First Presbyterian Church
Stewardship Epistles
Sermon for October 28, 2007
by Pastor Susan Barnes

Our epistle reading is found on page 213. The letter speaks of that time when we will be saved for that heavenly realm, God's kingdom.

Our reading comes from the closing remarks of the second letter to Timothy. Scholars don't agree that these letters were written by Paul himself. They were probably written by someone like Paul, maybe one of his students, who was imprisoned, facing death and feeling somewhat discouraged. He takes hope in the Lord, although he regrets that some have betrayed him. He continues to rely on others, like Timothy.

The letter closes with a few brief instructions to Timothy.

Listen for the word of God as it is found in 2 Timothy 4: 6-22.

6 As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

9 Do your best to come to me soon, 10 for Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful in my ministry. 12 I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.

14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will pay him back for his deeds. 15 You also must beware of him, for he strongly opposed our message.

16 At my first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them!

17 But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth.

18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

19 Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus remained in Corinth; Trophimus I left ill in Miletus. 21 Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.

22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.

This ends our epistle reading.

The part that surprised me was his reference to Alexander the coppersmith. The letter says, “he did me great harm, the Lord will pay him back for his deeds.” That's a little at odds with Paul's own emphasis on grace and mercy. But by saying “The Lord will pay him back,” it surely means that Timothy should not take any vengeance on Alexander, but rely on God's justice. In the meantime, Timothy and his church should beware of Alexander. In our gospel reading on page 81, Jesus warns the righteous to beware. This follows the parable instructing the disciples to pray like the persistent widow. There are two characters in the parable. One man collected taxes; that occupation was not a noble one; tax collectors routinely cheated the citizens. They kept everything they collected above the empire's portion. The Pharisees were a respected group of religious leaders; they interpreted the law so the people would know how best to follow it. Paul was a Pharisee. Some scholars think Jesus was a Pharisee also, because he spent so much time with them. Listen for the word of God as it is found in Luke 18:9-14.

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt:

10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.'

13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'

14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted."

This ends our reading from God's word.

Not even being a holy Pharisee could save the man from the sin of self-righteousness.

Scholar R. Alan Culpepper said:

“the Pharisee had enough religion to be virtuous but not enough to be humble…. Those who trust in their own righteousness will regard others with contempt, and those who regard others with contempt cannot then bring themselves to rely on God's grace. Therefore, persons who exalt themselves over others and boast of their virtue before God will discover that they have cut themselves off from [others and from God], and persons who are aware of their need for grace and forgiveness will not be able to despise other people.

Grace can be “received only by those who have learned empathy for others.

…Grace partakes of the nature of mercy and forgiveness.” 1

We heard the choir sing “Lord have mercy” on me – that attitude of needing mercy is a mark of a person of deep faith.

Faithful people sometimes look at others and instead of saying, “Thank you Lord, for not making me like that,” they say, “There but for the grace of God go I.”

Sometimes that can mean “thanks that I'm so blessed so I don't have to be that way.” Or even, “Thanks for the good luck, God.”

But a faithful interpretation of that phrase is “If my circumstances were different, that could easily be me. I haven't missed out on that tragedy because I deserved to be spared, but because of God's mysterious and unfathomable grace. I have not achieved this on my own.” It is a phrase that is supposed to be said in humility, rather than in triumph.

“There but for the grace of God go I.”

I remember hearing a chaplain at a Veteran's Hospital say it. That chaplain worked on the alcoholism treatment ward. The patients in the ward had lost their families, their homes, their jobs, their health, and their self-respect. His job was to minister to them in the name of Jesus, to let them know they were God's children, made in God's image, and worth loving. The chaplain was a recovering alcoholic himself, and he told us student chaplains that the only thing that separates him from the men he works with was one day. He had tears in his eyes when he said it. After twenty years, he still takes one day at a time, and doesn't drink alcohol for that one day. He says “There but for the grace of God go I” and it keeps him humble and sober.

