Psalm 137:1–9 • Lamentations 1:1–22 • 2 Timothy 1:1–14 • Luke 17:5–10

Our theme for this week is trusting while lamenting. We read in our call to worship, Psalm 137, of the injustices suffered by God’s people in ancient times and their very human, very violent lament. Psalm 137 illustrates that hope can still be sparked during suffering by remembering past blessings and being grateful. The reading in Lamentations 1 continues to express grief as a prayer, lifting the community’s grief to God. It implicitly acknowledges God who can help us hold and process it. We may think that faith comes before its expression through works, and that’s true. But it’s also true that loving others (works) feeds our faith. In Luke 17, Jesus seems to indicate it might happen either concurrently or because of participating in God’s work. In Luke 17:5–10, the disciples ask for more faith, and Jesus tells them not to worry about the quantity of faith. They should be concerned with doing what he does, loving people the way he loves them. For Jesus, faith is more of an expression of duty between two or more people rather than a precursor to loving action, and it’s like multi-player sport. Our sermon text also talks about suffering, this time with Timothy and the letter’s author. We’re invited not to fear suffering but to understand it and then remember that the Holy Spirit provides power and courage to do what is right when we need to.

Reminder: This introductory paragraph is intended to show how the four RCL selections for this week are connected and to assist the preacher prepare the sermon. It is not intended to be included in the sermon.

How to use this sermon resource.

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When Courage Calls

2 Timothy 1:1–14 NRSVUE

On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, a seamstress named Rosa Parks boarded a bus after a long day of work. The law said she had to give up her seat to a white passenger if the bus became too full. That day, it did. And she refused and was arrested.

It’s a familiar story. But what many forget is that Rosa Parks wasn’t the first to refuse. Others before her had taken similar stands, but they were often dismissed or forgotten. Rosa Parks wasn’t a loud voice or a natural activist. She was soft-spoken, polite, and deeply rooted in her Christian faith. Her courage didn’t look like shouting. Instead, it looked like stillness. Her defiance wasn’t reckless. When asked why she didn’t stand up that day, she said something simple but powerful: “I had no idea history was being made. I was just tired of giving in.” At that moment, her personal resistance made a bigger difference than she realized.

Her simple act of refusing to move sparked the year-long Montgomery Bus Boycott and ignited a movement that would change the world. She stood for the dignity of all people, for justice, for the image of God imprinted on every person, regardless of race or gender. Rosa Parks stood up for the gospel by sitting down.

As Christians, we are followers of Jesus. This means that we must consider the way Jesus advocated for those who were marginalized in the world of his day: women, children, slaves, those outside the Jewish culture, the sick, and the poor. Jesus challenged those in power; he confronted the high priests and temple authorities (Matthew 21:12–13) when they treated other human beings with contempt and judgment. When interrogated by Herod Antipas (who was hoping to see a miracle performed), Jesus remained silent. When Pilate questioned him, Jesus refused to directly confirm who he was. Jesus resisted empire and power because God’s kingdom has no place in human-made systems which are designed to oppress some and grant power to others.

We are not the first Christians to be challenged to stand up for God’s kingdom where we love God and others . Paul, as we read in our sermon text for today, Paul encourages Timothy to stay true to this calling.  As stated in verse 14, “Guard the good deposit entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.” Let’s read 2 Timothy 1:1–14.

Context of 2 Timothy 1:1–14

As mentioned in previous sermons, the authorship of the Pastoral Letters 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy is debated, although Paul is typically credited.   .

The writer of 1 Timothy warned Timothy not to let other people disrespect him because he was young (1 Timothy 4:12), and 2 Timothy furthers this point by explaining that he hasn’t been given a spirit of fear but the Holy Spirit. Theologian N.T. Wright asserts that Timothy was called to act with power, love, and prudence (v. 7). But these three qualities can easily be skewed, according to Wright: “Power divorced from love quickly becomes destructive, if not demonic. Love without power can degenerate into wishy-washy sentimentality” (p. 84).

What makes 2 Timothy even more powerful is that Paul was writing to his protégé from prison. He is in chains for preaching the gospel, and he knows the end is near. Instead of giving in to fear, the letter encourages Timothy to “stand strong,” to “not be ashamed,” and to “rekindle the gift” that God has placed inside him.

It’s a message for Timothy, but it’s also a message for us, especially in a time when standing for the gospel of Jesus includes standing against injustice, discrimination, and the marginalization of people because of their age, race, ethnicity, or gender. We are called to be courageous, and it may not be comfortable. We’re called to  love boldly not fearful silence.

The Call to Courage

Timothy is reminded that courage isn’t something he has to go looking for; it’s inside him. The word “rekindle” literally means to “fan into flame.” It implies that the fire is there, but it may need to be stirred:

For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands. 2 Timothy 1:6 NRSVUE

Many of us may feel like we’re not brave enough. We see injustice in the world like racism, injustice, misogyny, and exploitation, and we shrink back. “I’m not like those bold activists,” we think. “I’m not brave like Rosa Parks or Martin Luther King Jr.” But Paul would say, “You already have what you need.”

