Service with a Smile:
Finding Your Place
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:12-27
[Show Antz video, pre-title segment]
There is within each of us,
a longing to be useful,
to be needed,
to contribute to the lives of others
in a meaningful way,
a desire to know
that we’ve made a difference to someone,
a hunger to be a part
of something important,
something worthwhile,
something great.
You’ve felt it, haven’t you?
Maybe you’re even feeling it now.
And yet, so often we feel exactly the opposite,
unimportant,
insignificant,
like that poor ant
in the video segment we just saw,
who was the middle child--
do we have any middle children here?
Raise your hands--any middle children here?
. . . Any of you who were the middle child
in a family of 50 million?
I didn’t think so.
But even so,
whether we’re firstborns like
Brittany Lillibridge and
Grace Manka and
Jane Beck and
Matt Jarvi,
or middle children like
Robin Hostetler,
Pete Conner,
Eliah Seal,
Traister Oglesbee, and
Sara Zimmer,
or the youngest in the family, like
me, like
Elissa Hostetler,
Holly Isaacs,
Shawn Johnson,
Sass Campbell,
Amy Johnson, and--so far!--
Nicholas Wellman,
(and I know I left out a lot of you)
but regardless of where we fit in--or didn’t--
in our families,
we all long to fit in somewhere,
to believe that we’re important,
that we have something to offer,
that we’re not insignificant,
but that somewhere there is a place,
a role,
a function,
where we can fit in and do something important,
something valuable and fulfilling.
And it is my prayer and purpose this morning for God to answer those longings and help each one of us here find our place in his plan and in his church.
Good morning. My name is Bob Hostetler, and
this morning at Cobblestone Community Church this morning we are concluding a four-week series of messages from the Bible, entitled “Serving with a Smile,” a series based on our firm conviction that it is possible to for all of us
to have FUN and find FULFILLMENT
in glorifying God and serving others
in his church.
And we believe that the way to do that involves:
• finding your passion, which we discussed three weeks ago,
• finding your spiritual gifts, which we discussed on November 12,
• finding your style, which we covered last Sunday, and
• finding your place, which is our subject this morning.
You see, we here at Cobblestone Community Church are preparing to launch a distinctly
community-oriented,
student-friendly,
seeker-aware,
outward-focused church here in Oxford
on Palm Sunday, April 8, 2001.
But before we do that, we believe it’s important that every person who chooses to be involved in that process get a good, solid grip on his or her
passion,
spiritual gifts,
and personal style,
and figure out what areas of service
to God and others intersects with those things,
so as to find the place
where you can have a blast
and feel gratified and fulfilled
because of the ease and effectiveness
you’re experienceing in what you’re doing for God.
So, let’s get started by turning in the Bible to the New Testament book of 1 Corinthians. . .
1 Corinthians chapter twelve.
We were in this chapter just two weeks ago,
when we discussed spiritual gifts,
and we’re actually going to pick up
where we left off back then.
By the way, if you’re here without a Bible of your own this morning, we’ve provided Bibles for you in the center of each table and we hope, if you don’t have a Bible of your own, that you’ll do us the favor of taking one of ours home with you . . .
No strings attached!
So, having said all that,
let’s look at 1 Corinthians, chapter twelve. . . .
It’s on page ___ if you’re reading from one of the
table Bibles today . . .
And I want to encourage you
with three crucial things
the Bible has to say
to any of you here this morning
who are interested in finding your place.
Look at verse 12 of 1 Corinthians 12,
while I explain first, that we call this book of the Bible 1 Corinthians because it is the first of two surviving letters Paul the Apostle wrote to Christians living in Corinth, this 1 Corinthians.
So I’ll ask you to look at the text with me,
1 Corinthians 12:12, and to recognize, first of all, that:
1. There’s a Place for You (vv. 12-13)
Having just talked about the different spiritual gifts that God gives to everyone in the church, the Apostle Paul goes on in this letter to set up a metaphor in verse 12, which he keeps using then for the rest of this chapter. Look at it in verse 12:
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body- whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free- and we were all given the one Spirit to drink (1 Corinthians 12:12-13, NIV).
You see, the church is--or should be--
a place where each individual,
every person,
is valued as a part of the whole.
Paul says, “just as the human body is a single unit
made up of many individual parts,
“So it is with Christ.”
My brother or sister,
whether you are Jew or Greek,
slave or free,
right-handed or left-handed,
blonde or brunette,
male or female,
short or tall,
Democrat or Republican--I mean it, now--
married or single,
whether you drink Diet Mountain Dew
like me and Mark Oglesbee
or that frou-frou Perrier water like Jon Montani,
there is a place for you here,
at Cobblestone Community Church,
among your brothers and sisters in Christ.
But let’s get a little more specific. Look at verse 14 with me, because I also want to urge each one here today to recognize that . . .
