Daily Lesson for May 16, 2018

Today’s Daily Lesson comes from Ephesians chapter 4 verses 11 through 13:

11The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.

We give thanks this morning for all our pastors and teachers in our lives who gave us God’s Word, inspired and challenged us to grow in Christ’s way, and built us up in the way of faith.

Last week I had the chance to say thank you to one of my former pastors Charlie Johnson, who showed me how the Church and its proclamation can make a difference in the public square. He also set me on a different path, encouraging me to take a different road to seminary — a choice that has made all the difference.

I thank God for other pastors like the one who in 1971 was willing to welcome a beer distributor have a place in his pews. That pastor was Hardy Clemons. The beer man was my great-grandfather.

I thank God for Pastor Forest Gale who when I was discouraged and depressed and planning on quitting ministry came in to my life at just the right time and encouraged me to stay.

I thank God for Pastor Mel Williams who in a time when I was near despair came down from the pulpit one Sunday morning, set next to me during the postlude and quietly held my hand.

I thank God for countless teachers from elementary through seminary and beyond who taught me the love of God and a desire for learning, the greatest of whom was my Fifth Grade teacher Marilyn Jamison who always taught us to count our blessings.

And I thank God for my youth leader Scott Travis who was the first one to tell me that Jesus came for sinners just as a doctor comes for sick people. That too made all the difference — all the difference in the world.

God gives gifts to people who then in turn give those gifts to us, at just the right time and just the right place, just when and where we need them most.

Thanks be to God.

Thanks be to God for all the people and gifts that we’ve been given.

And thanks be to God for all the gifts we also in turn have a chance to give to others.