Sidney UMC - Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost - 10/30/22 - Sermon - “The Guest Of One Who Is A Sinner!"

                                 Sunday 10/30/22 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title: “The Guest Of One Who Is A Sinner!”                                     

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 119:137-144                                      

New Testament Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12 

Gospel Lesson: Luke 19:1-10

         At one of the churches that I used to serve, one of the church leaders gave me a surprising compliment one day. This church leader said, “Pastor Paul you have a heart for the least, the last, and the lost.” A little surprised to hear this, I then asked this church leader what they meant by that. The church leader then went on to tell me that I love all people without distinction. I don’t tell you this little story to shine light on myself, rather it is an example of, as my sermon title for this morning says, “The Guest Of One Who Is A Sinner.”  Sometimes in life and sometimes in the church we want to see new people that are like us, and maybe sometimes we don’t want to see people that are not like us. If we dress nice, have a nice house, and a stable life, etc., we sometimes want to only associate with people like that. I guess it is human nature, and sometimes we can all be “tribal” in that way.

          For example, if I went into a biker bar, and if the majority of the folks in there talked different and looked different than me, would I stand out? I hope not, but I might. I am sure that all of us here have worried at some point in the past if we would fit in somewhere else. What is it like to be a culture that is unfamiliar to your own?

          It is interesting to me that we live in communities with all different kinds of people. We have people with high levels of education, people with less, different amounts of wealth, different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Yet if we are all made in God’s image, or “Imago Dei” in Latin, who is of more or less worth to God. The answer is, we are all made in God’s image, and as such, we all have sacred worth to God.

          We certainly live a very politically correct society today, but many of us can probably agree, for example, that if we went somewhere new and or foreign, we have or might, initially at least, been a little uncomfortable. It isn’t necessarily that we wanted to feel this way, but if you going into a different culture, with a different language, and different customs that can be a lot to take in.

          Maybe you were in the military and were sent somewhere foreign, maybe you took a trip to another country, maybe you went somewhere, or to an event where everyone was very different than you.

          What I am driving at is this, if we are not careful, we can rank people higher or lower depending on different characteristics. This morning in our gospel of Luke reading, Jesus encounters Zacchaeus, which is not the name of a vegetable your grow in your garden in the summer. Zacchaeus was a person, and a Zucchini grows in your garden. In similar way the Jewish Pharisee that came to Jesus at night, Nicodemus, is not the gum you chew to quit smoking, that is NicoDerm.

          Our gospel lesson on Jesus and Zacchaeus is a story that is only found in the gospel of Luke, and it is a story that many of us can relate to. How can I personally relate to the story of Zacchaeus? Well here goes, Zacchaeus reminds me a little of my mother Susan. Why? Well Zacchaeus was short, I mean vertically challenged, and he was in finance, or a tax collector. My mother Susan is also vertically challenged and retired from finance. Since Zacchaeus was not only the tax collector, but a chief tax collector, he was seen as a sinner by the people in the city of Jericho. With the Roman Empire’s occupation, some of the taxes being collected, were collected to support the occupying Roman Empire. This would be similar to a Ukrainian in Ukraine working for the Russians inside of Ukraine. Yet, even though sin is sin is sin, Zacchaeus was seen by many as more of a sinner than anyone else. I think the reality that Zacchaeus was working for the occupying Roman Empire then, was a bridge to far for many.

          As a result, Zacchaeus was seen as greedy, selfish, and ungodly. These are things that can make people look at you differently and think of differently. Since the Jewish faith, and now the Christian, emphasizes righteousness, holiness, and Godliness, Zacchaeus was seen as not being these things by his people. Zacchaeus was put in a different category and was shunned, or at the very least avoided.

          We hear the Psalmist say this morning in Psalm 119:142:

¹⁴² Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your law is the truth (Ps. 119:142, NRSV).

          The Psalm is talking about the attributes and the teaching on God. Unfortunately, in the city of Jericho this morning, most people did not think Zacchaeus was anything like Psalm 119:142.

