February 13, 2025
From the very first lines of our text, we know Paul is conservative. That is, he wants to conserve the past. He doesn’t want change.
In this letter, Paul uses the epistolary format that was standard for his time. That is, he begins with his name, then says to whom the letter is addressed, and finally gives a greeting. Anyone writing a letter in Greek in the 1st century would have begun their letter much the same way.
Notice, also, his references to the past and past events. He serves God just as his ancestors did. Timothy’s faith first lived in his mother and grandmother. The grace we have received in Jesus was given to us from the beginning of time. Paul was appointed (past tense) to be a herald, apostle, and teacher. He wants Timothy to keep what he heard from Paul as the pattern for sound teaching. And finally, he encourages Timothy to guard the good news entrusted (past tense), to him.
And yet, we all know innovation is not necessarily bad. Every generation must find ways to make the good news of God’s love its very own and new ways to spread it that are adapted to their times.
But how can he change the format without also changing the message? A fire consumes itself unless it receives new material to burn. If Timothy fans into flame the gift of God he received ih the past, he must necessarily make something new with it. How can he be loyal to the past while at the same time burning it up?
This is the question every generation must answer. Our faith was not born yesterday. It did not magically drop from the sky a few weeks ago. Our faith has been in existence for over 2,000 years and our God has been worshipped even longer than that. Our message, the good news of the God who loves us now and after our death, has remained consistent for generations.
On the other hand, how we share the message has changed dramatically. Our Bibles are printed by machines. We don’t sing in Greek. No one preaches in Latin anymore. We can advertise through mass media rather than just word of mouth.
Also, we recognize that the good news, though it is uniform, is not one-size-fits all. Some people will need to hear the message of acceptance over and over again. Others would be better served by
being challenged to new levels of personal holiness. There are many of us who need to know that God loves us but is deeply hurt by our sinful ways. And we could all do with a greater understanding of how much God loves people who don’t think or act like we do. And how we should love them just as much as God loves us.
Christianity, by its very nature, is conservative. That is, it seeks to conserve what is best from its past. But it is also very progressive. It constantly looks to the future, seeking newer ways to liberate us from sin and death.
Christianity is very old. But it is always brand new.
May God’s peace be with all of us,
Pastor Ken.