Readings for Proper 24C:
2 Timothy 3:14-4:5
October 21, 2007
The Rev. Karen Faye Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino, CA
“For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths.” [2 Tim. 4]. What I would like to talk about today is the connection between sound teachings and spiritual fulfillment. I will use the second letter to Timothy as my text.
Having experienced three different careers in my lifetime, I have had a lot of schooling! The other day, I calculated the number of teachers I had in school throughout the years. The number came to over 100 different teachers. A few of these teachers were outstanding while a few were duds. But for the most part, my teachers did a good job in passing along important core information, teaching me to think rationally, and providing me with a formation process that would enhance my ability to function well in my career.
Most of the time, I didn’t get to choose my teachers because of availability, time, or restrictions in the curriculum. However, while I was getting a degree in chemistry, I did have a lot of choice when it came to my electives. Since chemistry required taking many difficult science courses, I decided to seek out a few easy courses to lighten up my load. Through the grapevine, I learned of two “easy” teachers: one in anthropology and one in history. I immediately signed up! I can’t remember much about my anthropology course except that I did my final paper on the sexual habits of the Polynesian people. And while it was a fun assignment, I really didn’t learn much. My history class was taught by a communist who was easy and mildly amusing. The only thing I remember about that class was that he wore the same pair of jeans throughout the semester. I don’t think he ever washed them.
Sometimes we seek out teachers to suit our own desires and as a result we fail to progress. These kinds of teachers might make us feel good or they might give us an “A” for the course, but in the long run, we lose out. Many people avoid teachers who will challenge their way of thinking, correct them when they are in error, and force them to grow. While this is common in the academic arena, it is also common in the spiritual arena. There are many Christians who when challenged, will leave a congregation and seek out a preacher who agrees with their way of thinking. This was the case in today’s reading from Paul’s second letter to Timothy.
In the late half of the first century, the Christian church was not uniform. People were still trying to figure out Jesus’ teachings and ministry. They were trying to understand his humanity, his relationship to God, and the meaning of the resurrection. During this time of transition, there were many different trains of thought: some were helpful, some were useless, and others were harmful. Those teachings (which were contrary to the tradition passed on by the apostles) were often devoid of spiritual substance. For instance, there were teachers who taught that the human body and bodily needs were bad. They insisted that their students refrain from sex, marriage, and eating certain foods. Other teachers taught that in order to become “whole” or “enlightened” Christians needed to learn a body of secret knowledge based on myths and genealogies. Some teachers wanted to be popular and have lots of followers and so they diluted the teachings and the traditions of the Christian movement.
By the turn of the first century, addition difficulties came to the forefront, including the breakdown of values and society. People became self-absorbed, lovers of money, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, crude, impulsive, cynical, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Since there are a lot of similarities in the breakdown of values between the end of the first century and today, let’s take a closer look at the advice given to Timothy on how he was to teach and lead the Christian congregation in Ephesus. This is essential reading because ill-directed and badly formed spiritual teachers can cause much damage to the soul.
Timothy was evangelist; a little bit inexperienced but very dedicated. He had been brought up by a Jewish mother and a gentile father. Both his mother and grandmother were faithful and devout and taught him how to live a godly life. In today’s reading, Timothy is advised to listen to the wisdom passed along by these previous generations and not to be seduced by the latest fad. Next he is advised to pay special attention to the sacred writings which (at this time) include only the Hebrew Scriptures and perhaps a few letters from the apostles. The New Testament has not yet been compiled. The purpose of these sacred writings is to help teach people how to move forward in their lives towards wholeness (i.e. salvation). Timothy is told that Scripture is useful for teaching, for showing the truth, exposing distorted thinking, correcting mistakes, and training people to live God’s way. The Scriptures (when used rightly) can help form Christians do the work that God has created them for. Now please note: It is says that the Scriptures are useful for teaching. It does not say that they are inerrant, or a legal code, or contain black and white answers for every situation that may come up during the next 2000 years.
Finally, Timothy is advised not to water down the faith or to be seduced into being popular. He is to proclaim the message, be persistent in the face of opposition, “convince, rebuke, and encourage with the utmost patience in teaching.” [2 Tim. 4]
*In 21st century America, there is deep, unsatisfied hunger for authentic spirituality. Surveys indicate that a large majority of Americans remain dissatisfied despite the material rewards they have accumulated, the physical pleasures they have experienced, and the leisure time they have taken. They are reeling emotionally from daily life in a society traumatized by too much violence, too many divided families, and too little job security. The pain and isolation caused by reliance on material things and on human resources alone has grown unbearable. This spiritual hunger is a deep yearning of the human soul for contact with God, a yearning for an ongoing relationship with the Transcendent, more profound than anything available in the material world.
Unfortunately, these spiritually hungry folks often seek out teachers and religious institutions that do not satisfy their hunger. On one end of the spectrum is the liberal church who sometimes offers “easy teachings,” theological junk food, cafeteria style religion, or a watered down version of the faith. These distortions of the truth include things like the prosperity gospel, the positive thinking gospel, or the complete deconstruction of the faith and sacred writings. The prosperity gospel proclaims that if you pray enough, you will become rich and happy. The positive thinking gospel proclaims that suffering is an illusion and that you can go through life without any pain. And the deconstructionalists have discredited the transforming power of God as recorded in Scripture and sound doctrine.
On the other end of the spectrum, is religious fundamentalism. This offers a concrete absolute structure of belief that some find appealing but is ultimately restricting and does little to satisfy most people’s spiritual hunger. What are we to do? Where are we to seek? What teachings lead to spiritual fulfillment and abundant life? Perhaps some of the insights from the early church can lead us forward.
*The Church of the first century, sought to spread the Good News in Christ and make disciples of the world. The early Christian Church was filled with stories of God’s transforming power. Pagans became disciples, not by following a rigid set of laws or a watered down faith, but because of what they experienced in Christian community. And what they experienced was the incredible power of the love of God, expressed through the community of believers and felt directly in the depths of their souls. They heard stories from Christians about miraculous changes in their lives, and they came to experience those changes themselves. People were converted because they saw and felt the power of God, were loved, and healed. And then, they went out and passed along this good news by proclaiming and acting out the good news in Christ.
To be spiritually fulfilled, we don’t need to turn to easy teachings or to the latest religious fad. Instead, there is much we can learn by returning to the roots of our tradition. We need to read about the stories of transformation that characterized the apostles and those who lives were touched by Jesus Christ. We need to read the Scriptures and find out about our sacred history; a history that contains the saints and sages, the heroes and martyrs, the misguided and ignorant, the successes and failures, vowing never to make those same mistakes again. We need to refocus our attention on God’s power, presence and purpose, moving towards blessedness and becoming the people that God created us to be. But spiritual development and fulfillment does not come easily. It requires rigorous self-examination, rededication, and realignment. It requires the humility to be corrected when wrong, instructed when ignorant, encouraged when failing. May God give us the grace to persevere with steadfast faith that we may come to experience God’s abiding love.
*[Reclaiming the Great Commission, by Bishop Claude Payne, 2000]
| Updated 10/23/07 |
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