          While we are all sinners, that are all offered redemption through our Lord Jesus Christ, sometimes we put people in categories or tiers of sin. Don’t get me wrong, we need to protect ourselves and others from harm and abuse, but sin is sin is sin. We are all in the same boat.

          This morning in our New Testament reading from the Apostle Paul’s Second Epistle or letter to the church in Thessalonica, or the Thessalonians, he says of this church in 11:3, once again:

³ We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing (2 Thess. 1:3, NRSV).

          In this Second letter to the church in Thessalonica or the Thessalonians, Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy greet the Thessalonian Church. The Apostle Paul says, once again, in 2 Thessalonians 1:3 that they give thanks for the church in Thessalonica. Why? Well because the people of the church in Thessalonica or the Thessalonians, are growing in faith and love. It would seem that when Jesus entered into the city of Jericho this morning, that the people of Jericho did not think that Zacchaeus was growing in faith or love.

          You see, if we are redeemed sinners, then Zacchaeus is just as much of a sinner as anyone else. The problem though, was that the human made category of sin that Zacchaeus occupied was seen as higher and worse than the others. Yet, sin is sin is sin. We are all in the same boat.

          With this all said, let us look once again our gospel of Luke 19:1-10 reading about the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus. Starting in Luke 19:1 it says, once again of Jesus:

19 He entered Jericho and was passing through it. ² A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich (Lk. 19:1-2, NRSV).

          So, Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector, and grew financial wealth being a chief tax collector for the Roman Empire. Zacchaeus collects taxes for Rome, from his own people. He is like Ukrainian soldier who works for the Russians. Is he a greater sinner than anyone else? No, but the people of Jericho seem to think so.

          Zacchaeus was also a short man, or vertically challenged. As a result, when Jesus entered the city Jericho, a crowd gathered. Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, but worried with his smaller stature that he would not be able to see him. So, what did Zacchaeus do? Well, he climbed a sycamore tree of course, to see Jesus better.

          In fact, picking up in Luke 19:3, it says, once again of Zacchaeus:

³ He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way                   (Lk. 19:3-4, NRSV).

          Zacchaeus wants to see Jesus, but he is short, or vertically challenged. So, he climbs a sycamore tree, so that he can clearly see Jesus coming into the city of Jericho.

          Our gospel of Luke 19:1-10 reading then picks up in 19:5 saying, once again:

⁵ When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. ⁷ All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner” (Lk. 19:5-7, NRSV).

          To Zacchaeus’ surprise, Jesus walks right up to the sycamore tree that Zacchaeus was in. He does not say hello or introduce himself. Instead, Jesus looked up in the tree and said:

“Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him⁷ (Lk. 19:5b-6, NRSV).

          So, in front of all the onlookers in the city of Jericho, Jesus walked right up to Zacchaeus in the sycamore tree, asked him to come down, and tells Zacchaeus that he will stay in his house today. Zacchaeus was happy to invite Jesus into his home.

          Now I believe that all sin is equal in the eyes of God, even though the different things that we do on this earth carry different earthly and or legal consequences. Sin is sin is sin, but stealing a pack of gum or killing someone has different earthly and legal consequences. That being said, the people of Jericho had put Zacchaeus into a special category of sinner. They in fact, though that Zacchaeus was much worse of a person and sinner than they were. This is because Zacchaeus was a tax collector for the Roman Empire. Have any of us ever put someone in our minds in a special category of sinner? Do measure sin in tiers, or do we believe that we all fallen short of the glory of God in Jesus Christ?

          In concluding our gospel lesson from Luke 19:8-10 for this morning, Jesus has arrived at Zacchaeus’ home. As the door to Zacchaeus’ home opens, Zacchaeus notices in that moment all of his possessions. In looking at Luke 19:8-10, it says once again:

⁸ Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” ⁹ Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost” (Lk. 19:8-10, NRSV).

          So, when Zacchaeus is standing with Jesus with his front door wide open, in that moment, Zacchaeus tells Jesus that he will give away half all of his many possessions to the poor. Zacchaeus also tells Jesus that if he defrauded anyone that he will back those people back four times what he was defrauded.

