A sermon by Senior Minister John B. McCall, June 6, 2010
1 Timothy 6:2c-16
From all appearances, the three letters of 1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus, were written by a disciple of Paul who claimed the great Apostle’s name as a way to add authority to his epistles. They specifically address a number of matters in the life of the early church and how to live in community, including the place of the elderly, widows, and slaves.
By the time these letters were written, early in the second century, the Christian community was growing and expanding. The scriptures were the central teachings of the community but this was still well before the canon of scripture was settled in the 4th century. So, in addition to the familiar books in our New Testament there were several other gospels and letters that were part of the community’s story. Still other teachings and instructions emerged, applying the fundamentals of scripture to the realities of every-day life together.
First Timothy is a good reminder that our scriptures contain both timeless truth and time-specific descriptions of a world and an ethic that today we find indefensible. For example, in Chapter 6, verse 1, we find the disheartening message: “let all who are under the yoke of slavery regard their masters as honorable…” No Christian today could defend the horrors of slavery based on scripture.
We also find timeless truth, as in Chapter 5, verse 23: “No longer drink only water, but take a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.” (5:23) I recall my father, a life-long tea-totaller, quoting this when the doctor told him a little brandy in the evening might ease the distress of his heart-disease.
As believers we have to do our best to recognize that God’s world changes and God calls us to new understandings. The best we can do in life is to keep our perspective – to recognize what is ours to shape and affect, and what is only, ultimately, in the hands of God.
That brings us to chapter 6, verses 6 thru 8:
… there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.
“Godliness combined with contentment.” Wouldn’t that be a fine epitaph? Live as you know God would have you live; hold your passions and possessions loosely; and be at peace, be content, find joy.
With rare exceptions, most of us know what’s right most of the time. Certainly we may try to hide from what we know and pretend that something else is true. The wisest voices in every age remind us that our deepest despair and our deepest pain come from seeking and holding those things that can’t make us happy.
The Buddha said suffering comes from attachment, from holding too tightly.
Henry David Thoreau wrote in 1854, in his diary called Walden: “Let every one mind his own business, and endeavor to be what he was made. Why should we be in such desperate haste to succeed and in such desperate enterprises?” The wisdom of both is restated in the bumper sticker that says: “to have more, desire less.”
• The world tells us we need more and teaches us to be anxious.
• The world tells us to envy our neighbors and to covet their riches.
• The world tells us to acquire and demand.
Chasing after anything is unlikely to make us more contented than we already are.
First Timothy tells the faithful to hold fast to what is good and what is godly, and by that to find a deeper place of contentment. Why? Because that’s all we can do. God does the rest. We can’t make ourselves and can’t save ourselves. But over time we can find a peace that passes all understanding.
First Timothy says it bluntly: we’ve brought nothing into the world and we take nothing out of the world. Maybe you’ve heard it said “there’s never been a luggage rack on a hearse.” What¬ever we have, by the grace of God, is a gift. Using it, savoring it, sharing it will help us to find a deeper contentment.
We, the Christian community, must live distinctively, differently from the rest of the world. We understand that what we have is a sacred trust to be used to honor God. So,
• We give a portion of what we have through the church so the Good News can flourish.
• We engage the community and see the needs of our neighbors.
• We recognize that we’re leaving a legacy to future generations and we seek ways to bless them rather than to burden them.
And today, as we honor our Elders and our members of 50 years and more, we recognize their faithfulness that has brought us this far.
• You remember the dedication of this sanctuary, 50 years ago in 1960.
• You recall the hallways crowded with nearly 300 children in the Sunday school.
• You remember the days when the Deacons wore matching dark suits and the Deaconesses prepared the Lord’s Supper then cleaned up afterwards.
• You are still here, giving memory and hope to our church today as together we imagine the future toward which God is leading us.
I don’t want to over-romanticize, and so won’t claim that every one of you who’s over 70 or 80 has found godliness with contentment. But most have figured out what matters most: food, clothing and shelter are essential, as First Timothy asserts.
But beyond that the sweetest things aren’t things – they’re health, family, memories, faith, hope and so much more. We learn this truth over time as we conform ourselves to the divine wisdom on which all Creation rests.
“Not so much by great deeds of courage, but by many small acts of faithfulness, we have come this far.”
And on this Founder’s Day, as we offer thanks to past gener¬ations; as we honor Elders and 50-year members, let us also offer earnest prayer that we, together, may grow toward the promise of godliness with contentment.
Amen.