The Good Treasure

This sermon was not preached.  It was written for Sunday October 6, 2019 (World Communion Sunday).  I was scheduled to preach the vespers service at Presbyterian Communities in Florence, SC but the schedule was changed.

The Good Treasure

Today is World Communion Sunday;

some of you may have attended worship this morning

and received communion.

Communion, the Lord’s Supper is a sign and seal of God’s love

and covenant of grace.

You and I remember as a community the sacrifice, death,

and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and his love and

continuing presence

as we are commissioned to serve God and neighbor.

What is the purpose of World Communion Sunday?

It is simple,

it is about our unity of faith,

unity in Christ.

We are one,

no matter who we are as individuals,

we are one in faith.

So how does this scripture from Second Timothy connect to

our worldwide community of faith?

Second Timothy is part of the pastoral epistles of Paul.

You and I are used to the letters of Paul as he writes

to churches and communities.

However. this letter is to Timothy, an individual,

Paul’s trusted co-worker.

This epistle is about the faithful life of an individual Christian.

Paul uses the familiar kinship language he is fond of,

calling Timothy son.

Throughout his letters he uses kinship to express unity,

that we are all ‘brothers and sisters’ in Christ.

Paul has a relationship with Timothy;

not just with Timothy, also with his family.

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.

Lois and Eunice are believers!

Timothy has been raised in a legacy of faith,

a tradition within his family.

I imagine that sounds familiar to most of us.

Faith thrives in families;

we have been nurtured in faith

by family,

by friends,

by mentors.

We are our experiences and

what has inspired us

has shaped us into believers and disciples.

This letter to Timothy is written near the end of Paul’s life,

some scholars view it as a last will and testament;

I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy.

Paul is remembering what he has done

and is in a way,

passing on the torch to Timothy.

Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have

heard from me,

in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Guard the good treasure entrusted to you,

with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.

The good treasure.

What is this Good Treasure?

Faith.

Faith is something you and I carry within ourselves.

When I read this verse, I am reminded of Paul’s words

to the Corinthians:

But we have this treasure in clay jars,

so that it may be made clear that this

extraordinary power belongs to God

and does not come from us.

A better translation from the Greek is earthenware vessels;

‘Vessel’ referring to the human body.

The clay jars are you and me;

The treasure is the Holy Spirit working within us,

inspiring our actions of faith.

The rest of the scripture from Second Corinthians

speaks of endurance using the metaphor of clay;

the trials and suffering that we encounter,

yet, there is still strength.

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;

perplexed, but not driven to despair;

persecuted, but not forsaken;

struck down, but not destroyed;

You and I are molded by God,

from the second chapter of Genesis:

…then the Lord formed man from the dust of the ground,

and breathed into the nostrils the breath of life;

and the man became a living being.

Through Christ we carry the Holy Spirit

within our earthenware vessels.

Paul know the gift of God (faith) is within Timothy;

it is within each one of us.

Timothy is called to pass on the legacy of faith,

we too are called to do this;

proclaim the gospel,

share our faith,

and do not be ashamed or embarrassed by our faith.

In verses 9 and 10, Paul sums up the Gospel in a few words:

God, 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, 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.

Faith, the good treasure as Paul defines it,

is a combination of

grace enabled energy/power,

the work of the Holy Spirit +

compassion/love +

sound mind and self-discipline.

In the Gospel of Luke, we are told:

The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. You and I have the good treasure. Grace and the Holy Spirit enables us to do God’s mission in the world. We are called as individuals, as Timothy was called; You and I have been nurtured in faith as Timothy was nurtured: We too have a faith legacy. Grace has been given unto us;       the Holy Spirit enables us;       you and I have the good treasure… The treasure of faith. Guard it well, share it with others,       and pass it on as you would a light from a candle,        one to another, neighbor to neighbor. Your treasure will shine and be a light in the dark places       until finally the worldwide community of faith       will shine in unity.