          We are not given anything in the scriptures themselves, that have Jesus telling Zacchaeus to do this, or preaching to Zacchaeus. Maybe the presence of Christ was so overpowering that Zacchaeus was convicted of his wrong doing and immediately told Jesus I will repent and do right. Afterall, Zacchaeus calls Jesus Lord, so we could be led to believe in this moment that Zacchaeus believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the savior. If this is true, what saved Zacchaeus? Was it simply the giving away of fifty-percent of his possessions, or paying back four-times what he took?

          I don’t think this is what saved Zacchaeus. I think what saved Zacchaeus was Jesus had just performed spiritual heart surgery on him. In fact, Rev. John Wesley, who found the Methodist Movement, famously gave a sermon called “Circumcision of the Heart”. While Jewish boys were and sometimes still are circumcised at eight-days old according to the Jewish Law, John Wesley was saying in his sermon that we need a circumcision of change of our heart.

          Out of this change of heart, and this new faith in Jesus, I believe that in that moment Zacchaeus gave generously, because he realized that his true treasure was in Jesus Christ. As an aside, the reason Melissa and I give as much this church as we can, is not buy favor with Jesus. Rather, it is because, Melissa and I have had a “Circumcision of the Heart.” If God owns everything, we are merely caretakers what God has given us. So, we give. We do all we can, not to buy favor with Jesus, but we give because of Jesus.

          Zacchaeus was truly despised, until he met Jesus anyway, by the people of Jericho. He was traitor to his own people, but was he a worse sinner than anyone else? Maybe, if we want to play the categories of sin game, but this I know friends, the Apostle Paul says in Romans 3:23-24:

²³ since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; ²⁴ they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (Rom. 3:23-24, NRSV).

          So, we can play the categories or tiers of sin game, but know this, when we do, are we completely free of sin? Whoever is without sin cast the first stone. As Christians, one of our main tasks is to love people into the arms of Jesus Christ, knowing we all fall short, and that none of us deserve the abundant, overwhelming, undeserved, and never-ending grace of God in Jesus Christ. Indeed, dear friends, like Zacchaeus, we are all in the same boat, but we all have Jesus. Amen.

Sidney UMC - Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost - 10/23/22 - Sermon - “Fought The Good Fight!” (“2 Timothy Series”: Part 4 of 4)

                             Sunday 10/23/22 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:       “Fought The Good Fight!”                                                          (“2 Timothy Series”: Part 4 of 4)                             

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 65                                  

New Testament Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

Gospel Lesson: Luke 18:9-14

         I still remember that time of the year, every year in physical education class. For those that had the same experience as me, we had to take what was called the “FitnessGram.” I actually liked the “FitnessGram.” We did pull ups, sit-ups, push-ups, climbed the rope, did sit and reach, etc. We also ran a mile every year. I don’t know why, but I never looked forward to the one-mile run of the “FitnessGram,” every year. Maybe it was because I was never a runner, or that I was not as fast as my other classmates. What I did know though, was it felt great when I finished that one-mile race. It was also always at the end of our “FitnessGram” every year, and I would never stop midway through that mile. I was going to finish.

          Finishing good, even if parts of the journey are hard and or undesirable is important for the Christian journey, and in general. I have found in my years as a pastor, that when folks begin to get on in years they begin think about there life. They sometimes take stock, look back, see successes, and failures. They relish triumphant moments and the opposite. It would seem that as some people get on in years that they begin to think about there legacy, how they will be remembered, and also how they will finish.

          Or to put it another way, if we have limited time on this earth, which we all do, how do we want to spend what remains of it? What are those things that we want to hold onto, maintain, or keep? It must be good for person to be able to say, “It did everything I could to help others in my life here on earth”. Do we want to end well? I am not trying to be morbid, but how do we want to spend the limited time that we all have here on earth? Do want to be able to say at the end, “I made mistakes, I was not perfect, but I loved my family.” Is it important to try to end well?

          As I said, I never looked forward to that one-mile run in our annual “FitnessGram,” but I was always glad that I finished the race. Many of us have raced many races in our lives. Some literal races, some careers, some raising kids, etc., etc. How we end these races matters deeply to many people.

