thought that Jesus would have condemned them. One would have thought that Jesus would have said, “You are out of your place. You are selfish. Why would you raise such a question?”
But that isn’t what Jesus did; he did something altogether different. He said in
substance, “Oh, I see, you want to be first. You want to be great. You want to be important. You want to be significant. Well, you ought to be. If you’re going to be my disciple, you must be.” But he reordered priorities. And he said, “Yes, don’t give up this instinct. It’s a good instinct if you use it right. It’s a good instinct if you don’t distort it and pervert it. Don’t give it up. Keep feeling the need for being important. Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be first in love. I want you to be first in moral excellence. I want you to be first in generosity. That is what I want you to do.”
And he transformed the situation by giving a new definition of greatness. And you know how he said it? He said, “Now brethren, I can’t give you greatness. And really, I can’t make you first.” This is what Jesus said to James and John. “You must earn it. True greatness comes not by favoritism, but by fitness. And the right hand and the left are not mine to give, they belong to those who are prepared.”
And so Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. If you want to be important—
wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That’s a new definition of greatness.
And this morning, the thing that I like about it: by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.
You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.
And you can be that servant. (The Drum Major Instinct (emu.edu))
God didn’t call America to do what she’s doing in the world now. God didn’t call America to engage in a senseless, unjust war as the war in Vietnam. And
we are criminals in that war. We’ve committed more war crimes almost than any nation in the world, and I’m going to continue to say it. And we won’t stop it because of our pride and our arrogance as a nation.
But God has a way of even putting nations in their place. The God that I worship has a way of saying, “Don’t play with me.” He has a way of saying, as the God of the Old Testament used to say to the Hebrews, “Don’t play with me, Israel. Don’t play with me, Babylon. Be still and know that I’m God. And if you don’t stop your reckless course, I’ll rise up and break the backbone of your power.” And that can happen to America. Every now and then I go back and read Gibbons’ Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. And when I come and look at America, I say to myself, the parallels are frightening. And we have perverted the drum major instinct.
But let me rush on to my conclusion, because I want you to see what Jesus was really saying. What was the answer that Jesus gave these men? It’s very interesting. One would have thought that Jesus would have condemned them. One would have thought that Jesus would have said, “You are out of your place. You are selfish. Why would you raise such a question?”
But that isn’t what Jesus did; he did something altogether different. He said in
substance, “Oh, I see, you want to be first. You want to be great. You want to be important. You want to be significant. Well, you ought to be. If you’re going to be my disciple, you must be.” But he reordered priorities. And he said, “Yes, don’t give up this instinct. It’s a good instinct if you use it right. It’s a good instinct if you don’t distort it and pervert it. Don’t give it up. Keep feeling the need for being important. Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be first in love. I want you to be first in moral excellence. I want you to be first in generosity. That is what I want you to do.”
And he transformed the situation by giving a new definition of greatness. And you know how he said it? He said, “Now brethren, I can’t give you greatness. And really, I can’t make you first.” This is what Jesus said to James and John. “You must earn it. True greatness comes not by favoritism, but by fitness. And the right hand and the left are not mine to give, they belong to those who are prepared.”
And so Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. If you want to be important—
wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That’s a new definition of greatness.
And this morning, the thing that I like about it: by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.
You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.
And you can be that servant. (The Drum Major Instinct (emu.edu))
So just how does one acquire a heart full of grace and where does one obtain a soul generated by love?
We do not have to look hard or search far… because God has already given us THE PERFECT GIFT of His grace to fill our hearts… each one of us has been created with a soul that was generated from God’s great love for us so that every one of us can be that servant… by following the example that Jesus set for us…
In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians (2:4 – 8) he said it like this:
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
It is as simple as that. We are God’s handiwork and we have been created in Christ Jesus to do good works… to love and to serve like Him.
Yes, we have been given THE PERFECT GIFT and it is truly amazing. And with that thought in mind, won’t you stand now and join in singing our Hymn of Discipleship: Amazing Grace #546.
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