Hello Friends,
Welcome back to Prepared Hearts, the online Bible study of
the Wacousta Community United Methodist
Church. I apologize for the delay in this week’s email!
This Sunday is World Communion Sunday and I will be using
two texts, one from the lectionary (2 Timothy 1:1-14) and one random scripture that
I picked out of a hat. Just kidding! This passage from Mark may seem like an
unlikely choice, but trust the Spirit, I think the combo of these passages is
very powerful.
The texts are below, followed by starter thoughts:
2
Timothy 1:1-14
1 Paul,
an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of
life that is in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and
peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I am
grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors
did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 Recalling
your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded
of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and
your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. 6 For this reason I remind
you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my
hands; 7 for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power
and of love and of self-discipline.
8 Do
not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner,
but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, 9
who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but
according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ
Jesus before the ages began, 10 but it has now been revealed through the
appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel.
11 For
this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, 12 and for
this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom
I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what
I have entrusted to him. 13 Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you
have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard
the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in
us.
Mark
1:40-45
40 A
leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, ‘If you choose, you
can make me clean.’ 41 Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and
touched him, and said to him, ‘I do choose. Be made clean!’ 42 Immediately the
leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43 After sternly warning him he sent
him away at once, 44 saying to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone; but
go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses
commanded, as a testimony to them.’ 45 But he went out and began to proclaim it
freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town
openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every
quarter.
STARTER THOUGHTS
Looking at 2 Timothy first, what stands out to you in this
passage? Is there a particular portion that really speaks to you?
One of the things I’m struck with is how Paul names Timothy’s
grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice in the letter. Paul celebrates how faith
was passed down through generations to Timothy. For many who attend church
today, this remains true. They were taught the ways of Christ from infancy, and
their parents or a parental figure brought them to church, Sunday school, youth
group, etc. However, cultural shifts have definitely occurred. Many adults
today haven't been raised in the church and were not taught the ways of any
particular faith growing up. How does or should this change the way we go about
reaching out to others to share the love of God? Have we (the church) shifted
with the times or do we still assume that most folks have a rudimentary
understanding of the Gospel?
My favorite portion of this section of 2 Timothy is: But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in
whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day
what I have entrusted to him. Shame and honor played huge roles in First
century Mediterranean society and still play major roles in our society today.
Many people carry the stigma of shame daily: single parents, those receiving
public assistance, those who are without a home…the list goes on. When are
times in your life when you have felt shame? Were there people in your life who
helped to lessen your burden? How did they do that? What does it mean to you to
love God and others shamelessly?
The brief excerpt from Mark tells of how Jesus healed a man
with leprosy, who then began to tell everyone about it (even though Jesus told
him to keep his mouth shut). Clearly, this man felt no shame in proclaiming the
power of Christ! This story is one of many in which Jesus touches the “untouchables”
of society. As we gather for a celebration of World Communion Sunday this week,
give some thought to who the “untouchables” are today…in our neck of the woods
and across the globe. How is the world reaching out to those whom others shun?
World
Communion Sunday is an ecumenical effort (meaning lots of other churches
and other denominations engage in it). It actually started in a Presbyterian
church, but has since spread and is now celebrated globally by all manner of
Christians. The United Methodist Church takes a special
collection on this Sunday to fund scholarships that help equip racial- and
ethnic-minority students in the United States and international students to
transform our churches and communities. Some personal stories about the
ministries made possible through this offering can be found here.
In reading these stories, were you surprised to learn about these ministries?
Was there a particular story that really inspired you?
As always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please
feel free to email me or post here!
Peace,
Pastor Amee
For me, I see what appears to me to be an obvious link in the two stories. In Timothy, Paul says, "for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.' The former leper has the spirit of power and love - he is proclaiming the good news of Jesus to the world. That may have been very dangerous! Jesus told him, "...but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." This man was to be a testimony of Christ to the priests. He was a testimony, but he skipped the priests - perhaps he lacked the spirit of self discipline?
ReplyDeleteWhen we think about what Christ has done for us, shouldn't we be like the leper? Telling people about Christ, and what he has done? Rather, we often times are afraid. For example, wearing our cross - inside the shirt, so I know I rely on Christ, but there is no physical showing of the cross for others to see. That is the spirit of cowardice, and Paul tells us that that is not of God.
For me, I try to make the daily choice to proclaim my faith, not only by what I wear, but by what I do. I have found that, by choosing what I wear, it helps me choose how I act. While I don't always succeed, I think I do better, when I have the physical, visual, reminder of who, and whose, I claim to be.