Truly Living in 2021
Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting
Bob Henry, Minister
January 24, 2021
1 Timothy 6:6-19 (MSG)
A devout life does bring wealth, but it’s the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that’s enough.
But if it’s only money these leaders are after, they’ll self-destruct in no time. Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after.
But you, Timothy, man of God: Run for your life from all this. Pursue a righteous life—a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, courtesy. Run hard and fast in the faith. Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses.
I’m charging you before the life-giving God and before Christ, who took his stand before Pontius Pilate and didn’t give an inch: Keep this command to the letter, and don’t slack off. Our Master, Jesus Christ, is on his way. He’ll show up right on time, his arrival guaranteed by the Blessed and Undisputed Ruler, High King, High God. He’s the only one death can’t touch, his light so bright no one can get close. He’s never been seen by human eyes—human eyes can’t take him in! Honor to him, and eternal rule! Oh, yes.
Tell those rich in this world’s wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.
Good Morning Friends. It is good to be with you in the comfort of your own homes. Remember, we are recording this meeting for worship on a historic day and we do not know yet all that will transpire in the coming days. I have been blessed by those who have joined us in praying for peace in our country throughout this week. Thank you.
Now, with all that has happened in our nation and world the last few weeks, and as we have begun another new year and another new administration, I continue to find myself pondering some difficult queries.
Much of what has taken place has had me shaking my head and asking “why?”
While also at times unable to articulate or vocalize my questions as the atrocities, the division, the vitriol, the white supremacy, and the blindness to see and respect one another in this nation and world continue to unfold.
As I have tried hard to reflect and ponder all that is being presented to me each and every day, I resigned myself to focus my reflection on three queries:
· What can I do?
· What can we do?
· And specifically…What can Quakers do?”
Maybe you have found yourself during this pandemic sitting on your couch staring out your window asking those same queries.
Sadly, I am beginning to realize that people throughout our nation, and even around the world are asking these same questions. The struggles and unrest we have experienced are universal and have a global impact that affects our planet as a whole.
This is why every January, I find myself returning to the wisdom of leadership and organizational expert, Margaret Wheatley. I was introduced to her in my doctoral program and she continues to ask poignant questions for our condition.
In the beginning of her book, “Turning to One Another” which has shaped much of my thinking for the last decade and helped me expand my views outside my own “boxes”, she says the following…
“As I listen to many people, in many countries, I’m convinced we are disturbed by similar things, I’ve listened carefully to many comments, and included some of them here. Taken as a whole, they paint a picture of people everywhere troubled by these times, questioning, what the future holds. Here are some of the comments and feelings I’ve heard expressed:”
See if what Margaret Wheatley has heard resonates with your own feelings deep down…
Problems keep getting bigger; they’re never solved. We solve one and it only creates more.
I never learn why something happened. Maybe nobody knows, maybe it’s a conspiracy to keep us from knowing.
There’s more violence now, and it’s affecting people I love.
Who can I believe? Who will tell me what’s really going on?
Things are out of control and only getting worse.
I have no time for my family anymore. I’m living a life I don’t like.
I worry about my children. What will the world be like for them?
“Confronted with so much uncertainty and irrationality, how can we feel hopeful about the future? And this degree of uncertainty is affecting us personally. It’s changing how we act and feel. I notice in myself and others. We’re more cynical, impatient, fearful, angry, defensive, anxious; more likely to hurt those we love.”
If this is true and resonates with how the world is feeling currently, our scripture text may get down to the fundamentals of how to begin making a positive shift. Something I want us to consider as we continue on in 2021.
In our scripture text that Beth read…we find Paul writing to Timothy to advise and counsel him on ministry. Right alongside Margret Wheatley’s “Turning to One Another”, I also return to these words from Paul each January as I prepare for a new year.
As you may already know, Paul's epistles were written to churches in specific locations (thus the names Corinthians Ephesians, Philippians, etc..), but 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon were all written to individuals.
In this first letter to Timothy, Paul focuses his attention on several main subjects.
Law
Prayer
Bishops and Deacons
Advice to young pastors
And finally, a word to us all on…Faithful Living.
Please note, I sense Paul was often more radical than we allow him to be. And too often his writings have been more studied, debated, and even followed than the actual life and ministry of Jesus.
Yet, I think for this morning, we need to take a look at what Paul is presenting us from three different vantage points.
1. What is Paul telling Timothy about how he should live?
2. What is Paul telling Timothy about God/Jesus?
3. What are we to glean from this last part of Paul’s letter for our questioning condition?
Before we break this down, I want to share something with you that may help put this into perspective.
Just before we left Oregon, Sue and I had the opportunity to hear author and speaker, Brian McLaren at Trinity Cathedral in Portland. We have had the opportunity to hear Brian on many occasions, but on this occasion he was speaking about his book, “The Great Spiritual Migration” – a book I have quoted often in my time hear at First Friends.
