September 30, 2007 - Pentecost 18, Year C
Saint James Episcopal Church, Saint James, NY

Have you ever received a letter
from someone
who was really important to you, someone you really respected?
Maybe it was from a family member, a a grandparent or great grandparent, or a teacher, or one of your heroes.
A letter that you read carefully, over and over, until the creases became worn
and the whole letter began to fall apart
and you copied pieces into your journal
so it wouldn’t be destroyed?

I imagine that’s how it was for Timothy
when he received the letter
that we read part of
for the second lesson today.
A letter
that was mostly
about the church, but every so often
had a few lines
that were just for him.

“As for you, man of God,” “Timothy, my child”, “Timothy, guard the faith”
There they were, personal instructions
about how to live the life of faith.

Timothy
was young.
We know it
because in the first letter to him, it specifically says that he shouldn’t let people discount him
because of his youth.
And we know it
because there are these references in the second letter
to his mother and grandmother,
and and it’s clear that he’s regarded
as the younger generation.
Faith was a family thing for him, one that he had inherited along with his height and hair and eye color,
passed down from his mother and grandmother
who raised him to believe that Jesus
was the Messiah.
But it’s not just about family; he’s had other mentors, people who have encouraged him in his faith, have given him opportunities to grow, to take leadership.
Assuming he’s the same Timothy that’s mentioned in the book of Acts, then he’s been lucky enough
to have been invited on some of the missionary journeys with the apostles, to spend time
with those very first leaders of the church
and learn about the faith
from those who have made it their life’s work.
And he’s regarded as a leader in the church,
someone who is trustworthy and reliable
who can be counted on
to pass on instructions from the apostles
to the local church.

And yet, it seems like maybe he’s not as secure in his faith as it might seem. Time and time again in those personal notes scattered about the letters, he’s advised to stand firm, to hold fast. He’s encouraged to stick with it.
And it makes me wonder
if he’s going through
that stage that we all go through,
trying to work out
how much of this faith
is just something he’s inherited from his family,
and how much is his own faith.
How it is
that he will live as a Christian.
Of course, we can never know.
But whatever was going on for Timothy
it was enough for him to get a personal note
from one of his heroes,
a note that gives him advice
about how it is
that he can hold on to his faith.

And so we come to the part of 1 Timothy that we read this morning. Part of it, the second part, is about how we deal with money,
picking up from a discussion earlier in the chapter;
but the first part
is one of those notes to Timothy,
the advice about how
to stay focussed
on his faith.
“Shun these things,” that is, what he’s been talking about in the verses immediately before, which is being obsessed with money.
“Shun these things,” and instead, “Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness.”
Basic advice
for life as a Christian.

Although probably, if we were writing, we’d be inclined
to give him a list of rules.
Like the guy I read about this week, who spent a year following all the rues in the bible, and carried around a stapled list of more than 700 of them
so as not to forget anything.
It’s easier
to carry around a stapled list of rules to obey
than to grasp hold of things like righteousness and godliness.
But maybe there’s a reason for that. Maybe its because Timothy’s mentor knows that Timothy, having been brought up in a Christian household, Timothy knows the rules. What he hasn’t quite got a handle on
is how it all comes together.

It’s kind of like when I go kayaking in Stony Brook Harbor. If I want to get
from one end of the harbor to the other, avoiding the banks of sea grass, I could follow a bunch of rules like
“paddle for 500 feet north, then 100 west then another 200 north, then 50 east, then 300 north
and so on.”
And I would probably get where I wanted to go. As long as the person giving me the instructions had accounted for the tide and wind, and no other boats got in the way.
But what would be more useful
would be advice
on how to set my sight on the place I’m heading for,
and what to do when the wind blows up white caps, so that I can keep my course and don’t lose my balance and tip,
how to cross the main current when the tide is coming in
and I’m going against it,
and how much depth I need so I can tell whether to try to make it through the gaps in the sea grass, or just go round the edge.

Timothy’s mentor - because that’s who the writer is - Timothy’s mentor
is giving the second sort of advice, the sort that points him in the right direction and gives him the tools to navigate the way.
Because life is complex, and there are never enough rules to cover every possible situation,
and it’s time for Timothy
to make the journey himself.
And because to Timothy’s mentor,
these are the things that really matter,
not the rules, per se,
but the faith
that will lead him
to Christ.

Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. These are the principles for making the journey, the tools for navigating, the things we have to keep in mind
whatever we’re faced with.
Read the scriptures, pray, worship God, think twice when you’re impatient, forgive someone, live out your faith; but sometimes the rules just don’t quite address the situation you’re in, sometimes you’re not sure what good they’ll do.
Then focus on these things: righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness.
They’re what the rules
are pointing to,
Go after these things, make them your priority.
Kind of like where the guy who followed the 700 rules for a year, but found in the end, even after he finished up, he found himself still being thankful, because that’s what many of the rues
were really about.

Keep track of what really matters, righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness.
In other words, “Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life.” Take what you were taught
and make it your own.

And then, then remember
that it’s not all about you.
It’s about Christ, God incarnate, the one who is above all and .
of course, above all, keep focused on where you’re going. Keep focussed
on Christ. The one who is king of kings and lord of lords, who is above all and in all
and works in you
the work of God.

That was the advice of Timothy’s mentor.
And it makes me wonder.
What would you write
in a letter to someone who was younger in faith than you?
Would you give them a list of rules?
Would you tell them your own faith journey?
How would you invite them
to go about the life of faith?
how would you encourage them
to fix their sights on Christ?
We have such a wealth of Christian experience here in this congregation
but we’re not always very good about passing it on.
We show people how to teach Sunday School and run fundraisers and host coffee hour,
but how often
do we share what really matters,
our faith
in Christ?

And so I invite you to consider this week
writing a letter
like one Timothy received. A letter to someone
younger in faith than you.
It might be to your child or grandchild.
It might be to one of the kids in the Sunday School
or one of our teenagers about to get confirmed,
or an adult younger or newer than you are.
Write them a letter
encouraging them in their faith.
Take the time
to share your faith,
so that we will all be built up
fixing our sights on our Savior
Jesus Christ.

©Raewynne J.Whiteley, 2007