2. There’s a Unique Place for You (vv. 14-20)
Look at what Paul says:
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body (1 Corinthians 12:14-20, NIV).
“In fact,” The Bible says, “God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.”
In other words, God has arranged a place for you in the body of Christ, in the family of God,
that is unique to you,
and I believe that it’s a place that corresponds to your passion,
your spiritual gifts,
and your personal style. . . .
and to the needs of this church and community.
Now you and I may not yet know what that is--
or, then again, maybe you do--
but one thing’s for sure: God does!
He knows just how and where you fit in,
because he’s wisely and lovingly designed you,
and arranged for you to fulfill his design
in a way that pleases him,
fulfills you,
and benefits every one of us.
You see, there is a unique place for you
in the church that stretches all the way around the globe, from here to Mandalay and back again,
and in this local church that we call
Cobblestone Community Church.
But that’s still not the end of it. Let me point you to verse 21, because I also want to urge you to recognize that . . .
3. There’s an Important Place for You
(vv. 21-27)
Follow along with me as I read out loud from verses 21-27. Paul says:
The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don’t need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don’t need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it (1 Corinthians 12:21-27, NIV).
Now, I don’t know who are the eyes and hands,
heads and feet here in this room,
but the point is this:
no matter what your passion is or isn’t,
no matter what your spiritual gift is or isn’t,
no matter what your personal style is or isn’t,
you are nonetheless important,
significant,
“indispensable,” to use Paul’s word, and
worthy of “honor.”
Whether your passion is working with kids
working with computers,
helping the poor,
or helping with worship,
whether your gift is preaching or hospitality,
leadership or mercy,
whether your style is structured or unstructured,
task-oriented or people-oriented,
private or public,
every Christian here,
every passion,
every gift,
every style,
is crucial to the smooth and effective functioning of this group, this church, this Body.
Dizzy Dean was one of the greatest--
and most colorful--
baseball pitchers of all time.
He once won 30 games in a season.
He and his brother, who was nicknamed Daffy,
each pitched two victories for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1934 World Series, which St. Louis won, 4 games to 3.
One day earlier that season, Dizzy Dean swaggered into the opposing team’s locker room and told each hitter exactly how he would pitch to him, and then went out and pitched a shutout, winning 13-0.
But one day in 1937, Dizzy hurt his big toe--
a minor injury,
nothing important.
After all, it was only a toe, you know?
But it was important.
He began favoring that toe,
which affected his pitching motion,
which affected his arm.
And by the time he started to consider that little toe to be important, and took his injury seriously, his pitching arm was so severely affected that his career was over.
Because, you see, the pitching arm cannot say to the big toe, “You’re not important; I don’t need you.”
On the contrary, every person here,
every passion,
every gift,
every style,
is important.
You are important,
and the place God has arranged for you
is an important place. . .
and each of us needs what all the others have to offer.
Let me put it this way:
Sarah [Griffin or Zimmer], you need what Lois Jarvi has to offer;
Lois, God intends for you to benefit from the gifts he has given Gary Manka;
Gary, your life would be poorer without the things Margie Tankersley adds to this family;
Margie, God has placed Steve Woodburn in this family for your benefit,
Steve, you’re much better off because Karen Montani is part of this church, and
Karen, Mike Johnson’s passion, gifts, and style are crucial to your well-being,
and on and on and on and on . . . .
You--every one of you--are the Body of Christ, and there is a place for you here,
a unique place,
an important place.
[PRAY]
Lord, I pray that you will drive that realization home to each of our hearts this morning.
Please, God, show each individual here today how he or she fits into your plan for your church,
for your people, for the person sitting next to him or her.
I pray that in these moments of prayerful and careful thought that you will help us find our place, the place of service that you’ve designed us for, and through the coming days and weeks clarify for us how we can serve you with joy and fulfillment, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Now, each week during this series, we’ve worked through an assessment of one kind or another, and if you’ve missed any of those Sundays, there are extra copies on the table by the entrance.
But I’ve purposely made this morning’s message shorter than usual so we can use the final ten minutes or so of our celebration to help you think about where God might be leading you to serve.
So I want to ask each of you to please grab the “Personal Resources Survey” that was included in your programs this morning. And, our dedicated— and fragrant—sound man is going to play some music while we take the time to give this “Personal Resources Survey” our consideration. I’m going to give you time to go through it, and then I’ll explain how--if you choose--you might use this to help the current leadership of this church know of your interests and availability, whether now, soon, or sometime in the future.
Then we’ll conclude with a time of prayer and meditation, and, as always here at Cobblestone,
there will be counselors available
throughout this room
wearing brightly colored name tags
in case there’s anyone here who would like private prayer this morning.
You need only to tap one of them on the shoulder or grab ‘em by the arm
and they’ll be happy to talk with you
and pray with you.
But right now, let’s take a few moments to prayerfully complete your “Personal Resources Survey”. . .