This morning in our 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 reading the Apostle Paul, once again, is telling his young friend and apprentice Timothy that his time of this earth is soon coming to an end. The Apostle Paul, it would seem, is in part taking stock of his life, and what God has done in and through him. The Apostle Paul is reflecting upon how he did with all of these things. Or to put it another way, did the Apostle Paul pass his spiritual “FitnessGram”?

How many of us here have ever looked back upon our life, thought about our choices and what we have done? We might have regrets, things that we would have done differently, but hopefully we want to end the race well. I know that I do. When I am hopefully, old and gray, and my time is getting close, I hope that I will have done all I can to serve God through Jesus Christ, and I hope that I will have remained faithful.

In our reading from Psalm 65 for this morning, once again, the Psalmist gives thanks for the bounty of the earth, and for God’s love and faithfulness. Maybe this is where we got the idea for the ministry, “Share the Bounty”. Serving Christ, loving others, ending well.

As many of us know, the past three weeks I have been preaching a sermon series on the Apostle Paul’s letter or book of 2 Timothy. I felt called by God to preach this four-week sermon series, once again, because there are just so many good things in these readings. All four of my sermon titles for this 2 Timothy sermon series, once again, are right out of our scripture readings themselves.

These four consecutive readings from 2 Timothy ends this morning. In the first week of this sermon series that Apostle Paul told Timothy and us to “Guard The Good Treasure” that is in Jesus Christ. In the second week of this sermon series, the Apostle Paul told Timothy and us to preach “The Word Of Truth!” that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Last Sunday, the Apostle Paul told Timothy and us to “Proclaim The Message” of the gospel of Jesus Christ. If we want to live fully, to love fully, to care deeply, and to be spiritually transformed, then the gospel of Jesus Christ is the best and only way to do this completely. Being changed, restored, offered eternal life, and being perfected in love. So powerful is our spiritual transformations in Christ, and so powerful is the way that the gospel of Jesus Christ changes people and the world, that the Apostle Paul emphatically tells Timothy and us in 2 Timothy over and over, offer the world Christ. Be the love of Christ, preach the love of Christ, care like Christ, serve like Christ, and transform the world for Christ.

As a sort of capstone in this the fourth and last week of this 2 Timothy sermon series, as I said, the Apostle Paul’s hour to depart this earth for eternity is rapidly approaching. His tone shifts a little from the last three 2 Timothy readings that we have had in the last three weeks. Instead of just instructing Timothy and us how to live and offer the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, the Apostle Paul tells Timothy and us, near the end of his earthly life that he has “Fought The Good Fight!”

In looking more closely at our 2 Timothy read for this morning, let us pick up starting in 4:6 where it says:

⁶ As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. ⁷ I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. ⁸ From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing                (2 Tim. 4:6-8, NRSV). 

          So, the Apostle Paul is saying that has and is being poured out as a “libation.” I was a little fuzzy on the word “libation,” so I re-looked it up. The definition in part is pouring out a drink to an ancient God. The way that pagans would create altars to idols and to their gods, and place food on drink on them, pouring out a drink to a pagan god is a libation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libation).

          This tradition of “libation” still exists today, but I have mostly seen it as people pouring out some liquid or alcohol in someone’s memory. As if there pour onto the ground is being drank by the person who has died. In fact, I remember doing a burial service 5-6 years ago. They burial was at 11:00 am, and I arrived early, as I always do. After I did the service, the family surprised me by pulling out a bottle of Jack Daniels. They opened it, and took out a bunch of shot glasses, and why not, it’s 11:15 am on a Thursday morning. One family member poured some of the Jack Daniels into the hole that had the urn and ashes of the man who had passed. This was a “libation.” Then all the adults in the family had a shot of Jack Daniels in honor of the man who had passed. They even offered me one, you know at 11:15 AM on a Thursday. I told them I was on the clock though, and they understood.

