2 Timothy 1:6-14 This book of the Bible is a letter is to a young pastor named Timothy. It’s the second of 2 letters addressed to him. Historically, folks say Paul wrote it, but style and timeline suggest it probably was someone else. That doesn’t discredit it in any way, just clarifies that it probably wasn’t Paul who wrote Timothy. Though we don’t get much clarity on who it was. Remember, it was common at that time for folks to write and use the name of a more familiar disciple. It wasn’t seen as disingenuous, it was common and seemed to help get the word out…Whoever it was, though, still seemed to be writing as a mentor and
teacher—encouraging Timothy for his work as a pastor.
In this section, the author is telling Timothy he doesn’t need to be afraid of doing ministry—not of what people will say about the message he proclaims or the fact that he associates with someone who was in jail, or for any other reason. He says, when I placed my hands on you and blessed you, you received the gift of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit does not give you fear but gives you courage and wisdom, as well as joy and love for sharing life with other people. Remember that.
What a cool reminder! Look, God’s Spirit is with you and it’s not one of fear. It’s one of courage and strength and love. (pause) It’s a tell. It’s how you know. If we’re filled with fear, it’s not of God. Now, that doesn’t mean we’re never afraid or that there’s never anything scary. There’s terrible stuff that happens in the world. And fear is a natural emotion that helps keep us safe. The woods around your house are burning, you should be afraid and get out! You’re walking in the dark in a new place and it feels eery and scary and you feel unsafe, walk under the light, go with someone you trust…you know, be smart. You get a terrible diagnosis from the doctor…you search for answers and options…Fear helps us to make better choices. But it shouldn’t be constant. It shouldn’t be persistent, if it is, it’s likely a sign that something is seriously wrong in our situation. And, it definitely shouldn’t be the norm in the life of the church.
God is a giver of good gifts. Peace, joy, comfort, love, wisdom, strength, courage….not fear. The church’s motives should not be about fear. This isn’t who we are meant to be. We should be a place of welcome, of grace, of acceptance. This should be the place we can be vulnerable and authentic. I’m not saying that’s not what we’re doing or being, only to be clear what is asked of us, and maybe, in today’s world, we need to make doubly sure we’re being obvious about who we are as followers of Jesus.
The chaos and friction of our political climate can make it risky to speak up…or awkward when we find out someone we love dearly believes the opposite of what we do. But that doesn’t mean we should be afraid of offering ourselves in service to the Gospel—sharing that Jesus does mean good news, and hope, and acceptance.
(transition)
Now, not all of us have a call to ordained ministry, but all of us do have a call from God. We have been gifted with gifts of the Spirit (remember, God is like Oprah and everyone gets one). ;) And with those gifts, God calls us to do the work of God’s kingdom…holy work here on earth. That generally means sharing the Gospel (or Good News) in some form of fashion. For some, it’s through spoken word of teaching, wisdom, knowledge, encouragement, or preaching. For others, it’s through hospitality and welcome. For others, it’s through music, or art, or creative work of another kind. For others it’s through ordering life together, allowing for all the gears of various ministries to come together successfully. For others it’s through acts of mercy and generosity, helping others, feeding and clothing them, teaching them how to be better with budgeting or overcoming systemic poverty or injustice. The good news is all over the place.
And like Timothy, and his mentor, and even Paul, we’re likely to face challenges. People who won’t believe us. People who will argue just to argue. People who are Christian who seem to undermine the greater good with what they do or say. Self-doubt. Obstacles and conflict. The mentors of the faith tell us ministry is good and worthy work, not that it is easy work.