The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost - August 31, 2008

Preached at Providence Lutheran Church, Holland, Ohio

by Pastor Dennis R. King

"Unique, Different, and Included"

(Romans 12:1-21)

The Grace and Mercy of our Lord, Jesus Christ, be with you always. Amen!

When was the last time you talked to a "Sensitive Specialist?" A "Sensitive Specialist is a person who makes his living by making extraordinary use of his natural senses. For example, a diamond inspector with a practiced eye, a wool inspector with a sense of feel, a fresh fish inspector with a sense of smell, and a milk taster with a sense of taste. Often these people will acknowledge that they have no special gift in the area of their senses. They simply say, "They have trained themselves to use what they have to a high degree."

Several years ago there was an article written about J. Paul Barnett. Barnett is an unusual musician. He is a concussionist. He is not a percussionist. He does not play the drums. He plays the cannon. For years he had the hobby of building antique firearms, especially cannons. Then he discovered that his hobby could contribute to a symphony performance by providing the cannon sounds for works like the "1812 Overture" by Tchaikovsky.

Barnett says that some of his early musical attempts did not go well. He sometimes produced "pops" instead of "booms." He had problems with timing, and there was always the possibility of a misfire. However, he now has an established niche within several orchestras.

What an interesting picture of how Christians fit into the body of Jesus Christ! We are unique beings with different interests but there is a niche (a place) for all of us to be included. God has created us all as unique beings. We simply cannot stress that often enough. None of us has the same fingerprints or footprints. Criminal investigators are now relying more on DNA prints. If they even find a hair or tiny fragment of skin at the scene of a crime, the criminal can be identified. At the most basic level of our existence, we are all unique.

We have unique voices. A University of Chicago professor has recorded many voices of certain celebrities on tape and then scrambled the words so they are unintelligible. Only the tone and the pitch are left. Yet students could identify not only the mood and the situation but also the person. We have unique voices. Physically, we are all very special and unique people.

We are all mentally unique as well. Some of you may be James Bond fans. Near the beginning of one his most famous adventure, Dr. No, we are told that James Bond need not be concerned about the injuries sustained on his last mission. It is noted that an average person can manage without his gallbladder, spleen, tonsils, appendix, one kidney, one lung, two quarts of blood, two-fifths of his liver, most of his stomach, four feet of intestines, and half his brain.

That is amazing! Scientists have discovered that the left and right hemispheres of our brain function in different ways. Some experts say that they do different tasks. The left hemisphere is concerned with language and logic. The right side is said to be creative, emotive, artistic side. Our educational system is set up to cater to left brain aptitudes. Those are the ones that require logic and language skills. Suppose you happen to be a right brain dominant child, however. You may be labeled as slow, a dreamer, an underachiever. While maybe, you are simply a right-brained person in a left-brained world. We are all unique. We all have a contribution to make to the world. We all have a place. God has created us as unique beings with different interests and has provided us with a place in His Kingdom.

St. Paul writes, "We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us; prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness." Particularly notice those words, "We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us. . . ." Often people are afraid to get involved in ministry or take responsibility for an area unless they view themselves as superstars. There is a failure to understand what the Scripture says about spiritual gifts. God has designed things so all of us have areas where we can contribute, and all of us have areas where we need the contributions of others. The trick is to do those things that we can and not sit idly by because we are incapable of excelling in all areas.

Consider former Boston Celtic coach, "Red" Auerbach. Auerbach had a reputation of using older stars effectively after they had passed their prime. His secret? He sat with such a player and explained what his contribution to the team was to be over the next few years. Frequently, the role was a diminished version of what the player could once have done. However, Red would tell a player, "We have a real need here and you can fill it. If you will focus on what you can still do well, instead of what you once could do, you can help the team a lot." For most players, that understanding freed them to do a few things well and not be paralyzed with regret at their shortcomings.

You and I need not be superstars to serve God. We are unique people with different gifts that can be used to His glory. Sometimes we may not even know what our gifts are until we respond to a need.

For example, some of the finest preachers that the church has produced were not talented as orators. Some had to conquer speech deficiencies, extreme nervousness, and similar defeating situations. That did not keep them from being gifted preachers--in every sense of the word. Some of you may not have a natural talent for teaching. Your talent might lie in your ability to empathize with young people. Both lesson preparation and presentation may prove to be real struggles. But because of your great empathy and your willingness to work, you discover a spiritual gift as a teacher.

Even when we have certain natural abilities, they must find expression according to a particular need or opportunity. Someone once asked Isaac Stern why he took up the violin. Why not the piano, for example? Stern replied that the violin was the instrument his mother gave him. "I believe music is from the heart," says Stern, "the instrument is just the apparatus. I have nice fingers. I could have been a good pianist. My mother gave me the violin." You nay not even know you have a particular gift until you respond to an opportunity or a need.

How many times have persons who have been through the valley of suffering been the ones who have been best able to minister to others who are walking through that same valley? When making an inventory of the things you might offer to God, do not ignore what may be your weaker point.

One of Aesop's fables tells the story of a deer, a handsome buck, which came to a spring to drink. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the water, and admired his strong and beautifully shaped antlers. He was not as impressed with the appearance of his legs. They looked so thin and weak. While he was engrossed in admiring himself in the spring, a lion appeared and charged toward him. The buck fled and easily outdistanced the lion, for his true strength was in his legs. In the open fields he had no problem staying in front of the lion. Unfortunately, he soon ran into wooded country, where his antlers became entangled in the branches of a tree. The lion caught him. The buck thought to himself, "Alas! My legs that I thought were too frail were my salvation and the antlers that I thought to be my strength were in fact my destruction."

Remember that God can use anything we offer to Him in a great and wondrous way. He can use our weaknesses as well as our strengths. He can use the hard lessons we have learned and our youthful enthusiasms. God is ever present. If there is a need, He can take whatever we offer and use it.

The important thing to remember is that every one of us has something to offer. Every one of us has a place and is included in the Kingdom. Doctor W. A. Criswell tells of a man by the name of Tony. Tony came to his study each Sunday, helped him off with his coat, and hung it up on the rack. Then when the time came for Dr. Criswell to go to the pulpit, this man would go before him and hold the door open. This was all that he could do, but he did it for the Lord. Some members of Dr. Criswell's church told Tony that he was bothering the pastor. Tony came to Dr. Criswell to see if that were true. Dr. Criswell gently said to him, "No, sir, you do not bother me at all. I appreciate what you are doing for me.

Tony died unexpected. After his death, Dr. Criswell said that he believed that when he got to Heaven, Tony would be there to open the door for him. Tony did what he could, and he did it to the glory of God.

How about you? God has created each of us as unique, different and yet included in His Kingdom. Each of us has gifts to offer to God's service. Some of us will not even know what we have to give until we respond to a specific opportunity. Even our most painful experiences can turn out to be gifts. The important thing to know is that each of us has something to offer. Though we are each unique, and different, we are included. Who would have ever dreamed that a fellow who fires cannons would fit into an orchestra? The Kingdom of God is like that. There is a place for everybody.

Amen.