at the First Congregational Church of Stoughton

United Church of Christ

If you had seen me when I was in my late 30s, you would have witnessed a woman in crisis. A mid-life crisis, to be exact. If you’ve been through one yourself, then you know it can be a scary time in your life. I was no longer enjoying the material things that used to make me happy. I was bored by activities I used to enjoy. I felt trapped by the lifestyle and career I had so carefully and painstakingly constructed.

As I got closer to the “big 4-0,” I started to look at my life and wonder, what was my purpose here on earth? What impact was I leaving on the world? How was I making the world a better place, even in some small way?

At the time, I worked for a mutual fund company, and it seemed that my life’s purpose had been reduced to helping people with money make more money. In my 20s and 30s, this reason for living may have seemed OK. But as I approached age 40, I started to ask, “Is this what I want my legacy to be?” All the external, material hallmarks of success I had achieved seemed hollow, empty, and meaningless.

Experts¹ report that people going through a mid-life crisis often take a renewed interest in things spiritual; it is not uncommon for someone to try out a completely new religion or go back to church after a long hiatus. And that’s what I did; after a 20-year estrangement from organized religion, one day I walked back into church.

Before I knew it, I was doing things in the church. New things, things I had never done before; things I discovered I loved. Like serving communion… Like writing devotional booklets… Like putting together worship services… Like preaching sermons. And I found that the work I did serving God for no money was significantly more meaningful and rewarding than anything I did done for a salary.

A pastor writes, “In every person’s heart is a dream of what he or she can become for the Lord; a dream that sees them making a difference in the world, in their families, in their churches.”²

Sometimes it takes a mid-life crisis for us to transform our life so it better fits our heart. My mid-life crisis was the best thing that ever happened to me. Because it brought me back to God. It got me in touch with my purpose in life. And it put me on a path to discovering my passion and finding my joy.

Now, here’s some good news: you don’t have to go through a crisis – mid-life or otherwise – to discover God’s calling and purpose for your life. In fact, a much more enjoyable first step in discerning your gifts and discovering your passion is to join us tonight at our small group discussion on Serving from the Heart – Finding Your Gifts and Talents for Service.

At last week’s session, we looked at the passage from First Corinthians which serves as this morning’s scripture lesson. The Apostle Paul writes, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.” In other words, Paul is saying this gift stuff is important, and we need to know what it is all about.

Paul goes on to say that each one of us has some special ability we can offer to God: “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit.” We don’t all have the same abilities, but each of us has some kind of ability, and God calls us, summons us, to use that gift to serve and strengthen one another and Christ’s Church.

And when you serve God and others, that’s called being a minister, because to minister means to serve. I’ve pointed this out before. Each of you is a minister. Look on the first page of your Notes and Notices insert – at the very top, above my name, it says “Ministers: All Members.” That’s YOU! Being a minister doesn’t have to mean you drop everything, enter seminary, get ordained, and end up being a full-time pastor. I look around here this morning, and I can see many ministers.

Chris and the choir have a ministry of music.

All the Sunday School teachers who are downstairs right now teaching our youngsters have a ministry of Christian education.

Ann Landolfi had a very special flower ministry, and we honor her memory with the lovely silk arrangement she made that graces our altar.

I have not even begun to scratch the surface of how so many of you serve as ministers by serving God and Christ’s church here in this place and beyond our walls.

But I can tell you first hand that when you use your God-given gifts in service to God, it is exhilarating. I hope those of you who do so much for this church have felt that way.

But I know that some of you have served in positions at this or another church that felt more like drudgery. Perhaps you felt obligated or pressured into saying “yes,” and every minute doing the job was a grind. But God wants us to be filled with joy, not resentment or guilt or obligation!

If you have had a less than fulfilling experience serving in a church, then I urge you to keep looking for what it is that enlivens and energizes you, what your passion is, where your joy lies. God has given every one of us special gifts, and a special purpose in life. Our responsibility is to find out what it is that God designed us to do – and then do it! Because when you answer your particular calling from God, using your unique God-given gifts and abilities, it will energize you, not exhaust you! It will stir your passion, it will infuse you with joy. And it will fill the God-shaped hole in our heart.

On this weekend, in particular, we celebrate one of the 20th century’s greatest examples of a person using his gifts for the common good. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was richly blessed with God-given gifts, bringing people together in a spirit of healing and reconciliation. He was gifted by God; his dream was God’s dream, and his life was driven by God’s Spirit.

And so…what is your gift? You may never know unless you embark on a path of discovery. I hope each of you will make it part of your spiritual journey this year to discover the special gifts God has given you and how you might offer them in service to God within and beyond these walls. If you don’t know where to start, then come to talk to me; or better yet, join us tonight. Afterall, there’s no Patriots game!

After this morning’s Words of Assurance, we sang the song “Sanctuary.” “Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true. With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living Sanctuary for you.” These words are based on the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans, in which he says to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God – in other words, to dedicate our whole selves – our gifts, our talents, our dreams, our very lives -- to serving God. And when we offer ourselves to God in this way, it is a form of worship.

When you discover your gifts and use them to serve God, it will put purpose into everything you do.

Your life will take on a whole new meaning.

You will have a calling from God.

You will grow into the fullness of what God created you to be.

It will transform your life.

And it will fill that God-shaped hole in your heart. Amen.

¹ http://www.personaltao.com/tao/midlifecrisis-signs.htm
² Wayne Cordiero, Doing Church as a Team (Ventura, CA: Gospel Light Publications, December 2000, revised), p. 111.