4th October 1998
Evening Service St. George's
Reading 2 Tim 1:1-14
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus...
It sounds very formal doesn't it ? Just like all the other letters that Paul wrote to churches...He started like this to the Romans: "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures, the gospel concerning his son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of Holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have reveived grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ; To all God's beloved in Rome who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
It's all one sentence !
But the letter to Timothy is different to the letter to Rome. The letter to Timothy is written to a person, a close friend, someone who Paul loved. So this opening is different - the formal opening slips slightly in verse 2 - "To Timothy, my beloved child..."
This letter is to be different from the formal, argumentative, theologically dense letters that Paul fired off to the churches he had founded. We shall see that straight away.
I thank God whom I serve with a clear conscience, as did my fathers, when I remember you constantly in my prayers. As I remember your tears, I long night and day to see you, that I may be filled with joy...
This is a very reflective Paul. He acknowledges that his fathers (devout Jews) like him, served God faithfully. This is, for Paul, a moment of real open-mindedness. He acknowledges the debt his christian faith owes to its Jewish fathers. He admits that God is bigger than the constraints any religion can put on him.
And this is a vulnerable Paul. He sounds lonely - I remember you constantly in my prayers...I remember your tears...I long night & day to see you... It's easy to think of Paul as a monolithic figure thick-skinned, hard-nosed, unhurt by the trials that life throws at him. It's partly his own fault. In his other letters he is so confident in his faith, in his God that nobody can touch him, nobody can hurt him. He's met opposition, he's been arrested, he's been stoned and flogged, but his faith stands firm.
But Paul is human and vulnerable like all of us, it's nice to know. But more than that, Paul testifies to a God who made himself vulnerable for our sake. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus is lonely too. He hasn't anyone to turn to, not even in a letter.
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you...
When Paul thinks of Timothy, he thinks of his faith. I think Paul's metaphor is interesting. He looks at faith in terms of a building and its inhabitants. You can tell a lot about the people who live in a house by looking at the house, can't you ? Are they tidy or cluttered, do they collect things ? Do they have children, pets, hobbys ? Have they got any idea of colour coordination ? What's in the cupboard - are they vegetarian ? How big is the television - is it the most important item in the sitting room ? What is their taste in music - which decade would they describe as "in my day" ?
Paul looks at Timothy and Lois and Eunice. They are like buildings - just by looking at them, you know that faith lives there. Paul uses this metaphor a lot in his letters. He talks of God living in us, the Spirit living in us, the word of God living in us, sin living in us. When people look at you, who do they think is at home?
Hence, I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is withing you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control.
Timothy may be full of faith, but he seems to have won himself a reputation for being timid. Timid Timothy. How many of us are just like him ? Perfectly confident in so many areas of our lives, but when it comes to the sharing of the gospel, oh how timid and apologetic we become. I'll do anything, Lord, but please don't ask me to talk to people about my faith !
Does Timid Timothy need a new gift from God to anable him to fulfil his calling to preach the gospel ? No ! Paul urges him to rekindle the gift of God that is within him. "O thou who camest from above/ the pure celestial fire to impart/ kindle a flame of holy fire / on the mean altar of my heart." "So light up the fire and let the flame burn/ open the door, let Jesus return / take seeds of his spirit, let the fruit grow / tell the people of Jesus let his love show."
The words of our hymns and songs are full of promises to fan the sparks of faith in our hearts into roaring fires. Do we really mean it when we sing it ?
Do not be ashamed, then, of testifying to our Lord, nor of me his prisoner... Now we know, if we had not already guessed, why Paul is lonely, and why he is in such reflective mood. Now we know why he feels vulnerable, and needs his friends most of all. He is in prison, rather, he is held captive. He is in Rome. Most scholars think he was held under house arrest, not necesarily in a prison. Later we read...
You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, and among them Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the househould of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me; he was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me eagerly and found me...I am suffering and wearing fetters like a criminal, but the word of God is not fettered.
Paul is a prisoner of Rome, but he doesn't say that - he says he is the Lord's prisoner. He is in prison because he has refused to be silent, he has defiantly preached God's word. God's word cannot be chained or silenced, not even now. Yet, Paul's words are also full of sadness. Many have deserted him, ashamed of his chains, frightened of being associated with an imprisoned man.
Yet we, as christians are called to be associated with a crucified man - a man who died the death of a common criminal. Are we ashamed of that ?
I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am sure he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me...
I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed. Paul doesn't say I am not ashamed because I know what I have believed, he says, I am not ashamed because I know whom I have believed. This is the key, this is the secret to his faith and his life - he knows his Saviour. He has never forgotten that first encounter with the risen Lord on the Damascus Road. For Paul, that bright light still burns brightly.
God is able to guard what has been entrusted to me. What has been entrusted to Paul ? Paul means here the churches he has established and individuals like Timothy. Paul is worried that when he is gone, the churches will fall apart. He already has experience of this. Every time he leaves a town, false teachers arrive and lead people astray, and he has to write to the churches to put them straight. That's why we have the letters of Paul to the churches ! This then is Paul's prayer. If I am to remain imprisoned, if I am to die, then please God look after the churches and look after my dear friend Timothy.
It's Paul's hardest lesson - he is not indispensable. That's one of my hardest lessons, I haven't fully learned it yet ! Maybe it's one of yours too.