Spiritual Gifts and Vocation: Abundant Gifts from God

It was a Wednesday evening in the cold of December. Though Mississippi is almost always hot on Christmas Day, there are days of bitter cold in December in which the chill sinks into the depths of your bones and the only real way to warm up is a good, long soak in a hot bath. It was one of those kind of evenings - when you just want to curl up on the couch under a blanket with a good movie or book as you enjoy a good cup of tea or hot chocolate.

I was walking into the small chapel just off the parish hall at Trinity Episcopal Church for the Advent formation program, which was rather simple. We spent the season of Advent exploring the Holy Eucharist through the prayers of other provinces of the Anglican Communion. It offered to us the opportunity to pray through the lens of others, and after worship, we would adjourn to the parish hall for a cup of soup, a sandwich, and conversation.

On this particular evening, I was asked to do something I had never done before: to serve the chalice during communion. Though I had never done it before, I knew how to do it after years of serving as an acolyte in worship. It was a wonderful invitation to receive from our interim rector, and it invited me to consider my own gifts and how I might be able to offer them to God as I sought clarity for the vocation God was holding open for me.

Every member of the body of Christ is being called into vocation. In fact, most of us inhabit multiple vocations throughout our lives. For example, one person might have a vocation as a parent, a vocation as a professional, a vocation as a son or daughter or child, and a vocation as a follower of Christ. The last one in this list is something that can take on a myriad of possibilities, and it is our job as followers of Jesus to discern precisely how we are going to respond to the invitation God is making to us to come into God’s kingdom and to labor for the spread of the same. Each one of us is invited into patterns of discernment as we labor in the kingdom. We are called to discern how we can best offer our gifts back to God as an act of gratitude for the grace that God gives to us so freely and so abundantly.

Sometimes, the question of discernment, of listening for where God is calling us into vocation and ministry, can be a daunting one. And, often, we need a little bit of help to begin framing the conversation in our heart as we consider the big question, “Where is God calling me in ministry and vocation?” For a long time, the process of discernment was limited to only those who were seeking an ordained vocation in the church, and for far too long, we have forgotten that our baptism into the life, death, and resurrection of Christ is the first ordination and the one through which all other vocation flows. Thus, our discernment in the church is not a single moment in our lives but a living question that beckons us forward to consider how God is calling us in our vocations in this particular moment, in this particular place, and with the particular talents that I have received from God in who I am as a person.

A starting place for us might be to take a spiritual gifts inventory to begin unearthing our unique call in God’s kingdom. A spiritual gifts inventory is not going to tell you that you should be in this ministry or that ministry; however, it will help you to uncover your spiritual gifts that you are then able to use in any number of ministries within the church and in the world. It is a way for us to re-member who God created, and it is an invitation for us to simply be ourselves and to offer our whole selves on Christ’s altar as our primary gift back to God.

In discovering our spiritual gifts, we can then enter into holy and faithful conversations with trusted prayer partners, spiritual advisors, faithful companions along the way, and with God. Through these conversations, I am convinced that the Holy Spirit will show up and help each one of us to know the ways that we are able to offer our works and wisdom as part of our giving of gratitude to God for all that God continues to give to us in our daily lives.

This week, I invite you to spend a few moments completing a spiritual gifts inventory. Save the results you receive from that inventory and then enter into faithful conversations with trusted partners and companions along the way. Invite the wisdom of the Holy Spirit into your conversations and listen. I am certain that God will help you discern where your spiritual gifts and talents can meet a deep hunger in the church and in the world.

In Christ,

Hunter+