Jeanette Renouf

My dear friends,

Today’s reading from Ephesians (4:1-16) is one that has a great deal of meaning for me. It was the guiding scripture in our work with the Episcopal Church of Nicaragua in the early 1980s following the revolution there. We had a 3-year grant to train 100 lay leaders, 12 local priests, 12 deacons and a Latino bishop.

All were trained together and the only difference for the priests was a class in celebrating the Holy Eucharist which I, a lay person, taught. We concentrated on defining the gifts of each person, developing those gifts and supporting one another in the use of those gifts for the strengthening of the church and the local community. One of the clergy discovered that his wife was a more gifted preacher than he and she became the primary homilist in that congregation. At some point, she was also asked to preach at the local Roman Catholic Church.

So often, it is difficult to recognize the talents and gifts we have been given; they can seem so small and insignificant. Often it was friends and family that would identify the giftedness of their members. “She’s a great cook. He helps his neighbors with building and repairing things. She sews beautifully. He teaches other fishermen how to get a bigger catch.” We can ask what these have to do with the church, but these talents build up and support the community and we support one another in their adaptation and use. The person who was a good money manager helped plan and manage budgets for the church and also for members who asked. The Episcopal Church of Nicaragua became stronger and a model to others in their villages and communities. Their lives were a witness to the love of God in a Christian community. Out of this cohort came 6 new priests,3 new deacons and a Nicaraguan Bishop, fulfilling the goal of the grant.

Later, when I taught in South Asia, I again relied on this passage from Ephesians. The importance of recognizing the God-given gifts of each person and supporting and encouraging those gifts is vital to the health and spiritual strength of a community and a church. It is not the job of the clergy to run everything, but of every Christian to use what God has given them and support one another in the use of those gifts and talents. This is true in Nicaragua, in The Church of South India, in Mauritius, in Taiwan, in Ephesus and in Tucson.

As we take time to mediate of this lesson from Ephesians today let us reflect on how we use our own God given gifts. Young people, with very busy, demanding lives, will have a different response than those of us limited by age. What we may have been able to do 5, 10 or 20 years ago may have changed today, this is why it is so important to support one another in the use of our gits as we grow in spirit and wisdom.

St. Philip’s is rich in talents, perhaps too many, is that possible? I pray we may grow in love and support of one another as we strive to use our gifts in following Jesus.

Peace and Love,

Jeanette Renouf