Sun. Aug. 30, 2009 (Wes Smith)

On August 30th, Wes Smith spoke on 2 Timothy 3.1-4.5. In these passages, the writer develops the theme of endurance by building on the brief list of virtues presented as the conclusion of chapter 2. By contrast, chapter 3 opens with a lengthy list of vices, some of which spring from misdirected love (love of self, of money, etc.) The writer seems to have some specific thorny problems and people in mind, but we are not really told anything specific about the false teachings. The writer (3.8) refers to Jannes and Jambres, possibly magicians mentioned in Exodus, who opposed God but were finally revealed as frauds. The writer then assures Christians that they will eventually be revealed as being of God, whereas the teachings and lifestyles of Timothy's opponents will be shown to be false. The sufferings of the writer are mentioned, not so much to gain status within the community of believers, but to illustrate that the God who helped one specific person through severe difficulties can be trusted to assist you as well. Finally, the collection of ideas in 2 Timothy illustrates the usefulness of cross-generational mentoring at its best. [JEK] Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, August 30th, 2009 using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. Aug. 23, 2009 (Andre Pekovich)

Our summer series continued with Andre Pekovich’s call to simplify our lives, our faith and our religious observance. Andre encouraged us to use the acronym KISS to ‘keep it simple, sinner’. Our love of complicated things often leads us astray, so after Andre reminded us of some sermons we’d heard from the past on keeping things simple, he notes that Timothy is told the same thing, just as the soldier, the athlete and the farmer are told in vs 4. Our Christian past is “littered with more and more complex epistemological constructs until we’re not sure if God is speaking to us or a dictionary”. We’re reminded of the Shaker hymn “Simple Gifts” as a guidepost, and Andre then pointed us to vs 8 “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David—that is my gospel”. The text notes that Timothy is instructed to 15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth.” and guide the church to avoid wrangling over words, gossiping; teach with gentleness; do not use bad words, and avoid youthful passions such as anger and intolerance. Andre read out a W.H.Auden poem noting that humans are the only species with the capacity for making the simple complicated, and the need for grace to make them simple again. [AP] Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, August 23rd, 2009 using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. Aug. 9, 2009 (Donna Stewart)

Donna Stewart continued our series on the Timothy letters with an interactive sermon focusing on the temptation to covetousness. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, says the writer to Timothy. “Show me a person’s checkbook and I can tell you about his faith,” said Donna. Godliness with contentment; being free from the hunger for things is important. In our consumerist society, immersed in a culture of greed - we are encouraged to buy and consume - it is important to distinguish between our wants and our needs. We are the rich and are constantly encouraged to want more. Our governments pursue national policies of growth and greed; after 9-11 Americans were told to get out and shop. Donna noted that it’s an embarrassment to live simply, to have furniture that is worn out. We have unprecedented wealth while many in our world starve. Godliness with contentment should be our goal.(HN) [No audio MP3 file available, sorry; but the CD recording can be borrowed from our library]

Sun. Aug. 2, 2009 (Janice Kreider)

Janice Kreider addressed the text from 1 Timothy 5 that deals with the duty to care for others, specifically widows. The text seems critical of widows, suggesting limitations of financial aid for some widows and accusations of heresy and gossip against others. This critical approach to the care of widows is puzzling given the Old Testament stress on caring for widows. Jesus, just before his death, tells one of his disciples to look after his mother, presumably a widow. A key question is why the text suggests putting limits on financial aid to widows. Many women were attracted to Christianity, some might have converted while their husbands did not and might have divorced their wives. The advice to cutback aid to certain widows is likely based on a shortage of funds. Widows did not have today’s option of staying widowed and surviving financially. The encouragement for younger widows to remarry was an attempt to get them back into a patriarchal system. It is preferable to writer to heed Paul’s teaching; in Christ there is no male or female. (HN) Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, August 2nd, 2009 using your browser's preferred media player.