Strengthened By the Grace

2 Timothy 2: 1-15

In 1848, about twelve miles east of Rocky Creek, a preaching point took root. John Graham and some like minded friends built a little chapel in which to worship. Some thirty five years passed before a frame house was erected three miles east of that site and church services were held there.  Over the course of the next hundred or so years, the Rocky Creek church became part of three yoked congregations. McBee withdrew from that union in 1974 and in 2007, the downtown Jefferson church also became independent, leaving Rocky Creek Presbyterian on its own. Along the way, many men and women joined together to keep this church alive and moving along in God’s will. Each generation passed its toil, triumphs and tithes to the next, and the cemetery adjoining the church reflects that the church has survived, and even thrived, for a considerable time and a number of generations. Mothers and fathers have bequeathed not only their property and fortunes to their children, but have also entrusted to them the perpetuation of this church and its service to God. Their legacy became our responsibility.

Second Timothy is such a thoughtful epistle. It is one of the three Pastoral Letters of the New Testament, the others being First Timothy and Titus. Their title reflects their content; they are letters from the “Pastor” to his students…his closest disciples. Second Timothy is probably the last of the three, indeed the last letter that the great Apostle Paul wrote. It was almost certainly written while he was in prison. He wrote a very personal letter to his favorite, his “son” in the faith. He gave Timothy advice about what to do when Paul was no longer there to ask. His advice, while very personal, reaches out to us as though he might have been writing to us as well.

Be strengthened by the grace of Christ, says Paul. Entrust what you have heard from me to faithful men who will carry it to others. Share in suffering as a good Christian soldier must. Remember Jesus, for he brought salvation to those who believe. Remind them, charge them, and you: you do your best to present yourself before God as one approved, God’s worker.

Thank God for Timothy. He was Paul’s personal helper for many years of Paul’s ministry. He is given credit by Paul as a co-author of six of Paul’s letters. He is known as the Bishop of Ephesus and he is one of the great first century missionaries and disciples of Christ.  But Timothy should be remembered most of all for one simple thing. He didn’t drop the baton.

One of the most signal characteristics of Jesus’ ministry is that at the end of the day, he picked out a handful of devoted followers and entrusted them with his gospel. They didn’t let him down. Peter, James, John and company, later joined by Paul, spread the gospel fearlessly and relentlessly for the rest of their lives. They martyred themselves for our Savior and his message. Timothy, Silas, Titus, Stephen and many other unnamed disciples witnessed to the truth of Jesus’ message as taught to them by the apostles. They took the baton from their teachers and passed it forward.

I don’t know the history of this region very well, but it seems to me that the Sand hills of South Carolina are not the easiest place to carve out a living. Nevertheless, some very hardy and stubborn families tamed this area many years ago and found ways to make the land yield up its resources. Along the way, they started churches like this one. Like Paul to Timothy, they entrusted family and friends to carry on that work. No doubt they had their share of suffering, but they persevered.

The seeds that were planted over a hundred and fifty years ago continue to yield their harvest today.

Paul, speaking from a prison cell near the end of his life, encourages Timothy to be strengthened by the grace of Christ. He has heard the word from Paul and he has heard it in the presence of other Christians for whom he has respect. So the grace of Jesus strengthens Timothy… and those who come after… to receive the Word. But receiving the Word is not enough. Paul exhorts his disciple to entrust the Word to others, to faithful men who will pass it on. After we receive the Word, we have a duty to transmit it. We need to witness that which we believe. You can almost hear Jesus in the background, saying, go…teach…baptize! God’s legacy comes in many forms, but it is always very personal.

Where would Rocky Creek Presbyterian Church be today if faithful men and women of God had not toiled and labored to not only give it life, but keep it vital in its sustained ministry these many years? Where would the Christian Church be today but for the martyrs of the faith? The church is only as strong as those who support its work and carry that baton. The race is not won. When we fail to witness to our faith, the buildings and steeples that dot our landscape will become little more than monuments to a world that used to be, to a faith that should have been,  rather than to the sanctuaries of both saints and sinners of today.

As we celebrate another anniversary in the history of our church in this community, let us give pause to think of that which we properly enshrine. It is not the church building, though it is a wonderful place to gather and worship. It is not the fellowship hall, though that is a perfect spot to break bread with one another. As we celebrate homecoming, let us give thanks for lives well lived, for men and women who faithfully served our Lord and left an indelible witness for us to emulate. We have a great heritage at this church, but the legacy is one of witness born of sacrifice, hard work, faith and God’s grace. Any track coach will tell you that in a relay race, it takes two to pass the baton. Drop it and your race is over. You forfeit. The race to salvation is like that. We must follow in the footsteps of Paul and Timothy and so many more through the ages who have been “strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”

Why do we teach? Why do we share in suffering? Why do we work and witness? We do so because we remember. We remember Jesus Christ. We endure not only for ourselves, but for the sake of those who will follow us. Paul passed the torch to Timothy. Timothy passed it to others. So it is with the Christian life. We teach and suffer and endure because we are part of a long line of keepers of the promise, the promise of salvation that lies in Christ Jesus.