The Life-Power of God’s Grace and Mercy
I Timothy 1:12-17
NO 9/16/07 EW

The Reluctant Follower

Timothy is encouraged by Paul to step out and be a leading follower of our Lord.  He encourages him to lead the way in this new Way.  Timothy, however, is reluctant.  He looks at himself and he looks at Paul and like us says, “Well, you know Paul, if I had had a conversion like you everything would be different.  Of course, I would be out there just as you are.  I would be pumped up and excited and could tell people about my conversion – I could tell about actually seeing and hearing Jesus Christ.” 

Timothy, as far as I know, never has the kind of experience Paul had on the Road to Damascus and it has a tremendous effect on Timothy’s ability to share his story with others.  He feels that he doesn’t have a story at all.

            When We Compare Ourselves to Others

We’ve all heard sermons about how we shouldn’t compare ourselves to others making ourselves better than them.  Or using comparisons to come out as less a sinner than that other person.  Well, it is equally important that we not compare our religious convictions and conversion to others as an attempt to be better or worse than the other.

What we have is our story and it is just as important as the story anyone may share.  If we can just get it into our mind, or heart, that we are sinners sharing our story with other sinners then we can find our story.  However, when they are the sinner and we are the righteous we become a pack of rules and regulations – this is what you have to do to be as good as me.  Somewhere in Timothy’s mind, I would guess, there was this conversation where he was looking for the black and white answers needed to be as good as Paul – they were not there.

                        Paul, the Best and the Worse

Look at yourself and do so through the eyes of the Lord.  Paul reminds Timothy that he was born a Jew, raised a Jew, believed as a Jew and met all the requirements.  And as a learned Jew he participated in denying God (while claiming to serve God), he took part in murder and is the chief sinner among God’s children.

I suppose Timothy was not able to measure up on either count – goodness or badness.  And perhaps neither can we.  Often, I’ve listened as our very own have agonized in our discussions during Bible Study of how no matter how hard they try they fall short of the mark – “I just know what God would have me do and I don’t do it.”

Listen to Paul.  He tells Timothy what to look for and in doing this tells us as well.

Christ Made Me Adequate

The first words describing what happened is that it was Christ who made Paul adequate as an apostle rather than himself.  You know, I have a great education.  St. Bernard was a difficult four years of study and then as an undergraduate school required oral examinations and a thesis for graduation.  Seminary picked the very last bits of my growing-up-faith from my bones and then gave me the opportunity to rebuild with a new openness to God’s Spirit through study, experience and tradition.  But it is Christ that makes me adequate to whatever degree I’m adequate to go out with the story of his love.

Too often, in my opinion, these words of Paul are used to justify not continuing to study and grow.  As a fellow pastor said to me one day, “I don’t read all those books.  Why they are just someone’s opinion.  I just read the Bible.  God tells me everything I need to know.”  That may work for him but I do not see Paul ever stopping his listening and reading others.  Someone’s opinion is all they have to offer and it’s all we have to offer.  It is others’ opinion that confronts us and challenges us to turn once again to our Lord.

            Ordination

What Paul is talking about is very similar to my being ordained by the United Methodist Church.  It gives me the authority to preach the Word and serve the sacraments wherever I may be.  The Church, by the laying on of hands, gives me the authority to minister as the Body of Christ in the Church Universal.

What happens when I come to New Oregon United Methodist Church?  Some denominations ordain their pastors as they enter into each new pastorate but that is not the way of our tradition.  But believe me, if the local church doesn’t ordain me, give me authority to stand up here and preach, teach, visit and be one of the leaders in the local church then my ministry is pretty much doomed.

                        I Respond to Your Gift

I respond to your gift of local ordination even though we have no formal service of laying on of hands.  Paul is telling Timothy that he and we are given the gift of ministry by Christ and there is no way to have it otherwise.

Eugene Peterson, The Message, uses a great reminder for us all by having Paul say, “He went out on a limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry.”  I can echo those words as I consider my ministry as well.  Perhaps each of us in some manner would have to say, “The Lord sure went out on a limb making me a disciple a follower of the Way.”

Paul wanted Timothy to know that we don’t make ourselves followers we are first made followers by the Love and Acceptance of the Lord.

“Grace Mixed with Faith and Love Poured Over Me and Into Me. And All Because of Jesus.”

Paul provides us with the relational nature of our being called and responding.  It is Grace Mixed with Faith and Love Poured Over Me and Into Me.  Grace is much more than forgiveness for the wrongs of one’s life.  It is more than anything we can do for ourselves in brining us into a relationship with God.  We don’t pour grace and love over ourselves or into ourselves – it comes from God through Jesus Christ.  God does it!

What is our part in this relationship?  First, I think, is to realize that it is God at work rather than oneself.  Our work is to respond to what God does first to us and continues to work in us.  Our job is to be grateful for what God is pouring over and into us and to let that spill out onto others.  Yes, and to allow what God is pouring over us and putting into us spill out onto others.  We are to take what God provides and nourish its growth each day of our lives.  What God gives us can come in strange packages but they are all equally important.

Conclusion

“A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it "was too crowded."  "I can't go to Sunday School," she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by.

Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday school class. The child was so touched that she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.

Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings and the parents called for the kind-hearted pastor, who had befriended their daughter, to handle the final arrangements.

As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump. Inside was found 57 cents and a note scribbled in childish handwriting which read, "This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School.  For two years she had saved for this offering of love.

When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocket-book to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion.  He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building.

But the story does not end there!  A newspaper learned of the story and published it. It was read by a Realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands. When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered it for 57 cents.

Church members made large donations. Checks came from far and wide. Within five years the little girl's gift had increased to $250,000.00--a huge sum for that time (near the turn of the century).  Her unselfish love had paid large dividend.

When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300 and Temple University, where hundreds of students are trained.  Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of Sunday Schoolers, so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time. In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history. Alongside of it is a portrait of her kind pastor, Dr. Russel H. Conwell, author of the book, "Acres of Diamonds".

Paul told Timothy and us his story of the Life-Power of God’s Grace and Mercy.  We get to look at what those gifts mean through a few thousand years and we find that God’s gift to Paul continues to this very day.  God’s grace and mercy changed Paul’s life.  God’s grace and mercy continues to change my life.  How are you recognizing and growing the grace and mercy that God has given you?