Seven Swans a-Swimming: Gifts of the Holy Spirit

In John 7:37-39, it says:

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.

This is an incredibly exciting announcement by Jesus. Those who believe in Jesus will have rivers of living water flowing out from within them by the power of the Holy Spirit! But what does this river look like? What comes flowing to us and through us by this river? And what does this have to do with Christmas? While I can’t cover everything these questions raise, I can begin to explore this river with you.

Most celebrations of Christmas include the beautiful tradition of giving and receiving gifts. As we explore this river of the Holy Spirit flowing from within us, I want you to shift your thinking from gifts wrapped up under the tree to the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in Romans 12:4-8. To increase the Christmas fun, let’s imagine those gifts as Seven Swans a-Swimming, flowing to us on the river of the Holy Spirit, alive and graceful. Swans are beautiful and majestic birds, and so are these gifts as they are expressed through us by the power of the Holy Spirit. This Romans passage mentions seven of them: prophecy, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership, and mercy. It is to the beauty and expression of these gifts that we will give the rest of our attention, and my hope is that each one will come alive in and through your life this Christmas season. Take a moment to read Romans 12:4-8, and then let’s get started!

Swan 1: Prophecy

In 1 Corinthians 14:3, Paul says, “But anyone who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging, and comfort.” Do you know anyone who could use a word that strengthens, encourages, or comforts this holiday season? I am sure you do. The truth is, you can pick almost anyone around you. Though we see Christmas as a joyful season, researchers tell us over and over again that it is one often marked by loneliness and depression. All around us are people who need the gift of prophecy, words that strengthen, encourage, and comfort.

And we have the most beautiful words of all! “God hasn’t forgotten you,” “God sees you in your need,” and “God has provided a way for you to come into his family through the gift of his Son, Jesus.”

Do you want to prophecy powerfully? Speak the words of Scripture and the promises of God to people who need hope. If the Holy Spirit gives you words for someone that are strengthening, encouraging, and comforting, let them fly! It doesn’t matter if you know the person or they are a stranger standing in line next to you. This gift is given to us that a river of hope might flow out from us to our neighbors and communities.

Swan 2: Serving

The gift of serving that flows from the Holy Spirit turns us from self-interest to the interests of others. Paul writes in Philippians 2:1-4, “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.”

What a great season the holidays are for growing our service: family gatherings, friend gatherings, church gatherings, and the opportunity to serve hundreds of strangers around shopping malls or restaurants who might need a helping hand. What is the Holy Spirit saying to you this Christmas season about serving? Put it into action. You grow in this gift by being responsive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and your willingness to obey that prompting.

Swan 3: Teaching

Teaching is one of the most misconstrued gifts of the Spirit today because we continue to think it is about passing on information (often in a classroom setting) rather than bringing someone to maturity. We have been dominated by the view that if the information got passed on, then the teaching was successful. But I would argue that until that information is put into practice in a life-giving way to others, the teaching is woefully incomplete. Information that never moves into meaningful practice is like having a swan that never swims.

At the end of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7, Jesus shares about a wise man and a foolish man. There is only one difference between them. One put the teaching of Jesus into practice (maturity), the other didn’t. The gift of teaching is not only about information but calling/showing people how to put it into practice.

There is no better example than Jesus. Let’s take the gift of “serving” from before to show what good teaching looks like. In John 13, Jesus washes the disciples’ feet. His living example of what service to one another looks like completely transforms the rest of the teaching that follows. “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”

Each of us is teaching someone around us. Are you passing on information with a mentality to “do as I say but not as I do”? Or are your actions embodying the importance of the information you are sharing? Informal teaching in your family, friendships, and as a witness of God’s love to your community are often more powerful than the best-crafted Sunday sermon. How are you responding to the gifts of teaching you are receiving (formal and informal)? Are you logging the information or putting it into practice? How are you responding to the leading of the Holy Spirit this Christmas season in the moments where you are the teacher (the one helping someone to maturity)? Are you passing on information and setting the example? This swan wants to swim!

