Equipped for Good Work (2 Timothy 3: 14-17) 6/24/12

          Looking for a “pass it forward” message? Maybe a good locker room speech for halftime? Need to challenge your child or student or young friend before you retire? You could do worse than the letter of 2^nd Timothy as the source of your inspiration. Paul pours his heart out to his young protégé. 2^nd Timothy is perhaps the last writing that Paul sent before his appointment with the Roman justice of Nero and the axe of his executioner. The book is one of a small collection of three letters that we call the “Pastorals,” two to his young friend Timothy and one to Titus. They are mentoring letters. They are both witness and guidebook to these young men. In that sense, they are instructive to us as we endeavor to find our way through the maze of life’s decisions. It’s always nice to have a GPS when you’re trying to find your way home.

          St. Timothy is an interesting character. He was the son of a mixed marriage. His father was Greek, his mother Jewish. Eunice, Timothy’s mother, is mentioned kindly by Paul in his writings and is thought to have converted to Christianity. Timothy accompanied Paul on his second missionary journey, replacing Barnabus. Paul saw to it that Timothy was circumcised in order to be more acceptable to the Jews. Timothy was probably with Paul at Caesarea and Rome when Paul was imprisoned. He was later sent to Ephesus, where legend has it that he became its first bishop. Timothy remained in Ephesus for some fifteen years until he was stoned trying to stop a pagan parade. Paul was very fond of Timothy, referring to him as his son in the faith.

Today, we recognize several young men who have come of sufficient age to determine for themselves to join the church. Like Timothy, they have “from childhood…been acquainted with the sacred writings.” For Timothy, it was probably the Septuagint, the translation of the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) into Koine Greek. For us and these young men, it is the Bible, both Old and New Testament. For some weeks, we have met and talked about what it means to be Christian; what is means to be Presbyterian. We have talked about lots of things, but we have focused on the Apostles Creed because it is a shorthand version that embodies much of what we hold dear as the sacred tenets of our faith. There are other creeds and confessions that are of equal weight in our church and we have taken a brief look at them as well. We have used the Apostles Creed because it is perhaps the one with which they had the most familiarity.

Those of you who are older have had more occasion to have those significant conversations with someone for whom you held great value. We tend to receive such advice on graduation from high school or college, prior to marriage, on going off to serve in the military or moving away from home---or perhaps at the imminent passing of a loved one from this life. These are the times when those precious nuggets of wisdom flow from the lips of those whom we love and respect. Such is the occasion for which Paul wrote his young friend and such is the occasion in which these young men find themselves this morning.

Joining the church is a right of passage. As infants, our parents brought us before this throne of grace and promised to raise us in the nurture and admonition of God. The members of the church made a similar vow. That has been the task of both family and church. But today, you are taking a step on your own. We in the church have tried to make it an informed step for you, but now you step out from under the care and protection of that umbrella where you had no decisions to make. Today, you say to yourself, your family, this church and God that you choose this, that you choose him; that you of your own choosing turn to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. And so, it is fitting that you be armed with some advice with which to carry out your decision.

          Paul tells Timothy to continue. Timothy is charged to continue in what he has learned, in what he has believed, in what he has been acquainted with since childhood. Paul is talking about the Scriptures. Paul says that through faith in Jesus Christ, Scripture can make us wise for salvation. You, like Timothy, are privileged to have been brought up in Christian homes, in a church community. You are already prepared much more than many young men and women all around the world who have not been so lucky. The writer of Proverbs 22 tells us to “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (v.6). You already have tools in your spiritual belt that will stand you well for the many tests that lie ahead. ]

          When I was eighteen years old, I went to work in the cotton mill for the summer before I went off to college. I worked in a shop where I learned how to install gauges and instruments on machinery. In order to do the work, I needed a number of tools which I was to wear on a tool belt. I can remember showing up early into the job and being asked where my tools were. My supervisor told me very matter of factly that I would never be able to fix or install anything if I didn’t bring the right tools to the job. I never forgot that. To this day, the back of my car has a toolbox which goes everywhere with me. It still has tools in it which were purchased forty five years ago. They still work as good today as they did so long ago. They have stood the test of time. The Scriptures are like that. The Bible is timeless. Give it high priority in your toolkit of life and you will come to your job equipped for the work God has planned for you. 

          Paul reminds Timothy that he knows from whom he learned these things. This could have several layers of meaning, including faith in Christ and dedication to Scripture. It might also mean family. In Timothy’s case, it is Eunice, his mother and certainly Paul, his father in the faith.  Understand this in your own context. Look around at who is here for you today. You have parents and grandparents, maybe even uncles and aunts. You have church family. In Paul’s words, understand from whom you have learned how to be the person you are—how your value system has been shaped to this point in your life.

