“Sincere in our Faith” – II Timothy 1:1-14 – October 7, 2007

For many of us we are fortunate to have parents and grand-parents who were persons of faith. They were active in the life of the church and their faith has influence us as it was passed on from generation to the other. I could give numerous examples when my mother or grandmother recalled some parishioner who helped to shape their life. For example, my mother has a quilt that she still keeps on her bed. The quilt has all the names of the members of the church where her father (my grandfather) was pastor of a church in Cleveland. She remembers their love and she still feels the warmth of their friendship and faith.

In this congregation there are many 5th, 6th and even 7th generations of families who have stayed connected to the church over the decades. They can trace their faith directly to relatives who were here long ago, praying, giving, serving, and making the church an integral part of their lives. In the letter, Paul talks about the sincere faith of Timothy’s mother, Eunice and his grandmother, Lois, that was passed on to him.

Times however are changing. There are a growing number of families who are first generation believers. Or, they have come from other faith traditions. They don’t have the roots of a family faith that have been passed on through the generations. Does that mean their faith is not sincere or because they don’t have a family history in the church that their faith can’t be strong?

Paul was grateful for the faith of Timothy’s ancestors, but Paul also made the point that the grace of God “was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.” In other words, it was the saving grace of Jesus that ultimately shaped his faith. For Paul, it was the faith of Jesus Christ that transformed him and led to his calling as an “apostle and teacher.”

You might be blessed by the fact that many generations preceded you in the life of the church. But, can we honestly say that faith is genetic? Remember that Jesus told his followers that “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matt. 12:50, Mark 3:35) And in Luke Jesus said, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” (Luke 8:21)

While it is true that our ancestors who have been faithful may have helped to enhance our faith, it is also true that our faith is primarily a result of the life of Jesus Christ. Paul makes the point here in II Timothy that his faith was first and foremost because of the grace of Christ. He also goes on to say that his faith had been strengthened by his “suffering.” Specifically he was referring to the fact of his imprisonment. Paul had been arrested because of his beliefs. He didn’t live in a society that enjoyed the freedom of religion.

Paul is stuck behind bars, unable to be with the people of the faith community he loves. Through his letters to the churches he encourages their faith. The Church has been growing but they are still facing many obstacles. He is acting like a coach from a press box calling the plays from a distance. He said, “Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit.”

Paul told them that their faith could be strengthened by three things. First, they have been given “a spirit of power” that is within them. Second, they have been given the gift of “love.” Third, they have also been given “self discipline.”

The spirit of God is within every one of you. Like Paul said, it has to be “rekindled.” Now that we are having cooler weather some of you are building fires in your wood burning stoves. To keep the fire burning you have to stoke it by stirring up the embers. You might also need to add some paper or wood and a little air to give it a boost.

Faith lies within all of us but there are times when the fire simply burns out. A pastor heard that one of his parishioners was going about announcing to one and all that he would no longer attend church services. This rebellious parishioner was advancing the familiar argument that he could communicate with God just as easily out in the fields with nature as his setting for worship. One winter evening, the pastor called on this reluctant member of his flock for a friendly visit. The two men sat before the fireplace making small talk, but studiously avoiding the issue of church attendance. After a while, the pastor took the tongs from the rack next to the fireplace and pulled a single coal from the fire. He placed the glowing ember on the hearth. As the two watched in silence, the coal quickly ceased burning and turned an ashen gray, while the other coals in the fire continued to burn brightly. The pastor's silent message was not lost on the parishioner. After a long pause, he turned to the pastor and said "I'll be back at services next Sunday." (from Sower’s Seeds, “In Community There is Strength”)

Secondly, we all have the gift of love. Paul said “He was not ashamed” of his faith. He was willing to take a stand for what he believed even if it meant he would be imprisoned.

“At a high school assembly, I had spoken about picking on people and how each of us has the ability to stand up for people instead of putting them down. Afterwards, we had a time when anyone could come out of the bleachers and speak to the assembly. Students could say thank-you to someone who had helped them, and some people came up and did just that. Then a senior girl stood up. She stepped over to the microphone, pointed to the sophomore section and challenged her whole school. ‘Let's stop picking on that boy. Sure, he's different from us, but we are in this thing together. On the inside he's no different from us and needs our acceptance, love, compassion and approval. He needs a friend. Why do we continually brutalize him and put him down? I'm challenging this entire school to lighten up on him and give him a chance!’

All the time she shared, I had my back to the section where that boy sat, and I had no idea who he was. But obviously the school knew. I felt almost afraid to look at his section, thinking the boy must be red in the face, wanting to crawl under his seat and hide from the world. But as I glanced back, I saw someone who just had to be the boy that she was talking about smiling from ear to ear. His whole body bounced up and down, and he raised one fist in the air. His whole body language said, ‘Thank you, thank you. Keep telling them. You saved my life today!’" (from: Courage In Action, by Bill Sanders)

Finally, Paul said we have the gift of self discipline. He said that God did not give us a “spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and love and self-discipline.” In other words, each of us can choose to be active in our faith and be on fire for the gospel or we can stay away.

No one in my family currently attends our home church in Dayton, Ohio. They have all migrated to Florida. Consequently none of my brothers are part of a church that has more than two generations. One of my brothers is very active in the life of the church but the other two are not. I believe our family is typical of families in our society because we are very mobile and scattered around the country. We are more like the majority of church folks who don’t enjoy a faith tradition that has been passed on from one generation to another.

I can’t make my brothers be part of a church. They have to make that choice for themselves. For me, life in the church is like anything else in our world we consider important. It requires that self-discipline that Paul was describing to Timothy. We all have it, but we have to choose to use it.

Perhaps the key for Paul was the fact that he completely trusted in God. He didn’t worry about what other people thought or said about him. He was willing to take risks, yes, even if it meant being imprisoned for his beliefs. He therefore encouraged others to join with him and not be afraid to express their faith.

During his youth, baseball great Jackie Robinson began to run with a neighborhood gang. He had no understanding that a gang was not the way to achieve a better life. An older friend came to Jackie and told him that his actions were hurting his hard-working mother as well as limiting his true potential. He said, “It doesn’t take guts to follow the crowd, rather courage and intelligence require a willingness to be different.”

Jackie listened to the old friend and left the gang. He began to work on developing his own physical potential and within a few short years he became a sensational athlete. He was a star athlete for UCLA and became the first person to win awards in four different sports. He went on to play pro football and after WWII he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was the first black person to play major league baseball and he was voted rookie of the year.

Perhaps none of us will become professional athletes but who knows. The important thing is that we listen to the sound teachings of the apostle Paul, just as Jackie Robinson listened to the teachings of an old friend. Our faith will be enhanced when we are willing to make choices that are different than the rest of society.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