II Timothy 1:1-14; Famous Last Words

"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you.

6 For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; 7 for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. 8 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, relying on the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, 12 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 what I have entrusted to him. 13 Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us."

I. Introduction

This and the next essay will be a single pastorally-oriented meditation on the text for the day. II Timothy is a valedictory letter, one intended to be received as a "last writing" of the Apostle to his beloved disciple Timothy. What do you say to another person when you know you are on the point of "being poured out as a libation" (II Tim. 4:6)? What words sum up your life or capture the spirit of your teaching? What would you say to your beloved(s) when you are at the end of your life? We invest final words with lots of significance, whether they are the "last words" of a person about to be executed or a loved on on his/her death bed. Thus, I am reading the text for this morning as a final will and testament to all of us about the life of faith. Three phrases will focus my thoughts: (1) Rekindle the Gift; (2) Don't be Ashamed; and (3) Guard the Treasure. In these three pieces of advice are all we need for a produtive and useful life of faith.

Before getting to these points, however, I would like to tell you the story of my own father's valedictory words to me just before his death of leukemia at age 56 in Dec. 1981. They remain special to me even 26 years after I lost him. I am quoting from my 1991 autobiography, 39 and Lost in America:

"His [physical] system gave out on December 1, and he was taken by ambulance in the middle of the night to Stanford University Medical Center. He was placed in intensive care until he died on December 20, 1981. His breathing was arduous. His heart bounced wildly and erratically from 130 to 169 to 102 to 198 to 184 beats per minute. Thus, he was on a jog-sprint for he last few weeks of his life. A few days before his death he and my mom had a long conversation. I think he was asking her for permission to die. After that he and I had our last conversation. I was working as a security guard [between doctoral work and my first teaching position] in a nearby shopping center, and I often came to meet him in my security outfit. One day, when I perceived it was near the end, I asked him a question. I do not know why I asked it them. Impulsively, I asked whether he had any advice for me. Was it selfish to ask for advice when he was dying before me? He looked at me. His massive hands, the hands that betrayed his growing up on a farm, were shaking. His breathing was labored. His sentences were very short. He just said, 'Two things, Bill. Be firm. You are in the driver's seat.' And when he uttered the last words, he weakly tried to move his hands as if he were driving a car....This was the last time I saw my dad alive," p. 81.

It is hard for me to type and read these words again, even at this distance of time, without emotionally recreating the entire scene in my mind. I feel, to some extent, that if I am true to these last words he said to me that I am being true to myself and to my life. No other eleven words spoken by any other person have meant as much to me.

II. Returning to II Timothy

Now you can perhaps understand why I love this passage and put so much emphasis on the importance of "last words" in understanding our task in life. The Apostolic words this morning are seemingly directed to one person, Timothy, but because of their general application they also speak to us.

A. Rekindling the Gift (v. 6)

The Greek word for "rekindling" is a wonderfully picturesque word. It really consists of three words--the preposition "ana," which means "again," the word "zoe," which means "bring to life," and the verb "poreo," which means "to light a fire." Thus, the combinations in the word, which only appears here in the NT, urge Timothy bring a certain fire back in his life, a fire that apparently once was blazing brightly. We are not told exactly what is meant by this, but the addition of three character traits in v. 7 give us some hints. Especially noteworthy is the final word, in Greek sophronismos. It is a word common in Greek moral instruction in this period and it connotes a sense of moderation and good judgment.

But the important point here is the fact that Timothy needs to rekindle (Shakespeare uses the great word "relume" in Othello Act V to express the same idea) a gift. Why would someone's gift lie dormant or unexpressed for a while? We don't exercise our gifts for a number of reasons. Sometimes we are overwhelmed by life's realities around us and have no time or scope to use the gifts. Occasionally, we squander the gifts, either by inattentiveness or pursuit of paths we know are not helpful to ourselves. Other times we just retreat from life.

The next essay gives example of this and completes my thoughts.

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