God has already placed a fire inside you. It might be smoldering right now. It might look like compassion, anger at injustice, or a vision for a better world. The Spirit of God doesn’t make cowards:

For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 NRSVUE

Let this truth settle in your heart: you have everything you need to be brave.

The Call to Speak Up

The Roman Empire was hostile to Christians, and the gospel was seen as foolishness. Timothy’s mentor Paul was in jail, so he might have felt embarrassed or fearful. But the gospel message is not about shame; it is powerful:

But it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 2 Timothy 1:10 NRSVUE

Today, shame takes different forms. Sometimes it looks like silence in the face of racism. It could look like complicity in the systems that oppress women and the poor while granting power to the wealthy. It might be avoiding hard conversations because we’re afraid of how people might react. We have mistakenly valued “niceness” over honest and heartfelt discussion about our responsibility as Christians to the poor, the hungry, the sick, and the stranger in our land. Jesus brought the good news for all people, not just the rich and powerful. His ministry often served those marginalized by the powerful. Jesus was not ashamed of the oppressed and the hurting.

Let’s think of some examples of Jesus’ interaction with women. Jesus asked for a drink of water from the Samaritan woman, a woman of mixed race and questionable reputation (John 4:1–42). He defended the woman caught in adultery (John 8:3–11). He healed the bleeding woman others cast aside (Luke 8:43–48). He honored the faith of a Gentile woman who wouldn’t take no for an answer when it came to healing her daughter (Matthew 15:22–29). The gospel is full of women, full of outcasts, full of the marginalized who were valued and cared for by Jesus. When we serve those the world has pushed down, we are not going off script. We are walking in the footsteps of Jesus.

The Call to Be Uncomfortable

Courage will cost us something. There is suffering involved in living out the gospel because God’s kingdom of love conflicts with human-made systems and governments.

Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, in the power of God … For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day the deposit I have entrusted to him. 2 Timothy 1:8, 11–12 NRSVUE

The gospel life opposes the evil systems that oppress. In this way, following Jesus and the gospel may bring trouble and conflict for us. But the author of Timothy is very persuasive that the gospel is worth our suffering.

It’s not easy standing up for justice, confronting racism in the church, or advocating for women’s voices in male-dominated spaces. Niceness is often more highly valued than standing up for what Jesus modeled in his time on earth. With the high value placed on “niceness,” you may be misunderstood. You may be rejected. You may lose friends, opportunities, or reputation. At those moments, you need to ask where your courage is rooted: in others’ opinions or in Christ? Based on your answer to that question, you’ll know whether your courage will be able to endure. When you know who you belong to, you can endure what others can’t. Jesus never promised comfort and ease. He talked about taking up your cross and following him (Matthew 16:24). But resurrection follows the cross, and life in Christ is true freedom.

The Call to Real Community

We can’t be brave by ourselves. Timothy was encouraged to remember the faith of his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5), as well as others who mentored his faith:

Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 1:13 NRSVUE

It gets lonely resisting human-made systems and cultural practices that oppress certain people groups. We need the support of others, elders in the faith and co-laborers, who can encourage us and help us stay the course of following Jesus’ way of loving people. Faith is a gift from God. The Body of Christ is also a gift. Members of his Body belong to one another, and we can encourage one another’s faith. Through the Body, faith is communal. One reason for weekly worship is the opportunity to encourage one another’s faith.

The encouragement given to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:1–14 is relevant to us today:

For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 NRSVUE

The world needs courageous Christians, not comfortable ones, and not silent, “nice” ones. Our world cries out for Spirit-filled, justice-loving, gospel-proclaiming believers who are not afraid to advocate for the least of these. Rosa Parks didn’t know she would change the world. She just refused to give in.

You don’t need to be a great speaker or educator. You just need to be tired of watching worldly systems hurt people, your fellow image-bearers of God. You just need courage to speak up and be uncomfortable, secure in your community of fellow believers who are tired of power wielded over and against those who need help the most. So, stir up the flame, speak up for those who can’t speak or won’t be heard, and don’t be ashamed to stand up for the gospel, life, and love of Jesus.

Call to Action:  Ask God to stir up “the gift of God that is within” us through the Holy Spirit   and bravely reach out to others to support them as they courageously follow His lead.

For Reference:

Wright, N.T. Paul for Everyone: The Pastoral Letters, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. Westminster John Knox Press, 2003.

https://www.workingpreacher.org/dear-working-preacher/faith

https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-27-3/commentary-on-2-timothy-11-14-3

https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-27-3/commentary-on-2-timothy-11-14-4

https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/dsb/2-timothy-1.html

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