Professional golfer Tommy Bolt hit a perfect shot, between the branches, over the lake, landing half a meter from the hole, only to hear from his caddie: ‘That wasn’t your ball, Mr. Bolt.’ This anecdote opens a reflection on 1 Corinthians 12, on a church where spectacular gifts of the Spirit began dividing people into the important and the more important. The sermon shows that all gifts come from the same God and are given for the good of the community, and that the most excellent way is still love. Listen and check whether, on the way to your goals, you have overlooked what matters most.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- How does Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 remind the Corinthians of their pagan past, and what does he say marks the true work of the Holy Spirit?
- Why does Paul keep repeating the words "different" and "the same", and "to one... to another"? What was he trying to show a church where some felt more important than others?
- The sermon opened with the story of a golfer who made a brilliant shot but hit the wrong ball. In what way did the Corinthians hit the wrong ball in how they experienced spiritual gifts?
- Paul says that the parts of the body that seem weaker are actually indispensable. What does the story of Carolyn, whose talk was read by a friend, teach us about how we see people in the church?
- Two pianists recovering from strokes could only play the piece fully together. Whose gift or presence do you need in your community to experience more of God's variety?
- Paul points to love as the most excellent way. What gift do you have that you can use out of love this week for the good of a specific person in the church?