In one part of his talk he shared the following…
“Founders are typically generous, visionary, bold, and creative, but the religions that ostensibly carry on their work often become the opposite: constricted, change-averse, nostalgic, fearful, obsessed with boundary maintenance, turf battles, and money.
Instead of greeting the world with open arms as their founders did, their successors stand guard with clenched fists.
Instead of empowering others as their founder did, they hoard power.
Instead of defying tradition and unleashing moral imagination as their founders did, they impose tradition and refuse to think outside the lines.
A religion that cuts itself off from the example of its founder while still bearing the founder’s name often becomes little more than a chaplaincy for other ideologies, offering its services to the highest bidder.
No wonder so many religious folks today wear down, burn out, and opt out“.
As I read again those world from Brian this week, I was immediately taken to our text for this morning.
Much like Jesus and the disciples, Paul (also considered a founder of the Christian faith) was bestowing on his apprentice, Timothy, the fundamentals of pastoral ministry, but even more a warning on how one is to live the faithful life with integrity and impact.
Paul told Timothy…
Remember to be yourself (who God created you to be!) – a universal struggle for people throughout the world.
Too often we want to be anyone but ourselves. And when we are not living our life out of the Imago Dei or the image of God within us – we live a life that creates anything but what Paul describes as a “Righteous life”.
Instead, we too often become what Brian described, “constricted, change-averse, nostalgic, fearful, obsessed with boundary maintenance, turf battles, and [yes] money.”
Paul warned Timothy and all of us who claim to follow Christ to head his warning…
“Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after.”
Money as well as its partners…power and control are far from the life that Jesus modeled…and Paul wants Timothy to know that going down that path leads to destruction.
Instead, Paul encourages Timothy to “Run for your life from all of this.”
This is coming from a man who was a living example of this very phrase.
Paul himself had to turn from the money, power, control, manipulation and law-oriented nature of being a leader in the Sanhedrin.
Paul understood the sacrificial nature of becoming a leader in the birthing church. And his example was Jesus Christ himself. And so, he gives a charge to Timothy…
13-16 I’m charging you before the life-giving God and before Christ, who took his stand before Pontius Pilate and didn’t give an inch: Keep this command to the letter, and don’t slack off.
Our Master, Jesus Christ, is on his way. He’ll show up right on time, his arrival guaranteed by the Blessed and Undisputed Ruler, High King, High God. He’s the only one death can’t touch, his light so bright no one can get close. He’s never been seen by human eyes—human eyes can’t take him in!
Honor to him, and eternal rule! Oh, yes. Only a man who has stood his ground on what he believes. A man who embraced the wonder, was faithful, who loved beyond explanation, who set a steady course and did it all with honor and courtesy – this was a Righteous and Holy Man – this was Jesus folks!
And what Paul is saying is that when we live like Jesus - what Paul calls the eternal life, it brings the eternal into the NOW.
Paul’s warning seems rather simple.
Don’t be full of yourself.
Don’t be obsessed with money or __________ (fill in the blank).
Rather be like Jesus…live with
Wonder
Faith
Love
Steadiness
Courtesy
And as Paul finishes his first letter to Timothy, he says…
“Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.”
Margaret Wheatley, who I spoke of earlier in my sermon, realized that life, comes from us making a change in how we act and feel and how we respond to those around us.
After she asked “What can we do now to restore hope to the future?” she said this…
“I’ve found that I can only change how I act if I stay aware of my beliefs and assumptions. Thoughts always reveal themselves in behavior.
As humans, we often contradict ourselves – we say one thing and do another. We state who we are, but then act contrary to that. We say we’re open minded, but then judge someone for their appearance. We say we’re a team, but then gossip about a colleague. If we want to change our behavior, we need to notice our actions, and see if we can uncover the belief that led to that response.”
I think as Quakers in our world today, we need to get honest and ask ourselves some tough queries:
Are we contradicting ourselves? Do we act contrary to that in which we are called by God?
Are we truly being ourselves?
Are we trying to do good?
Are we being rich in helping others?
Are we extravagantly generous?
These are the queries I want us to ponder as we continue on into 2021.
Just maybe if we were doing those things well, we would not have so much worry and fear in our lives.
· Maybe those problems and all that unrest wouldn’t seem so disturbing.
· Maybe there would be less violence and more love and people would be valued above the color of their skin, their political power, or marketable influence in our world.
· Maybe there would be less conspiracy and more trust among us.
· And just maybe we would find more time for what really matters – like our family, friends, and community.
Or better yet, as Paul (through the eyes of Eugene Peterson) put it,
Just maybe we will gain a “life that is truly life.”
As we now enter waiting worship, I ask you to ponder the queries I just shared in a manner of expectant waiting.