by Ben Cieslik, Bethlehem Intern

I remember watching, with great eagerness and borderline impatience, as my dad tried to assemble Castle Grayskull one Christmas morning.  When I tore off the wrapping paper, the picture on the box was a glorious, fully assembled, working play set.  What I found inside was something far different.  Hunks of plastic were stuck to one another and none of the cool decals were in place.  I had missed, or maybe still did not understand, what "some assembly required" means.  So I found myself waiting for my Castle Grayskull to become a reality.

Too often we live our lives with this same impatience, waiting for our lives to become a reality.  Some Assembly Required is the theme for Bethlehem's sermon series this season of Epiphany.  This past Christmas we were once again reminded of the wonderful gift God gives to each one of us in Jesus Christ.  Yet, like the many other gifts we may have received for Christmas, with the gift of faith there is Some Assembly Required.  Our faith requires some work, it needs help to grow, and needs a firm foundation.  During the month of January we will be encouraging and helping one another to first discover and then put to use the unique gifts and abilities with which God has blessed each of us.  It is not easy work. 

For many of us, discovering our gifts and discerning their purpose is a daunting enterprise. But we are not ill-equipped for the journey.  As we walk, our path is illumined by the light of Christ.  Christ's light points the way, his Directions are Given and our Foundation is Secured.  Our identity, our calling, this foundation is secured in the turbulent, powerful waters of baptism.  We need never wonder, "To whom do I belong?" because in the waters of our baptism God's mark is emblazoned on our foreheads and upon our hearts.  It is only from this most sure promise of God that our work can begin.  It is only from this secure foundation that we can truly see that Nothing's Missing.  God has given us the tools necessary to do the work God has called us to.  We have the gifts we need for our calling, nothing is missing.  It is all right here.  Like the hunks of plastic in my toy castle playset, the pieces are present, but some assembly is required. 

So what do we do when it's all put together?  What is supposed to happen when the decals are all in place and the assembly is finished?  Christ reminds us that we are Built to Spill.  God's gifts for us are not simply for our own amusement, for our own ends.  Rather, God calls us to use our gifts for the sake of God's world.  We are created, gifted, and built to spill God's love into the world.  We each spill that love around us in unique and amazing ways, but we are built for God's mission of spilling love into the world.  Be present with one another this January as we work together, remembering that in faith and life there is Some Assembly Required.

January 6--Directions Given (God's gift of grace)
January 13--Foundation Secured (God's gift in baptism)
January 20--Nothing's Missing (God's gifts in you)
January 27--Built to Spill (God's gifts for God's world)