Swan 4: Encouragement

What keeps a swan on top of the water? Buoyancy. These birds were made to float! What keeps people afloat amidst the stresses, worries, and challenges of life? You guessed it: encouragement. The Bible teaches us that words can build people up or tear them down. The Holy Spirit gift of encouragement uses God’s words, promises, and the leading of the Holy Spirit to lift people up. Once again the Christmas season is primed for this gift to be expressed through us!

One time I heard Pastor John Maxwell say, “People will rise much faster to your encouragement than your inspection,” and I have never forgotten it. So when you see the parent with a kid melting down right in front of you, maybe offer a word of encouragement or look of understanding rather than glaring and muttering that people should get their kids under control. When you see someone who looks down add a simple word of blessing that lifts them up.

The Holy Spirit wants to empower every one of us with this wonderful gift! Every day let’s ask, “Lord, show me who You want me to encourage today.” When we run into that person, continue the conversation by asking, “Holy Spirit, what word, action, or expression of love is needed to lift them up?” Be obedient to what the Holy Spirit says. There are too many people in this world barely keeping their heads above water. Use the beautiful swan of encouragement to give people buoyancy!

Swan 5: Giving

Romans 12:8 says that if your gift is “giving, then give generously.” “Giving” as a gift of the Holy Spirit is best described by generosity. To be generous is to give beyond what is usual or expected and involves a heart change.

Many people talk about some day in the future when they hope to have enough to be generous. Those who do this will likely never cultivate the gift of giving. Generosity in giving doesn’t begin with what you don’t have, but with what you do have. It doesn’t begin when you have enough but begins with sharing what you have right now.

Generosity reflects the heart of God and can be seen in the Christmas season where we celebrate the incredible gift of Jesus Christ to us, even when we didn’t deserve him. How might the Holy Spirit be calling you to show God’s character through generous giving to others, especially those who are less fortunate or seemingly undeserving? When done through the leading of the Holy Spirit, the spiritual gift of giving is like a swan gliding up and down the river bringing necessary resources to the places God is directing. How is he directing you?

Swan 6: Leadership

Leadership can be measured in influence, and we all have some degree of it. But just because we have it doesn’t mean that we use it effectively or for God’s glory.

Imagine a small group talking about a gift inventory they have taken. One person who scored high on the gift of leadership quickly and proudly declares, “Well, I guess I am the leader!” If only it were that easy. One might ask that person, “Do you have the gift of leadership or do you just like to be the center of attention?” There is a big difference between strong leadership and a strong personality.

Just because a gift is given doesn’t mean it has been developed or that it is producing good fruit. For instance, someone with the gift of leadership (influence) can lead people in the wrong direction as well as the right. A leader with bad character leads you to a very different place than a leader with good character. Someone with an immature gift of leadership can wreak havoc in a community.

Where is your leadership (influence) leading people this Christmas season? Is it leading them to the hope of Christ? Does it reflect God’s heart and character? This precious swan shows people the way. If your gift is leadership, lead and lead well!

Swan 7: Showing Mercy

Isn’t it interesting that when we have been wronged we want justice, but when we are in the wrong, we want mercy? Jesus said in Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” The gift of this swan might be the most elegant of all. The love of God is seen in his mercy.

Ponder a moment in your life when you expected to get the hammer from someone but received mercy instead. I bet you can still feel the emotions of that moment. Ponder a moment when you desperately needed mercy but someone gave you the hammer. I bet you can remember the emotions of that moment too! The Holy Spirit wants to bring the gift of mercy to your life and then bring it into expression through your life.

Mercy gives people the opportunity to change. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17).

This Christmas season, remember that it is the kindness of God that leads people to repentance. The prophet Isaiah gives a picture of the promise of God’s mercy and grace in 1:18: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow,” or we might also say “as white as the most glorious, pure-white swan!”

Seven Swans a-Swimming. Seven beautiful gifts of the Holy Spirit. May these special gifts and graces given to us fill our lives and overflow into our communities. Merry Christmas!