          Paul ends this passage to his pupil by focusing on the source of true knowledge. It is Scripture. Paul says that all Scripture is God-breathed. Think about this. All Scripture is God-breathed. Scripture can be confusing. Scripture can be complex, even apparently contradictory. It was written by men, copied by men into additional manuscripts. It was written in different times, in different places, by men with different backgrounds. But…taken as a whole, the message of the Scriptures is breathed from God himself. Believe it! Believe it as Paul did and let it be your map from now on. Paul says the Scripture is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and…and this is the biggest one of all…for training in righteousness. The Scriptures are all these things and so much more. They are God talking to you. Are you listening?

          What is the result? Paul starts out by telling his student to continue, to continue doing what got him there to begin with. How many times have you heard a coach or player interviewed before a big game as to strategy and what is the typical response? Consistently, they say the same thing: they’re going to continue to do the things that got them there. They must have read 2^nd Timothy 3.  The result is that you will become men and women of God. What better aspiration could there be? And Paul says that if you have continued to read and practice what you learn from Scripture, then you will be competent, able. You will be equipped. You will be equipped not just for some good work, but for every good work. That is the advice of the old teacher Paul to his young student Timothy. He gave it when he knew he was out of time. He gave it when he waned to give Timothy the absolute best advice he could, for he knew it might be the last advice he would ever give him. That is the advice that I give you today on behalf of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and on behalf of your families and your church. Continue. Read the Scriptures. Learn God’s Word. Become equipped for every good work!

Kingdom Seeds (Mark 4: 26-34) 6/17/12

          My wife Cindy loves to plant. Every spring, she starts her exodus back and forth to Lowe’s and the Farm Fresh Market and various other stops to gather annuals and perennials for planting. I used to get after her about buying annuals because they don’t come back the next year. She finally made me understand that different flowers bloom at different times. She wants to have colors decorating our landscape as much of the year as possible and that takes annuals as well as perennials. So we have our share of azaleas and dogwoods and crepe myrtles and camellias and gardenias and hydrangeas and lilies to go with the pansies and snapdragons. We used to plant vegetables, but somewhere along the way the vegetables gave way to flowers. Cindy is a “plant it all and see what happens” sort of gardener. Being a much more dull personality than my wife, I thought you just plant one or two groups of things in a flower bed. That is not the way my wife plants. She wants things blooming all year long, splashing color as they come up in their season. She mixes the annuals in the beds for extra pizzazz. Every year, something different seems to be coming up in her flower beds. Funny thing about all those different flowers. They seem to live together just fine. Each comes up when it’s ready, stays for awhile and then makes room for the next show. But that’s another sermon.

          In the gospel of Mark, we are told a number of parables. The parable of the secretly growing seed is found only in Mark’s gospel. It is a short but powerful lesson about the kingdom of God, immediately followed by the parable of the mustard seed—another parable about God’s kingdom. Between the two, Jesus gives us a glimpse of some of the characteristics of the kingdom of heaven.

          Jesus says that a man scatters seeds on the ground. Without doing more, the earth by itself produces a harvest. The man does not know how it happens, but it happens. The man can contribute to that harvest by preparing the ground, by tilling the soil, by cultivation and watering and weeding. All these things will help the harvest, but the harvest will come regardless. Indeed, if the man does not scatter the seeds, perhaps the birds will do it for him. The seeds will be scattered and the harvest will come, for such is the nature of the kingdom of God. It is not created by man. It is not under the power of man. It is under the power of God. Man’s most clear duty is to be patient and wait for the harvest that God will bring.

          Perhaps you have heard the story of the kernels of wheat lying on the threshing floor. The farmer comes to them and offers them the chance to be planted. He tells them that they will be planted in the cold ground and covered from the sun, that they will have to die, but that if they do this, they will be reborn into many, many grains of wheat. The first kernel says to the other: “It is quiet and warm here in the barn. I am safe here. I think I would like to stay where I can be quiet and warm and safe.” The other kernel decides to take the farmer’s offer. He volunteers to be planted in a new field that has just been cleared. The kernel that stayed behind was warm and dry, but without any companionship. His life never changed. The kernel that volunteered to be planted was slipped into the cold ground and covered up. It was cold and lonely for awhile. He felt himself slipping away and he indeed died just as the farmer had promised. But soon, a new shoot poked its way through the soil. As the seasons passed, the whole field was populated by beautiful wheat crops that fed the people of the village. All those crops had descended from that one small volunteer kernel.

          The kingdom of heaven is like that kernel of wheat. God allows us to help with the planting and cultivation. He wants us to help, but understand, the kingdom is coming whether we help or not. The growth of something new often involves sacrifice. But is it really sacrifice to help harvest those whom we love, who God himself committed to be the harvest? Who will you be? Will you stay in the barn, safe and warm and left out of the cycle of life? Or will you take your chances for God?

