8 Therefore it says, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men." 9 (In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. ~ Ephesians 4.8-12
I have always found this passage to be a beautiful promise that the Apostle Paul recognizes about the Lord. In these verses from Ephesians, he intentionally “misquotes” Psalm 68.18. Paul adapts these verses and applies them directly to the work of Christ. Because Christ is victorious over sin and death, instead of receiving gifts from His defeated foes, He brings gifts. This is a complete shift from what we would expect from a conquering king. The Lord is so gracious and merciful to save us from death; He is also gracious and merciful to bring us additional gifts.
What are the gifts that Christ brings? People! In this passage, we get to say (with full biblical authority) that those who are in Christ are God’s gift to the world! How arrogant does that sound… and yet how beautiful! It is a wonder to acknowledge that we are only gifts because of His work in us. As you serve and participate in the life of the Church, you are to be a part of serving and building up the body of Christ.
In this article, I wanted to share how the Lord has called two individuals to serve in special roles in our church. The first is Sara Southard. This week, Sara has agreed to serve our church as our Children’s Ministry Director. This is an important position within our church. Through the faithful work of our past Children’s Ministry Directors and our current Interim Children’s Ministry Director, we have a healthy foundation to continue to build upon. Sara has been serving as an elementary and primary school teacher in various classrooms and settings for over a decade. She is the daughter of Greg and Ann Kistner, members of our church. She is married to Zach and they have two wonderful daughters. Sara will begin her role on March 21. We will be scheduling a fellowship time for you to meet her and her family.
Additionally, the Session approved Dr. John Wykoff to serve as the Interim Choir Director through June 2022. Dr. Wykoff has faithfully served in many ways throughout our church, from Sunday School teacher to elder. In this season, he will assist our church with some provisional direction while the Session seeks a permanent music ministry leader. To encourage him in this ministry, the Session has granted him a sabbatical from his elder responsibilities.
I would ask that you pray for Sara and John as they assume their roles and responsibilities in these very important ministries for the body of Christ. Remember that they, like you, are gifts from the Lord. And as the author of Hebrews instructs us in chapter four, “let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
