Paul, a religious leader, was devout in his faith. So devout that he was about the business of killing Christians to protect his own Jewish beliefs. The Christian faith was spreading and Paul mistakenly saw his job as preventing the growth of the Christian church. One day Paul had an experience that changed his life and changed ours as well. He was on the road to Damascus with plans of murder on his mind, when lightning flashed from the sky so strongly that it blinded him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" Paul responded saying, "Who are you?" And the reply came, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting."

It is a dramatic story; one that literally stops Paul in his tracks and actions. It is a story that stops us in our tracks too. What does God have to do to get our attention sometimes? How far will God go to get us back? When God gets our attention it is usually not this full of drama. Yet, when we know it is God inviting us to join a small group, to serve someone in need, to reconcile with a family member or colleague, make no mistake, it is a dramatic event.

Paul listens and why wouldn’t he? His conversion is not immediate, but eventually Paul discovers God wants him to start some Christian churches of all things! Can you imagine? What a transformation; from killer to follower! It is the power of God in Paul. So on fire is Paul with this new life; this rebirth, so to speak, that he applies the same passion he had for destruction, into building up Christianity.

So when we come to this passage he already has begun. He writes letters to these churches when he cannot be with them; not chatty letters about the weather or his social life, but rather encouraging, teaching, passionate letters, designed to call others into this new faith; a faith that is life changing. This account has been preserved for centuries, not accidentally, but intentionally, so that we too, may be called to faith. Listen for the word of God.

"Present your bodies as a living sacrifice….." are not idle words from Paul, for he was struck into a new life, instead of being struck dead! As Christians we believe that both our bodies and our spirits belong to God. This is why we are called to take care of both. We will never experience the joy planned for us, if we treat them as though they belong to us, to use and dispose of as we wish.

This whole concept of offering our bodies and our spirits can be a bit bewildering. Are we supposed to lay down our lives never engaging in the joy of living? No, I don’t think so. I believe that God gave us life as a gift to enjoy, with the purpose of being connected to God and others. It was God who blew life into us at our birth, and gently planted the seed of faith deep within us at our Baptism.

So we are moved to worship the only One capable of doing this. Paul reminds us that we worship not just on Sunday mornings, but in how we use our lives. We worship God with our actions, our words, our work and play. We worship God in our families, in our jobs, with our neighbors, and with those we don’t even know. Every time we offer kindness, or forgive someone who doesn’t deserve it, we are worshipping God. Every time we volunteer to help out with our new youth program, we are worshipping God. Every time our hearts are moved to generosity, instead of keeping score, we are worshipping God.

So when we talk about service, we are talking about everything we do as a kind of worship we offer to God. When we say we are coming to church to worship", we need to also say, "I am going to King Sooper’s to worship God; I am reading to my children to worship God." "I am resolving a conflict with my spouse to worship God." You get the idea.

When we are unaware of this kind of worship, we are very vulnerable to following the world’s example, like Paul did, and we can be led astray. Paul is reminding us, from his own experience, I suspect, to be aware; to choose not to be conformed by the world. Paul was transformed into a new person by a God who is always seeking what is best for us. Instead of being like a chameleon, that takes its color from whatever surrounds it, we can choose to follow a better way. We can choose to shift from living a self-centered life, to a Christ centered life. We can choose to move away from what the crowd does that is harmful, to surrounding ourselves with what is good and pure and right.

But this doesn’t just magically happen. God equips us but we must do our part too. What we fill our minds with, shapes who we are. If we watch violence on TV frequently, it shapes us. If we place the accumulation of money as our top priority; it shapes who we are. If the people we are with most, are those who scoff at the teachings of God, or who cheat, or color the truth, it can rub off on us. Or, if gambling or sexual addiction attract us, we are in jeopardy.

When we allow our minds and spirits to be saturated with the harmful parts of our culture, we are not tending to our spirits. We know this. Isn’t that what our parents worried about if we chose the wrong friends at school, or married someone who would bring us down? And what about our entertainment? People say "I can read harmful material or watch destructive images, or hang out with only non-believers, and it doesn’t really affect me. Well, scientists have studied these cause and effect relationships and proven quite the opposite. To be saturated in harmful environments does effect us. Following the culture can be destructive. What we do and with whom, does make a difference.

So God makes a point of equipping us to be strong. Sometimes it comes when God whispers our name. Max Lucado, in his book, When God Whispers Your Name, speaks about our role with God, in order to be transformed. We have choices. We don’t have to follow the crowd. For example we can say:

"I choose peace I am forgiven and will forgive others.

I choose patience Instead of complaining about having to wait in line, I willthank God for having a moment to pray.

I choose kindness I will be kind to the poor for they are alone; kind to the rich, for they are afraid; and kind to the unkind, for this is how God treats me.

