FRIDAY IN TRINITY I 27 JUNE 2003

KRAMER CHAPEL CTS- FT.WAYNE

+Jesu Juva+

END AND BEGINNING
II Timothy 4:5-8

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." That is the Apostle Paul as he is brought to the end of his life and his work as an Apostle. Indeed his was a life of adventure and risk for the Gospel's sake. Kicked out of synagogues and hauled before civil authorities, Paul made the good confession of Jesus Christ. Beaten and ship-wrecked, he knew a thing or two about enduring hardness as a good soldier of the cross. He contended with false apostles-not with the worldly wisdom of clever arguments-but with the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, taking every thought captive to Christ crucified. Harassed by that thorn in the flesh-whatever it was- Paul learned to trust in the all-sufficient grace of God in his weakness. Now after a lifetime of missionary preaching, Paul, the apostle of Christian freedom, is bound in chains and awaits martyrdom.

What does Paul have to show for the sweat and the tears, the years of sacrifice and hard work? There are no retirement parties for him. There are no videos with high-lights of his ministry. The world was still the world. It was hardly ablaze with the fire of glory. The congregations that he served would not really qualify as exceptional places of high spirituality and warm hospitality. There was Corinth with its multitude of problems- jealousy, sexual immorality, women attempting to preach, super-spiritual charismatics, deniers of the resurrection to list just a few of its most notable maladies. Or Galatia, a church that had so completely confused law and Gospel that it was bewitched, enchanted with a fake gospel that was not at all good news. What did Paul leave behind? A roster of healthy congregations- vibrant in worship and dynamic in mission? Not really. He leaves behind churches hidden under the cross, congregations that live by the apostolic words - words that are spirit and life. Words that bring life out of death and create faith where there was only unbelief.

He did the work of an evangelist, a preacher of the Gospel that alone is the power of God unto salvation. He proclaimed Jesus Christ nailed to the cross, the Righteous for the unrighteous. He heralded the message that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself making peace through the blood of the cross. With all the energy given him by the Spirit, Paul toiled and struggled to proclaim God's mystery, hidden for ages but now revealed in Christ. Paul would end up in chains, but the Word that went forth from his lips was not fettered. It accomplished and accomplishes still the purpose for which God sent it.

Like a drink offering, Paul's life would be poured out. The cup would be emptied, drained dry. The judgment of an unrighteous judge would shortly bring the Apostle to death. He trusted in the Righteous Judge, the Lord of heaven and earth, who would crown him with the victory and not only him but all who have loved the appearing of our Lord Christ.

Many of you in chapel this morning are nowhere near the end. Rather you are at the beginning of a life of service to the Gospel as you prepare for the pastoral office. Three weeks in summer Greek, you might conclude that you are not even near the track, still plodding around trying to find the starting line as you trip over verbs and are lost in the mystery of this archaic tongue. Paul's ending speaks to your beginning. His faithfulness to Christ beckons you to ready yourself for the race. His well-fought fight invites you to make the most of these days as you are formed and shaped to carry on the work that Paul entrusted to Timothy and has now been given to us. Paul's end is where you begin. "As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."

The words of Pastor Starke's hymn point the way:

"Lord, give us faith

to walk where You are sending,

On paths unmarked,

Eyes blind as to their ending;

Not knowing where we go, but that You lead us-

With grace precede us.

You, Jesus, You alone

Deserve all glory!

Our lives unfold,

Embraced within your story;

Past, present, future-

You the same forever,

To fail us never!" (HS98-840). Amen