One Sunday morning,I took a swing at a golf ball while standing in front of the congregation in church during the worship service. Dressed in my golf gear, as I took that swing, I hoped the people would get the point.

It was Laity Sunday, and the text for the day was I Corinthians. 12:7 “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

My purpose was to demonstrate how each person in the church has a spiritual gift, and that every gift is important to the body as a whole. Here’s the message.

Before us here today are the tools and symbols of the work life of various members of our church. Since I’m retired, I brought a golf club. Most of us are familiar with the game of golf, having seen it on TV. Some of you play the game for recreation. If you have watched any golf at all, it’s hard not to admire the skill of the top players. And yet, if I asked you what the most important part of the swing is, my guess is that I’d get a lot of different answers. Some would say this part of the body, some would say that part. But in reality the swing has many parts, and all the parts must work in harmony.

The feet are the foundation of the swing

The hands are your only connection with the club

Elbows & wrists have to bend at the right times

Hips provide movement and power

Head must remain still

Eyes must see the ball

Mouth and nose must breathe

Brain must be focused

The objective of the golf swing is simply this: Use the club to drive the ball to the target. Club, ball & target. And it takes the whole body to get the job done.

In the church, our objective is equally simple: Use the Spirit that God has placed in our hearts to drive the Word, the Gospel, to the world out there. Spirit, Gospel & the world. And it takes the whole body to get the job done.

In his letter to the Corinthian church, Paul was addressing some conflicts, some dissensions, that were splitting the church. The main problem seemed to be connected to spiritual gifts; some people were flaunting their flashy gift of speaking in tongues, making others in the church feel inferior or unimportant. So in this chapter, Paul teaches them three important truths.

1.  The source of the gifts is the Holy Spirit. Everyone who receives Christ as savior and Lord also receives the Spirit. And everyone who receives the Spirit receives a spiritual gift. And the way that we know that the spiritual gift is genuine is that the individual confesses that Jesus is Lord. That’s it. If you are a Christian, you have a spiritual gift. And you bring that gift into the church to join in the work of the whole body in proclaiming God’s love and God’s salvation to the rest of the world.

Paul says that these gifts are given “…for the common good.”

Then, he goes on to show how silly it is to try and rank the gifts. This is funny stuff.

1 Corinthians 12:15-17 (ESV) If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?

2.  There are no unimportant parts to the body. Try hitting a golf ball without using the little finger on your left hand. Or with all your weight on one foot. Or with your mind on something else. Likewise, we can’t come in here and say that we don’t matter just because we can’t sing like the choir, or preach like the Pastor or run a meeting like the council leader or teach like one of the Sunday school teachers. The church needs people who can set up chairs or wash dishes or bake cookies. We need people who can work with teenagers or care for older folks or befriend a visitor or just listen well. We need people who have lots of money to give or who have lots of time to give or who know how to pray really well.

3.  Paul tells the church that we need to work together as one body.

1 Corinthians 12:24-26 (ESV) But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

Just as in golf, the feet, hands, arms hips, eyes and mind need to work together in perfect harmony to bring the club to the ball and the ball to the target, so all the parts of the church need to be working together to get the gospel message out there. We need to take care of ourselves, loving, nurturing, teaching and loving one another so that we can be strong and able to do what God calls us to do. If one of us is suffering, all will suffer. Ever try to work with a paper cut on your finger? Or a blister on your toe? Or when you have a toothache? Even the smallest hurt throws everything out of balance. So it is with us. We need to look after one another, care for each other, and appreciate the gifts that each one brings to the body of Christ.

So here’s the lesson in a nutshell. Each of you, when you received Christ as your Savior, also received the Holy Spirit and a special gift. Every one of those gifts is important to the body of Christ; there are no unimportant gifts. And all these gifts, working together, send God’s love and God’s good news out there to the rest of the world We’ve got to get busy, we’ve got to get in shape. Hear the words of another apostle, Peter,

1 Peter 4:10-11 (ESV) As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:  whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.