I choose faithfulness; Today I will keep my promises; my colleagues will not question my word; my spouse will not question my love; my children will not fear that their parent will not come home.

I choose gentleness; Nothing is gained by force. If I raise my voice, may it be raised only in praise. May my demands be only of myself.

I choose self control: I will be drunk only with joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith.I will be influenced only by God.

I choose love: No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. Today I will love God and what God loves.

Of course, none of this is possible on our own. Three weeks ago we took a look at how God calls us into life. God doesn’t just call Paul, or the famous, or only religious sorts. No, God calls each of us to the exciting life for which we were created. How do we listen for God? How does God call our name? And how do we respond? Sometimes we keep God at arm’s length; or we deny God calling us, or we keep noise and busyness ratcheted up so high we can’t possibly hear anything. To be certain, we have our ways of turning our backs on God and when we do we are the losers.

Why do we insist on being in charge of our lives when God knows us better than we do? If it is God calling us we can believe that God will open the doors, pave the way and remove the hurdles, even if we can’t imagine how. Our role is to say, "OK, I don’t know how this will work, but I’ll go, and trust you will work it out. And when we go, the most amazing things happen. Didn’t we hear that from Amelyework Seyfu, who left Ethiopia to come to the United States without a home, a job or even the language? Didn’t we hear that from Heather Cameron, who said yes to seminary without a job? Didn’t we hear that from Mark Baxley who moved from feeding the bird feeders at a hospice facility, to holding the hand of a dying person, that drew him ever closer to God?

God doesn’t call us to become someone we aren’t, or to do something we can’t do. God doesn’t lay out all the plans for our approval before we say yes. God simply says, "Come, come with me and I will show you the way." And when we go, we receive a deeper faith that will carry us when everything else is gone. It is our only secure investment in our future.

God equips us by giving us gifts of the spirit. There are two important things to remember about Spiritual gifts. First, they are holy, given to keep us connected; not to be on our own. Second, there are no lesser gifts; another’s gift is not better than ours. All are equal and all are needed. So what are they? Paul lists them here.

Prophecy = a kind of public speaking

This is not about foretelling the future, but rather foretelling the word of God. This is one who is certain of Christ in their lives and can speak about it with authority. These are the people who can tell their story about God’s presence in their lives, whether in a small group or over a cup of coffee at Starbuck’s.

Ministry = service. This is the person who worships God by the way they reach out to others during their day. Someone is struggling with something, or needing support, they step up to help.

Teaching The message of God needs not only to be proclaimed; it needs to be explained. Without teachers, it is difficult to recognize, understand, or respond to God’s call in our lives.

This, most clearly translated, means a generous simplicity. This is not lavish giving upon another that does not match the need. This is giving what is needed, not out of duty or guilt, but out of one’s heart. It is giving without expecting something in return. Sometimes it comes as part of worship here; the music or a drama for instance. In Oct. we are planning for a liturgical dance team to share their gifts with us, helping us to worship in a new way.

The one who exhorts is one who encourages. There are times in our lives when despair wraps around us so tightly that we are immobilized. An exhorter is not one who says "Hey, this will pass". It is one who calls out the faith of another."

Leadership does not always mean being in charge, or visibly prominent. It doesn’t always mean having some position of authority or title. Everyone has leadership ability that appears when we are called to speak up, or step up, for the good of others. It may be as simple as offering ideas in a meeting; or solutions to a problem; or accepting a temporary role. We see it offered in the community, the church or our family.

This gift is visible when compassion and comforting is needed. It is an arm around one who is distraught; instead of changing the subject. It is the one who values the person more than justice. Mercy is more about love that about being right. Compassion is sharing another’s pain and stepping into it with care.

There are other gifts as well. For example, there are gifts of administration, craftsmanship, creative communication. There are gifts of discernment, healing, and hospitality. There are gifts of interpretation, knowledge, and miracles. There are gifts of wisdom, shepherding and initiation. These are gifts given to us, with which to worship and serve.

Eugene Peterson translates Paul’s list this way beginning with prophecy:

"If you preach, just preach God’s message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face."

Isn’t it amazing how God created us? All are given gifts but no one has them all. God’s ingenious design keeps us connected to each other and to God. It is like a puzzle where all the pieces are needed to make a whole. It is in this puzzle that each of us has a place. There are no lesser gifts. There are no lesser people.

Just as we marvel at the interdependency of nature, so too, can we marvel at the interdependency God has created with each of us. God has given each of us a gift that is unique to only us. No one else can do what we are equipped to do, the way we would do it. If we refuse, the puzzle is incomplete, in our world and in us.

But when we offer our gift, it becomes our worship to God, and the incomplete becomes whole once more.

On the screen is a list of gifts I have mentioned. It is not an exhaustive list. You may think of others. I invite you to look over the list; select one that speaks to you, and think about how you might offer that gift this week.

Thank God for this gift.