1 Timothy 2.1-7

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost | September 18, 2022 | 1 Timothy 2.1-7 | Brad Everett |

 Paul’s First letter to Timothy has kind of a ‘nuts and bolts’ practicality to it. There is lots of advice on concrete situations such as ‘here’s what to do when you encounter this particular circumstance’ and not necessarily a whole lot of what we might categorize as theology or doctrine, which we might expect from St. Paul.

But since the vast majority of our lives are filled with practical matters, [because how much time and energy do most of us devote to reading and thinking on abstract theological issues given the rest of the demands of life], what St. Paul is doing is setting out for Timothy and us, what the day-to-day life of a follower of Jesus should look like.

And so he begins here with seven short verses on prayer. The life of the Christian is, quite simply, a life rooted in prayer as prayer is the main way we communicate with our Lord. That’s not to say that God can’t and doesn’t speak with us in other ways, but more often than not it is in prayer, when we step of the merry-go-round of the daily rush to be quiet before God, when we still our hearts and minds, that we can speak to and hear from Him. It’s the difference between friends taking time to sit down and talk and the same two people throwing comments over their shoulders as they rush by one another in passing.

As Jesus is, our Lord, our Saviour, the one we are following, then he needs to be the focus of what we say and do. And prayer is the best way to maintain that focus.

Thus St. Paul begins with “I urge that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone…” in short, pray about everything. If you are concerned about something bring it to God. If you are thankful, tell Him about it. Someone causing you angst or joy or anything in-between, come to God with it in prayer. Lay out your whole life before Him. Not just the things you think you’re unable to manage or the trouble you can’t figure out how to handle, but even those things you think you have a grip on—bring it all to Him.

We do this, not  so we can have our world conformed to our preferences which we previously dictated to the Almighty, but that in spending time with God we might be more and more conformed into the likeness of Christ. It’s like a few years ago, Manny re-connected with a friend from Bible college after several years. A while into the conversation this friend commented that Manny sounded like me, to which Manny replied give how long we’ve been married how would this be surprising? (and in fairness I have had my friends comment on the effect Manny has had on me).

You’ve heard the saying “Prayer changes things” which is true enough, but more importantly prayer changes the one who prays.

For example, it’s hard to hate someone you are praying for. You may not like what they have done, or still not be in sync with their personality, but hating is tough, because you are talking to God about someone he loves—and that can’t help but rub off.

Praying about a situation, reading Scripture telling God’s promises to us as His child, allows us to see things from a perspective other than our own narrow, often self-absorbed point of view. The anxiety about “how can I make this work out like I want” is gradually replaced by the peace of Christ, as we understand and trust that the one who created heaven and earth, who gave his very life for us and our salvation is guiding our path.

Thus Paul’s comment about the importance of prayer so “we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.” This isn’t a statement concerning how prayer promises to sort out the externals of our life to our satisfaction i.e. life is running smoothly to my satisfaction and now I have peace. Rather, that as we spend time before God in prayer, as we grow in our knowledge and love of our Saviour, as the Holy Spirit molds and shapes us, we receive and live in the peace of Christ, allowing us to live quiet lives, in godliness and dignity regardless of whatever external circumstances we may be enduring.

Because peace isn’t necessarily dependent on external circumstances. True peace is a gift, the gracious presence of God which passes all understanding, and guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus from all worry and anxiety, fear and frustration, catastrophizing and consternation.

But this comes only as we keep God our focus, as we live in the truth Paul describes in v. 5 and 6 “for there is one God, there is also one mediator between God and human kind, Christ Jesus himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all…”

While this truth holds for all followers of Jesus, how we live it out depends on the lives God has called us to live. Each of us is going to do this differently i.e. we have different vocations and unique giftings. We move in diverse circles of people, we have a variety of experiences etc.

What we share in common is Christ. It is the same Holy Spirit at work in each of us. And as He does, as we live lives of prayer, seeking God’s direction and following it, we bring forth the same fruit of the Spirit St. Paul describes in his letter to the Galatians—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5.22-23). So while we can look at the life of an extraordinarily saintly person like Mother Theresa who spent her life serving the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, India, and see the fruit of the Spirit in her life, I’m sure each of us can think of someone we know here and now who exhibits the same fruit in their life, because it is the same Spirit at work, albeit in different individuals in different circumstances.

St. Paul practiced a life of prayer. He could testify to the peace and contentment in Christ regardless of circumstances (including persecution and prison). He knew the truth of God and lived it out, in his particular vocation as a herald and apostle, a missionary to the Gentiles. In this text he encourages Timothy to prayerfully live out the vocation God had called him to and exhorts him to likewise encourage the believers in his area to do the same. This same encouragement is offered to us today—to live a life of prayer, a life centered on the promises God has made to us in Jesus, that no matter what may be going on in our world, our hearts and minds might be kept in the peace of Christ.

Pr. Brad Everett

Ascension Lutheran Church

Calgary, AB

Email: everettsts@gmail.com