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
Previous:
"... 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.
HW in HI: I'm intrigued by your second paragraph. This could be a thesis statement for the sermon that's evolving from my engagement with the gospel text (see my post over there). What in the Timothy passage stirs this sentiment in you?
By the way, thanks for your help with Herzog the other week.
pHil
Dear Brother Jn in KY, Thank you for your stirring witness, which I just shared with folks under the Jeremiah text who were wording it up over Spong's 12 theses. Your message will no doubt be the one my congregation gets on Sunday. Bless you! Anne in Providence
Remember Jesus Christ is the theme of my sermon. Remember Jesus when you are dying, suffering, in conflict with others and when you are tempted. All of the opposition, both external to the church, within the church and within yourself. I think that when our passions are aroused and we are stressed we literally forget Jesus and there we fall. Spiritual practices help us remember and stand. Lewis
As John in Ky. wrote, there are very few of us preaching on this passage this week.
Remember Jesus Christ is the phrase which the Spirit keeps bringing to my mind as a text. Paul exhorts Timothy to remember Jesus in the midst of false teachings and remain faithful to the truth. What would Paul say to us? Remember Jesus Christ! The instruction begs the question, "Where have we 'forgotten' Christ?" or "In whom or what else do we place our loyalties?" It is tempting as we look at the great strides in human technology, to place our loyalty in human effort and scientific advancement - in "cars which save your soul" (Volvo) or the "True Grace Card" (Am. Express). Perhaps we place our loyalty in computers and the internet (this hits too close to home!) or in the stock market or FDIC... What of the recent market "slump", the Y2K problem, etc. Remember Jesus Christ!
Also, the call to remembrance is not only to remember Jesus' acts of love, mercy and salvation, but to remember that Christ is risen, alive, and present with us through all our trials, sufferings, and joys.
Ken-on-the-Hudson
Dear pHil & others,
It is "2:13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful-- for he cannot deny himself." That is the verse that makes me say 'Jesus Christ is faithful, even if we are not!' It is important for us to remember that through the tumult, he stands steady. It is the faith to keep going through the bad times. Even if it gets so bad that we deny him, he doesn't budge. He just isn't one to shout very often....
I like this pericope, and can't resist the gospel, so think I will tie the two together. Soon. Hopefully today!
Aloha, HW in HI
Obviously, the one returning leper remember Jesus Christ. This pericope speaks of the need for an ongoing conversation with Jesus. Dr. Jan Linn in his book, The Jesus Connection, writes that the end of Christian spirituality is to love the way Jesus loved. The means to this end is loving Jesus. The beginning point of loving Jesus is remember Jesus Christ. John in Ky.
P. S. I'm glad to see more preaching on this pericope. It's too easy for me to preach narrative texts. I need the hard work of preaching the Epistles. Blessings to all!
Dear HW, I want to echo the sentiments already expressed by someone else. Your organist may be overcome with guilt for her actions. You are a representative of God for her, and perhaps she is afraid to face God right now. Perhaps a note in a card would provide an opening if she continues to refuse a visit. The attitude of gratitude for life can be hard to maintain. My son is a sensitive young man who seems to have been born with ingrained belief that he is not good enough. Two weeks ago he tried to hurt himself. We are seeking counseling for him and I think he will be okay. But it is so hard. I'm praying for you and your organist now. The Samaritan leper returned to give thanks. How do we develop and maintain that attitude of thanksgiving and praise in the midst of trouble, when healing seems far away?
ST
When do we forget Christ? Whenever we deem a situation hopeless. Paul is in prison, in a dungeon, chained. Not under house arrest this time. He knows he doesn't have much longer. 2 Tim is such a human portrait of Paul...wanting Timothy to come to him soon, bring my cloak, try to make it before winter, etc. I can't help thinking that Paul is preaching to himself here: "Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead." Paul knows that he is not in a hopeless situation because Christ is faithful and Christ has risen from the dead.
What are some situations that may be considered by some to be hopeless? Christ is there!! Halleluia! Find strength and comfort in remembering a RISEN Savior!
-John near Pitts.
Amen John... Where near Pittsburgh? I'm hoping to go to seminary in Ambridge.
Rick in Va
Paul states,"that is my gospel,for which I suffer hardship".The question arises personally,and to the church;"What is my gospel?"....the message does not change,nor the results.Paul says it caused him chains,and being marked something that he was not. In this world of decade after decade of changes;(the 70's,the80's and now the 90's)if we consider the results, they are all the same ...change after change another change,and only God knows what for 2000.Verses 11-14 are reminder to Timothy under all the pressures that may come;don't change;because there are elements of God's holy plan of salvation that do not,and so should it be with the gospel message:That it be based upon Christ Jesus(The solid rock I stand),Christ in his humanity(Christ the Man);that he suffered the same infermities as we,and was tempted at all points of life as we.Then that he was God in the Flesh(went as a sheep to a slaugther)but "Got up"taking even death's sting away,and that he is King of King's and Lord of Lord's.This should be our message,not a message of resocializing,or compromise with this world,or what people may think of us;or do to us,because all works to the good of those who love God. Rev.D.L.Scott damon109@juno.com