Bringing Out the Best

Readings: Isaiah 61:1-6; Romans 12:6-16a; John 2:1-11

Humans are generous by nature, but, from time to time, we all have a tendency to hold back the best for those "just in case" days. Interestingly, those days seldom come; it seems that in our everyday existence we have those days without fanfare or usually even recognizing them until they become discovered after the fact in our recollections.

We have many possessions, many gifts, and many talents to share. In Isaiah 61, we as servants of God are called to bind up the brokenhearted, to comfort those who mourn, and, in doing so, we can build up those who are down and out.  If individuals are then returned to a state of grace, what's to say that this can't move on to neighborhoods, towns, and cities? 

It all starts with sharing and not holding back...bringing out the best.

This is further illustrated in Romans when Paul speaks to those around him concerning the gifts we have in accordance with the grace we're are given. Paul stresses that we should freely and without hesitation use these gifts for the betterment of others and ourselves. 

It's easy for us to hesitate to share our gifts--how do we know we even have them? That's pretty easy; if the gift is there, others will notice and let you know. Good teacher? You'll know. Good nurse? You'll know. Good person to visit shut-ins? You'll know. That's part of the plan. Just don't not share while wondering...bring out the best.

Perhaps the best illustration of this is found in John 2:1-11--the wedding in Cana. Jesus arrives to find that all the wine is gone; at his mother's request, he then goes and directs the servants to draw water; as we know, the water was then turned to wine. And not just any wine--according to the master of the banquet, it was by far the best. Not the usual practice of sharing the best only to then share the weaker and cheaper once the guests had been drinking and wouldn't notice. No, this just got better and better.

So the thought is this: We are all called to share our gifts and our talents. And it's not just enough to say we're sharing. We give our best and, as we've heard before, our best only gets better.

Kind of sounds like something God would do, eh? Perfection.

Peace be with you.