          In the time of Jesus, a mustard seed was regarded as the example of the smallest seed to yield the biggest fruit. A mustard seed is about the size of a pinhead, and yet a mature mustard plant may reach a height of twelve feet and look more like a tree than a plant. It fact, it reaches such heights that birds nest in it and gather upon it to harvest the very seeds that gave it life. From the smallest, most unlikely of seeds comes the largest plant.

So it is with the kingdom of God. From the smallest gesture comes the greatest good. Two thousand years ago, the kingdom of God was re-introduced to God’s people by God himself in the form of a man names Jesus. He gathered a small band of followers to himself and instructed them and taught them the love he had in his heart for all God’s people. The Holy Spirit completed their revelation at Pentecost and the world was transformed by the message of the gospel.  It too began as nothing more than a mustard seed scattered on hard ground. But look at what happened. Today, the shade from that tree of Christianity covers our planet. While many have yet to hear or understand the power of that message, many others have heard and responded. The harvest continues for our God who continues to sow and save. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. We are the seeds of the kingdom of heaven. From a little can grow so, so much more!

I have another little story about my flower growing wife. We used to buy geraniums every spring. People tell me that geraniums are good for one season. We have geraniums that are five years old and blooming up a storm! Every fall when they are spent, Cindy cuts them back and puts them in the dark in an outbuilding. They have little sun and no artificial heat all winter. She waters them a little about once a month. In the spring, they begin to germinate. She pulls them out and they come out of hibernation and back into full flower. I think sometimes God works that way with us. It may seem like he has moved away from us when we face trials and temptations. It may seem that we have been separated from the light of his presence and thrown out into the cold to wither and die. Don’t believe it! Our God never separates himself from us. We separate ourselves from him! We may indeed be out in the cold and away from the light, but the kingdom is as close as our petition to belong to him. Bring the prayer and watch as God answers.

We live in a time which idolizes the power of science. It is called the Post-Religious Age. If it cannot be rationally explained and quantified, then it must not be real. This great age of information and its lightning dissemination of data fails to take into account the order of the Creator—the absolute truths upon which our entire existence is built. Among those are the revelations that we are created beings. Mankind did not make itself or spring from some chemical aberration. We are creatures carefully formed by our Creator God. Among the lessons that Mark’s gospel brings us are those of power—the power of God in all his glory to create from nothing, to shape the biggest from the smallest, to bring about the most unlikely of results to demonstrate his Godliness.

These parables also bring us the lesson of patience—the patience that comes from our trust that God is in charge; that God will bring about all the change we need if we will but allow him to work in our lives and in the lives of our brothers and sisters.

God’s power can bring perfection in our hearts that can only come from God. It is a perfection wrought over time, carved out of the patience of lives made obedient to him. The kingdom of God is coming and it is here. You can replace those cold and damp and dark spots in your life with the peace that comes from turning over your life to him. When you have those feelings, you are already a step into the kingdom. It is a foretaste of the divine. Let go, be patient and watch those kingdom seeds at work.           

Our Many-Splendored God (John 14: 15-21, 25-27) 6/3/12 Trinity Sunday

          It is Trinity Sunday. Trinity. It is an interesting word with a long religious history. Although both the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed state our belief in Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and although these creeds reflect the belief of Christians from very early in Christian history, there is no mention in them of the word Trinity. The word is not used in the Bible. Yet the concept behind this word is foundational to much of what we believe as Christians.

          Christians have always believed in Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The problem was never whether they existed. The problem was more about whether they existed separately, whether there was a pecking order; a hierarchy. The problem was whether one came before the others, was superior to the others. Christians argued about this for several hundred years. Without getting into a big history lesson, suffice it to say that in the fourth century, a fellow name Arius came along. He maintained that Jesus came after God; that because of this, Jesus had to be in a secondary position to God. The early church fathers debated this and similar propositions for a long time. There were several major councils of church fathers that met, seven in all. They are often generically referred to as the Councils of Nicaea. It was from one of these councils that the Nicene Creed emerged.  They debated and debated. They ex-communicated each other. In the end, a series of statements arose that helped define what the Bible meant by the concept of Trinity. Today, it seems so simple, but it was not always that way.

          Forms of Arianism exist today. Perhaps the most familiar to us are Jehovah’s Witnesses, who believe the Holy Spirit to be the breath of God rather than a person, and who see Jesus as God’s Son who came after God and is separate from him. This is not the concept of Trinity that is accepted in mainline Christianity.