I think regular giving keeps us humble. It makes us stay aware that our blessings come from God. Regular giving keeps us honest about our priorities and our need for God. Before worship on Sunday morning, I glance at the offering plate. It's rarely empty. At other churches I've served, I've seen a used tissue or a half eaten piece of candy or an earring in it. The volunteer who vacuumed evidently thought of the offering plate as the lost and found. I always removed the debris from the plates, and that's why I look before worship. Here, there's usually an envelope or two already in the offering plate. Some envelopes are from choir members, because we don't pass the plate to the choir. Some might be from the people preparing fellowship coffee who plan to leave before the offering to get everything ready. Sometimes, people who are going to be out of town have asked me to drop their envelope in for them.

The pharisee in the parable boasted in his prayer that he gave a tenth of his income, and that set him apart from sinners. Giving a tenth made him feel righteous and superior.

I suppose there are some people today who give money to the church or some charity so they will feel righteous. In my life as a pastor, I've only talked to one person who felt righteous for giving. That was the woman who boasted of buying her church a grand piano for the sanctuary. I've mentioned her before; she's the one who collected the money from church members, took the money to the music store and made the purchase. She did, technically, ‘buy the piano.'

Most of us don't give to feel righteous; we give so that we can be a part of God's work. I've never talked with anybody who thought they gave enough; I have talked to people who wished it could be more. I have talked with people who were thrilled that they got an unexpected windfall; they shared it with the church with great joy. They remembered there were other times when they were unable to give as much as they wished, the time of the windfall was a time to celebrate. There's a difference between celebrating and boasting. Celebrating happens when you turn in the money and see where it goes. Boasting occurs again and again, even years after the gift.

People who feel the need to boast, like the Pharisee, are afraid to face their lowliness. They don't dare recognize their humble status; their self-worth is tied to their financial worth and social standing, rather than their worth in God.

I wonder if Alexander the coppersmith was anything like that.

Alexander is on my mind because I just talked to a colleague serving a troubled church. He has to put up with a lot. At a session meeting, he had to explain to an elder that no, it was not his job as the pastor to clean up all the debris that members had been depositing for years around the church. Specifically, the pastor's ministry did not include personally hauling away the rusty cars that a member had left at church twenty years ago. Tidying up the parking lot was a task for the session and church members to deal with, not the pastor all by himself. This came as news to that elder, but not to the session. They worked together to remove the trash.

Another colleague of mine had to bring a flashlight to work with her every morning. The former pastor lived in town and still had the keys to the church building. He shut off the breakers each night after Barbara left. She had to go to the basement each morning, in the dark, and flip all the switches so she could turn the lights on.

I hope my colleagues can take to heart these words to Timothy. “But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength…. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Most of you, I think, have had to work with volunteers from time to time who think they know what you should be doing, despite not having any training or education in your field.

Church treasurers need to practice a combination of fiscal responsibility and Christian love, as you can see from the following collection of letters. None of the letters came from this church, so don't bother trying to guess who wrote them.

Dear Treasurer,
As you know, my wife suffers from dementia. Please do not cash any of her checks. One of the things that gives her joy is writing checks to church. Please don't cash them—we can't cover them all. Here is my check. We can cover this.

Dear Pastor,
I never have my checkbook at church – sorry this check isn't blessed. Please bless it before you give it to the treasurer.

Dear Treasurer,
If I put this check in at church, my husband takes it out, so I'm mailing it.

Dear Treasurer,
I can't remember my checkbook or those darned little dated envelopes. Please just draft my account.

Dear Pastor,
I'm sorry I can't leave more money in the plate, but my father didn't give me a raise in my allowance. Could you have a sermon about a raise in my allowance?

I'm sorry, I'm not going to preach to anybody about how they should spend their money. Except for my own children. Even if they're not getting a raise in their allowance. Amen.

1New Interpreter's Bible, IX p. 343.