Claimed, gathered and sent

This is the sermon I preached at St. Timothy Lutheran Church l ast Sunday, 11/20/19. The text was 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5.  Everything about our lives in Christ revolves around relationship: relationship with God, relationship with each other and relationship with our community. At the center of all of this we find scripture, holding it all together. We find two critical themes in 2 Timothy concerning scripture as 1. gift of God and 2. for the practical life of God’s people. As the gift of God, scripture was intended to be part of a lively dialogue, a life-giving and dynamic interpretation, with commentaries emerging to respond to changing times, rather than as an unchanging and infallible document. God-breathed scriptures are inspiring, not imprisoning. They guide our paths, but don’t determine exactly each and every step we take. Scripture energizes and motivates instead of imprisoning and suffocating us. The sacred writings of Timothy’s childhood were the Hebrew Scr...

Here are some thoughts on the second lesson for this coming Sunday. This was sent out to the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church . I'd like to know what you think. I need some feedback and want to hear what you are hearing from this passage.  2 Timothy 3:14-4:5  14  But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it,  15  and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  16  All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,  17  so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. 4  In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you:  2  proclaim the message; be persist...

This is the sermon I preached on Sun., 10/16 at St. Timothy and St. Mark Lutheran churche s. The scripture text is 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 .  When you were listening to the second reading today, did you think that it started out in an odd place? It starts out with "but don't let it faze you." What is not supposed to faze us? To find this out, we have to go back one verse   which the lectionary oddly left out. "Verses 13 reads this way, "Unscrupulous con men will continue to exploit the faith. [They are] as deceived as the people they lead astray. As long as they are out there, things can only get worse." This is what Paul is warning us about--that there will come a time when there will be con men who will deceive the believers and that times could get worse. Then Paul tells Timothy and us not to let it faze us and to stick to what we have been taught. Paul is stressing the importance and power of scripture and in spite of those who want the ch...