So what is the Trinity? It is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. They are separate in their attributes. They move and exist separate from each other. Oh yes, and they are one. You can’t get there from here. It’s a God thing.

Is water ice? Yes. Is ice water? Yes. If you heat either one of them enough, they will turn to steam and evaporate. That’s three things from one entity. They have common characteristics and common chemistry. But are they three things in one? No. To change one into another, you must change its composition through temperature change. To change one into another, you must give up the one to have the other. Not so with the Trinity. It always exists and it always has.

In the fourteenth chapter of John’s gospel, Jesus is talking to his disciples. He is in the middle of his last discourse to them. He recites the new commandment to love one another. He deals first with Peter, then Thomas. Then he handles Phillip’s request to see the Father. First the impatient, then the skeptic, finally the realist. Then Jesus returns to the main question; preparation for his departure. He knows that his impending absence is of great concern to the disciples and his promises are meant to reassure them that they will not be alone. In giving them the reassurance they need, Jesus sheds light upon the concept of Trinity.  He promises them that he will appeal to his Father to send the Spirit of truth, the Helper, to be with them forever. Here in one sentence, we see the Trinity. God the Son is going to talk to God the Father about sending God the Holy Spirit to the disciples. The English translation here is Helper or Counselor. Other English translations include intercessor, advocate, and mediator. The Greek word is parakletos, which means literally “a person summoned to one’s aid.”

How far back does the concept of Holy Spirit go? Look at Genesis 1:2, where it says the “the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” How far back does the God the Son go? In the first chapter of John, he pens the famous words: “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God,” and in verse 14 of that opening chapter: “and the word became flesh and dwelt among us.” How far back does God go? He is the author of creation. “In the beginning God,” read the first four words of the Bible. In the third chapter of Exodus, God tells Moses “I am that I am.” He is without beginning or end. God is outside time.  In the very first chapter in the Bible, God says “let us make man in our image.” It is no accident that the pronouns here are plural. Even from the beginning as we understand it, God was not alone. Even then, he was self-contained in the Trinity.

Other references to the three persons of the Trinity are around. One of my favorites in contained in the Great Commission in Matthew 28: “Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Another is found in the synoptic gospels in the account of the baptism of Jesus by his cousin John. As God the Father speaks from heaven, God the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove toward God the Son.

It is important to understand the concept of Trinity in the light of what was studied and fought for over many generations of the early church. It is important because to misunderstand it could be heretical. Heresy is one of those old fashioned. somewhat out of vogue, seldom used words. Even in religious circles it has more than one meaning. The definition of heresy that is intended here  is that heresy is a belief that results in one being unable to achieve salvation. That’s where the word Trinity becomes important. I have heard it said that if Jesus were not who he says he is, fully human, fully God, in the Father and the Father in him, then he could not do what he was sent to do. It took a man to feel the pain of men. It took God to deliver them from the sting of death. Jesus was both.

Jesus promised the coming of the Spirit. Come it did in tongues of fire at Pentecost. With it came the realization that God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are united in purpose. God is Triune. He has one purpose, but carries it out through the manifestation of the Trinity. The coming of the Holy Spirit to the fellowship of the believers gives us an open door to the most intimate of all relationships, that which can now exist between us and our triune God of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

In The Shack, the best-selling book by William Paul Young, God is portrayed as a large, beaming African-American woman called Papa. Jesus appears as a Middle-Eastern laborer with a kind, but forgettable face, wearing a tool belt. He likes to use his hands. A small, Asian woman named Sarayu shimmers from place to place as the Holy Spirit, being felt as much as seen as she passes from here to there. Some have criticized Young’s theology. Some say he pokes too much fun at long accepted images of God. Like any work of fiction, he takes some license with his characters. But Young’s descriptions remind us that the Trinity is revealed in ways and means and images that take the form most likely to awaken our belief and faith, to break down our assumptions and help us see and understand. God is not confined to earthly forms or even one form.

And yet, when Mack, the dad who lost his child to a kidnapper, asks of them: “Who is God?”, their answer comes in tripartite unison: “I am,” say they all. Indeed, when Mack asks Papa, or God, about the cross, the answer he receives is the answer we must hear and believe if we are to grasp this great mystery. God says simply: “We were there together.” In the book, Mack can see them, and the scars on the wrists of all three persons of the Trinity bear witness to their presence at the cross. Can there really be any doubt of that truth? Not for a Christian.

Yes, our God is a many-splendored God. He is God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. He is three in one. He is one. He is three. He is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega. We do not need the word Trinity in the Scripture to see its existence. He is our Father. He is our Brother. He is our fellow traveler and our Redeemer. He is in our hearts, each and every one. He is all that is good and perfect in us. How can all this be? That is the splendor of our Creator. That, friends, is the miracle of the Trinity.