Scripture Text (NRSV)
2 Timothy 2:8-15
2:8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of
David--that is my gospel,
2:9 for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained
like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained.
2:10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so
that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with
eternal glory.
2:11 The saying is sure: If we have died with him, we will also
live with him;
2:12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he
will also deny us;
2:13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful-- for he cannot deny
himself.
2:14 Remind them of this, and warn them before God that they are to
avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those
who are listening.
2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved
by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the
word of truth.
Comments:
Though Paul is chained as a prisoner, he reminds Timothy that the word
of God is never shackled. He encourages his young friend to proclaim
that word of freedom in an honest and upright life as well as in his
teaching and preaching.
Remember the truth. This is the message of this reading. Believers can
weather any challenge, including those posed by false teachers as
addressed by this letter, if they will hold fast to the truth as they
have received it. Like the man who is healed, we must continually
return to recognize the source of the grace and mercy we have known.
What words would the people be wrangling over in Tim's area? Seems to
be a key ingredient in the periocope about God's Word.
Sally in GA
Wrangling words. Every time I go by the cemetary our church owns, I
think of how many arguements are buried there. Conflicts and fights in
the church which no one even remembers anymore!!! I'm thinking of
using this text as an encouragment that we all show our faith by being
edifying to one another - building one another up. Seems to me a
better use of our words than criticizing and tearing down. Lisa in
Illinois
if we are faithless, he remains faithful-- for he cannot deny himself.
Christ remined faithful and did not deny himself and went the way of
the cross. He helps us to be faithful and the person we are intended
to be.
I remember one year at Annual Conference we were considering taking a
bold step into the future. We were reviewing the document when person
after person stood up suggesting a change of wording. In my opinion
this went on far too long it was almost as though persons were trying
to avoid the seriousness of the document. We can easily lose our
focus, “wrangling” over words which is what Paul was warning young
Timothy and the other believers
Love, Paula
Isn't wrangling over words the very heart of Bible study most of the
time?
Sally
I recently had several opportunities to meet with the Moderator of the
Nairobi, Kenya Presbytery. In our talks he told stories of the
religious persecution taking place in his country. While we here on
DPS site are writing sarcastic little notes and wrangling about words,
our brothers and sisters in Christ are being threatened, imprisoned,
and sometimes dying for the faith. I read this passage from II Timothy
and I think there may be a tie-in. Peace, Brothers and Sisters -
Reverend KJ
As I read this text, I was thinking about how words can be used as
roadblocks. Indeed, my sermon title is going to be something like
"Building Roads, Not Roadblocks".
I remember one congregation that I served that had a traditional
women's group. They were generally in their sixties and seventies.
Then there was a new (less than 10 years) old women's group whose
members tended to be between the ages of 25 and 40.
The traditional group decided to paint the church kitchen. They chose
the colours and painted it. (And a nice job).
The non-traditional group decided that the hall, which had not been
painted for twenty years, could do with a similar treatment. They went
to the committee that had been looking after all the maintenance and
told them that they would get the paint, the supplies, the volunteers
and do the whole job.
Well, I was there for that meeting.
"What kind of paint are you going to use?" (oil base)
"How are you going to reach the tops of the walls?" (scaffold - we
checked the cost)
"What colour are you planning?" (Here are the colour chips.)
"Do you realize that it won't look good if different people do it -
some will put it on thicker, some thinner?"
"Do you realize that your brushes need to be all the same?"
And so on....
To be fair, all the roadblocking came from one individual with perhaps
a small contribution from another.
Finally it was begrudingly conceded that the group would be allowed to
proceed so long as they passed the colours by the congregation.
I wonder if others have roadblock stories to share? My sense is that
if congregations can understand the negative behaviour they can better
cope with it. And, as an interim minister, I need to be able to help
congregations deal with their internal dynamics.
peace
kent in Québec
I should have said that I was working primarily from this verse:
2:14 Remind them of this, and warn them before God that they are to
avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those
who are listening.
k in q
The phrase "Remember Jesus Christ ..." which starts the 2 Timothy
reading this week is evocative and powerful - particularly in light of
the current world situation. I'm still working on my message for
Sunday but have prepared the following for our church news sheet, and,
even though written from an Australian perspective, add it to the
present discussion in the hope that it might be of help to other
DPSers as they wrestle with taking God's word to God's people this
week:-
"The terrorist attacks of September 11 and the violent acts of
retribution and vengeance over the last week have given rise to severe
unrest, turmoil and anxiety - not just for us individually, but for us
as a whole society. The hateful, reprehensible fire-bombing of a
mosque just down in Adelaide [our local state capital city] this last
week reinforces how close to home the problems of the world have come
to us, how strong an upheaval is being created in our nation at this
time, how polarised are the views within our community on who's to
blame and how to respond.
