Thomas J Parlette
“Rekindling the Gift of God”
2nd Timothy 1: 1-14
10/5/25, World Communion
This morning we are continuing to look at the communication between Paul and Timothy – one of the Paul’s closest companions and disciples. As we learned last week, Timothy had probably been the pastor for the Christian community in Ephesus for up to 4 years when Paul starts sending him these letters of advice and support.
This second letter to Timothy is a very personal one. Paul mentions some of the hardships and challenges he has faced. He alludes to the churches of Asia turning on him and abandoning his teaching. He also speaks of the physical challenges he has faced. Many scholars believe that Paul knew he was close to the end of his earthly existence, so the tone of 2nd Timothy has the air of a farewell address, Paul’s parting words to his close friend and confidante.
Farewell addresses have a long history in the pages of scripture.
Moses gave his parting words as he stood at the threshold of the Promised Land, knowing that he was not going to enter the Land the Lord had promised to Israel.
Elijah gave some parting words to his protégé Elisha as he literally passed the mantle to him before being swept up into the clouds on a flaming chariot.
Even Jesus gave a farewell discourse, as it is called, in John, spanning chapters 13-17.
That tradition has continued into modern times with books such as The Last Lecture by Randy Pautsch, Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, and the commencement address Steve Jobs gave to the graduating class of 2005 at Stanford when he was dying from cancer.
The noted Psychologist Erik Erikson offered up an explanation of why so many people feel called to offer up some words. In his book, The Life Cycle Completed, he suggests that “the end stages of human life involve generativity and integrity – making a positive contribution and having the confidence that one’s life has mattered.” (1)
Paul is doing that here with his advice to Timothy. He is looking for the positive contribution that his life and ministry have made. In turn, his advice is designed to help Timothy lead a life of faith that will also be a positive contribution to the Christians in Ephesus.
Paul has four main topics to discuss:
1. Recharge yourself, rekindle your faith.
2. Don’t apologize for the faith you have, be proud of it and stand firm.
3. Hone your teaching skills, so you may present the Gospel effectively.
4. Protect what you have, guard your faith.
Paul starts by expressing his confidence in the faith that has been passed down to him – first from his grandmother, Lois and then from his own mother – Eunice.
The story is told that four preachers were gathered for lunch and the question was posed – what is your favorite translation of the Bible and why?
The first preacher said, “I like the King James version. I like the beautiful use of the English language.”
The second preacher said, “My favorite is the New American Standard. It’s a better translation, much closer to the original Greek and Hebrew.”
The third preacher said, “I am partial to the Good News Translation. It’s easier to read and understand in our modern language.”
After a bit more thought, the fourth preacher offered his perspective, “I like my mother’s translation of the Bible.”
The other three expressed their surprise – “I didn’t know your mother was a Biblical Scholar.”
“Oh, she’s not. But she translated her Bible everyday into her daily life. And it was the most beautiful and convincing translation I ever saw.”
That’s what Paul is talking about when he brings up Lois and Eunice. Paul is confident that the faith Timothy grew up seeing in them, lived out every day, will nourish his own faith and allow him to rekindle and recharge.
In essence, that’s what we do when we gather at the Lord’s Table – we remember the words Jesus taught us. We remember the faith of those who’ve gone before us. We gather around the table and when we celebrate with the two most basic sources of nourishment – food and drink, represented by bread and wine – we rekindle our faith and recharge our spirits for the journey of faith. And today, we get to do that with Christians all over the world.
Once upon a time, there was a minister who got a call about a parishioner who hadn’t been to church in awhile. So the pastor stopped by the see this man.
The man was sitting in his living room in front of a fireplace. The fire was dying down – it was still smoking and giving off some heat but the embers were slowly dying.
The man greeted the pastor – “Hello Reverend, what brings you by today?” The pastor sat down by the fireplace, but didn’t say a word.
After sitting in silence for a bit, the man said – “I know I haven’t been around church much lately. I just can’t seem to get myself there. I feel worn-out – I guess you could say my spirit is tired.”
The pastor nodded his head, and then reached forward for the fireplace poker.
Without saying a word, the pastor poked and prodded the logs on the fire, jostling them around, shifting their positions to allow a little more air to fan the flames. Soon, the fire was raging again, giving off heat for the whole room.
The two sat there for a minute in silence, enjoying the fire. Finally, the man said, “I see your point pastor, I just need a little rekindling to get my fire going again. Thank you – I’ll see you on Sunday.” The pastor smiled, got up and let himself out.
Sometimes we just need to rekindle the faith we’ve got – the faith that’s been passed down from our family and from generation of Christians that have gone before us.
So come to the table today, my friends, with Christians from all over the world – as we rekindle our faith with the bread and the cup.
May God be praised. Amen.
1. Erik H. Erikson, The Life Cycle Completed, (New York; Norton, 1982).