          The Apostle Paul is telling Timothy and us this morning, that he has gave and gave. He has been poured out and poured out. He is finally like a “libation” at this last time of being poured out. In the Apostle Paul believing that he has done his best to preach, live, and model the gospel of Jesus Christ, he says, once again, in 2 Timothy 4:7-8:

⁷ I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. ⁸ From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing (2 Tim. 4:6-8, NRSV).

 

          Sort of like the physical education “FitnessGram” I did every year as a kid, I finished the race every year. There were some challenges, and some things that were undesirable, but I finished. As the Apostle Paul is considering his life of faith in Christ, he seems to be content. He says he fought and fought for Christ, he finished his earthly race, and most important he kept the faith. If you have ever had a Christian say to you, “Keep the faith,” this where this comes from.

          The Apostle Paul, while his earthly life is drawing to a close, he looks forward to eternity with Christ. According to church tradition the Apostle Paul did not die of natural causes, but died from being beheaded. Church tradition says that the Apostle Paul was beheaded in Rome, and he was beheaded because he was a Roman Citizen. Since the Apostle Paul was a Roman Citizen, his execution had to be quick and as painless as possible. According to church tradition the Apostle Paul died for Christ, died for his faith. Before he did, he was content with what Christ called him to do, and he was content with going to be with Christ.

          In fact, the Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:8, once again:

⁸ From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing (2 Tim. 4:6-8, NRSV).

          The Apostle Paul says that his race is over, he fought the good fight, he kept the faith, and he is now going to be with the Heavenly Father.

          In concluding this reading from 2 Timothy, with 4:16-18, the Apostle Paul says, once again:

¹⁶ At my first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them! ¹⁷ But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. ¹⁸ The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen (2 Tim. 4:16-18, NRSV).

          The Apostle Paul said, many people deserted him, like many deserted Christ at the end of his earthly life. The Apostle Paul forgives them and hopes that this betrayal will not be counted against them. The Apostle Paul then said through all of his missionary journeys, through everything he experienced, God was with him. God strengthened him to proclaim Christ when it was hard, to love like Christ when it was not easy, and that God saved him from being killed. The Apostle Paul said that God has and will rescue him from evil, and save a place in heaven for him. The Apostle Paul then once again, gives God all the eternal glory, forever and ever. Paul’s letter or epistle to 2 Timothy then ends soon after in 4:22 with his farewell.

          I think it is fair to say then, that the tone and the emphasis of our 2 Timothy reading for this morning is very different than the last three Sundays. The last three Sundays the Apostle Paul is telling Timothy over and over to keep, preach, and live the gospel. The Apostle Paul finally tells us on this our fourth and last sermon of this sermon series that he is soon to die and go to heaven. Scripture readings like this can give us cause to reflect on our own lives. If today was our last day on this earth, could we with absolute confidence believe that:

⁷ I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.  (2 Tim. 4:7, NRSV).

          I hope and pray that this is the case for me. That I will be able to say on my last earthly day that:

⁷ I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.  (2 Tim. 4:7, NRSV).

          In looking at our gospel of Luke 18:9-14 for this morning, once again, we have the parable or story from Jesus of “the Pharisee and the tax collector.” Picking up starting in Luke 18:9 it says once again for this morning:

⁹ He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other, for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted”                  (Lk. 18:9-14, NRSV). 

          When we are looking back on our earthy life, and if our time to end this earthly life may be drawing near, will we remember ourselves as thinking we were better than others? Or we will be able to say that we were humble and repentant towards God, and that we love all people equally and the best we could. Friends, I do not know about you, but when it gets close to the end of my earthly life, I want to be able to say:

⁷ I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.  (2 Tim. 4:7, NRSV). Amen.

Sidney UMC - Laity Sunday/Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost - 10/16/22 - Sermon - “Proclaim The Message!” (“2 Timothy Series”: Part 3 of 4)

                                 Sunday 10/16/22 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:        “Proclaim The Message!”                                                          (“2 Timothy Series”: Part 3 of 4)                               

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 119:97-104                                       

New Testament Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Gospel Lesson: Luke 18:1-8

         For two weeks now I have been preaching a sermon series on the Apostle Paul’s letter or book of 2 Timothy. I felt called by God to preach this four-week sermon series, as I have been saying the past two weeks, because there are just so many good things in these readings. All four of my sermon titles for this 2 Timothy sermon series, in fact, are right out of our scripture readings themselves. Or to put it another way, all of these sermon titles are a piece of a verse of scripture from each of our 2 Timothy readings every week.