For Christian people, there is an extremely strategic and important
question to ask: what does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus in such a
time as this? What does it mean to live for God and with God in the
midst of such climactic tension and trauma?
In the face of growing responses of hostility and violence,
reinforcing the cycle of hate and revenge, the true followers of Jesus
may well find themselves in the minority, as they seek to walk in the
way of Jesus, whether popular or not.
In our reading from 2 Timothy this morning, Paul urges his young
protege, Timothy, to "Remember Jesus Christ!" It occurs to me that
this instruction could not be a more timely reminder for us, also. We
are called, even in these tumultuous and perplexing times, to
"Remember Jesus Christ!" - not just by cogitating and reflecting on
what Jesus did for us all that time ago, but by allowing who he is and
what he did, to shape how we live and act and relate in the here and
now. We most profoundly "Remember Jesus Christ!" by making him
re-present in our world through how we live."
PH in South Aust
Thanks for the contributions this week. They have given me a couple
interesting angles to talk about in this weeks message at church.
I have been looking for an oportunity to discuss the popular Jabez
Prayer. In Christian circles this has been the new rage. If you have
not read the book I encourage you to read it. The focus is on this
small story found in 1 Chronicles 4:10. Jabez was a normal person who
asked God to bless him more so he could be a strong witness for God.
The point I see in this 2 Timothy passage is that we have been blessed
through Jesus Christ so go tell the story. Human beings tend to get
off track and lose focus of the important things of life and instead
we hurt each other with our prideful ways. As one of you have said
there are roadblocks to the good news and the sad thing is that we put
them there.
The Jabez prayer I mentioned is about one man who was tired of the
pain and ready to do something about it in the intrest of God. He
asked for blessings that would change his life and make his walk with
God a walk honoring God. The last verse of the Jabez passage says God
granted his prayer. I am going to tell my congregations that God is
looking for people who have the same heart as Jabez. People who are
willing to (like Paul) give their life over to remembering Jesus.
Blessings and miracles happen through those willing to answer the
call. Everything else should be secondary to the resurrection power we
have been given through our Lord Jesus Christ. Focus is so important.
KB in Ks
I am calling my sermon: Lessons from an old man. Although I am only in
my 50's I now appreciate how important it is to endure, to speak
carefully, to deny self and to trust God....lessons you learn late in
life perhaps. Margot
"... warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words,
which does no good but only ruins those who are listening." Well, that
does it for us, does it not?
Jesus Christ is faithful, even if we are not! It seems to me that this
week there is something about responding to God from our hearts and
not from a sense of duty. Something about letting that deep joy well
up and overcome us.
God has given me so much, I want to give something back to God. But
everything belongs to God! And if everything belongs to God and God is
for us, then who can be against us?
As I begin working on this week lectionary, I find I want the most
wonderful story of God in our lives. I want something eye-popping. But
perhaps that is my vanity. Be still, my heart, and seek that still,
snall voice....
Hw in HI
Dear Hw in HI, It's 3:18 p.m. e.d.t., on Wed., and it looks like you
and I are the only ones preaching this pericope.
The thing that stands out to me in this pericope and the title of my
sermon, are the first words of this passage ... Remember Jesus Christ.
This is a letter to a discouraged young minister. Paul is trying to
build him and us (laity too) up and he tells Tim, "Look as bad as you
think things are . . . Remember Jesus Christ. When you are suffering
for the gospel's sake . . . Remember Jesus Christ. When wrangling over
words are hurting people in the church by killing their spirit . . .
Remember Jesus Christ. We suffer hardship . . . we endure everything,
including church boards that don't act like Christians . . . why . . .
because we remember Jesus Christ and we can't do anything else.
John in Ky.
