Text:

1 Timothy 4: 6-16

If you put these instructions before the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound teaching that you have followed. Have nothing to do with profane myths and old wives' tales. Train yourself in godliness, for, while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe. These are the things you must insist on and teach. Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders. Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Sermon Text

I'm preaching this morning especially to the younger leaders of our church. You may recall that several years ago, when Tara Lynn Hall was baptized, I directed my sermon to her, and invited the congregation to eaves drop. Well, I'll use the same approach this morning. My message is primarily to the younger leaders of our congregation, but I invite the rest of you to listen to what I have to say to them, you who may be their parents, or godparents. (More about that term later).

Young leaders of Hanover, the Bible passage that we read this morning was spoken to a young Christian leader named Timothy. Timothy's grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice, were both Jewish disciples of Jesus, but his father was Greek. So, you could say that Timothy grew up in a family that was half Jewish, and half Gentile. For that reason alone, Timothy must have been very useful to his mentor, Paul the Apostle, because Paul was doing his best to get Jews and Gentiles to work together in the new churches that he was organizing. Timothy no doubt spoke Greek fluently, and Hebrew too. From his grandmother and mother he had inherited the Jewish religion, but he probably understood the spiritual ways of the Greeks as well. So, Timothy was a bridge person, the way that many young people today are, who are growing up in a society that is so diverse, and changing very fast.

When I lived in Miami I used to marvel at the way that young children would act as translators for their immigrant parents. Their parents' minds were older, set in their ways. It was difficult for them to learn English, but their children picked it up so quickly! Young people of Hanover, you may not be able to speak another language, but I'll bet you can work a computer or DVD player or cell phone better than the older folks in your family. Your minds are quick and agile! You are important to us older folk. You can be our bridges into new ways of seeing and doing things. Please try to be patient with us when we can't make the leaps that you can. Remember that our minds and our bodies are less flexible than yours.

Well, getting back to Timothy now. He tramped with Paul all over the place, visiting new churches. Paul's letters mention that Timothy was a great help to him. In fact, he called him his son. Timothy acted as Paul's messenger, and pastoral assistant. When Paul was in prison, Timothy attended to his needs. Wherever Paul went, Timothy went. They were rarely apart. One exception was the time that Paul had some business with a church in Macedonia, but needed someone to watch over another new church in Ephesus. Paul trusted Timothy so much that he assigned that work to him during his absence.

It was at that time, when Timothy was completely on his own away from Paul, that Paul wrote the words of encouragement and advice which you heard this morning. Let's run over the major points in Paul's message, because they're just as good advice to young leaders today as they were in Timothy's day.

First of all, Paul says that Timothy has a responsibility to pass on what he has learned. We know that Timothy's mom and grandmom had raised him to love Jesus. Paul is saying that Timothy should pass that love on, not keep it to himself. Do you have friends in school or your neighborhood who don't know about Jesus? Have you ever talked with them about what you have learned in Sunday school or church or vacation Bible school, or church camp? Guess who is the best messenger to carry the message about Jesus to young people--why, another young person, of course. We know that Timothy was a bit timid, because Paul once wrote to him (2 Timothy 1: 7): God didn't give us the Spirit of fear, but the Spirit of love and power. Sometimes, like Timothy, you might feel a bit timid about sharing your faith with a friend who knows nothing about Jesus, but as Paul points out, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit that was in Jesus, helps us to get his message of love across in a way that is sensitive and very powerful. So, try not to be timid. Pass along the good news. The Spirit will show you how.

Secondly, Paul warns Timothy to watch out for profane myths and old wives' tales. In other words, he tells him not to be misled by whacko ideas. There sure are plenty of those today! Why, just last week in the Wilmington paper I was reading an article about a professor at the University of Delaware who leads a heavy metal band that specializes in hate music. That's right, hate music! Music is precious to most people, but especially to young people. Abusers, full of hate, will use what they can to draw them in. It's easy to get sucked into a hurtful way of thinking and behaving, particularly if you haven't much experience yet about what can be trusted. That's why Paul warned young Timothy to watch out for the whackos. Stick to the way of love that you learned through Jesus, he wrote. That's very good advice for young people today.

Secondly, he says train yourself in godliness. Physical training is good, he says, but spiritual training is even more important, because spiritual training makes you strong for this life and whatever comes next. We're pretty sure that Paul was athletic himself. In his letters he writes about running races, and boxing. He may have trained at the gymnasium, like the Greeks did in his day. I know that some of you train for sports, like skating, football, basketball, and cross-country. Paul says to Timothy: such training is good. But even more important is to train yourself in prayer, reading and understanding the Bible well, leading others in worship, and encouraging them in their relationship to God. Don't neglect the godly training, Paul tells Timothy. Wonderful advice for young leaders today.

Next, Paul says to Timothy: "Let no one despise your youth." To put that in modern lingo, don't let anybody dis you just because you're young. You have spiritual gifts which this congregation of Christians needs to be healthy and strong. So, don't pay attention to those who say you're too young to take an active role in your church. Do your thing. Paul said to Timothy, "Do not neglect the gift that is in you." Some of you are still discovering your spiritual gifts--those natural abilities that God gave you to help others, and experience much joy and fulfillment in the process. Often we need other people to help us discover our gifts, and after discovering them, to develop them. That's where your parents and grandparents and your godparents come in. Did you know that every person in this congregation is your godparent? We make that promise to you when we baptize you. We promise to be your godparents. Godparents are supposed to raise their godchildren so that they discover their spiritual gifts and put them to good use. We're here for you. Call on us. If we seem to be disusing you, call us on that. Say to us: We are like Timothy. We have an important job to do! You do indeed. And may God help us to support you in that work, as the Elders did who put their hands on Timothy and blessed him with spiritual gifts to share.