These four consecutive readings from 2 Timothy are also ones where the Apostle Paul encourages his young friend Timothy and us to stay connected to Jesus, and to live like Jesus. In the first week of this sermon series that Apostle Paul told Timothy and us to “Guard The Good Treasure” that is in Jesus Christ. Last Sunday, the Apostle Paul told Timothy and us to preach “The Word Of Truth!” that is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 In a comparable way in our 2 Timothy 3:14:4-5 reading for this morning, the Apostle Paul tells Timothy and us in 2 Timothy 4:2,  “proclaim the message” From this piece of 2 Timothy 4:2, my sermon title is called “Proclaiming The Message!” Next Sunday, I will conclude this sermon series with a sermon called “Fought The Good Fight!”

          So, what do we have again in our 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 reading for this morning? We have the Apostle Paul telling Timothy and us to live and preach Christ. The Apostle Paul really hammers this point home over and over in our 2 Timothy readings.

          We see something similar of the devotion to God, as the Psalmist says of God for this morning in Psalm 119:102-103:

¹⁰² I do not turn away from your ordinances, for you have taught me. ¹⁰³ How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!    (Ps. 119:102-103, NRSV).

 

Being devoted to God, and in our 2 Timothy reading for this morning, being devoted to Jesus Christ, is what our 2 Timothy readings are all about. In looking more at our 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 reading for this morning, the scripture says starting in 3:14, once again:

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, 15 and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:14-17, NRSV).

          In this scripture, once again, the Apostle Paul is reminding his young friend Timothy, and us, to continue what we have learned and firmly believe. The Apostle Paul is telling Timothy and us that many of us have learned the Bible our whole lives. The Apostle Paul is telling us to continue to read the:

the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 3:15b, NRSV).

 

          The Apostle Paul then tells Timothy and us, that the scriptures, the Bible,

 

is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17, NRSV).

          Or another way to say this from our United Methodist Church Articles of Religion, from our founder John Wesley, is our Article of Religion on salvation in Christ. What does this article say? Let us hear for ourselves:

Article V — Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation

The Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation; so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an article of faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. In the name of the Holy Scripture we do understand those canonical books of the Old and New Testament of whose authority was never any doubt in the church. The names of the canonical books are: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, The First Book of Samuel, The Second Book of Samuel, The First Book of Kings, The Second Book of Kings, The First Book of Chronicles, The Second Book of Chronicles, The Book of Ezra, The Book of Nehemiah, The Book of Esther, The Book of Job, The Psalms, The Proverbs, Ecclesiastes or the Preacher, Cantica or Songs of Solomon, Four Prophets the Greater, Twelve Prophets the Less. All the books of the New Testament, as they are commonly received, we do receive and account canonical (BOD, 64-65).

          So, the Holy Scripture, the Bible, gives us everything we need to encounter Jesus, to receive salvation, to know God’s love, and to live this out in the world. In looking at the rest of our scripture reading for 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5, we pick up in 4:1 that says, once again:

4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: 2 proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching (2 Timothy 4:1-2, NRSV). 

          The Apostle Paul is telling Timothy and all of us, do not wait, preach, and live the gospel of Jesus Christ. Proclaim Jesus’ love, live it out, and do it whether it is easy or hard. The Apostle Paul tells Timothy and us:

convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching                     (2 Timothy 4:2b, NRSV).

          Be about God’s business and show and live the love of Jesus Christ. Or as the Apostle Paul tells Timothy and us, “Proclaim The Message!” Or as the great Hymn is called “Go Tell It on the Mountain.”

