Following on the heels of Christmas, this sermon series offers us a chance to open up the presents that our faith gives us–some we love, some that confuse us, and some we might never have put on our wish list! Following the Revised Common Lectionary for Epiphany Year C, this nine-week sermon series highlights the wonderful and surprising gifts of God in our lives, if we can only learn to see them.
Note: due to the elasticity of the liturgical calendar, any given year may have more or fewer Sundays in Epiphany. Cross-check the following weeks with your lectionary resource of choice to see which scriptures are included each year.
Week 1: “Gift Exchange”
Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12
Much has been made of the three gifts the magi brought the infant Christ: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These gifts were expensive and beautiful and deeply symbolic, but would Mary and Joseph, in their working class home, known what to do with them? Was there any awkwardness handing over a box of gold to Joseph’s calloused hands? And were the magi at all disappointed that this gift of a Messiah was an unglamorous toddler? This first gift exchange is marked by gifts that may not have been exactly what either party would have wanted, and yet it is suffused with graciousness, worship, and joy. Not every gift that our faith offers us is what we would expect or ask for, yet with a posture of joy, we too can learn to celebrate each one.
Week 2: “The Gift of the Spirit”
Scripture: Luke 3:15-22
At his baptism, Jesus was given the gift of the Spirit, and while we often focus on the gentleness of the dove, John the Baptist offers a very different image of what Jesus will do through the Spirit just a few verses earlier. He describes Jesus as a “holy housecleaner,” separating out the useful and burning away what is unneeded. The Spirit can come into our lives both ways: as a gentle companion and as a fiery challenger. Learning to celebrate the gift of the Spirit in all her work is part of maturing as a disciple.
Week 3: “The Gift of Community”
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
This famous portion from Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth is a gorgeous exploration of what it means to be in community with each other. It is particularly poignant since Paul was not embedded in any single congregation; as a traveling preacher, time spent with others in community was a gift for him, not a given. The letter lifts up the joy of our different gifts working together in one Spirit. Invite your congregation to reflect on the communities they are part of (within and beyond the congregation) and what gifts they receive from being a part of those communities.
Week 4: “The Gift of Scripture”
Scripture: Nehemiah 8:1-11 and Luke 4:14-21
Scripture is a complicated gift. Sometimes we treat the Bible like an instruction manual, or an interesting artifact, or an obligation we as good Christians must get through. Yet it comes alive when we treat it like a piece of art to engage with. The text from Nehemiah is a hidden gem in our scripture–the first time God’s people consider scriptures as a cannon of God’s word rather than a collection of stories and poetry. Their response is to host a Bible study, then throw a party, then make sure everyone who wasn’t there gets food to eat. How often do we respond to scripture with that kind of joy? How often do we reach for scripture like Jesus did, when we quoted scripture as his inspiration for ministry?
Week 5: “The Gift of Love”
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Here we have possibly the most famous piece of the Christian scriptures, beloved as a wedding reading. Yet the love in 1 Corinthians 13 is not the love of romantic partners, but the love that makes a bunch of disparate and cantankerous people into a community of faith. Invite your people to think of a time when they have experienced that love that is patient and kind and so forth (specifically not from a romantic partner), and to share that story with a partner in the pew.
Week 6: The Gift of Worship
Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-8 and Psalm 138
At the worst, worship can feel like a weekly chore or obligation. But when we see worship as a gift, we open ourselves to the full glory of God’s presence in our lives, beautifully imagined by the prophet Isaiah. Worship trains us to be open. Like runners training for a marathon, worship strengthens our spiritual muscles. When we have worshipped well and long, with years of dedication and practice, we find ourselves with the strength to keep worshipping when it’s hard to find words of praise. Then worship becomes a gift when we need it most.
Week 7: “The Gift of Warnings”
Scripture: Jeremiah 17:5-10 and Luke 6:17-26
Most of the gifts highlighted in this series are easy to find joy and delight in–not so much the curses, warnings, and woes that make up the under-read portion of the beatitudes. And yet, the curses from the gospel are not curses of cruelty or vengeance, but of consequences to our own behavior. These warnings can function as boundaries that keep us centered safely in the kind of life God wishes for us. The gift of warnings can feel as scratchy and uncomfortable as the unwanted wool sweater you got for Christmas, but ultimately they are counsel from a wise and loving God.
Week 8: “The Gift of Resurrection Mystery”
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:35-50
The gift of the promise of our bodily resurrection is beautiful, but also strange and incomprehensible. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians is itself somewhat muddled, as he tries a variety of metaphors to explain the mystery. Ultimately, what Paul insists upon is that our bodies and souls are not separate (and certainly not opposing forces); that we are an embodied soul. Moreover, in eternity, we will still be in some indefinable way ourselves. Our lives here, right now, are not just a waiting game for God to eventually transform us into something and someone else entirely. The wisdom we learn here, the love we share, the challenges we face, the faith we nurture—all that means something. It all goes into the seed of who we are, that God is eagerly watching to see bloom into something even more beautiful.
Week 9: “The Gift of Revelation”
Scripture: Luke 9:28-43a
The story of the Transfiguration closes out the season of Epiphany, a season where we are offered the gifts of God bathed in light. The story of the transfiguration offers the disciples one of those rare moments of clarity, seeing Jesus for exactly who he is. While the life of faith doesn’t offer us many of those moments, sometimes God gifts us with seeing something with clarity–whether it is a change we need to make in our life, an opportunity to pursue, or a call to answer. The transfiguration reassures us that we are not “crazy” in our moments of clarity, but, with discernment, may in fact be receiving revelation from God.
Ministry Resources
The Gifts of Faith Liturgy
The Gifts of Faith Graphics (editable Canva templates)
Deep Well Worship 