Day 29: Grateful for Spiritual Gifts
- Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:4-7: Now there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit, 5 and there are varieties of services but the same Lord, 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
- Meditation: Our strength as community is our diversity of identities and gifts. This weekend, as we approach the end of November and look toward the winter holidays, acknowledge and appreciate the unique gifts bestowed upon you and others.
- Spiritual Practice: Identify one of your spiritual gifts and think about how you can use it this seaon. Share it with someone who might benefit from it.
SONGS:
- The Gift by Celine Dion: https://youtu.be/R6BvA82sUYo?si=RzNOyK1HCxl2KY_y
- The Gift I’ll Give by Shauna Edwards: https://youtu.be/_xWMnuV7_BU?si=nAlVc9HBicAC_IWe
The Unclaimed Gift by Susan Noyes Anderson
I gave my friend a priceless gift.
She did not look inside.
She did not lift the lid to find
what treasures it might hide.
Instead, she praised the ribbon and
declared the wrapping fine.
The color and the paper and
the bow were called divine.
She thanked me with exceeding grace
and, quite pleased with herself,
she carried it into her room
and placed it on a shelf.
“Your gift I’ll open one day soon,”
she promised with a smile,
but first I’ll just enjoy its beauty
for a little while.
I visited her frequently;
each day I hoped so see
some evidence that she’d unwrapped
this precious gift from me.
But there it sat, upon the shelf,
collecting dust each day.
I could not bear to look at it
and finally stayed away.
Time passed, and she forgot my gift.
Unclaimed, its treasures hide.
A gift is but an empty box,
if no one looks inside.
The Spirit is a gift from God
to dwell within our hearts.
Receiving it means opening
each gift that it imparts.
If we confine the Spirit to
a place on our heart’s shelves,
we render God’s gift empty and
are left to bless ourselves.