Happy New Year, Friends!
2 Timothy 1:3-18 is my favorite passage to meditate on as I begin a new year, partly because of the simple, memorable, three-point outline below.[1] In an effort to share it with you as clearly as possible, after some introductory remarks related to 3-5, I’ll offer some reflective thoughts and questions after each point and relevant portion of Scripture.
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. Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. 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.
2 Timothy 1:3-5, NRSVUE
These introductory verses connect with many of my deepest convictions about what healthy, authentic Christianity looks like. It’s grateful, ancient (“ancestors”), relational (“I long to see you”), emotionally attentive (“recalling your tears”), and joyful. These verses also evidence a high view of women and regard the home as the primary conduit for passing on “sincere faith.” The next section (italicized below) begins “for this reason” and that reason—the reason for the three points I’m about to share—is directly related to the “sincere faith” that’s been passed down to Timothy by his family. “Sincere faith” is something precious to be strengthened, shared, spread or expanded. Indeed, cultivating and sowing seeds that grow “sincere faith” are some of the most important things we can be part of in the new year. “For this reason,” Paul says to Timothy, as well as you and me:
1. Rekindle your gift. (6-7)
For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands, for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:6-7, NRSVUE
We all have spiritual gifts, passions (heart), natural abilities, unique personalities, and experiences. Saddleback Church refers to this as one’s S.H.A.P.E. (see italicized words above that correspond to the acronym). All these things are part of the “gift” mix that we must fan into flame in ways that include discipline. As you begin 2024, here are a few questions for your reflection:
- In this context, fear (cowardice) is the primary enemy of rekindling one’s gift. Why is this?
- What gift do you have that needs to be rekindled?
- When it comes to rekindling gifts, how important is supportive community?
2. Renew your calling. (8-14)
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, in the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace, and 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 Jesus Christ, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, 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 the deposit I have entrusted to him. 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 deposit entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.
2 Timothy 1:8-14, NRSVUE
If you’re a Christian, the gospel, grace, sound teaching, faith, love, etc. are treasures you’ll both guard and share for a lifetime. Determine to begin 2024 with a fresh commitment to steward these treasures well, investing all God has entrusted to you. Primarily, Paul has in mind here one’s “sincere faith.” Certainly, it includes renewed appreciation for all you’ve been given in Christ, how the Holy Spirit lives in and helps you, as well as the mystery of it all (“given before the ages began”- wow!). Finally, “renew your calling” is a reminder not to eschew all suffering, as sometimes it’s closely tied to God’s purposes, and almost always part of significant Kingdom advances.
As you read Paul’s description in 8-14, what parts of your “sincere faith” and calling are most meaningful to you today? Why?
For me, it’s a fresh reminder of how the Holy Spirit lives in and helps with so many things, especially handling my often unsteady emotions. This quote by Henri Nouwen was especially meaningful this week: “Our prayer lives, lived as faithful response to the presence of the Spirit within us, may open a window on our emotions, feelings, and passions and give us some indication of how to put them into the service of our long journey into the heart of God.”
3. Reflect on the positive. (15-18)
You are aware that all who are in Asia have turned away from me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain; when he arrived in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me —may the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! And you know very well how much service he rendered in Ephesus.
2 Timothy 1:15-18, NRSVUE
Like Paul, I had some unjust, difficult things happen to me this past year and maybe you did too. Notice, however, that Paul spends one verse talking about the large group and specific individuals who turned away from him and three verses talking about one particular friend and family that honored, refreshed, and pursued him. There is something to be said for Paul’s choice to reflect on the positive. This is not denial or sweeping things under the rug. He begins by acknowledging the hurt and calling a spade a spade. But in his four-verse summary, he won’t allow abandonment and hurt to have the last word. As someone has said, life’s not just about the facts; it’s about our interpretation of the facts. Paul would agree but add this: Life’s also about which facts we choose to focus on.
What were your Onesiphorous experiences this past year? Who were the people at the center of those experiences? Have you told them how much they’ve meant to you?
[1] I first heard this outline thirty-five years ago from Richard Emmons, a professor I had at Philadelphia Biblical University (now Cairn University) in Langhorne, Pa.