Created For Good Works

Each one should use whatever gift they have received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.  1 Peter 4:10

 We are God’s creation.  He created us to belong to Christ Jesus.  Now we can do good works.  Long ago God prepared these worlds for us to do.  Ephesians 2:10 NIrV

 

 

The first weekend of June the Midwest Division hosted a Capernaum Discipleship Trip in Holland, MI.  We had 40 Capernaum friends from Chicagoland and West Michigan join us in a day of learning and serving (and some fun too).  Our theme this year was God-Given Gifts.  Our plan for the day was to offer teaching time to identify our God-given gifts and then time to serve others with our gifts.  We spent time at Benjamin’s Hope and Renew Therapeutic Riding Center, both organizations that also serve and serve with people with disabilities.  We served these communities through writing notes to residents at Ben’s Hope, cleaning the fences by the Alpacas, painting, mucking stalls for the horses (cleaning up poop is using your God-given gifts!!), and clearing the hiking paths for accessibility for all residents and guests to use.   

 

There were two main thoughts I wanted our day campers to leave with:

1. I have God-given gifts
   
2. My gifts are given to me to serve others
   

 

Our first activity was for our friends to sort through a list of God-given gifts and talk with their leaders and peers about what gifts God has given them.  It was so fun to watch leaders speak into their friends’ lives about the gifts they see in them.  Our second piece of the activity was to talk about ways and places they can use their gifts to serve others.  It was affirming and exciting to see our friends share with confidence who they are and what God has created them to DO with those gifts.  

 

My passion for discipleship in Capernaum is driven by the verses in Corinthians, 1 Peter and Ephesians - all tell us that EVERYONE has been given gifts - with no exceptions!!  So often the stigma around disability tells the story that my friends with disabilities are in the church to BE served by others, and not gifted by God TO serve.  

 

In Dr. John Swinton’s book Becoming a Friend of Time, he reimagines the story in Matthew 25 of the parable of the talents.  This has grown my imagination for what my role is in Capernaum with discipleship - it is to help my friends dig up their gifts!!

 

Dr. Swinton focuses on the servant who was given one talent and buried it.  The master returned and was angry that he buried what was given to him - and ended the story by saying, “throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  I don’t know about you, but as a kid this story was often told to me about using the gifts God has given me and if nothing else, the weeping and gnashing of teeth has convinced me to do just that!!  But Dr. John Swinton challenges us to grow our imagination of this interpretation of the scripture, he says, “Think of it in this way:  Imagine that the church is the servant and the ‘talents’ are the various vocations of all of its members.  If we fail to recognize some persons’ vocations, do we not force them to bury their talents?  If that is so, the church may well be functioning in a way that is not dissimilar to that of the wicked servant.”  He challenges us to move away from seeing people with disability through only the lens of charity or pastoral care, but in the new lens of discipleship and vocation.  This posture shift ‘digs up’ the often buried gifts of my friends and validates the call they have been given by God to serve others.  

 

We ended our time together talking about the body of Christ being whole and strong when we use our gifts to serve others.  I used the physical example of our right hand being our gifts and flexed my right arm, and our left hand representing things we struggle with and need help from others - and extended it out.  I shared that my gift is leadership, but I struggle with patience and stood with my right hand up and my left hand open to receive help.  I asked the group if anyone had the gift of patience - and Bebe jumped up and shared that patience was one of her gifts.  I invited her to lift my left hand up and use her gift of patience to grow me.  We did this a few more times as Bebe shared where she struggled - and Rafi joined in helping her be strong.  Together we held our hands up and pulled each other's hands up.  This is the body of Christ flourishing - every member using their gifts to grow and serve others.

 

I think this answers Dr. John Swinton’s question he proposed as he reimagines the parable of the talents.  He asks, “what might the church look like if people with disabilities were conceived as disciples with a distinct vocation - a calling given to them by Jesus?” 

 

It looks like my friends knowing their gifts and being seen as gifted.  It looks like my friends using their gifts to serve others.  This is the beauty of the Kingdom of God.  May it be so in our Capernaum ministry, our churches and in our communities!

- Sara Webb, Initiatives Coordinator for Learning and Discipleship