          In finishing our reading from 2 Timothy for this morning, the Apostle Paul tells Timothy and us 4:3-5, once again:

 3 For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. 5 As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.

          The Apostle Paul is telling Timothy and us, the work of the church, is that of Jesus Christ. Love God, love others, and live and be like Jesus Christ. Tell the world what Jesus has done for you, and who Jesus is. Never stop showing and living the love of Jesus Christ. In all of our 2 Timothy readings over these four weeks, as I said, the Apostle Paul pounds these ideas home over and over. To know perfect love, is to know Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul tells Timothy and us over and over in our readings from 2 Timothy this month to guard this, spread this, and this morning, to “Proclaim The Message!”

          In looking at our gospel of Luke reading for this morning, we have one of Jesus’ parables or stories. Jesus often taught through parables and stories, which was very common in the era and the culture that he lived in. This parable or story, is called “The Parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge.” This parable or story is also only found in the gospel of Luke.

Picking up in our gospel of Luke 18:1-8 reading for this morning, it says starting in 8:1 once again:

18 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. ² He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. ³ In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my accuser.’ ⁴ For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’ ” ⁶ And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? ⁸ I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”                        (Lk. 8:1-8, NRSV).

          So, Jesus is telling us all to always pray and to not lose heart. Jesus then tells us that in a certain city there was a judge, who did not know God and did not respect people. In this same city, a widow woman kept coming to this judge to get justice against her accuser. She was denied what was hers, and while she had nothing, one thing she did have was persistence. This widowed woman wore the judge down, until he finally conceded. The judge did not respect anyone of have any fear of God, but he was tired of being pestered by the widow woman. 

          Jesus then says in Luke 18:6:

And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says (Lk. 18:6, NRSV).

          Jesus then concludes this gospel of Luke reading, saying once again, in 18:7-8:

⁷ And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? ⁸ I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Lk. 8:1-8, NRSV).

 

The point of this parable is that even though the judge had no faith and respected no one, the persistence of the widow caused him to respond. In the same way Jesus tells us to persist in our prayer, for as Jesus says, we have a God of justice. Stay persistent, keep praying, stay close to Christ, and continue to “Proclaim The Message!”

I read a story from Guideposts recently about the power of prayer. This story struck me in particular because it was about two Air Force Pilots. This is the story, by Kyle Swanson:

In 2011, I was in the Air Force, serving my fifth deployment in Afghanistan. I was the navigator on a crew that was flying reconnaissance missions, using radar and cameras to record the locations of roadside bombs and improvised explosive devices. We flew above the main transportation routes that our supply trucks used. After we’d pinpointed the locations of bombs, they could be detonated safely. One week that fall, a cyclone (what we’d call a hurricane back home) created a thick cloud cover over the whole country. The conditions created a huge problem for us. Although our radar could penetrate the clouds, our cameras could not. Without that footage, how helpful could we be to troops on the ground?

The copilot and I prayed together before our flight took off. “God, will you part the clouds for us?” I asked. “The way you did the Red Sea in the Bible?” Our C-130 flew toward the area we were supposed to record. Visibility hovered near zero because of all the clouds. Maybe it will get better closer to the target, I thought. But 10 seconds away, I could still barely see the ground below us, much less any explosive devices hidden in culverts or buried in the dirt. Soon the plane was directly above our target area. We would have to make do with whatever the camera could somehow detect through the cloud cover. That hardly seemed enough when there were lives at stake. We turned on the camera. Right before our eyes, the clouds began to part, like curtains being pulled back to reveal the exact spot we needed to see. “God’s doing it,” the copilot murmured. That’s what it felt like. Over and over on that recon flight, the clouds would part at just the right moment for us to capture the images we needed. Our crew located more bombs that day than we ever had before in a single mission. The analysts on the ground couldn’t believe the footage we’d recorded. The copilot and I made sure to tell them who was really responsible (https://guideposts.org/prayer/power-of-prayer/what-prayer-can-do-our-viewfinder/).

The situation of the two Air Force pilots could have ended differently, as God does not always answer our prayers when we want or how we want, but the two Air Force pilot persisted. In our gospel lesson for this morning, the widow persisted for justice to the unjust judge. Likewise, this morning the Apostle Paul persists in telling Timothy and us to “Proclaim The Message!” of Christ. Amen.